A son of Lonhrobrought the top price of Aust$220,000 ($196,431 in U.S. funds) during the BC3 Future Stars sale at Oaklands in Australia Aug. 22. He was purchased by a client of Victoria trainer John McArdle.
Produced from the unraced Grand Lodge mare Excommunicate, the 2-year-old chestnut colt is a half brother to 2010 Stevco Seals & Pumps Up and Coming Stakes (Aust-III) winner Blackball (by Canny Lad).
The results for the auction included a gross of Aust$1,154,000 ($1,030,370) for the 13 horses sold. The average price was Aust$88,769 ($79,259), and the median price was Aust$75,000 ($66,695). The buy-back rate was 61.8%, with 21 of the 34 horses offered failing to find new homes.
"We were pleased to sell 13 here at Oaklands, which eclipsed last year's total we sold at our auction," BC3 chief executive officer Bill Vlahos said. "We've been inundated with inquiries post sale, and hope to have a few more sales finalized, particularly in the higher bracket in the next day or so.
"As history has shown, there will no doubt be some great racehorses emerging from the BC3 program. As always, the BC3 philosophy is that the horses not sold through the ring will remain for sale, and we're confident they will once again win a few races in our colors along the way."
The auction was conducted in association with William Inglis & Son.
"Having worked closely with Bill's team on this year's sale, our team can fully endorse the BC3 philosophy,” Inglis managing director Mark Webster said. "In particular, we've been impressed by the quality and level of education of the Future Stars draft. We'll continue to market these graduates post sale, particularly in Asia, where we will be represented over the next few months with trade missions in Singapore, Hong Kong, and China.
"The concept is returning results on the racetrack, and I'm confident that will translate to more sales over time."
