Denman’s popularity continued to soar at the Melbourne Premier yearling sale with Lonhro’s G1-winning son having a new record price paid for a yearling by him when Kornong Stud Farm’s colt out of King Of Kings mare Balalaika sold for $320,000.
A half-brother to Exceed And Excel’s G1-placed juvenile Jabali, runner-up to Earthquake in last month’s Blue Diamond Stakes, the colt was knocked down to Tan Sri Vincent Tan and Dato Robin Tan of Malaysia.
Denman’s top priced filly of the sale was also purchased by overseas interests, his daughter out of Dehere mare Qualia selling to Japan’s Big Red Farm for $190,000.
Not to be outdone by his son, Lonhro’s yearlings were also highly sought after with his stunning son out of the imported Stakes performer Mermaid Island selling to Dermot Farrington for $245,000.
The highest-priced filly of the sale was lot 450, the Commands filly out of Stakes winning Canny Lad mare Pantenny. Consigned by Eliza Park she was knocked down to Salanitri Racing on behalf of Eddie Hirsch for $275,000.
Exceed And Excel was responsible for the second highest-priced filly of the sale with his daughter out of La Guichet selling to Glen Harvey Bloodstock for $270,000, while the Gilgai Farm-consigned Exceed And Excel filly out of G2 winner Sherine was purchased by Dan Bougoure for $230,000.
Street Cry also had a filly sell for $230,000, the Rothwell Park-consigned daughter of Commands mare Assertive Guest knocked down to First Light Racing.
For the fourth year in a row Reset had a yearling sell for in excess of $200,000 with lot 496, a colt out of Redoute’s Choice mare Rate The Choice, selling to Lindsay Park Racing for $220,000.
The Neville Duncan-bred and Blue Gum Farm-consigned New Approach colt out of Danehill mare Entrust was one of the most talked about yearlings in the sale. After spirited bidding from all corners of the auditorium, he was knocked down to Nordic Racing and Breeding for $300,000.
The sale concluded with 158 lots going under the hammer in session two where the equal top lot was Salamander Park's Von Costa de Hero colt out of Luna Ballerina, kocked down to Brett Howard's Randwick Bloodstock Agency for $110,000.
