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Yulong’s powerhouse owner Zhang Yuesheng handed the Inglis online portal another memorable result Sept. 13 as the operation went to AU$1.525 million (US$979,666, AU$1=US$0.6424) for group 2 winner North Star Lass, a price tag that made her the most expensive horse to sell online in Australia so far this year.
With Wednesday’s result, the daughter of Zoustar became the third highest-priced mare to have sold on Inglis Digital, with only Funstar (AU$2.7 million) and Sierra Sue (AU$1.55 million) having made more.
It has been a brilliant few months for the online platform, with North Star Lass the fourth seven-figure mare to sell via Inglis Digital in 2023, with Another Award having set the pace when she became the first mare in 2023 to break over a million after Yulong secured her for AU$1.2 million July 12.
Miss Roseiano became the second mare to soar over the AU$1 million mark when Coolmore’s Tom Magnier forked out AU$1.275 million to secure the daughter of Exceed And Excel a few days later. A week later, Jamaea capped off a lucrative July for Inglis Digital when she sold to Yulong for AU$1.025 million.
Trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, North Star Lass landed last year’s Furious Stakes (G2), beating subsequent group 1 winners She’s Extreme and Madame Pommery in the process.
Two starts later she produced a fine performance to finish a close-up third in the Flight Stakes (G1), coming home two and a quarter lengths behind the winner, Zougotcha. North Star Lass retires the winner of two of her 11 starts, which saw her accumulate $229,356 in career prize money.
Yulong chief operating officer Sam Fairgray told ANZ Bloodstock News the mare would be immediately retired and the operation’s headline stallion, Written Tycoon , has been elected as the mare’s first cover.
“She was obviously a very good racemare. She came up against the best and raced and was very competitive with the likes of Zougotcha and In Secret, she was a very tough and consistent mare,” he said.
“She is a beautiful physical and when these mares become available they are hard to purchase, so it is great for her to be joining what is a very nice broodmare band.
“She is lightly raced and we know she has the ability, so she can retire and go to stud. She will visit Written Tycoon and if she leaves a foal as good-looking as herself, we will be very, very pleased to be taking it to a sale.”
Purchased by her trainers and Bruce Slade’s Kestrel Thoroughbreds for AU$260,000 from the Rosemont Stud draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2021, North Star Lass is out of the winning, group 3-placed mare Sheila’s Star, who is also the dam of dual winner Ethekwini.
This is the second time this year Yulong has made a heavy investment in this family, with the Chinese billionaire’s operation having teamed up with Waterhouse and Bott to secure North Star Lass’ Zousain three-quarter-sister for AU$650,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast sale last January.
“We actually own her 2-year-old three-quarter-sister, who we bought at Magic Millions. She is with Gai and Adrian and they are pleased with the way she is going,” Fairgray explained.
“We like to keep building these families and keep giving the pedigree depth. She is from a very fast family that has performed very well here in Australia and we were thinking that she would be able to produce very quick foals. When you are buying quality, a mare like her still looks good value, even at that price.”
Despite Written Tycoon being in the twilight of his stallion career, Yulong has built an exciting roster of young stallions at their Victorian farm to take up the mantle after his career is over, with the nursery being the home to group 2-producing stallion Grunt, Alabama Express, Tagaloa, Lucky Vega , Pierata as well as Japanese-bred Diatonic.
Fairgray said they are building a top-class broodmare band to support these young stallions and give them the best start to their careers in the breeding barn.
“She’ll go to Written this year, but then next year she will branch out and go to one of our other stallions and it is great to be able to give those younger stallions the support of these very nice mares,” he explained.
“With these sorts of quality mares, you can’t get enough of them because they are the ones that produce and get the results in the sale ring, so for us to be able to have another mare like her is obviously great.”
For good measure, Yulong also took home the second highest-priced lot yesterday when they paid AU$190,000 for Tuscan Heat, an unraced daughter of Oasis Dream , who was being offered on the Inglis platform for a second time having been purchased by John Dutton for AU$100,000 in August last year.
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