China Horse Club outlasts Coolmore Australia to secure $1.7m Diademe

China Horse Club came out on top of a thrilling battle to own Group 1 winner and topshelf sales ring producer Diademe outright after landing the A$1.7 million knockout blow on the second day of the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale.

Offered in foal to Golden Slipper Stakes winner Vancouver (Medaglia D’Oro) on Wednesday, Diademe was at the centre of a titanic tussle between her owners Coolmore and China Horse Club to dissolve the partnership.

On the market from the initial A$100,000 bid, the parties faced off as the bids flew past A$1m before increasing in A$50,000 increments from A$1.5m.

Diademe, whose yearling filly by Fastnet Rock made NZ$1m at this year’s New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale, was purchased by Coolmore and China Horse Club for A$740,000 at the 2015 sale.

Her Fastnet Rock weanling colt was bought by Boomer Bloodstock at last week’s Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sale for $650,000.

China Horse Club's Michael Wallace said: “She has put down two wonderful foals so far and she is a grade A specimen physically, so she has everything going for her.

“Obviously it is well documented the ownership that was involved with her, so it is good to get that tidied up and move on with a nice mare.”

Wallace added that dual Group 1-winning first season stallion Russian Revolution, his sire Snitzel and I Am Invincible are all in the mix to be mated to Diademe this season.

Tattersalls mare gamble pays off

The decision of Bell View Park Stud’s Adam Mackrell to target European mares with Australasian pedigrees paid off when Dream In Colour, the only mare in the sale by Frankel was secured for $750,000 by Peter Ford Thoroughbreds.

Sold in foal to Darley shuttler Exceed And Excel, the mare was purchased by Howson & Houldsworth Bloodstock on behalf of Mackrell at last year’s Tattersalls February Sale for 75,000 guineas.

“She went through at Tattersalls in Newmarket last February and obviously Frankel hadn’t really taken off just at that stage. It was an Australian family so she might not have had that much appeal to Europeans and we were lucky enough to have an agent over there to help and they recommended her to us,” said Mackrell.

“We’ve bought a few mares overseas recently with Australian links and we are trying to do the same thing with them."

Market remains strong on day two

Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch described Wednesday’s session as solid, despite reservations expressed about the lower end of the market by some vendors.

The aggregate for the first two days sits at more than A$66m, with an average of A$156,768 and a clearance rate of 84 per cent

“It was strong from the outset and there is good buying at all levels of the market, which is pleasing, and a clearance rate of 84 per cent shows that,” Bowditch said.

“There are plenty of buyers out there who still haven’t filled their orders, so hopefully it can continue.”

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