Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
At A Glance
La Mexicana (I Am Invincible) in foal to Too Darn Hot (GB) topped the sale, with Blue Gum Farm and Suman Hedge (FBAA) purchasing her for $920,000 after being offered by Peter O'Brien Bloodstock on behalf of the Surace family.
It was Guy Mulcaster Bloodstock that paid $265,000 for Pacific Dragon (NZ) (Charm Spirit {Ire}). The 6-year-old mare was a Listed winner as a 2-year-old and was in foal to Maurice (Jpn).
Pure Bloodstock paid $200,000 for the last start G1 Queensland Derby runner Defendant (Justify {USA}).
Blue Gum Farm and Suman Hedge (FBAA) also purchased the proven commercial broodmare Karavali (Nadeem) for $200,000 from the Davali Thoroughbreds draft.
Two 5% shares in the Listed winner To Cap It All (Capitalist) were both purchased by Bell Park View Stud for $22,500 each, valuing the 3-year-old filly at $450,000.
La Mexicana off to Blue Gum Farm for $920,000
With the profile that the 8-year-old mare La Mexicana (I Am Invincible) has, she was always going to be hot property - and so it proved, as Blue Gum Farm and Suman Hedge (FBAA) purchased her for $920,000.
It was an especially pleasing result for O’Brien, who used La Mexicana to launch his new venture Peter O’Brien Bloodstock, as he departs Segenhoe Stud later this month following its recent sale to Yulong.
La Mexicana | Image courtesy of Inglis
“That is an outstanding result, incredible,’’ a delighted O’Brien said.
“For me, the Surace family are very close friends and they wanted people to know I’m launching Peter O’Brien Bloodstock so they wanted to put La Mexicana through me as a springboard for my next chapter in life so I can’t thank them enough for the opportunity.
“The mare is a very special mare to me, her first three foals are all outstanding, with her current weanling the best she’s had, and being offered in foal to a champion stallion, it was a great package.’’
“The mare is a very special mare to me, her first three foals are all outstanding... and being offered in foal to a champion stallion, it was a great package.’’ - Peter O’Brien
La Mexicana is by I Am Invincible and was a smart race mare, winning six times, including at Group 3 and Listed level up to 1200 metres. She has the addition of being safely in foal to one of the leading commercial stallions in Too Darn Hot (GB), who is standing this season at a service fee of $275,000 (inc GST).
Her first foal - a colt by Snitzel, sold to James Harron Bloodstock Colt Partnership, Tony Fung Colts and Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott for $1.7 million at the 2025 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. While her Snitzel yearling filly this year sold to Chris Waller Racing and Guy Mulcaster Bloodstock for $700,000 at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Hedge was thrilled to have secured the mare.
Peter O’Brien | Image courtesy of Inglis
“As soon as we found out she was listed, we took a keen interest in her,’’ Hedge said from Oaklands, where he has been inspecting weanlings ahead of the Great Southern Weanling Sale which begins from 1pm tomorrow.
“We spoke to Peter O’Brien and he couldn’t have heaped more praise on the mare, he absolutely loved her and thought she had a great platform for the future.
“She’s obviously in foal to one of the more exciting young stallions coming through in Too Darn Hot so it all just made sense. It ticked a lot of commercial boxes for us.
“She was hard to value in the sense a lot of it is promise still coming with her, the exciting weanling filly and the pregnancy etc. We had to weigh that up versus being able to actually buy her and how aggressive we had to be but we were very keen to get her and are thrilled that we’ve been able to.’’
Suman Hedge | Image courtesy of Inglis
“She’s obviously in foal to one of the more exciting young stallions coming through in Too Darn Hot so it all just made sense. It ticked a lot of commercial boxes for us.’’ - Suman Hedge
La Mexicana is one of four winners out of the Listed Oaklands Plate winner Cailin Miss (Domesday), and she also comes from the family of the G1 Victoria Derby and G1 South Australia Derby winner and sire Brewery Boy, and Lygon Arms (Bletchingly), who won the G1 Doncaster Handicap and placed in the G1 Golden Slipper Stakes.
Mulcaster strikes for Pacific Dragon
It was Guy Mulcaster Bloodstock that successfully bid $255,000 for the 6-year-old mare Pacific Dragon (NZ) (Charm Spirit {Ire}) from the Tyreel Stud draft (As agent).
“She’s a nice, young Stakes-winning mare that I bought for a client to go to Wodeton,’’ Mulcaster said.
“She’s (Pacific Dragon {NZ}) a nice, young Stakes-winning mare that I bought for a client to go to Wodeton.’’ - Guy Mulcaster
“I had a lot to do with him and he was a very, very talented horse that was unlucky not to win a Golden Slipper.
“I reckon he’s an absolute no brainer at his service fee.’’
Guy Mulcaster | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
The Listed 2-year-old winner Pacific Dragon was classy on the track, winning three times as a juvenile and also placing in the G2 Eclipse Stakes and the G3 Northland Breeders’ Stakes. She was offered in foal to Arrowfield Stud’s Maurice (Jpn).
She has made a great start as a broodmare, with her first yearling to the sales by The Autumn Sun selling for $650,000 to James Harron Bloodstock, Michael Freedman Racing Filly Partnership and Tony Fung Fillies at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. Her Shinzo weanling colt also sold this year for $140,000 to Q R W Bloodstock at the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale.
Pacific Dragon (NZ) | Image courtesy of Inglis
Pacific Dragon has a strong pedigree, being a half-sister to the G1 Australasian Oaks-placed Sweltering (Too Darn Hot {GB}), and traces back to the family of the Group 1-winning 2-year-old Summer Passage (Snitzel) and the classy Group 2 winner Shania Dane (Danehill {USA}).
Tyreel Stud also had further solid results, with Coriolis (Lonhro), in foal to The Autumn Sun, selling for $170,000 to David and Jennifer Morison, while White Thyme (Reset), also in foal to The Autumn Sun, sold for $170,000 to Glenbawn Bloodstock.
Derby form on offer - Defendant sells for $200,000
It’s not that often that a last-start runner in a Group 1 race is offered for sale, but that was the case as the Chris Waller-trained Defendant (Justify {USA}) sold for $200,000 to Pure Bloodstock.
The 3-year-old gelding has been a winner over 1550 metres and 1900 metres at Canterbury and, at his last start in the G1 Queensland Derby, ran a brave eighth, considering he was back near last at the 400-metre mark and had to make a wide, sustained run, indicating he is a stayer of some promise.
Defendant as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
A Pure Bloodstock spokesperson said: “Defendant will travel up to Hong Kong in August and target the 4YO Series from early next year.
“I bought the horse for a client who is yet to decide on a trainer but he’s a horse we think profiles beautifully for Hong Kong.’’
He has a strong staying pedigree, being out of an unraced daughter of Tavistock (NZ), while his grandam Lashed (Encosta De Lago) was a three-time Group 1 weight-for-age winner over 2000 metres in New Zealand.
Blue Gum and Hedge double up with Karavali
It was Blue Gum Farm and Suman Hedge (FBAA) that spotted another opportunity, securing Karavali (Nadeem) for $200,000 after she was offered by Davali Thoroughbreds (As agent).
She became another quality addition to their broodmare band after the same combination paid $920,000 for the sale-topping La Mexicana earlier in the sale.
Karavali | Image courtesy of Inglis
Karavali was a Group 3 winner on the track and has already shown her commercial value, with her first two foals by Written Tycoon and I Am Invincible respectively selling for $575,000 and $410,000 as yearlings at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
This year, her King’s Gambit weanling colt sold to well-respected judge Jim Carey for $265,000. Karavali is carrying a full sibling to this colt and will also be a three-quarter brother or sister to the stakes-placed 2-year-old filly Canara (by I Am Invincible).
To Cap It All shares underline $450,000 valuation
Two separate 5% shares in Stephen Marsh’s Listed Wellesley Stakes winner To Cap It All (Capitalist) were offered in Wednesday’s Inglis Digital sale, with both knocked down to Bell Park View Stud for $22,500 each, valuing the 3-year-old filly at $450,000.
In May, a 10% share in this filly was sold to RA Carter for $60,000 via Inglis Digital, at the time valuing the filly at $600,000.
To Cap It All as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
A $280,000 graduate of the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale out of a half-sister to young sire Barbaric, To Cap It All won the Wellesley on debut before being beaten just half a length in the G2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes at her very next start by La Dorada (NZ) (Super Seth). She was then third to the unbeaten and now Waikato Stud stallion Return To Conquer at her next start in the G1 Sistema Stakes.
As a 3-year-old, she has recorded second placings in the G2 James & Annie Sarten Memorial Stakes and the G3 Bonecrusher Stakes, and has continued to perform strongly at Group level. Her performances include a fifth placing in the G1 Telegraph Stakes behind First Five (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}) at the start of the year and a solid effort behind Belle Cheval (NZ) (Savabeel) in the G3 Almanzor Trophy.
