Medaglia d'Oro and Brazen Beau lead the way

Darley stallions set the sales ring alight at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale which concluded on the Gold Coast on 3 June, with mares in foal to Medaglia d’Oro and Brazen Beau in particularly high demand.

Medaglia d’Oro continued his run of record-breaking sales with the Stakes-winning dam of Darley stallion Shooting To Win, Listen Here, selling in foal to him for $3.4 million. Knocked down to China Horse Club and Bruce Perry Bloodstock, the purchase became the top price paid for a horse through a Magic Millions sales ring.

In total six mares in foal to Medaglia d’Oro sold at an average price of $830,000, which secured his place as the leading sire by average.

Brazen Beau has enjoyed strong sales results with his first-crop mares and it continued on the Gold Coast where he once again led the first-season sires' table with eight lots in foal to the Champion sprinter selling for an average price of $253,750 highlighted by the sale of lot 769, G3-placed Pretty Penny, who sold for $570,000 to Colm Santry Bloodstock.

Fellow first-season sire Shooting To Win also enjoyed a strong sale, which was headed by the sale of the Stakes-winning mare She’s a Fox to James Harron Bloodstock for $500,000.

Proven greats Lonhro and Exceed And Excel once again proved popular. Champion Lonhro mare Bounding (lot 611) sold to Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings for $1.9 million, while the Godolphin mare Zauberflote sold in foal to Exceed And Excel for $525,000 to Yu Long Investments and Sheamus Mills Bloodstock. Mares in foal to Lonhro and Exceed and Excel sold for an average price of $370,000 and $305,000 respectively.

The average price paid for mares in foal to Darley stallions was up 104.2% on the previous year to $192,336, which was well ahead of the rest of the market which was down by 8.1% to $110,063.