Madam Rouge proved the star of a remarkable third and final day of the 2022 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale on the Gold Coast on Thursday.
Bidding online, Widden Stud was able to secure to star mare for A$2.4 million and was one of nine lots to sell for seven figures on the day.
It will be a welcome return to the famous Hunter Valley nursery for the daughter of Zoustar.
The original breeder of Madam Rouge, Widden sold her for A$310,000 at the 2017 Gold Coast Yearling Sale, but astutely retained a 10 per cent share for her racing career.
That career netted six wins and almost A$1.5 million in prizemoney before she was mated with I Am Invincible in her first season at stud last spring.
“We are thrilled,” Widden’s Antony Thompson said. “We obviously bred her and were involved in racing her – we know her intimately.”
“It was a great ride with Chris Waller and the owners. So now to be able to buy her and bring her back to Widden is wonderful – we’re very excited about that.”
“We bred and raced Sunlight and tried to buy her but we were unable to. Last year we underbid Mizzy. These Zoustar mares are the most gorgeous mares – they will be fantastic broodmares.”
“For mine she was the number one in-foal mare in the sale. We were able to build an army to go to war and we were able to win that battle,” Thompson added.
Earlier in the day Victoria’s Lucky Vega Syndicate went to A$1.7 million to secure the impeccably bred Fantasy (Lot 1084) from the draft of Coolmore Stud.
An imported daughter of Invincible Spirit, Fantasy was a winner and group placegetter at the Curragh and was presented in foal to Juddmonte’s international champion sire Frankel.
The resultant foal will be a close relation to champions Magical and Rhododendron, who are from Fantasy’s half sister Halfway to Heaven and by Frankel’s sire Galileo.
It was a big day for mares in foal to Frankel with Easton Angel (Lot 1066), Key (Lot 1145) and Excellent Sunset (Lot 1078) selling for A$1.35 million, A$1.1 million and A$1.05 million respectively.
The Written Tycoon Syndicate was leading buyer at the sale with six lots purchased at a gross of $11.81 millions. Their purchases included Away Game (A$4 million) and Tofane (A$3.2 million).
The Newgate Consignment rounded out the National Broodmare Sale as leading vendor by gross with over A$24 million traded on their 50 lots sold.
Arrowfield Stud (8 sold at A$525,250 average) edged our Ciaron Maher Racing (4 sold at A$520,000 average) as leading vendor by average (3 or more sold).
Across three day’s of selling the National Broodmare Sale grossed over A$123 million on 542 lots sold at an average price of A$228,311 and median of A$140,000. The clearance rate currently sits at 84 per cent.
“I am absolutely delighted,” Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch said. “I think it’s been one of the great breeding stock sales we’ve ever held.”
“Last year was a huge benchmark to meet, it was an incredible sale which obviously included the Shadwell Australasia Dispersal, so to increase our gross, taking out Shadwell, to sell 18 million dollar horses in the past three days is an extraordinary effort.”
“We thank vendors for entrusting us with these mares and race fillies and the buyers for supporting the product that we have a lot of confidence in with great gusto.”
“The yearling sale market’s been quite extraordinary, racing here in Australia is going from strength to strength and there’s a huge amount of confidence in our game and internationals are paying attention, so it’s the perfect recipe for a great sale.”
“I think we had an outstanding line-up of mares, especially young mares, it was a very, very young catalogue, and the market took to it in an emphatic way.”
“I must thank all of the vendors, their amazing teams and others connected with the logistics of the sale – the weather was very testing during inspections and early in the sale and everyone worked together to help make it an incredible sale.”
To view the results of the sale or to make an offer on a passed in lot click here.
Attention now turns to the Gold Coast National Yearling Sale with a quality catalogue of youngsters assembled for two day’s of selling on Tuesday and Wednesday. To view the online catalogue click here.
“It’s the last major opportunity for buyers to purchase a lot to be eligible for the A$14 million plus Magic Millions Race Series and there’s a great line up of stock catalogued,” Bowditch added.
SALE STATISTICS (Book 1)
(2021* in brackets)
Lots Catalogued: 745 (784)
Lots Sold: 542 (574)
Lots Passed In: 103 (91)
Lots Withdrawn: 100 (121)
Sale Gross: A$123,744,500 (A$117,324,000)
Average Price: A$228,311 (A$204,397)
Top Price: A$4,000,000 (A$3,200,000)
Median Price: A$140,000 (A$120,000)
Sold %: 84 (86)
* excludes Shadwell Australasia Dispersal
DAY THREE TOP SELLERS
A$2,400,000 – Madam Rouge (Lot 1191)
Vendor: Widden Stud (As Agent) / Buyer: Widden Stud (NSW)
A$1,700,000 – Fantasy (Lot 1084)
Coolmore Stud (As Agent) / Lucky Vega Syndicate (Vic)
A$1,350,000 – Easton Angel (Lot 1066)
Glenesk T’breds (As Agent) / Written Tycoon Syndicate (Vic)
A$1,300,000 – Nettoyer (Lot 1231)
Newgate Consignment (As Agent) / Trilogy Racing Pty Ltd (NSW)
A$1,100,000 – Key (Lot 1145)
Willow Park Stud / Bevan Smith B’stock/Andrew Williams B’stock (NSW)
A$1,100,000 – Nomothaj (Lot 1235)
Yarraman Park Stud (As Agent for Shadwell Stud Australasia) / Gandharvi Pty Ltd (Vic)
A$1,050,000 – Excellent Sunset (Lot 1078)
Newgate Consignment / Lucky Vega Syndicate (Vic)
A$1,050,000 – Crystal Bound (Lot 610)
Ciaron Maher Racing (As Agent) / Tom Magnier (NSW)
A$1,000,000 – Oceanex (Lot 1239)
Yarraman Park Stud (As Agent) / Kia Ora Stud/TFI (NSW)
OVERALL SALE TOP SELLERS
A$4,000,000 – Away Game (Lot 584)
Vendor: Newgate – Killora Consignment / Buyer: Written Tycoon Syndicate (Vic)
A$3,100,000 – Tofane (Lot 542)
Newgate Consignment (As Agent for Ballymore Stables) / Written Tycoon Syndicate (Vic)
A$2,400,000 – Madam Rouge (Lot 1191)
Widden Stud (As Agent) / Widden Stud (NSW)
A$1,700,000 – Lighthouse (Lot 723)
Arrowfield Stud (As Agent) / Dermot Farrington B’stock (QLD)
A$1,700,000 – Fantasy (Lot 1084)
Coolmore Stud (As Agent) / Lucky Vega Syndicate (Vic)
A$1,600,000 – Mac ‘n’ Cheese (Lot 731)
Spendthrift Australia / Written Tycoon Syndicate (Vic)
A$1,350,000 – Forever You (Lot 730)
Blue Sky Premium Consignment (As Agent) / Written Tycoon Syndicate (Vic)
A$1,350,000 – Easton Angel (Lot 1066)
Glenesk T’breds (As Agent) / Written Tycoon Syndicate (Vic)
A$1,300,000 – Tangier (Lot 892)
Godolphin / Avenue B’stock/Tom Magnier (NSW)
A$1,300,000 – Nettoyer (Lot 1231)
Newgate Consignment (As Agent) / Trilogy Racing Pty Ltd (NSW)
LEADING BUYERS
(ranked by total spend)
A$11,810,000 – Written Tycoon Syndicate – 6 lots
A$8,695,000 – Lucky Vega Syndicate – 27 lots
A$7,745,000 – Tagaloa Syndicate – 25 lots
A$4,990,000 – Widden Stud – 8 lots
A$4,910,000 – Dermont Farrington B’stock – 9 lots
LEADING VENDORS
(ranked by total gross)
A$24,044,000 – Newgate Consignment – 50 sold
A$9,478,000 – Yarraman Park Stud – 25 sold
A$9,468,000 – Godolphin – 42 lots
A$8,792,500 – Widden Stud – 37 sold
A$7,397,000 – Blue Sky Premium Consignment – 50 sold
LEADING VENDORS
(ranked by average – 3 or more sold)
A$525,250 – Arrowfield Stud – 8 sold
A$520,000 – Ciaron Maher Racing – 4 sold
A$490,833 – Glenesk T’breds – 6 sold
A$480,880 – Newgate Consignment – 50 sold
A$379,120 – Yarraman Park Stud – 25 sold
