Yulong pay up for top filly early in Chairman’s Sale.
Classy filly Kimochi will continue her career in the green and white colours of Yulong after the burgeoning giant landed the first big fish of this year's Chairman's Sale.
The Victorian operation, bidding under the Ilsay Vale banner, paid $2.2 million for the daughter of Brave Smash, who went through as the fourth lot of the prestigious Inglis offering.
It was a stellar result for Leo To, owner of the $21,000 Australian Weanling Sale purchase, who went on to win a tick over $1 million in the care of Warwick Farm trainer Gary Portelli before Thursday night's sale in Sydney.
"He is only just new into the industry, so to have a horse this good so early is a massive thing," Portelli said shortly after a post-sale chat with Lo.
"He knows exactly what's happened tonight. He was quite emotional on the phone."
Out of the I Am Invincible mare Summer Fun, Kimochi is a winner of two of her 13 starts, her biggest success coming in the Group 2 Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) in February this year.
She went on to finish third in the Coolmore Classic (1500m) later in the campaign, her third Group 1 placing after second placings in the Flight Stakes (1600m) and Thousand Guineas (1600m) last spring.
Portelli is terrified at the prospect of Kimochi's career being carried out in a different stable and quickly mounted his career to Yulong general manager Vin Cox to retain care of the rising four-year-old he considers an ideal Golden Eagle prospect.
"She stretched Zougotcha in the Coolmore – same distance, same track (as the Golden Eagle) – and she's going to get better with a spell." Portelli said.
"She didn't have a spell last campaign. She went through the spring in Melbourne and then had a week off and came back in and took on the best mares in Australia and stretched them.
"So, she didn't have a spell, she'd been in work forever, so imagine what she can do with a nice little break and come back fresh.
"There's another level in her, I'm sure. Hopefully it happens under my watch."
She was the first of two big buys early in the sale for Yulong, who also paid $1.6 million for dual Group 1 Oaks winner Pennyweka, a daughter of Satono Aladdin, who has a date with Yulong's new Japanese stallion Panthalassa.
