Bella Nipotina and Amelia's Jewel eclipsed the Inglis Chairman's Sale's record price—fetching AU$4.2 million (US$2,689,869, US$1=AU$0.64) and AU$3.8 million, respectively—as an extraordinary year for Inglis continued at Riverside May 8.
In an action-packed session in which 14 lots sold for AU$1 million or more—smashing the sale's previous high of nine from each of the past two years—Bella Nipotina was bought by Longwood Farm's Michael Christian, who bred her and led half the ownership group who raced her in a career netting AU$22.7 million.
Christian bought out his co-owners after partaking in a tense bidding duel by phone inside a hushed auditorium, and said he'd called a bidspotter having realized he was hard to see in the dim light at the back of the room, where he'd stood to scan his opposition.
In the end he emerged victorious over a couple of rival bidders, and elated to be taking his 2024 Everest (G1) winner home to Longwood, where he prematurely lost her dam Bella Orfana one year ago after only four foals.
Christian revealed the 7-year-old Bella Nipotina—bought from the draft of the sale's highest-grossing vendor in her trainer Ciaron Maher—faces a first mating from a shortlist of sires comprising Zoustar, I Am Invincible, Too Darn Hot, and Snitzel.
Two hours after her sale, 10-time stakes winner Amelia's Jewel was bought from Segenhoe Stud's draft by the auction's biggest buyer—Coolmore's Tom Magnier—who said she'd be flown to the United States to be covered by the operation's in-demand sire Justify on Southern Hemisphere time.
Both Bella Nipotina and Amelia's Jewel surpassed the Chairman's sale's old record price of AU$3.6 million paid for Nimalee by Coolmore and Colm Santry in 2023.
Bella Nipotina is now the equal third-most expensive broodmare to be sold in the Southern Hemisphere, level with Sunlight—bought by Magnier at the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale in 2020.
The Southern Hemisphere record remains the AU$6.6 million given for Imperatriz by Yulong last year at the Gold Coast, ahead of Milanova, who fetched AU$5 million at the old Inglis Australian Weanling and Breeding Stock Sale in 2008.
Inaugurated in 2017, the Chairman's sale was soon struggling as a concept, with the following year's edition grossing AU$20.6 million through 81 mares sold.
On Thursday night, it raised AU$54.4 million (US$34,840,208) with 77 mares sold—more than AU$9.5 million up on the sale's previous record realized in 2023.
The average of AU$706,883 (US$452,720)—another Southern Hemisphere mares sale record—was up 13.5% on last year's AU$622,946. The median was down AU$10,000 at AU$400,000 (US$256,178), but the clearance rate of 87% was up from 67% year on year.
"We knew we had good momentum (before) the sale," said Inglis Bloodstock CEO Sebastian Hutch. "We felt like we were getting good traction with the right people, and the catalog came together really well.
"And then you get a few days from the sale and you think 'What if everything lined up perfectly?'
"And as we stand here today, it was a pretty extraordinary sale."
