Coolmore and Yulong fork out combined A$7 million on top mares Nimalee and Montefilia as records smashed

Nimalee and Montefilia smashed Inglis Chairman’s Sale records on Thursday night, with the Group 1-winning mares selling for a combined A$7 million during a select offering which captured the attention of some of the world’s biggest bloodstock investors.

International powerhouses Coolmore and Yulong, two studs with major domestic breeding and racing operations, ensured that Nimalee (A$3.6 - £1.91m/€2.18m) and Montefilia (A$3.4m - £1.80m/€2.06m) would remain in Australia despite immense competition from buyers in Japan, Europe and the US.

Yueshang Zhang’s Yulong also paid A$2.3m for another Group 1-winning mare in Icebath at the 109-lot, four-and-a-half hour evening Chairman’s extravaganza in Sydney. 

Queen Of The Turf Stakes winner Nimalee, the third of the three highest-priced lots to go through the ring under the lights at Riverside Stables, has already been earmarked by purchasers Coolmore to this year visit either Wootton Bassett or Justify, while Golden Slipper-winning colt Shinzo could also be in line once he retires to the Jerrys Plains-based farm.

The sixth most expensive mare ever sold at public auction in Australasia, the former Matthew Smith-trained, Letmar Investments-owned Nimalee eclipsed the Chairman’s Sale record set just seven lots earlier by Montefilia, with both surpassing the A$2.7m Shout The Bar made at the sale a year ago. 

“The Magnier family loved her physically and she was one of the highest-priced yearlings of her year by So You Think when [Randwick Bloodstock Agency’s] Brett Howard purchased her for Lester and Margaret Durney [for $270,000 in 2018] - and they’re great clients of the farm,” said Coolmore Australia’s Colm Santry. 

“She comes from a very, very deep pedigree, going back into Europe with a huge amount of Group 1 winners and we can breed her to a lot of stallions on our doorstep. 

“We’ve got Wootton Bassett, Justify and what a fabulous mating she’ll make for Shinzo in time to come.

“We can really utilise her and what we’re really hoping for is to breed a stallion out of her and she was probably the best mare in the sale to possibly achieve that.”

The Durneys and Smith witnessed the sale ring drama from a gallery suite as Howard’s Glenesk Thoroughbreds-consigned Nimalee’s price far exceeded their expectations.

“It is a trainer’s dream to have a horse like her and then to see her make that sort of money, it’s outstanding,” said Smith.

“She was right up there in the top three mares in the sale, but to make that sort of money, it’s beyond our expectations. It’s unbelievable.

“She is a fantastic mare, a top mare on the track and they don’t come any better than her and she’ll make a great broodmare.”

Yulong add prized mares to collection 

Yulong is likely to keep four-time Group 1 winner Montefilia in training next season, targeting the Melbourne spring carnival with the rising six-year-old, after outbidding Japan’s Katsumi Yoshida for the daughter of Kermadec.

Zhang has been a buying force in recent years, amassing a vast and quality broodmare band which numbers more than 600, and it was the underbidder on Montefilia who Yulong’s chief operating officer Sam Fairgray referenced when asked about the business model.

“Mr Zhang has been strong about wanting to support our stallions . . . so I’d say when she retires she’ll end up at the farm here [in Australia],” said Fairgray.

“When you’re trying to get mares like her you have to front up and pay, and I think Northern Farm were underbidders. 

“When you see what they’ve done with their elite broodmare band in Japan - they improved the genepool greatly by going around the world and pulling mares out of Australia, America and Europe.”

Montefilia: went to Yulong despite the attentions of Northern FarmCredit: Inglis

Montefilia was trained by David Payne at Rosehill to win six of her 27 starts and A$3.2m in prize-money, but Fairgray said they were yet to decide which stable she would enter.

Earlier in the session, Yulong signed for Icebath, winner of the Empire Rose Stakes and more than A$5.2m in prize-money, for A$2.3m. She was one of eight mares Zhang purchased on Thursday night, a collection which also included Berimbau, the dam of recent William Reid Stakes winner Imperatriz, for A$1.8m. Berimbau is in foal to I Am Invincible, while Zhang also paid A$1.1m for Bob Peters’ Group 1 winner Inspirational Girl.

Zhang was not in Sydney for the Chairman’s Sale, instead leaving responsibilities to Fairgray, whose winning ringside bid for Icebath was taken by Inglis’ media man Peter Fitzgerald.

Fairgray said: “She’s a nice physical mare and obviously with a pedigree behind her. She’s got some really nice blood in her family going back to Savabeel and Centaine, good broodmare sires, so we’re really delighted to get her.

“At this stage she’ll go to either Written Tycoon or Pierata, so we’ll just get her home and assess what we do with her. 

“We followed her for a bit and thought we might buy her as a race filly but we still ended up with her once she retired.”

Both Montefilia and Icebath were offered through the Newgate Consignment, who ended the sale as leading vendors with receipts of A$11.52m. Yulong spent A$7.225m on Thursday night, with associated buyers the Tagaloa Syndicate, Team Pierata and Chatsworth Farm spending a further A$5.315m. 

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