Yulong steps up again with combined A$1.21 million spend at Inglis Online Sale

At the conclusion of the Magic Millions National Sale in May, Yuesheng Zhang’s Victorian thoroughbred breeding empire, Yulong Stud, had about 360 broodmares.

After adding stakes-winning mares Wandabaa and Enchanted Heart for A$800,000 (approx £663,000) and A$295,000 (£244,000) respectively, through Wednesday's bespoke Inglis Digital August Boutique Online Sale to the Yulong broodmare band, the stud’s numbers have swelled to about 425, such is Zhang’s unquenching thirst to acquire high-quality breeding stock through a range of means.

The two Kris Lees-trained mares - along with the Group 3-placed Lunakorn who was purchased by Three Bridges Thoroughbreds for A$115,000 - were offered for sale by Australian Bloodstock’s Jamie Lovett and Luke Murrell.

Yulong’s chief operating officer Sam Fairgray revealed that Wandabaa would be covered by Blue Diamond Stakes winner Tagaloa in his second season at stud, while Enchanted Heart had been purchased to go to shuttle sire Lucky Vega.

“It’s great for the stallions that we are able to support them with these nice mares and we’ll be able to take nice yearlings to the sales out of these nice, stakes-winning mares like Wandabaa,” Fairgray told ANZ Bloodstock News.

“With Lucky Vega’s foals, we’re really happy with what he’s had to date and Tagaloa is certainly stamping his foals. They’re two stallions that are going to be given a fantastic opportunity.

“When you get race-performed mares like [Wandabaa and Enchanted Heart], being able to add them into the broodmare band and take their yearlings to the sales, they’ll be popular in the sale ring.

“That is what it’s about, getting quality mares to be able to breed to help the stallions, but also to be able to sell nice yearlings out of them.”

The pair join the likes of Group 1 winner Tofane, who is currently in training with Mike Moroney, and the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Group 2 winner Away Game as members of the Yulong broodmare band at Zhang’s expansive Nagambie-based farm.

Wandabaa could race on, before being served by Tagaloa later in the season.

In recent years, Yulong has also purchased champion New Zealand mare Melody Belle, Australian Oaks winner Unforgotten and the former Lloyd Kennewell-trained Group 1-winning sprinter Viddora.

A six-year-old daughter of city-placed, two-time winner Mabkhara, Wandabaa is a half-sister to stakes-winning, Group 1-performed sprinter Malkovich and the Group 3-placed Seewhatshebrings, who was herself purchased for A$800,000 by Fernrigg Farm and Avesta Bloodstock at this year’s Inglis Chairman’s Sale.

Bred and sold by Ascot Park’s Bob Hannon, Wandabaa was a A$36,000 purchase by Australian Bloodstock from the 2018 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale. Lovett and Murrell withdrew her from the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale in May to race her on during the winter, which netted seconds in the Moreton Cup and the Missile Stakes on August 6.

She earned A$991,515 in prize-money during her 38-start career, with her breakthrough stakes win coming on her home track in March when scoring in the Newcastle Newmarket Handicap over subsequent Coolmore Classicwinner Nimalee.

Fairgray had seen Wandabaa in the flesh previously, so he was familiar with her physique, while he relied on feedback from others to make a judgment on Enchanted Heart.

Wandabaa will be one of a string of high-quality mares in the book confirmed for Tagaloa.

“Viddora will go to Tagaloa as well, so he is going to get some quality mares and the likes of [dual Group 3 winner] Gregers is about to foal to him any day,” Fairgray said.

“I don’t think there’s many stallions who have the opportunity to serve quality mares like he has in Victoria or Australia, for that matter [so early in their stud careers].

“It’s great to be able to do that to give them that opportunity.”

Meanwhile, fellow six-year-old Enchanted Heart won the 2021 Takeover Target Handicap at Gosford, while she ran fourth in the Missile Stakes at her last start. An A$80,000 purchase by Australian Bloodstock from the 2018 Classic sale, the same sale as Wandabaa was bought from, she is one of two winners out of the unraced mare Shattered Heart, a sister to the Karrakatta Plate and WA Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Luke’s Luck, while three-time Group 1-winning mare Lucia Valentina figures further back in Enchanted Heart’s pedigree.

Jamie Lovett was delighted with the results.

“We were thinking and hoping Wandabaa would reach A$700,000 and from there it would just depend on how many were on her, so to get to A$800,000, she’s sold super well; they’ve all sold very well,’’ he said.

“Everyone’s happy. Luke and I are happy, the owners are happy and I’m sure Yulong and Three Bridges are happy with their purchases.

“Between them these mares cost A$183,500, they won nearly A$1.7 million in prize-money and have sold for A$1.21 million - outstanding.”

Three Bridges Thoroughbreds, another Victorian farm, will send Lunakorn to young Widden Victoria stallion Russian Camelot this year, after she was purchased on behalf of client Pete Murray.

The Group 3-placed mare was trained by Anthony and Sam Freedman prior to a stable switch to Newcastle’s Lees. Lunakorn is a half-sister to Hobart Cup winner Double You Tee and one of four winners out of Kandy Korn, a half-sister to the stakes-winner and promising stakes-producing broodmare Baby Corn. She is also a just-turned-six-year-old mare.

“John Wheeler bought three nice mares off Inglis Digital last week to send to Russian Camelot and while Pete has a share in the stallion, he believes in the stallion and has bought a mare in Lunakorn who genetically matches to suit the stallion perfectly, so hopefully he can breed a horse as good as Russian Camelot himself,’’ Three Bridges’ Toby Liston said.

Murray recently purchased a lifetime breeding right in reigning champion sire I Am Invincible for A$520,000 through Inglis Digital.

Inglis has also confirmed a 50 per cent share in the former Chris Waller-trained Nudge, a Group 3-winner who earned A$1.21 million in prize-money, was bought by Two Bays Farm for A$550,0000 after initially being passed in after last week’s Inglis Digital sale.

“She’s been a fabulous race filly and mare, she’s a quality type and she’ll produce beautiful foals,’’ Two Bays’ Ross Ferris said.

“She’s booked into Zoustar, which is very exciting, and I’m sure she’s going to be a quality addition to the broodmare band over many years to come."

Subscribe to make sure you never miss updates from Australia, New Zealand and beyond and to have ANZ Bloodstock delivered to your inbox every day