Sugarhit for Peters as Candyland tops Inglis Broodmare Sale

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Perth owner-breeder Bob Peters parted with two mares for more than $1 million at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale on Thursday and yesterday he rounded out his breeding stock reduction by selling the highest-priced lot at the Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale.

Peters sold 11 mares in the final session and it was Candyland (Tavistock) – a sister to former Hong Kong Horse of the Year, Werther; Australasian Oaks (Gr 1, 2000m) winner Toffee Tongue, and Group 3 winner Gobstopper – who was deemed the most valuable by the market with Western Australian agent John Chalmers going to $440,000 for the unraced rising eight-year-old.

Candyland, who was purchased for $400,000 by Belmont Bloodstock’s Damon Gabbedy for Peters at the 2017 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, has had three foals, two fillies and a colt, all by Pierro (Lonhro), but she was not served this season.

Chalmers, who has a long association with Peters, revealed that he purchased Candyland for a group of new investors looking to breed commercially.

“They wanted to get into breeding at a reasonable level and I thought she was the ideal opportunity for them,” Chalmers said.

“We need to select a stallion for her now, but there’s plenty of options for her. The price was about where I was going to have to finish, I had nothing left in the tank.’’

Peters, who sold Inspirational Girl (Reliable Man) for $1.1 million to Yulong under the hammer on Thursday night, also agreed to sell Winterbottom Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Graceful Girl (Nicconi) for the same price, after negotiations ended successfully with Widden Stud for the sister to Group 3 winner State Solicitor.

Graceful Girl became the ninth million–dollar mare to sell at this year’s Chairman’s Sale.

Peters’ grandson, Liam, has accompanied his grandfather to the Sydney sales this week and he was delighted with the sale of the two Group 1-winning mares as well as Candyland.

“We are very proud of her (to make) that money and her pedigree is amazing, being related to Werther and a lot of other stakes winners,” Liam Peters said.

“We just decided to sell all the dry mares with no issues [through the Australian Broodmare Sale]. We didn’t want to put any problematic mares onto the buyers, so we wanted them to have as much confidence they could.

“We’re very happy to support Inglis, especially given the results we had last year.”

Meanwhile, Roger Sousa’s Platinum Breeding and Racing yesterday also capped off a good week of trade by selling Fastnet Rock (Danehill) mare Diamond for $400,000, the second highest-priced lot of the day.

The Sydney financial advisor sold Diamond, who is in foal to Newgate Farm’s champion freshman sire Russian Revolution (Snitzel); as well as Sherbet Bomb (Snitzel), in foal to North Pacific (Brazen Beau), for $80,000 in the final session.

Zhang Yuesheng, who spent $12.54 million at Chairman’s on 11 mares under the banners of Yulong, Chatsworth Farm, Tagaloa Syndicate, and Team Pierata, added Diamond to his haul, along with nine other lots yesterday for a combined $1.575 million.

Sousa also sold Twist Of Fury (Written Tycoon), who is in foal to Maurice (Screen Hero), for $400,000 in Thursday evening’s Chairman’s Sale.

Diamond’s So You Think (High Chaparral) filly made $200,000 on Monday at Inglis’ Australian Weanling Sale, while Sherbet Bomb’s Bivouac (Exceed And Excel) filly brought $130,000 on the same day.

Sousa’s mares and weanlings were consigned by Middlebrook Valley Lodge.

“It’s all about placing mares at the right sale. We could have put [Diamond] in the Chairman’s, but I think she sold better in this sale than she would have last night, because she really stood out in this catalogue and [that] was the strategy,” Middlebrook’s Verna Metcalfe said.

“She’s got a nice pedigree and those are the sort of mares that people look for in a sale like this. She was very busy during the week with inspections as a result.

“I’m really happy with this sale. I love the sale because it’s the right time of the year and it’s not too far from home.’’

Yulong chief operating officer Sam Fairgray confirmed Diamond, a half-sister to the dam of Group 1 winner Entriviere (Tavistock), would be covered by Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Tagaloa (Lord Kanaloa) later this year.

“She was a lovely physical and she comes from a family with a lot of fillies in there,” Fairgray said.

“It has Entriviere, who we bought last year, and she’s in foal to Written Tycoon and she also had a nice first foal, a filly by So You Think, who made $200,000 earlier in the week.”

Yulong’s thirst for numbers and quality – Zhang wants to have at least 800 mares in his broodmare band which is largely based at his Nagambie property – is expected to continue at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale later this month.

“We’ll definitely be up there looking through the mares to see if we can add more to the broodmare band,” Fairgray said.

“Mr Zhang wants to keep increasing the numbers and supporting the stallions that we’ve got.”

The Australian Broodmare Sale contributed $7.957 million in turnover to the week’s trade of $65.324 million across the Chairman’s ($44.38 million) and the Australian Weanling Sale ($12.987 million).

Yesterday’s 170-lot sale averaged $75,066 at a median of $55,000 while a clearance rate of 74 per cent was achieved.

“This sale is important to us because it’s a different sort of market to the Chairman’s and we want to consolidate critical mass across the broodmare market as much as we can,” Inglis Bloodstock chief executive Sebastian Hutch said.

“There were mares offered today who ultimately could have been well placed in the Chairman’s Sale, but were strategically well placed here – and Diamond was a good example of that.

“This is the second year in a row Verna Metcalfe has done that, either for herself or on behalf of clients where she’s landed a mare into the Australian Broodmare Sale who could have gone to Chairman’s, and achieved a very good result.

“I think the sale [on Thursday] night sets the tone and it reminds people, as we discussed at the Chairman’s, that there’s good (demand) for quality bloodstock and it gives people a bit of confidence when they walk around a sale like this.”

This week’s Inglis breeding stock sales were up a total of 18 per cent year-on-year with Magic Millions gearing up for its National Weanling, Broodmare and Yearling Sale.