3 minute read
Daughter of I Am Invincible makes $2.55 million.
Dual Group 1-winning mare Viddora (I Am Invincible) was the headline act on the final broodmare session at the Magic Millions National Sale, after Victorian-based Yulong went to $2.55 million for the daughter of I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) - who was offered in foal to Ballylinch Stud-based star stallion Lope De Vega (Shamardal).
Catalogued as Lot 492 and offered by Newgate Farm, Viddora proved to be one of the best sprinting mares of her generation, winning nine times in her career - including in the Winterbottom Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) and AJ Moir Stakes (Gr 1, 1000m), while she also recorded a fine fourth place finish in the Al Quoz Sprint (Gr 1, 1200m) in Dubai.
Yulong finished as the leading buyer by aggregate, spending $9,985,000 on 15 mares over the three days of trade and the operation's bloodstock manager Luke Wilkinson said Yulong's activity at the sale showed Mr Zhang's great commitment to the Australian industry.
"Mr Zhang is making a massive commitment and he is doing a great job building an empire and building on the mare quality - which is unbelievable," said Wilkinson.
Viddora - who was sold in absentia - was the second most expensive of the Yulong's purchases - with Group 1 winner Unforgotten (Fastnet Rock) taking the mantle of Mr Zhang's high-priced purchase of the week, having paid $2,750,000 for her on day one of the auction. Wilkinson said the seven-year-old mare would likely be covered by Yulong's exciting young stallion Alabama Express (Redoute's Choice).
"It is a fantastic result for Mr Zhang and the family," said Wilkinson. "We have known about Viddora for a while and she has been inspected and she is a great type, so it is great to get a mare like her in the broodmare band.
"She is likely to head to one of our stallions, probably Alabama Express - who has been well supported in the market and we will probably send her to him and give him the greatest chance to be a successful stallion. But it will be decided in the next two weeks either way.
"We probably valued her at $2 million - $3 million and just depending on who we were bidding against."
The daughter of I Am Invincible has come a long way since being purchased for what now looks a lowly $40,000 at the 2014 Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale and she is out of five time-winning Colombia (Zabeel) mare Snow Flight, who is herself a half-sister to stakes-placed Zeddane (Danske).
Being offered in foal to global superstar stallion Lope De Vega, meaning the resulting foal will be bred on a similar cross to Group 2 scorer Duke Of Hazzard and Listed winner Surf Dancer, with the pair being out of daughter's of Invincible Spirit (Green Desert).
Lloyd Kennewell - who trained the mare throughout her career - was watching from his home state in Victoria and said it was encouraging to see the competition for her.
"It was great to watch," said Kennewell. "Obviously the spirited bidding was great. I think James Harron was underbidder from what I've been told, but Yulong were very keen online to secure her and obviously the highest bidder buys and she's coming back to Victoria, she'll have a beautiful life down there.
"Henry [Field] and Tom [Ryan] did a great job in promoting her and getting a great result. They took the chance, bringing her back from the UK, got her in foal and did all the hard work.
"She was offered for a lot less money privately to all these people and eventually they took the plunge to buy her and they reaped some rewards as well.
"She is a beautiful type and she's got a great temperament to go with it and hopefully her progeny live up to what she did."
Newgate Farm enjoyed a good week at the sale, selling 13 mares for an aggregate of $4,545,000 at an average of $349,615, which saw them finish second vendor by average (with three or more lots sold), bettered only by Glenesk Thoroughbreds, who sold three at an average $515,333 with a total aggregate of $1,546,000.
Newgate Farm's Henry Field said he rated her the best mare in the sale, behind sale-topping Sunlight (Zoustar) and was happy to see her make about what he predicted before the sale.
"I found it encouraging that there were five different people on her at $1.5 million," Field said.
"She was the most spectacular mare you will ever see. She was a top-class sprinter and she's special.
"I really hope that Yulong hit it out of the park with her because she is 'out of the box' and they have bought the real deal. For what these elite mares are making, I thought she was reasonably priced. I had her clearly marked as the second-best mare in the sale (behind Sunlight) and she made in the middle of what I thought she'd make."
