Art Major $160,000 filly breaks APG record

A regally bred harness racing filly from the Lauriston Bloodstock operation set a new fillies’ record at the Melbourne Australian Pacing Gold Sale today.

The daughter of Alabar’s headline act, Art Major, out of Smyrna Duruisseau pulled $160,000 to become the 2018 ‘topper’ and the highest priced filly ever at an APG sale.

The bidding was hot for Lot 223 at the famous Inglis Sales Complex and she fetched $60,000 more than any other yearling for the day.

Smyrna Duruisseau was no star on the track, but her breeding barn career was off to a flyer via Follow The Stars – the brilliant 2014 $322,000 Australian Pacing Gold Final and $297,000 Australasian Breeders Crown champion, who went on to win 19 races from 29 starts for over $700k in prizemoney. And this filly is a full-sister.

A Nixon Bloodstock prepared and bred colt, a stunning son of Mach Three out of Bettors Delight mare Bettor Give It, was the second-highest priced yearling to go under the gavel today.

He went for $100,000, while Benstud Standardbreds prepared the third and fourth highest priced youngsters, two colts – a Sportswriter-Mendelico half-brother to Heaven Rocks snaring $92,500 and a Well Said-Beninjurd relation to Philadelphia Man $77,500.

Bling It On’s ($1.6 million in prizemoney so far) full-brother rounded out the top five today at $72,500, the son of American Ideal-Alldatglittersisgold having no shortage of admirers.

The Australian Pacing Gold wagon rolls into Sydney on Sunday February 25.

Cody Winnell

Full Melbourne 2018 APG Sale results