Weeks after the end of the physical auction season, the broodmare sales market is in for a late and unexpected highlight this month when outstanding New Zealand filly Velocious by Written Tycoon goes under the hammer.
Managing owners of Go Racing announced July 2 the rising 4-year-old Australian-bred will be offered in the Inglis Digital July (Late) Online Sale as a breeding prospect, after a stellar career highlighted by her back-to-back juvenile triumphs in the rich Karaka 2-Year-Old Million and Sistema Stakes (G1) in 2024.
Bought by Go Racing from breeders Inglewood Stud of NSW at Karaka for AU$190,000 in 2023, the Stephen Marsh-trained Velocious won four of six races at 2 and was named New Zealand's champion 2-year-old last season. She ended her career with six wins from 13 starts.
After a wind operation last spring, she returned for two handicap wins among four autumn starts in her homeland. That sealed a trip to Brisbane, but after she failed in last month's Queensland Day Stakes, it was discovered the sizeable mare had gone in the wind again.
Her owners took the decision to sell rather than try another operation. They're confident Velocious will make appeal not only because of her racetrack ability but also as a daughter of Yulong's flag-bearing stallion Written Tycoon out of the exciting broodmare Parmalove.
A daughter of the late four-time champion stallion Snitzel, who's beginning to emulate his stud deeds by making great strides as a broodmare sire, Parmalove has thrown four winners from four runners, also including the stakes-placed Penvose Lad.
Velocious is one of only three group 1-winning 2-year-old fillies by Written Tycoon—along with last year's Golden Slipper (G1) heroine Lady of Camelot and 2016 Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes (G1) victor Luna Rossa. The latter is now the dam of Hidden Achievement, who ran a top-tier second in last month's J.J. Atkins (G1) at Eagle Farm.
"It's pretty hard to get group 1 2-year-old-winning fillies, particularly by Written Tycoon, so she should make appeal," Bosma said.
Velocious can be inspected at Vinery Stud ahead of the online auction, which runs July 25-30.
Bosma said Velocious had taken her owners on "a wonderful ride."
"Going into the Karaka Million, I don't think I've ever gone into a race as confident. We just believed she would win as she liked, and she did," he said.
Velocious won by 2.3 lengths and beat six subsequent stakes winners, including Damask Rose, Bellatrix Star, and Savaglee. She then became one of only six fillies to take the Sistema in the past 20 years.
"She'll make a beautiful broodmare. She's a good-sized mare. She certainly didn't look like your typical 2-year-old; she was more a 3-year-old type.
"She's a good length, correct, she moves well. In terms of a type she's really got it all. Anybody who looks at her is going to be very impressed with what they see."
With no inbreeding in her pedigree, and only one appearance by Danehill as Parmalove's third sire, Velocious is likely to be the focus of spirited bidding forcing her value well into seven figures. Yulong is tipped to be an eager participant, as usual, especially considering their interest in Written Tycoon.
Inglis Bloodstock sales manager and New Zealand representative Brett Gilding said securing Velocious for sale by Inglis was the result of a long-term plan.
"We're hugely grateful to Albert and the Go Racing team to be afforded this opportunity to offer Velocious on their behalf,'' Gilding said.
