Medaglia d'Oro and Brazen Beau lead the way

Darley stallions highly sought after at Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale

Darley stallions set the sales ring alight at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale which concluded on the Gold Coast on 3 June, with mares in foal to Medaglia d’Oro and Brazen Beau in particularly high demand.

Medaglia d’Oro continued his run of record-breaking sales with the Stakes-winning dam of Darley stallion Shooting To Win, Listen Here, selling in foal to him for $3.4 million. Knocked down to China Horse Club and Bruce Perry Bloodstock, the purchase became the top price paid for a horse through a Magic Millions sales ring.

In total six mares in foal to Medaglia d’Oro sold at an average price of $830,000, which secured his place as the leading sire by average.

Brazen Beau has enjoyed strong sales results with his first-crop mares and it continued on the Gold Coast where he once again led the first-season sires' table with eight lots in foal to the Champion sprinter selling for an average price of $253,750 highlighted by the sale of lot 769, G3-placed Pretty Penny, who sold for $570,000 to Colm Santry Bloodstock.

Fellow first-season sire Shooting To Win also enjoyed a strong sale, which was headed by the sale of the Stakes-winning mare She’s a Fox to James Harron Bloodstock for $500,000.

Proven greats Lonhro and Exceed And Excel once again proved popular. Champion Lonhro mare Bounding (lot 611) sold to Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings for $1.9 million, while the Godolphin mare Zauberflote sold in foal to Exceed And Excel for $525,000 to Yu Long Investments and Sheamus Mills Bloodstock. Mares in foal to Lonhro and Exceed and Excel sold for an average price of $370,000 and $305,000 respectively.

The average price paid for mares in foal to Darley stallions was up 104.2% on the previous year to $192,336, which was well ahead of the rest of the market which was down by 8.1% to $110,063.