Millions were splurged around the sale ring during the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale last week, with 11 females fetching $1 million or more.
The top price came early on day one of the four-day auction when Missrock - a triple stakes winner and $1.388m earner - made $2.3m. The Fastnet Rock five-year-old maiden mare will head to England's Highclere Stud, following her purchase by international buyers John and son Jake Warren.
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Jake Warren - who was bidding on the phone to Magic Millions Bloodstock managing director Barry Bowditch, said he and his father John "fell in love" with Missrock after inspecting the mare earlier.
John Warren is known globally as the racing manager of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and in recent years has teamed up with his son, the pair now among the leading bloodstock buyers around the world.
Sold by Kingstar Farm, Denman, for an ownership group headed by Ray and Susie Montague, Missrock has made her last major Australian appearance (in the Magic Millions' sale ring) at the same place she made her first, when she sold for $500,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
At the conclusion of the four days of Book One, buyers spent $104m for 707 lots sold, from 898 lots offered, for an average of $147,136.
Supplementary entry, Erato, fetched second top at $1.75m, which sold via Yarraman Park, Scone, to Australian based bloodstock manager Sam Fairgray who represents the Chinese connected Yu Long Investments.
By US bred Street Cry, Erato is the dam of this year's MRC Blue Diamond Stakes-G1 winner Lyre, the mare is in foal to Newgate Farm's first season Snitzel horse Russian Revolution.
Yarraman also sold former sprint sensation Invincible Star for $1.45m, to James Bester and Tom Magnier, and Hinchinbrook Group winning mare Whispering Brook for $1.1m, being knocked down to Japanese breeder Katsumi Yoshida.
Mr Bester confirmed that Invincible Star - a four-year-old daughter of Yarraman's I Am Invincible, would be covered by Coolmore Stud's new shuttler and US Triple Crown hero Justify, this coming stud season.
Olly and Amber Tait's Twin Hills, Cootamundra, was responsible for stakes mare Lipari (dam of two stakes winners including last season's Group 1 winner Levendi), selling for $1.6m.
Mr Tait purchased the 10-year-old Redoute's Choice mare (who was in foal to I Am Invincible) for $170,000 at the same sale a few years ago before either of her stakes winners had emerged.
Another mare in-foal to Australia's hottest sire, I Am Invincible, was nine-year-old Melbourne stakes winner Members Joy, who fetched $1.45m.
Magic Millions Bloodstock owner Gerry Harvey, together with Tom Magnier paid $1.55m for dual Group 1 winning mare Global Glamour, by Star Witness. By Nureyev grandson Starcraft, Star Witness stands at Widden Stud, also vendors of Global Glamour.
Support for Tye family continues
Support continues to flow for injured Hawkesbury jockey Tye Angland and his family, with $283,000 raised from proceeds via the sale of several 2019 stud season stallion nominations, which were auctioned at the conclusion of the first day of the Magic Millions broodmares.
Service fees donated by NSW studs included Arrowfield, Coolmore, Darley, Newgate, Vinery, and Yarraman, while in Queensland it was Telemon Thoroughbreds and Eureka Stud, and Woodside Park in Victoria.
Arrowfield's nomination to their young star sire Dundeel sold for $100,000, selling to Victorian operation Musk Creek Farm, while Widden Stud paid $55,000 for a service to Golden Slipper winner Capitalist.
The Fergus Connolly operated Valiant Stud, Scone, purchased the Hellbent nomination from Yarraman Park for $32,500, while the service to US bred Mendelssohn, donated by Coolmore Stud, went for $27,000.
Exceed And Excel sire son Sidestep (who will stand his second Queensland season at Telemon Thoroughbreds) had his nomination sell for $25,000. Sidestep is the sire of this year's Golden Slipper winning filly Kiamichi.
Vinery's Press Statement (by Hinchinbrook) nomination fetched $17,000; Woodside Park's Tosen Stardom (Deep Impact) $15,000; and new sire Encryption at $12,000.