New record set and matched on first two days of Southern Sale

A record-equalling price for a Victorian-sold weanling – just a day after the mark was set – capped off a strong second day of the Melbourne Great Southern Sale at Oaklands.

On the final day of the select weanlings catalogue, the A$310,000 (£184,000/€211,000) price-tag was hit for a second consecutive day when Newgate Farm and China Horse Club teamed up to buy a Written Tycoon colt out of Many Facets.

Offered by Bombora Downs as agent for breeder Lynn Alderson, the colt matched the mark set on the opening day of the sale for Swettenham Stud's More Than Ready colt.

The top weanlings helped boost the select sale's aggregate to a strong A$8,838,250 (£5.26 million/€6.01 million) with an improving clearance rate of 76 per cent.

For Christoph Bruechert of Bombora Downs, it was the farm's second-best result ever, behind only a A$350,000 Written Tycoon colt it offered at this year's Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale

Positive feedback

"It's great for me, and it's great for Victoria. To have two equal-record lots in two days here is great, and it's fantastic that we've finally got a headline stallion in Written Tycoon, who I truly believe has got many great years ahead of him," Bruechert said.

"On Friday this bloke was out basically all day, to the point where I didn't even bother putting him back in his box after an inspection because there would always be another two or three people in line wanting to look at him.

"I don't generally get a lot of feedback but I had a lot of people telling me the past few days that this is the nicest horse they've seen here, or one of the best they've seen anywhere this year etc.

"A lot offered positive feedback which for me at least is quite rare, not that I get negative feedback, it's just generally you don't get any."

Perfect temperament

Steve Jostlear of Ampulla Lodge paid A$310,000 for a More Than Ready colt out of Calming Influence from the Swettenham Stud draft, to take the first day's top honours.

Jostlear broke the record which he had set, when he and Ascot Farm paid A$300,000 for an Exceed And Excel colt out of Common Smytzer in 2015.

Jostlear described the More Than Ready youngster as "a spectacular colt, equal to if not the best I've seen at any sale anywhere this year, and I'm not just saying that.

"I stood and watched him for nearly two hours earlier today, to check on his temperament.

"He was very popular but he didn't bat an eyelid. He had every chance to spit the dummy, and probably should have at times, but he was dead set perfect.

"On top of that he had perfect x-rays, has a great pedigree, and I knew he was the one for us, that's why I opened the bidding at A$200,000!"

Inglis: More Than Ready colt topped the first day of selling at the Great Southern SaleCredit: Inglis

Burnewang North claimed leading vendor honours, selling all 12 of their offerings for an aggregate of A$747,500, while Milburn Creek ended with the highest average of A$77,857 from their seven sales.

The leading buyer by number of purchases was Sheamus Mills Bloodstock with nine, and the biggest buyer by average was Randwick Bloodstock Agency with seven selling for an average of A$67,929.

Victorian stallion Written Tycoon was a clear leading sire, topping both the aggregate (A$1,090,000) and average price (A$155,714) for three or more sales.

It was also a solid sale for first-season sire Brazen Beau. His two progeny to sell recorded an average of A$210,000, placing both in the top five overall lots in the sale.

State record

Simon Vivian, bloodstock manager for Inglis Victoria, said the sale was especially strong for Victoria: "To have Written Tycoon and Brazen Beau both perform so strongly, to have Burnewang North end with 12 from 12, Bombora Downs and Swettenham offering the top two lots which equalled the state record - I think it laid a fantastic foundation for future weanling sales at the Great Southern Sale in Victoria.

"There are definitely areas we will work on and improve moving forward but overall, I'm very happy with how the weanlings sold."

The third session of the Great Southern Sale starts at 10am on Tuesday, with 316 broodmares and one stallion catalogued.