THE 10-time Group 1 winner Imperatriz has become the highest-priced filly or mare to ever sell in the southern hemisphere when she was knocked down for A$6.6 million on the Gold Coast.

The I Am Invincible mare was purchased by Zhijun Zhao who was being represented by Yulong’s Vin Cox at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale on Tuesday.

“These are rare commodities,” said Cox. “A 10-time Group 1 winner, they’re elite and they don’t give Group 1 races away at any level, in any country, in any jurisdiction.

“You know you had to dig deep coming here and I think she made well and truly enough money.

“Mr Zhao (a friend of Yulong’s Mr Zhang), he was bidding online so we did the inspections, we went over and had a look at her last week and had dinner with (managing owners) David and Karyn (Ellis). We liked her, obviously, and sent through all the reports, and this is where we’ve ended up.”

With two of the three days of the National Broodmare Sale’s book 1 complete, 12 mares and fillies had changed hands for $1 million or greater, with the average at $234,735 for 323 horses sold at the clearance rate of 80.75%.

The median price to-date was $100,000. The second highest sale was the three-year-old filly Platinum Jubilee who was bought by Coolmore for $3.5 million.

The Zoustar Group 3 winner is a half-sister to the Golden Slipper winner Lady Of Camelot, out of the Fastnet rock mare Miss Debutante.

THE Magic Millions National Weanling Sale on the Gold Coast set a new record sales price when the I Am Invincible filly out of the Not A Single Doubt mare Single Blonde sold for A$800,000.

“John Sikura and his son Jes (Hill’ N’ Dale Farm) bought a filly in partnership with the Waterhouse team in January, the I Am Invincible out of Madam Rouge,” said agent Will Johnson who landed the winning bid for Hill ‘N’ Dale Farm “This is a similar idea, trying to have more well-bred fillies who are lovely physicals in training in Australia.”

“We’ve got excellent prize money in Australia and it’s an endorsement on the Australian racing and breeding industry.” The second top lot at the sale was the Frankel colt out of the Fastnet Rock mare Amicus, a Group 1 1000 Guineas winner in 2014. Overall the two-day sale, which grossed $18,834,500, averaged $76,876 for 245 weanlings sold from 304 offered with a median price of $40,000.

Doomben Cup (Group 1)

LAST Saturday’s A$1 million Doomben Cup over 2,000 metres at Doomben was dominated by northern hemisphere-bred horses who filled the first five placings and comprised eight of the 14 runners.

The former Marco Botti-trained Bois D’Argent, a British-bred Toronado gelding, registered a maiden Group 1 win in this his second Australian race win in 15 attempts under the care of Annabel Neasham.

Ridden by Blake Shinn, the $23 outsider won the weight-for-age contest having led the length of the straight and hanging on in the dying stages to prevail by a nose from a pair of Irish-bred horses, the New Bay gelding New Endeavour and the Zoffany gelding Fawkner Park.

They were followed in by the French-bred Huetor and the British-bred Naval College before the first Australian horse came in at ninth.

“He was the one I was saying was well over the odds because you just pick back through his form and he’s no worse than the best horses in this field. He was fourth in a Caulfield Cup. He was a bit unlucky in the (Group 1) Tancred but he ran really well,” said Annabel Neasham.

“A beautiful ride by Blake (Shinn), he rated him beautifully. He might be a clerk of the course horse one day looking at the (grey) colour of him.”

THE Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained Arabian Summer has landed her syndicate of owners well in front of the A$220,000 they spent at Book 2 of Magic Million yearling sale, following her well fought win in the $1 million Magic Millions National 2YO Classic at Doomben.

The Too Darn Hot filly improves her record to three wins from six starts and over $940,000 in earnings, as well as putting her Darley-based sire in the box-seat to take out the First Season Sires’ Title at season’s end on July 31st.

“She spelled up here,” said Calvin McEvoy after the fillies’ win over 1,050 metres at Doomben.

“She was about to be booked to come back to Victoria and our racing manager alerted us to the race.

“We’ll space her runs and maybe a Lightning Stakes in Adelaide towards the end of the season (in July).”

Winning by a half-length, Arabian Summer defeated the Capitalist colt King Of Roseau with the I Am Invincible colt Embassy in third.

Clean Energy

moves forward

THE well-named Clean Energy, by Zoustar out of Solar Charged, added blacktype to her name on Saturday with a win in the Listed Bill Carter Stakes over 1,200 metres.

A sister to the triple Group 1 winner Sunlight and purchased for A$2.6 million, she has two wins from two starts for trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.

“I think this trip away is really going to help her going forward,” said Bott.

“We’ve got bigger things in store, and you have not seen the best of her yet.

“She’s a very progressive filly, and I think today has been a real positive.

“We’ll see that improvement in the spring. Vin (Cox) is here today and we’ll have a chat with Yulong and Coolmore with regard to what we do with her.”

Clean Energy’s win also highlights the stranglehold the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable have had on juvenile racing this season. To date they have won 29 juvenile races with this season’s crop having amassed A$10.7 million in earnings led by Lady Of Camelot and Storm Boy in the Golden Slipper and Magic Millions Classic respectively.