Australia, 21 May 2009

The 2009 Inglis Melbourne Great Southern Sale has come to a conclusion, with Thursday's $1m-plus trade taking the sale total to almost $5 million over the past four days.

The consistent theme was the strong competition across the entire sale and that continued today, with 183 horses selling for $1,106,300.

Combined with the $2,127,100 traded during the two day weanling session and yesterday's $1.7m Bloodstock opening, the sale total for this year's Great Southern Sale came to $4.923 million. This compares favourably to the $5.9million traded last year, where there were an additional 350 horses catalogued.

Today's session was highlighted by two mares from Denise's Joy's granddaughter Miss Minden, who were both offered by Fulmen Park, as agent for Oamaru Stud.

Advance To Go (Red Ransom) topped the session when selling to Optimum Thoroughbreds for $150,000, making her the highest priced mare of the sale.

Five lots later, Hancock Quality Bloodstock gave $85,000 for Tizzy May (Danzero).

Miss Minden is also the dam of Group One winner Miss Danehill, stakes winner Point Made and the nine times Group One placed multiple Group Two winner Pentastic.

"The clearance rate has been consistently high right throughout the sale. We had a good spread of buyers from right around Australia and there was strong competition on the better lots," Inglis Director Peter Heagney said.

"In light of the fact we had considerably fewer horses catalogued this year, the market has held up extremely well."

Statistics (Day 4)

Catalogued: 256
Withdrawn: 49
Sold: 183 (88%)
Passed In: 24 (12%)
Gross: $1,106,300
Average: $6,045
Median: $2,250
Top Price: (Lot 708) $150,000