Despite the large run of passed in hips, the quality horses continued to find good homes on day three of the 2007 William Inglis & Son Australian Select Broodmare Sale on Wednesday in Sydney. And some of them for good prices.
The dam of a former Australian champion sold well, as did the daughters of Thunder Gulch, who is excelling as a broodmare sire.
For the session, 227 hips ended up selling for Aus$6,291,850 (abtUS$5,421,500) at an average of Aus$44,309 (abt$36,840). The three sessions have now totalled Aus$27,913,450 (abt$23, 224,950) for 398 hips sold at an average of $70,134 (abt$58,491), eclipsing the 2006 figures of gross ($25,639,150) and average ($53,526), while the median remained healthy at $25,000. With two days remaining, more records will be set, highlighting the fact it is horse flesh and not just yearlings – that the buying public wants.
Tambour, the dam of champion middle distance turf galloper Grand Armee, sold Wednesday with Segenhoe Stud her consignor. She was sold to Coolmore’s bloodstock agent Colm Santry for Aus$440,000. “Tambour’s an outstanding mare, just look at her pedigree, very current and on the move. She was a top racemare in her own right, she’s got a great family, she produced a champion and, to top it all off, she’s in foal to Lonhro whose yearlings sold through the roof at Easter last week. At this stage Tambour has been earmarked to visit Rock of Gibraltar,” Santry pointed out.
This was Tambour’s second time in the famed Newmarket sale ring, having already sold at the 1995 William Inglis & Son Australian Easter Yearling Sale for $160,000. Like Tambour herself, many members of her highly sought after family have made their way around the Newmarket sale ring in recent years, highlighted by her now seven time group I winning son Grand Armee, sold to Alan Bell at the 2000 William Inglis & Son Australian Easter Yearling Sale for $150,000. An astute judge in his own right, Bell has purchased and raced numerous high quality gallopers including his sprint champion Schillaci, more recently acquiring the now retired Danehill stallion Strada from the Newmarket Sale ring at Easter in 2004 for $750,000.
Additionally, Tambour’s full-sister Eldarin had her group winning Redoute’s Choice colt Mearas, sold to Woodlands Stud for $1.1 million from the Easter Sale ring, while other close relations include group I winning sprinter, Drum, the group 2 VRC Kewney Stakes winner Anamato and one of the world’s fastest sprinter’s Absolute Champion, winner of the 2006 group I Hong Kong International Sprint in December in track record time.
Also enjoying a bumper sale is Martin Byrne’s Murrulla Stud, which sold four of its broodmares to a varied buying bench including international industry participants Paul Makin, Tim Stakemire, Trelawney Stud and James Bester. Trelawney Stud got the final nod early in the day, paying $350,000 for the Orpen mare Rogan’s Gem. A winner of six on the track, the speedy performer is in foal to leading sire Flying Spur, while Paul Makin of Starcraft fame paid $280,000 for the Night Shift mare Staff, a winning half-sister to group I winner Paratroopers.
New Zealand agent Paul Willetts who has done his fair share of finger waving this week with four purchases for an outlay of $559,000, was happy to part with $425,000 to secure the Hennessy mare Sun Kisses in foal to champion sire Redoute’s Choice. “There’s a lot to like about this mare. She was an exceedingly fast racehorse in Brisbane and is a half sister to group winner Face Value. Carrying a Redoute’s Choice doesn’t hurt either.”
Thunder Gulch had four daughters sell, averaging $95,000. William Inglis & Son Acting Managing Director, Jamie Inglis was pleased with both the depth of the sale and buoyancy of the overall market. “The broodmare sale has held up really well and there has been excellent competition throughout. The depth of the buying bench is really quite amazing and serves to illustrate the quality of broodmares assembled. What’s more, no-one is leaving town, which indicates that there will be plenty more action over the next two days.”