Off the back of an exceptional “best of the best” Inglis Easter Sale for Woodside Park Stud, the term “million dollar baby” has a very nice ring to it.

With Written Tycoon going from strength to strength he was certainly due to hit the million dollar mark, and the outstanding Brilliant Bisc colt sold at Easter saw him become the first current sire standing in Victoria to achieve this figure. 

Currently the reigning Champion Australian Two Year Old Sire, the Victorian Champion Sire and the sire of the 2016 Magic Millions 2yo winner and 2016 Golden Slipper winner he is now well established in elite company.

At January’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, eight yearlings by Written Tycoon sold for an aggregate of $2.46m at an average of $307,500. That was over 22 times his service fee, placing him sixth overall by sire averages and making him the highest Victorian stallion at the sale.

The top lot, a colt out of Pearl Goddess was sold for $650,000 to the bid of James Harron Bloodstock, the highest priced Magic Millions yearling by a sire actively standing in Victoria. Other Magic Millions highlights included the China Horse Club, Newgate and Winstar syndicate paying $340,000 for the colt from Bloomingdale Miss and the Redoute’s Choice mare Lady Bligh colt selling for $440,000 to trainer Tony McEvoy.

“He looked a ready made horse to me, a big powerful fellow. I wanted to take him home.” McEvoy said. 

In March, at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale the top Written Tycoon yearling was purchased for $500,000 by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. From the Octagonal mare, Octangle, she was a bargain $400 purchase at the Inglis March Sale in 2012. Subsequently her 2010 Written Tycoon colt became the stakes winner Written up, and Raktangle headed to Hong Kong, becoming the good galloper, Win Chance.

Written Tycoon was again the leading Victorian Stallion at Premier with 20 lots sold for $3.67m, and averaging $183,500.  Other notable lots included the colt out of Magic Millions Clockwise winner I'm Too Sexy selling for $300,000 to Spicer Thoroughbreds and Ciaron Maher and bloodstock agent Julian Blaxland bidding to $350,000 for the high quality colt from Hot Spa, a three-quarter brother to Group II Danehill Stakes winner and Woodside stallion, Rich Enuff. 

At Inglis Easter, Written Tycoon topped the sire profitability tables with his first $1 million yearling, conceived from his 2014 fee of $13,750. His three yearlings sold averaged $610,000, returning a staggering 44.8 times his service fee and making a healthy $576,250 in profit for their breeders. 

James Harron Bloodstock purchased the record breaking $1 million Brilliant Bisc colt from the Turangga Farm draft. Harron had bought and raced Magic Millions Classic and Golden Slipper winner Capitalist as well buying the Magic Millions $650,000 Written Tycoon yearling earlier in the year.

“I’m very comfortable paying a million for Written Tycoon colts because he has emerged as one of the best sires of multi-million dollar stallion prospects in the past few years,” Harron said.

The two other Written Tycoon yearlings sold at Easter including the filly from the imported Zamindar mare, Invested Capital (GB), sold by Woodside Park Stud to Bruce Perry Bloodstock in New Zealand for $300,000 and the Shabtis colt sold to The Hong Kong Jockey Club for $530,000.

But young gun stallion, Zoustar was not to be outdone also attaining an impressive $1 million dollar yearling in the Easter sales ring. Zouster was the most successful first season sire by the average of his yearlings sold, achieved the highest priced yearling by a first season sire and was the best performed of the first season sires in straight profit.

Being the fastest and highest rated sprinter of his generation, winning the stallion making Group 1 double, the ATC Golden Rose and VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes, he has made a significant impression with his first crop of yearlings and it was no surprise they were purchased by some very astute judges.

Zoustar was a leading first-season sire when his progeny made their yearling sale debut on the Gold Coast and exceptionally averaged $265,156. His top priced youngster was from the stakes winning mare, Combat Kitty selling for $550,000 David Redvers / Mulcaster Bloodstock with a further 22 yearlings selling for over $200,000 to smart buyers including Ciaron Maher, Raffles, Aquis and Waller Racing.

At Inglis Premier, Zoustar sold 14 lots for a total of $2,100,000, an average of $150,000. His stand out lots included the $200,000 Zoustar colt out of Sydney winner Icy Mist to be trained by Tony McEvoy and the first filly foal of Group III WA Champion Fillies Stakes winner Fuddle Dee Duddle selling for $360,000 to Ireland.

A Zoustar colt out of Group II performed Admiring sold for $230,000, and Mark Kavanagh purchased the $165,000 filly from More Than Ready mare, Lassie Mactavish.

At Inglis Easter, Zoustar sold 13 lots for a total of $2,800,000, and averaged $215,385.  With the outstanding Listen Here filly sold to Bruce Perry Bloodstock in New Zealand reaching the magical $1,000,000 mark, his other top results included the Laetitia colt sold to Hong Kong’s Asian Bloodstock Services for $320,000, the Missy Cummings filly to Anthony Cummings Thoroughbreds for $200,000 and the Sun Maid colt to Victorian Cloud 9 Thoroughbreds also for $200,000.

Overall, the average price for Zoustar yearlings at the 2017 sales were impressively $215,385 at Inglis Easter and $265,156 at Magic Millions Gold Coast, with Inglis Premier a very strong result at $150,000.

Now with 19 stakes winners, it was expected the sons and daughters of Written Tycoon would attract top prices, however it was overwhelming positive to see the amazing reception Zoustar’s first crop yearlings have received from the most astute judges nationally and Internationally.

Written Tycoon and Zoustar demonstrate to breeders, that both stallions can guarantee excellent returns, giving them confidence when breeding their mare, that they making the right choice financially to achieve the best possible outcome in the sales ring and on the racetrack.