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A filly set a new 2YO auction record at Inglis on Tuesday
Baystone Farm is celebrating a record result after becoming the Southern Hemisphere's first operation to sell a two-year-old for seven figures at auction in Sydney on Tuesday.
A filly by Written Tycoon out of multiple Group 1-winning Savabeel mare Soriano owned Inglis's Ready2Race Sale after Yulong paid $1 million for the youngster.
It was an exchanging of goods, of sorts, with Yulong having sold the filly at this year's Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, where Baystone's Dean Harvey paid $200,000 for her.
"She was super popular all week, she was hard to fault and we knew how good she was talent-wise but it's just all come together.
"Written Tycoon has had an amazing few months and she's just a queen of a filly but we didn't think she'd make that sort of money.
"At Easter she was a quality filly with a big pedigree and by a good stallion. Nothing's gone wrong, she's been perfect the whole way through and Troy Corstens has never been higher on a filly so I've told him to go and chase (Yulong's) Mr Zhang to see if he can train her.
"Her reserve was much lower, way lower. I knew there'd be a lot of competition and you always hope that two heavy hitters want her and go head to head and that's what happened. You've got to savour moments like this.
"This result gives you confidence that you can bring a filly like that to a sale like this and get well paid for it.''
The Written Tycoon filly clocked 10.50secs at the Wangaratta breeze-up session.
"She breezed up well, the team around her were talking a big game with her and that brought a big price tag but we're thrilled to get her back," Yulong general manager Vin Cox said.
"The boss (Mr Zhang) was very keen on her. I've been in Europe with him recently and this was the horse in the sale that he kept asking about so I think it's fair to say he's had his eyes on her for many weeks.''
Yulong's big buy was one of eight two-year-old's to realise $500,000 or more, one of 11 to realise $400,000 or more and one of 18 to sell for $300,000 or more.
Lots averaged $167,065 – an increase of 58% from the corresponding time 12 months ago – while the gross ($15,370,000) was also up 39 percent to make it the second-highest grossing Inglis Ready2Race Sale ever.
Other star performers included Shane McGrath's Deep Field x Sheer Pleasure colt, who sold to Clinton McDonald for $750,000, and an Exceed And Excel colt from New Zealand's Prima Park, who sold for $600,000.
Also off to Hong Kong is the colt by rising star stallion Super Seth out of Bernardini mare Racing Nadine, who sold for $550,000.
Inglis Bloodstock CEO Sebastian Hutch was delighted with the sale.
"There are a hell of a lot of positives from the day and not for a second at the start of the day did I think we would be reflecting on a record-priced 'breezer' and a $1m lot at the end of the day,'' Hutch said.
"Competition for nice horses that breezed well and vetted well was ferocious and the volume of buyers at the top end was like nothing we have seen before at this sale."
2024 INGLIS READY2RACE SALE (2023 stats in brackets)
Sold: 92 (92)
Clearance: 62% (55%)
Average: $167,065 ($106,248)
Median: $110,000 ($90,000)
Gross: $15,370,000 ($10,943,500)