Mackenzie Lands Zoustar Filly at Inglis Classic Sale

Bruce Mackenzie's determination to take home the highest-priced filly ever sold at an Inglis Classic Yearling Sale led him to deliver a deliberate "knockout punch" for a daughter of Zoustar who also helped create a new benchmark for her breeder as well as for the auction house.

The three-day Classic sale concluded at Riverside Stables in Sydney Feb. 9 with a new record aggregate and average set for Inglis' opening auction of the year, and it was Port Stephens-based owner Mackenzie who caused the theater with his AU$450,000 (US$345,672) purchase.

One of 15 yearlings to make AU$300,000 or more at the record Classic sale, the Zoustar filly caught Mackenzie's eye from the moment he saw her on the complex last week.

"Everyone wanted her; she was a magnificent filly. She's well-built and her temperament is amazing. I would go down every night and look at her," Mackenzie said in the aftermath of the intense auction process. 

"Her gate was open and I would pat her for 10 minutes and scratch her head. I'd tell her in horse language that I was going to take her home to Port Stephens."

Mackenzie had missed out on a Hellbent filly earlier in the day, but he was not going to let Star Thoroughbreds' Denise Martin and Randwick Bloodstock's Brett Howard beat him twice. So, when the bidding hit the AU$400,000 mark, Mackenzie made a big winning move, going straight to AU$450,000.

"Star Thoroughbreds and all the other bidders, they can all jump. I was going to take her home, full stop," he said of his reasoning for making such a large one-bid increase in price.

"I used to follow boxing and a quick punch knocks them out and they are down. So they went down, Brett and Denise, didn't they?"

The former Port Stephens mayor, who has his own property called Salt Ash, races his horses with the Oakfield moniker and, despite the filly's expensive price, he will handle her education patiently before entrusting her with his chosen trainer, either Damien Lane or Kristen Buchanan.

"I have won 170 races, and I have never, ever started a 2-year-old in my life and I never will, so she will be a 3-year-old. No 2-year-olds come out of my stable," he revealed. 

"She will be broken in and she will be working on a walking machine, she will swim, and she will be on a treadmill, but she won't have anyone on her back galloping until she is 3."

By Widden Stud's Zoustar, whose progeny have sold for up to AU$1 million this year, the filly was consigned by Clarke and Croft Bloodstock. She is the third foal out of five-time winner Empress Zakynthos, who is a sister to Hong Kong listed winner Divine Ten.  

Breeder and vendor Samantha Croft led the filly around the ring and had no doubt the yearling has a star quality.

"I really thought she deserved a fair bit of money, but that is fantastic," Croft said.

"Our previous best result was $150,000, so this is by far the best horse I have ever sold. 

"I was concentrating on making sure she behaved herself. I heard the $400,000, and I thought that is what she deserved.

"We have been selling here for somewhere between 16 and 18 years, and we like to come here so we can stand out. We feel that small vendors are given a bit better of a chance here."

Zhongli's Patience Rewarded With Almanzor Coup

Quinton Cassidy of the Chinese-owned NSW Southern Highlands operation Zhongli Thoroughbreds waited patiently at Riverside Stables for almost three days before going in for an impressive colt by sire-of-the-moment Almanzor.

Zhongli Thoroughbreds went to AU$360,000 ($276,538) for the half brother to recent Devan Plastics Levin Classic (G1) winner Bonham. 

Offered by Sledmere Stud for New Zealand farm Little Avondale, he is the fourth foal out of the Redoute's Choice mare Fortune's Choice, who in turn is a half sister to stakes-winning 2-year-old Eagle Island. His second dam is also the stakes-winning, group 1-placed mare Banc De Fortune.

Sledmere's Royston Murphy was ecstatic to be able to oversee a big Classic result for Little Avondale's Sam and Catriona Williams.

He said: "He was the star colt for them and, as everybody says, these horses have been so busy this week. To go and get that result with our last horse is great. It's great for everybody involved."

Cambridge Stud's European shuttler Almanzor, whose yearlings have sold for up to AU$800,000 this sales season, had six sell this week at a top price of AU$400,000 ($307,264). He was the leading first-season sire by average at this week's sale, a title he also claimed at the recent Magic Millions and New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling sales. 

"I think Almanzor is a great coup for New Zealand. Every one I have seen are such lovely athletic horses. They are free-moving horses with a lot of scope and presence about them," Murphy said. 

"It's good to see a new horse like that come into the fray. A lot of the time we are concentrating on these short and sharp horses, but I think he's going to be a big horse for the future. 

"It's nice to see people that have invested in him and get the just rewards. We all try to pick the right stallions and those people have done well out of him. I'm sure we will see him hit the track over the next few years and succeed for the guys over there." 

Zhongli Thoroughbreds raced this season's Aami Victoria Derby (G1) runner-up Hit The Shot before selling the Matt Cumani-trained runner to Hong Kong late last year.

"We waited two days for this colt. We spotted him early," Cassidy said. 

"The sale has been really good to Zhongli. We purchased Hit The Shot here, so we were trying to go down that avenue in finding a nice, athletic horse who will be a nice miler-stayer."

A trainer for the colt will be decided at a later date.