Record outlay on blue hen already looking like money well spent

Bruce Neill’s Cressfield Farm and the China Horse Club had to bid an all-time Magic Millions record price of A$3.4 million (around £2m/€2.3m) to jointly secure Listen Here when she went under the hammer at last year’s National Broodmare Sale on the Gold Coast.

And no wonder, as the Listed-winning daughter of Elusive Quality had produced high-class runners and young sires Deep Field and Shooting To Win as her first two offspring and was offered in foal to Medaglia D’Oro, sire of huge talents Astern and Vancouver.

Judging by the accompanying picture of the strapping Medaglia D’Oro colt who Listen Here delivered at Cressfield Farm last September, as well as the sale of the mare’s Zoustar yearling filly by her previous owners for A$1m at Inglis last month, the early signs are the A$3.4m was money well spent.

Bloodstock agent Bruce Perry, who looks after the interests of Cressfield Farm and struck the record-breaking bid with the China Horse Club’s Michael Wallace, says: "The Medaglia D’Oro colt looks to have inherited plenty of the family ability.

"He’s athletic, has plenty of scope and looks a runner. His half-brothers Shooting To Win and Deep Field both have outstanding foals on the ground and his half-sister by Zoustar was one of the standouts at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, so we couldn’t be happier."

Perry also revealed that Listen Here is now safely in foal to virtuoso sire Snitzel in a mating that represents the very best of Australian.

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