It’s no secret that Sheamus Mills has an expensive taste in horses and when he buys a sale-topping filly, he doesn’t usually miss.
The Victorian bloodstock agent’s previous purchases include $1.55 million I Am Invincible filly Charm Stone, who boasts G1 wins in the Manikato Stakes and Robert Sangster Stakes on her CV, as well as G1 winners Odeum and Vibrant Sun.
Mills was again shopping at the top end of the market at the Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale on Thursday when he paid $525,000 for a blueblood Zoustar filly.
The filly, out of Stakes winner Lubiton, is a half-sister to Chayan, the Stakes-placed filly that ran seventh in Saturday’s Blue Diamond.
Chayan’s trainers Rob and Annabel Neasham part of the bidding war to buy the Zoustar filly on Thursday.
Mills said the filly, who will be raced by an eastern states syndicate, ticked all of his boxes.
“She’s a medium sized, athletic filly – just the style I like, particularly by the stallion,” Mills said. “She stands over plenty of ground.”
“I really loved her demeanour. I saw her the morning I got to the complex and then checked her again as my last inspection before I left, when they were virtually packing up.”
“She’d had a heap of parades, probably done 100 laps of the complex and she was asleep in the box. But when she came out she took off and paraded so well and that sealed the deal.”
“The pedigree certainly helps as well. She’s by a gun stallion and the two-year-old from the mare was very good on debut.”
“I’m not sure she (Chayan) can win the Blue Diamond, but she was a good second and it’s an endorsement that the mare can get a good one.”
The Archibald stable was active on day one of the Perth auction with several purchases, while Victorian trainers Simon Zahra, Lloyd Kennewell and Lindsay Park all bought yearlings.
