Yulong Investments purchased a second seven-figure mare by a Vinery Stud sire this year when parting with $1,025,000 for Jamaea at the Inglis Digital July (Late) Sale.

Competition for the multiple Group 2-winning daughter of Headwater reached a crescendo on Wednesday, following a protracted bidding duel.  “I’ve been around a long time and I know it’s bloody hard to get seven figures for a horse of any kind,” an elated part-owner Bruce Noble said.  “I had a beer for every $50,000 bid over our reserve for Jamaea so let’s just say I will sleep pretty well tonight!”

Yulong principal Zhang Yuesheng has been far and away the dominant bloodstock buyer in Australia this year.  He paid $4.1 million for multiple Group 1 winner Forbidden Love (All Too Hard) on Day 1 of the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.  That price tag made Forbidden Love the third most expensive mare ever sold in Australia behind Milanova ($5 million) and Sunlight ($4.2 million).

The Yulong shopping list on the Gold Coast in May also included Group 3 MVRC Typhoon Tracy Stakes winner Macroura (Snitzel) who was sold by Vinery (as agent) for $1.5 million.

Jamaea (4m Headwater – Isibaeva by Johannesburg) originally changed hands for $130,000 at the 2020 Gold Coast Magic Millions Yearling Sale and went on to earn $1.03 million for Bruce Noble and his brother Ken.  She was trained by Rob and Luke Price and claimed Group 2 victories in the Percy Sykes Stakes and Furious Stakes over 1200m at Randwick with explosive finishes under Tommy Berry.

Yulong COO Sam Fairgray confirmed Jamaea would be served by their new sire Diatonic (Jpn).  He’s a son of Lord Kanaloa and was a Group 2 winner of the Swan Stakes (1400m) at Kyoto in 2022.

“We want to give Diatonic some really nice mares to give him the best possible chance and we think Jamaea is a perfect fit,” Fairgray said.  “She’s an attractive racemare with a great record as a two and three-year-old.

“The bidding certainly wasn’t easy.  It’s getting harder and harder to buy these top-end mares but Mr Zhang wants to keep putting together an elite broodmare band so it’s great that Jamaea will be joining the group.

“We knew her price would be at the pointy end.  These elite mares are attractive to a lot of people and bring top prices but we’re delighted to have her.”