The lone Frankel weanling at the Great Southern Sale topped the opening session
The lone product of champion stallion Frankel offered at this year's Great Southern Sale proved as popular as expected with the filly topping the first session of the weanling sale.
New Zealand's Gary Harding went to $525,000 for the Rosemont Stud-prepared youngster, who is out of the Acclamation mare Abby Hatcher, which was offered just seven lots into the sale.
The filly now sits as the third most expensive weanling sold in Australia this year and Harding was thrilled to win the battle for her.
"We liked the pedigree, the crosses looked good and she vetted out very well, so we thought we'd try to buy her," Harding said.
"I thought she'd make between $400,000 and $500,000, I let someone else bid $500,000 and then thought I'd have one more bid at the $525,000 and that was enough thankfully.
"It's a lot of money but you've got to pay for the good ones and we're happy we've bought her.
"We've bought her to race. She'll come back to New Zealand, we'll put her on our good Waikato pastures and hopefully she grows into a good horse for us.
"She'll start out racing here in New Zealand and hopefully she's good enough to run in Australia before too long.''
Harding's buy was one of 22 weanlings to sell for $100,000 or more on Day 1 of the sale that continues with more weanlings on Friday morning before a broodmare sale in the afternoon.
Two colts sold for $300,000 each, the first by Toronado out of Gig, followed by an I Am Invincible-Diablotine youngster, both of whom were purchased by Kaha Nui Farm, which is likely to reoffer them as yearlings.
"It's nice to have nice stock in the paddock, we're really happy with what we've been able to buy this year so far and today is no different,'' Kaha Nui's Nikky White said.
"On the Vinnie, he's a lovely colt, we're really happy, we'll take our time with him, get him back home and look to sell him next year, possibly back here (at Inglis Premier) if he's good enough.
"Inglis are fantastic, they've given us a really fun run. I'm in this game to have some fun and hopefully we can have some success as well along the way but Inglis has been amazing.
"I always enjoy it with Inglis, that's why I'm back. If I can't have fun I'm not doing it.''
All up on Day 1, the 242 lots catalogued grossed $7,431,000 at an average of $50,897 with a $28,750 median.
Last year Day 1 grossed $8,156,500 at an average of $49,735 with a $30,000 median.
