By Magic Millions Media
Leading Victorian-based thoroughbred nursery Three Bridges Thoroughbreds celebrated their first seven figure seller when the star producer Zenaida topped Day Two of the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.
The dam of Group 1 winner Sunshine in Paris and Group 3 winner Macroura was purchased by Yulong Investments for $1.4 million after a spirited bidding battle.
She was one of three lots to sell for over $1 million and made history as the highest price ever sold by the Liston family of Three Bridges Thoroughbreds.
“It’s amazing,” Toby Liston said. “She’s a lovely animal, obviously it’s unfortunate you have to sell these horses, but she’s gone to a wonderful home.”
“They (Yulong) are the best supporters of Victoria, so it’s great for us and great she’s staying in Victoria. I can’t wait to see her foal.
“It’s very exciting and it’s a big deal for our family and our farm. We haven’t sold a horse for $1 million before, so it’s great.
“We’ve done it before for other people, it’s easy to sell somebody else’s horse, but it’s hard to sell your own.
“It’s a lot of money, I was hoping for a million. It was just great to get a great result."
Sam Fairgray from Yulong said he was very pleased to secure the mother of Sunshine in Paris, who sold for $3.9 million to James Harron.
“She’s a mare that, going forward, the pedigree is going to improve and improve,” Fairgray noted.
“She’s got the two stakes-winning daughters already and it’s likely we’ll keep the fillies out of her and keep building the family.
“She’ll go to Alabama Express, obviously with a similar sort of cross to Sunshine in Paris and Macroura.
“Mr Zhang has had a passion for Zabeel mares for a long time so to get one like her is fantastic.
“Maurice (her covering sire) is a good stallion, he’s done well, he missed a year but he’s a very good stallion and we’re not really fussed whether we get a colt or a filly, because Maurice colts are very good and if we get a filly she’s staying at the farm.”
Yulong’s love affair with Frankel continued today when the team went to $1.375 million to secure the young English bred and raced mare Great Vibes who is in foal to the Juddmonte champion.
Offered as Lot 910 through the Arrowfield Stud draft, Great Vibes was a two-year-old winner at Newmarket.
“She is a beautiful mare, probably the best-looking mare in-foal to Frankel,” Fairgray pointed out.
“So we’re really pleased to be taking her home.
“It’s a nice early service, if it comes out looking like her it’ll be a good sort.
“There’s a lot of fillies in the family, so hopefully it keeps on growing. These are great broodmares that we’re putting together and it’s good for the industry and having Mr Zhang involved is really good.”
“She’ll stay here and then we’ll mate her to one of our stallions, probably to Tagaloa I would say.
"Lord Kanaloa has worked well with mares with Daylami in the family so we’ll just to go with that cross.”