TOP Tasmanian thoroughbred breeder Graeme McCulloch is today celebrating a record sale for Grenville Stud after a colt he presented at the William Inglis Premier Yearling Sale in Melbourne on Monday night was knocked down for $550,000.
The Deep Field colt (Lot 525) was the center of a bidding frenzy between the Hong Kong Jockey Club and Hong Kong trainer Ricky Yiu, with the HKJC emerging from the battle with the prized colt.
The colt also was the highest-priced yearling sold out of Tasmania.
“When we arrived at the sale complex, we had a feeling that the colt might make good money because a lot of people wanted to tell us that they thought he was the pick of the sale,” McCulloch said.
“The bidding stalled at about $180,000 and I started to think he might get to $250,000 but then it took off, and before we knew it, he was up to $500,000 and that’s when it all became a blur.”
McCulloch purchased the colt’s dam Bousquet at the 2019 Sydney Easter Broodmare sale in foal to Deep Field for $40,000, which would have only covered the service fee to the stallion.
“I liked the mare’s breeding which is why we bought her at the broodmare sale but for the offspring to bring over a half-a-million is incredible.”
McCulloch had two yearlings in the sale with the other entry, a filly by Capitalist, selling for $100,000.
Grenville Stud had a very successful Tasmanian sale last month grossing almost $800,000 from the sale of 18 lots and McCulloch is about to head to South Australia where five of his yearlings will go under the hammer next week.
Armidale Stud, which topped the Tasmanian Magic Millions Yearling sale two weeks ago with a gross of $1.197 million, had four at the Inglis Premier sale of which three sold and one was passed in.
Armidale sold a Hellbent-Neriani colt to Classic Bloodstock (NSW) for $50,000; John Foote Bloodstock in Queensland purchased an Alpine Eagle-Bet You She Rocks colt for $80,000 and Tony McEvoy was the winning bidder at $70,000 on a colt by Alpine Eagle from Smashin’ Mila.
Armidale’s Rhiannon Whishaw said they were hopeful of negotiating a post-sale of their Smart Missile-Funloving colt that didn’t reach its reserve.
Armidale will take four yearlings to the Adelaide sale next week.