Frank and Christine Cook are some of the biggest owners in Sydney with their Mystery Downs colours carried by countless winners raced in partnership with many other owners from many different stables and one of those winners was Meryl, whose first foal hit the jackpot at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale on Monday.
An Epaulette filly bought through Randwick Bloodstock from Magic Millions for $150,000 out of the Riversdale Farm draft, Meryl was a fast and precocious filly trained by Lee Curtis that contested the Group III ATC Gimcrack Stakes to finish sixth.
She regrouped from that run to win the Group III BRC BJ McLachlan Stakes and then ran in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic finishing unplaced behind Sunlight.
Returning at three, she won the Group III MVRC Scarborough Stakes and was competitive in some high class sprints before retiring with earning sin excess of $377,000.
When Meryl passed in shy of her $650,000 reserve at the 2020 Inglis Chairman’s Sale the decision was taken to breed with her and Written Tycoon was chosen as her first partner with this stunning colt the result.
Fairview Park brought just two horses to Inglis Easter, the half-sister by Dundeel to Golden Slipper winner Mossfun and the Written Tycoon colt from Meryl, so Linda Duckworth thought it would be a comparatively quiet sale for her during inspections.
It wasn’t long before buyers started coming back for second and third looks at the colt while the x-ray hits list went through the roof.
Linda’s original thought that the colt could make $400,000 plus was revised upwards to $600,000 plus, but by the time he went in the ring it was apparent things were about to move into a different sphere altogether.
Meryl’s colt eventually sold for $1.4million to Yulong, who stand Written Tycoon, and the price equalled the previous best for a colt by the sire, paid last year by Tom Magnier for a colt from Gracie’s Lass.
“He is a great physical with a brilliant temperament from a fast stakes-winning mare. We’re very happy to have this colt who was one of the stars of the sale!” said Sam Fairgray of Yulong.
Meryl has a colt by Capitalist to follow and is now in foal to Pierata.
