Berkeley Park Celebrate

By Joan Faras

LAST Sunday was one of those days for Berkeley Park Stud the boutique broodmare agistment farm at Blandford, owned and run by Neale Bruce.

The farm had four Weanlings entered in the Inglis Australian Weanling and Broodmare sale.

The weanling which topped the Inglis sale, a filly by Magnus and Flowerdrum from Berkeley Park Stud, Scone. Photographer: Joan Faras

Their first Lot through the ring, Lot 51, ended up topping the weanling sale and saw Graeme and Barbara Gathercole with their bloodstock agent Sheamus Mills outbid leading Perth trainer Simon Miller at $160,000 for the Magnus x Flowerdrum filly.

The filly is a half-sister to three winners including the stakes-performed San Choi Bao and will be trained by Gathercole from his Mornington stables.

Barbara Gathercole said it was love at first sight.

“I love her breeding, I love the way she walked, I knew she was going to be mine,” said Ms Gathercole.

I feel like she will make a lovely mare one day also,” she said.

“This will be the first horse by Magnus in the stable, but she had everything we look for,” Barbara Gathercole said.

The second weanling put through by the farm was a Colt by Sebring out of Marsawra and he made $115,000 to the bid of well known NZ bloodstock agent Paul Willetts.

The result helped render Berkeley Park Stud the leading vendor by average, three or more sold, having sold all four of their offerings for an average of $76,875.

Neale Bruce, owner of Berkeley Park Stud said the result was not the only reason Berkeley Park Stud had to celebrate, after their 2012 Inglis Easter Yearling offering Chautauqua proved he is the world’s best sprinter with a thrilling victory in the Group 1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize in Hong Kong on Sunday evening.

“We’ve done very well, all the horses have gone over their reserves, some well and truly, and we’re really pleased,” said Mr Bruce.

“Inspections have been busy and it helps when the horses are the ones that buyers want,” Neal Bruce said.