Australia, 26 June 2008

Foal out of sister to Holy Roman Emperor tops proceedings

A $625,000 More Than Ready filly from Danehill mare Milanova highlighted a strong opening day of selling at the Inglis Australian Select Weanling Sale in Sydney.

In all, 120 weanlings sold today for just short of $4million. The average price of $32,872 represents an increase of 29% on last year’s overall Select Weanling Sale result.

The More Than Ready-Milanova filly was knocked down to Colm Santry Bloodstock, who secured her on behalf of Coolmore.

Milanova, a Group Three and Listed winner herself, is from a family that Coolmore have enjoyed great success with, as she is a Group Three and Listed winning daughter of Danehill from the Secretariat mare L’On Vite, which makes her a full-sister to Coolmore’s Champion dual Group One winning 2YO colt of 2006 Holy Roman Emperor.

This is also the family of Coolmore’s Encosta De Lago, who will be crowned Australia’s Champion Sire this season.

“This is one of the best pedigrees in the world and obviously the filly has great residual value,” Santry said.

“We’re looking forward to getting Holy Roman Emperor back for his second season this year after receiving outstanding reports about his first foals and it’s wonderful to be able to buy another member of this great family.”

The filly was one of two weanlings sold as part of the Tyreel Stud Reduction Sale. The other, a Tale Of The Cat filly from Group Two Sandown Guineas winner Moon Dragon (Danehill), sold for $180,000 to Lockyer Thoroughbreds (ACT).

Coolmore’s young Danehill sire Oratorio provided the second highest lot of the day when the bay filly from the Scenic mare Rainscene was knocked down to Anton Koolman for $300,000, to top the New Sire Showcase.

Earlier, Murrulla Stud, which has been recently acquired by Tim Nolan, got the sale off to a flying start when they offered Lot 1, a filly by Glenlogan Park’s Jet Spur from dual Grup Three winner Gold Lottey, which sold to Mark Pilkington for $200,000.

“This was a very pleasing start to this sale, which is in a new format for the first time this year,” William Inglis Managing Director Mark Webster said.

“Competition was very strong on the top lots and overall it was a very strong start and this is borne out in the overall average.”

Top lots, session one

Statistics - Lots 1 to 198

Lots Catalogued 198
Gross Value $3,944,650
Lots Sold 120 71 %
Top Price - Lot 144 $625,000
Lots Passed In 49 29 %
Average Price $32,872
Lots Withdrawn 29 14.6 %
Median Price $13,000