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12.
Easter Yearling Sale - Day
Three
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04/04/2002 |
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The Australian Easter Yearling Sale at Newmarket ended on a high on Thursday when a filly by Danehill sold for an Australian record price of $1.5 million.
In an exciting climax to the three-day sale Danehill reasserted his superiority over Japan’s champion sire Sunday Silence when he also had a colt sold for $1.4 million.
Sunday Silence had made all the headlines at the first two sessions but it was Danehill who took the sale to new heights with his filly from Sommes Sound setting an Australasian record for the sex and equalling the record price paid for a colt at an Australian sale.
The heavyweights of the Australian breeding industry bid for the filly, a half sister to the G1 winners Assertive Lad and
Assertive Lass offered by Tamworth’s Stratheden Stud, with Coolmore Stud’s Irish agent Demi O’Byrne winning the duel over other big spenders Darley Australia and Gooree Stud.
"I thought she was the best filly in the sale and she has a great pedigree," O'Byrne said. "She'll stay in Australia to race but as yet we haven't decided on a trainer."
The previous highest price for a yearling filly at auction in Australia was $1.25 million paid for the Vain-Denise’s Joy filly at the 1989 Easter sale. She raced as Joie de Vivre and raced only once before going to stud where she has produced South African Group winner Joie de Grise and Sydney stakeswinner Arlington Road.
Eduardo Cojuangco’s Gooree Stud will take home the highest priced colt of the Easter sale after paying $1.4 million for the son of Danehill from Bletchingly’s group-winning mare Verocative.
He will be trained by Lee Freedman, who also prepares the record-priced AJC Derby winner Don Eduardo for Gooree Stud.
Despite providing the sale topping colt and filly Danehill was relegated to second place on the averages list by Sunday Silence, who had his five yearlings sell for a total of $4.1 million.
His impact on the sale included the $1.2 million colt and $925,000 for a filly on the first day and ended with his colt from Tinaca bringing $1.1 million at the final session to the bid of leading New Zealand agent Rob McAnulty.
McAnulty said the colt will stay in Australia to be trained by either John Hawkes or Clarry Conners for a syndicate of international investors.
Other big prices on the final day included $850,000 the Danehill-Piccadilly Circus colt and $600,000 for the Octagonal half brother to Easy Rocking and Fairy King Prawn from grand producer
Twiglet.
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