Blue Sky Bloodstock's Julian Blaxland is confident that the five broodmares he picked up for Australian clients at the Keeneland November Sale can make a significant impact on the local market.
Blaxland has been attending the breeding stock sale for 12 years, and he sees it as a great opportunity to find mares suitable for Australia's strong sprinting market.
"It’s a great opportunity to buy some quality outcross types for the Australian market." - Julian Blaxland
"It’s a wonderful sale to attend. Obviously, from a personal and professional point of view, catching up with old friends and keeping abreast with what is going on in the Northern Hemisphere, but it’s a great opportunity to buy some quality outcross types for the Australian market," Blaxland said.
Julian Blaxland with partner, Kacy Fogden
The experienced agent is a massive advocate for the strength and depth of the American broodmare market, which he feels offers superior value when compared to similar markets back home.
"We've had a lot of success over the years buying mares here and not necessarily paying enormous money for stakes quality mares. The record of American mares when bred with Australian colonial sprinters, pound for pound, is as good as any imported mares into Australia in my opinion," he said.
"The record of American mares when bred with Australian colonial sprinters, pound for pound, is as good as any imported mares into Australia in my opinion." - Julian Blaxland
His first purchase was on day one of the sale in the multiple Group placegetter Laney (USA) (Shackleford {USA}) for US$135,000. A $60,000 buy as a 2-year-old, she won three races from 26 starts.
On Day 2, Blue Sky paid $185,000 for Put Da Blame On Me (USA) (Blame {USA}), a multiple black-type placegetter out of stakes-winner Roman Chestnut (USA) (Roman Ruler {USA}).
On Day 3, Blaxland picked up two mares, paying $175,000 for Stormy Victoria (FR) (Stormy {FR}), a Listed winner and a Group 2 placegetter and then $135,000 for the Paramount Sales-offered Najavo Dreamer (IRE) (Dream Ahead {USA}).
She is a winner and a Listed performer, out of a sister to the stakes-winner and Group performer Cheyenne Spirit (GB) (Indian Ridge {GB}) .
There was one more purchase for the week when Sky Flower (USA) (Flower Alley {USA}) went for $70,000 on Day 4.
She is a black-type winner who won nine races from 23 starts, including a streak of five wins at one stage. She is out of black-type winner Sapphire Sky (USA) (Sky Mesa {USA}).
Blaxland said he felt that the size of the November Sale, which has a catalogue of nearly 2000, gave him an opportunity to buy at great value.
"We bought stakes mares here, five of them ranging from $70,000 to $185,000," Blaxland said.
"It's a competitive market trying to buy stakes mares in Australia right now, or anywhere."
"The sheer scale of the sale here at Keeneland in November allows for opportunities to present themselves for Australian breeders to come here and use agents like myself to try and source and find these mares that suit the physical we look for in Australia and once again, we were lucky to pick up five mares."
"They will be sent back to Australia, they will arrive mid-January and hopefully present good opportunities and good results for the breeders we bought them for."
