They followed each other through the sale ring at the Magic Millions National Sale on Tuesday with Alsephina selling for $1.1million to Katsumi Yoshida followed by Amazonian Lass for $1million to Nocab Racing Pty Ltd/Kestrel Thoroughbreds.
Offered in the Newington Farm Premium Consignment, Alsephina was one of the star mares in Western Australia in recent years racking up an impressive sequence of Group and Listed wins for Grant and Alana Williams before proving her stripes in Melbourne.
The daughter of Star Turn won the Group II MVRC Stocks Stakes and was competitive in the G1 races with her best effort a third in the MRC Toorak Handicap to Antino.
With 10 wins and seven placings from 20 starts and prizemoney of $1.3million, Alsephina is the best of three winners from stakes-winning Street Cry (IRE) mare Delta Gee.
“She barely went back in her box yesterday. Just a quality animal and it’s just great that you can come here to Magic Millions, the best broodmare sale in Australia, and get a fantastic result for the owners,” said her consignor Julian Blaxland.
“Ï thought she could make $1 million. The reserve was a lot lower, but I said to them, ‘put a realistic, conservative reserve on her and get her on the market’ and the market took care of the rest.
“She’s a beautiful mare, great physical and she rated really well with all the ratings guys. She was a proper mare, she might have only been a Group 2 winner, but she was certainly Group 1 calibre.”
Her Vinery Stud based sire Star Turn also had a good result with his stakes-winning sprinter Saltaire selling for $725,000 to Silverdale Farm/Andrew Williams Bloodstock.
Amazonian Lass was offered in the Newgate Consignment on behalf of her ownership group that included her breeder Sir Owen Glenn of Go Bloodstock.
A $325,000 Magic Millions purchase from Segenhoe Stud as a yearling for Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott/Kestrel Thoroughbreds, Amazonian Lass scored a career highlight win in the Group II VRC Wakeful Stakes.
By champion sire More Than Ready (USA), she is from a full sister to Group I winner Age of Fire.
“We had a lot to do with her through Gai (Waterhouse) and we know her history pretty well,” said Bruce Slade of Kestrel Thoroughbreds.
“She was a yearling raised at Segenhoe. She was a top class race mare and unfortunately injury curtailed maybe what we might have seen from her.
“The clients that we bought her for have equity in Extreme Choice - world class young stallion there at Newgate.
“Extreme Choice x More Than Ready has produced the Melbourne Cup winner last year and also Tiger Of Malay, so from a small sample, it is a niche that is really working.
“I’d say she’ll be the last stakes-winning mare of More Than Ready to be offered off the track in Australia. That is another bonus.
“He was such an incredible stallion.”
