Member’s Joy sells for $800,000 to shine bright on Inglis Digital
Segenhoe Stud are revelling in an inspired decision to have stakes-producing broodmare Members Joy (Hussonet) act as the shining protagonist in the June (Early) Inglis Digital Sale, as the mare smashed the previous Inglis Digital record, and became the most expensive mare in foal to sell online in the southern hemisphere, when making $800,000 in Inglis’s latest digital auction that concluded yesterday.
Peter O’Brien, general manager of Segenhoe Stud, took a measured gamble with the striking grey, who is in foal to Zoustar (Northern Meteor) and dam to high-class juvenile and Group 2-winning three-year-old Pure Elation (I Am Invincible), withdrawing her from the recent Magic Millions National Broodmare sale in order to play a starring role in the online arena, with the vendors duly rewarded for their bravery.
“It was fantastic. She’s a beautiful mare. She’s got the looks, the pedigree and she’s a produced real one and is in foal to Zoustar. She ticks every box, we thought,” said O’Brien to ANZ Bloodstock News yesterday.
“We thought we’d stand her out in an online sale and try it. After the Magic Millions sale, to be honest, we probably thought we’d made a mistake, the sale was so strong.
“But after today, I obviously don’t think so. The demand for quality bloodstock is insane at the moment.”
Members Joy, a three-year-old Listed winner and Group 2 placed, who was bought by Aquis Farm for $1.45 million in 2019, was purchased by Josiah Ma, acting for Hong Kong investment group Shen You Holdings, who summoned up the eye-watering figure, which was nearly double the previous highest price paid for a horse on the Inglis Digital platform, achieved when Small Minds (Canny Lad), dam of stakes winner Beautiful Mind (So You Think) and this season’s Golden Gift (1100m) winner Sneaky Five (Fastnet Rock), sold for $410,000 in the November (Late) Sale last year.
Members Joy’s I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) yearling colt sold for $525,000 at this year’s Inglis Easter sale to Annabel Neasham and Brian McGuire, while her weanling colt by Zoustar sold for $350,000 at the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale last moth.
“The owners weren’t desperate to sell her,” said O’Brien. “The interest in her was incredible. It surprised me, even after such a buoyant sale.
“I was worried some of the main buyers had spent their money but, as it turned out, there was a tonne of interest in her. A lot of the main players that bought mares at Magic Millions were active on her.”
Shen You Holdings are a notable new investor in Australian thoroughbred stock in 2021, having purchased eight mares for upwards of $1 million in total at the recent Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, including stakes-winning juvenile Kinky Boom (Spirit Of Boom) for $320,000, as well as signing for breeding rights to stallions Extreme Choice (Not A Single Doubt) (two shares for $220,000 each), Sooboog (Snitzel) and Grunt (O’Reilly).
“Josiah, who bought her from Hong Kong, called me during the week and I’ve met him twice in Australia before, and he asked me about her,” continued O’Brien.
“I think they’ve bought a few stallion shares in the last few months, and they’re trying to set up a small group of investors, and I just said ‘you won’t get a nicer mare’, which you wouldn’t, she’s a beauty.
“But, to be honest, I didn’t think they’d be that strong.”
Segenhoe Stud consigned a catalogue of 14 mares and one weanling in Inglis’s most recent online auction and, in addition to Members Joy, sold Fitna (Fastnet Rock) for $70,000 with the same figure realised for Rayaheen (Redoute’s Choice), as well as More Aspen (More Than Ready) and Omniscient (Exceed And Excel), who both sold for $42,500.
O’Brien believes there is an ever-growing presence in the online marketplace, and that is translating to higher quality stock being offered for sale, including in their own drafts, while also noting the platform is leading to new participants seeking to purchase thoroughbred stock at the bottom end of the market, too.
“At the start (of the Inglis Digital Platform being launched) we were probably just dipping our toe in the water with our lesser stock, and then gradually, and particularly so in the last six months, we’ve been using the forum more often, and probably this group of hoses in particular (are higher quality),” said O’Brien.
“We got professional videos, professional photographs, and we spent more on advertising on social media.
“We had 15 horses online today. Fourteen of the 15 sold and the ones that sold all made overs. And there were varying degrees in value, but there was activity on all of them.
“I had 178 phone calls about 15 horses, from (people from) all walks of life. I really enjoy it, because a lot of people are buying their first mare, from all over Australia and New Zealand and beyond. It’s a terrific introductory way for a lot of people to get involved as long as they get advice.”
The June (Early) sale grossed a remarkable $5.25 million, the first time it has surpassed $5 million, while the clearance rate was 80 per cent.
Those figures were aided by two further mares to sell for in excess of $300,000, with five-year-old mare Street Icon (Street Boss), a half-sister to stakes winner Bons Away (Bon Hoffa), making $355,000 when secured by Adam Mackrell of Bell View Park Stud, while trainer Steve Tregea purchased the stakes-placed Malahide (Shamus Award), who is out of a half-sister to Group 2 winner Haut Brion Her (Zoustar), as well as stakes winners Karacatis (Hussonet) and Shamillion (Shamardal), for $320,000.
Mackrell will now seek a suitable stallion for Street Icon, before returning her to the sale ring next year.
“I’m happy to pay the money for these sorts of mares, especially after attending the breeding stock sales, including Chairman’s, and seeing mares with similar records making at least that amount,” Mackrell said.
“It’s been well documented how hot the market is but to be fair Street Icon is by a top stallion, she’s from a very good family that looks to have upside and is a multiple Stakes-performer herself, she ticks all the boxes from a trading perspective we just have to be smart about the mating.
“We had her inspected and she’s just above 16 hands with a nice frame, plus she’s Danehill free so she’s easy to breed with and the plan is to put her back through the sales.”
Elsewhere, Hunter Valley Bloodstock paid $175,000 to secure three-year-old filly Alighted (Smart Missile), a recent winner at Warwick Farm and half-sister to Group 2 winner Aylmerton (Siyouni), and Ain’t She Smart (Smart Missile), a half-sister to the stakes-winning Ain’tnodeeldun (Dundeel) for $140,000 in foal to Toronado (High Chaparral).
Inglis Digital business manager Nick Melmeth said the results are reflective of a growing recognition for the online sale platform, which is offering increasing value for trading breeding stock.
“Vendors are recognising the opportunity to leverage interest in stock by getting them into an auction scenario” he said.
“Why sell privately when there is so much interest and activity being generated by the massive audience of buyers on Inglis Digital?
“We have a database of 8000 registered bidders and this sale has seen Inglis Digital surpass $120 million in turnover since 2018 and $34 million in 2021 alone.”