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Record-breaking mare makes $2.6 million at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale

Another chapter of the thrilling Melody Belle (Commands) story came to an end at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale on Tuesday, with the 14-time Group 1 winner set to continue the second phase of her career as a broodmare at Yulong after Mr Zhang’s Written Tycoon Syndicate purchased the mare for $2.6 million and she now looks set for a date with their new stallion Written Tycoon (Iglesia) this spring. 

Catalogued as Lot 510 and offered by Julian Blaxland’s Blue Sky Premium Consignment, the mare was billed to be one of the headline acts of the sale and she certainly did not let her supporters down, garnering the sort of attention one would expect from a filly that captured so many people’s imaginations on and off the track. 

Yulong's chief operating officer Sam Fairgray told Racing & Sports Bloodstock that his boss Mr Zhang had closely followed the daughter of Commands’ (Danehill) career and was pleased to be able to add a mare of her quality to his blossoming broodmare band. 

"It's great to have a mare of this quality joining the farm," Fairgray said.

"We've got Written Tycoon standing at the farm and she was an obvious mare to look at (for him) and we think she'll suit him ideally.

"We thought she'd be around there ($2.6m), she's a Group 1-winning two-year-old that went on who won 14 Group 1 races, so mares of this quality don't come on the market that often.

“Mr Zhang has been following her for the last two years, so to be able to buy a mare of that quality was great to be able to secure her. 

“She was a brilliant Group 1-winning two-year-old who went on to win a further 13 Group 1 races. Physically, she will suit Written Tycoon well and pedigree-wise, so she ticked a lot of boxes.

The Melody Belle story was born from relatively humble beginnings, having been bought for NZ$57,500 by David Ellis at the 2016 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale from the draft of Haunui Farm. 

She would subsequently go on to etch her name into New Zealand folklore, breaking Sunline’s (Desert Sun) record for the most Group 1 wins in New Zealand racing history when landing a 14th victory at elite level in the Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) on March 13.

The now six-year-old kicked off her stakes-winning haul with a victory in the 2017 Karaka Million (RL, 1200m), while the first of her 14 wins at the top-level came when she landed the Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) three months later and she won 19 of 41 career starts, which has seen her accumulate $4,042,557 in career prize-money. 

Raced throughout her career by John Galvin’s Fortuna Melody Belle Syndicate and trained by Te Akau head trainer Jamie Richards, Melody Belle is out of winning Iffraaj (Zafonic) mare Meleka Belle, making her a half-sister to three-time winner Exaltation (Not A Single Doubt). 

Julian Blaxland told Racing & Sports Bloodstock he believed the mare’s longevity and soundness made her an attractive prospect to almost every buyer at the auction on the Gold Coast. 

“I am delighted for them,” he said. “They had 37 owners of the mare and I think she would have nearly made more if she was sold later on in the day, but she made them $4 million on the race track and sold for $2.6 million to Yulong and looks to be going to Written Tycoon, so it is a fabulous result for the syndicate and for a yearling that made NZ$57,500, it is a truly great result and story. 

“A lot of credit has to go to David Ellis for buying her as a yearling and Jamie Richards for training her for all those years. I am really happy and honoured to have sold her. She was a beautiful mare and she looked like the ultimate athlete. She retired sound at her age after being a champion two-year-old and it was testament to her soundness and durability. 

“She has a lovely big action, lovely presence and it is just a great story. I think her soundness was one of the reasons she proved so popular and I believe the underbidder was from Japan, so her story did resonate, not just in Australia but all over the world. 

“Ashley Hanley, her strapper who led her through the ring, talked about her kind nature and she hadn’t been to a sale since she was a yearling, but she slotted straight into the parading over the two days and she took it in stride. I think she will make a great mum for Yulong and we wish them all the best with her.”

On Tuesday, Blaxland’s Blue Sky Premium Consignment sold 35 of the 37 offering for an aggregate of $7,226,000 at an average of $206,457 and Blaxland was over the moon with the day’s results.

“It was a fantastic sale,” he said. “We grossed over $7 million and I think we were the leading vendors of race fillies and mares by aggregate. 

“I want to thank the Fung family for their support, giving us so many nice race fillies to sell from the stables of Kacy Fogden and Annabel Neasham and those trainers have had these fillies sold and many of them will return to those two trainers, which is great to see. 

“We just had really good results, we had mares making double what our expectations were and for us to sell 35 of 37 and gross over $7 million was more than we could have ever hoped for.”

Mr Zhang’s Written Tycoon Syndicate finished the day as the leading buyer, purchasing 26 lots for total receipts of $12,200,000 at an average of $496,231 and the 26 lots also included Group 2-winning Stratum (Redoute’s Choice) mare Greysful Glamour for $1.5 million, who also looks set for a mating with Written Tycoon. 

Catalogued as Lot 679 and offered by Widden Stud on behalf of Darby Racing, the mare won six of her 40 starts, which saw her pocket $903,505 in career prize-money earnings. 

The mare is out of winning Dalakhani (Darshaan) mare Rippled, making her a half-sister to stakes-placed Celestial Falls (Hinchinbrook). 

“She was a very consistent racemare and is a lovely physical,” said Fairgray. “Once again she will visit Written Tycoon and I think she will suit him well and leave great types and I am looking forward to taking her yearlings back through the sales.”

Three-time Group 1 winner Arcadia Queen (Pierro) was for many the other headline mare in the high-class catalogue and she was passed in after failing to make her $4 million reserve.