Group One Galaxy winner Mariamia was the star of the show on Day Two of the 2024 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale selling for $1.8 million late in the afternoon.
Presented as Lot 852 by the Kelly family's Newhaven Park, Mariamia attracted strong interest from many parties before selling to Zhijun Zhao.
Purchased as a tried horse out of Victoria, Mariamia confirmed her status as a star sprinting mare for Newhaven Park by winning a Group Two Expressway Stakes before a famous win in the Galaxy at Group One level.
"We got lucky, that's what we got!" Newhaven Park's John Kelly said after today's $1.8 million sale.
"We bought her to go to Xtravagant and we put her in work to race. She proved to be a lot better than that and she improved into the autumn and won a Group One."
"Then we brought her up here, after sending her to I Am Invincible in early September and she sold terrific.
"It is a wonderful price. It has probably exceeded our expectations. When you get up to that level, how do you know what horses are worth? It is a matter of who wants to win."
"It is a great result."
"Our objective is to bring quality to the ring. Whether it is a yearling or whether it was a mare, she was quality and we thought it was a good time to sell her."
"We're always buying mares, yearling, racing horses. You try and have a win and we had a win today," Kelly added.
Earlier in the day the Panthalassa Syndicate went to $1.2 million to secure the former Group winning juvenile Biscayne Bay.
"We thought she was really well bought," Yulong's Troy Stephens noted. "She's a gorgeous mare, a Sebring mare, a stakes winner."
"She ran third in an Oaks and she's carrying a beautiful pregnancy."
"She's already inbred to Danehill but she'd really suit one of our young sires like Pierata," Stephens added.
Biscayne Bay, a daughter of Sebring, was presented at the auction by the Yarraman Park Stud team and they were rapt with the result.
"Biscayne Bay was enormous then," Yarraman's Matt Scown said. "She's a magnificent style of mare and obviously in foal to our champion, I Am Invincible."
"This is a super result," he added.
The third seven figure seller on the day was the European stakes winner Grande Dame who was presented in foal to Frankel by Coolmore Stud.
The daughter of Lope de Vega was knocked down to leading bloodstock agent James Bester for $1.2 million and she will head to Morning Rise Stud.
"I was hoping to get her for $1 million but, in foal to Frankel and such a nice type of mare – she was a Group One performer in the UK, from a very strong family – that's what they make and the Frankel inside could be worth anything."
Bester said the fact the mare was in foal to Juddmonte's champion international sire Frankel was a huge lure.
"That was a key part, obviously, but she was a very high class racemare, a stakes winner and Group One placed."
"With Robert McClure's Morning Rise we bought Legacies (yesterday for $1.4 million) and now this one."
"The thought of having a Frankel out of such a good mare and such a good type of mare was very enticing."
"Frankel from his Southern Hemisphere progeny alone has 15 percent Group winners – most world-class stallions have 10 percent Stakes winners."
"So, Frankel's record in the Southern Hemisphere is outstanding and there are more coming through."
"He is the world's best stallion, if Justify isn't, so to me it's the high-end play with a lot of safety nets underneath it," Bester summed up.
With two days of the sale now complete the gross has grown to over $75.8 million with 81 per cent of lots offered sold at an average price of $234,735.
"There is obviously an eye for quality out there for the right product," Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch said. "I think vendors in most cases are being realistic and willing to put them on the market at value."
"I think the market found a good level today. There was enough confidence out there and if a mare that walked in had strong appeal, people were prepared to buy it."
"These mares are in foal to particularly good stallions and they're on their way. They are willing to foal them down and trade away."
"We are still holding a clearance rate of over 80%"
"With Mariamia, we're delighted we had the opportunity to offer her, especially being in-foal to Australia's most commercial sire," Bowditch added.
To view the results of the sale so far, or to make an offer on a passed in lot, click here.
The third and final day of the 2024 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale will commence at 10am (Qld time) tomorrow.
SALE STATISTICS
(2023 in brackets)
Lots Catalogued: 455 (480)
Lots Sold: 323 (329)
Lots Passed In: 77 (104)
Lots Withdrawn: 53 (47)
Sale Gross: $75,819,500 ($76,772,500)
Average Price: $234,735 ($233,351)
Top Price: $6,600,000 ($4,100,000)
Median Price: $100,000 ($110,000)
Sold %: 81 (76)
DAY TWO TOP SELLERS
$1,800,000 - Mariamia (Lot 852)
Vendor: Newhaven Park (As Agent) / Buyer: Zhijun Zhao (Vic)
$1,200,000 - Biscayne Bay (Lot 683)
Yarraman Park Stud (As Agent) / Panthalassa Syndicate (Vic)
$1,200,000 - Grande Dame (Lot 772)
Coolmore Stud (As Agent) / James Bester B'stock/Morning Rise Stud (NSW)
$950,000 - Glistening (Lot 767)
Morningside / Kia Ora Stud (NSW)
$900,000 - La Dragontea (Lot 827)
Rosemont Stud (As Agent) / Baystone Farm (Vic)
