Laurie takes a liking to the Diatonics
Mornington-based trainer Matt Laurie left the Magic Millions Yearling Sale with more than just a spring in his step — he left with a strong opinion, and two fillies to back it up.
Laurie clearly took a liking to the first Australian crop of Yulong Stud’s shuttling stallion Diatonic (JPN), purchasing two fillies by the exciting newcomer during the sale.
The move made sense on several fronts. Laurie has already enjoyed considerable success training progeny of Yulong stallions, most notably the outstanding mare Treasurethe Moment (Alabama Express), and there’s optimism that one – or perhaps both – of these Diatonic fillies could follow a similar path.
Bred and raced in the ultra-competitive Japanese racing environment, Diatonic brings an imposing record to Australian shores. A three-time Gr.2 winner over 1400 metres and Gr.1-placed, he was a consistent performer against elite company, retiring with career earnings equivalent to AU$5.2 million.
By Lord Kanaloa (JPN) – the same sire as Yulong’s Gr.1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Tagaloa – Diatonic is bred on the same cross as Japanese superstar Almond Eye (JPN). He is out of a mare by Sunday Silence (USA), the influential sire behind legends such as Deep Impact (JPN) and Heart’s Cry (JPN).
Unsurprisingly, there was strong interest in Lot 826, the Diatonic filly out of dual Gr.1 winner Snapdancer (Choisir). Snapdancer herself was purchased by Yulong for $3.2 million from the Sullivan Bloodstock draft at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale, and her first foal attracted plenty of attention.
In the end, Laurie teamed up with Willannah Park Bloodstock to secure the filly for $650,000. Earlier in the sale, he had also purchased another Diatonic filly – Lot 355, out of Hometruths (IRE) (Frankel {GB}) for $150,000. That filly boasts a deep pedigree, with her dam a half-sister to Gr.1 winner Bayrir (FR) (Medicean {GB}).
Laurie said his confidence in the stallion only grew the more he saw of the stock on offer.
“I’ve been really impressed with the Diatonic stock here. We bought one earlier (Lot 355) that we really loved, and this filly (Snapdancer), again, we thought was a lovely-bodied filly.
“The mother was a star and we thought she was every bit of that price. We knew we’d have to pay for a good style like her.”
While united by their sire, Laurie noted the two fillies present quite differently – something he sees as a positive.
“They’re a little bit different. The first one we bought was out of a Frankel mare. She had a real Oaks look about her.
“This one (Lot 355) is a lot sharper and a bit different in that sense. I have been really taken by both of them.” – Matt Laurie.
Yulong finish on high as Ottobre snaps up Extreme close relation
Tony Ottobre’s Cape Schanck Stud came away with the top lot of Book 2 at the 2026 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, paying $270,000 for Lot 1113. The filly, by Yulong resident stallion Tagaloa, was well found, being out of a full sister to gun sire Extreme Choice.
“I was after some value, but obviously the other guys were on her as well,” said Ottobre. “She’s a very nice filly and I thought she was a strong enough horse for me to be able to bid that high.”
The whole sale was a “very positive start” to the sales season for Yulong, and Nominations Manager Harry King was pleased to finish Book 2 as leading vendor by aggregate and average. Tagaloa also finished the sale as leading sire by average (two or more sold).
“The results certainly filled us with confidence leading into what’s going to be a very busy sales season,” he said. “It also shows that the products that we are supplying to the market is one that’s in demand and one that people are keen to get behind.
“It also backs the processes we have put in place on farm to prepare these yearlings. We have an incredibly enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and hard-working group of people preparing our stock. Everyone puts in to get that extra 1%, and to get tangible proof of that in the sales ring is huge for everyone involved.”
The top lot figure beating last year’s Book 2 top price by $85,000 is another highlight for King and the Yulong team.
“When you breed the quality, but also the numbers, that we do breed, the commercial reality does have to come into it at some point and everything has to go on the market,” he said.
“The filly is by a stallion that’s red-hot at the moment in Tagaloa, and the mare shares the page of one of the greatest sires we have seen in modern times. This filly has the page and the look, and to see someone like Tony, that’s a well-known successful owner of horses, pay a substantial amount of money for her, that again fills us with confidence.
“She was worth that many any day of the week, she could have made that in Book 1 as well, but we feel that her being in Book 2 has made her stand out all the more.”
The Yulong ethos remains strong for the 2025 yearling sales season; the team know their stock’s worth, and everything is for sale for what they are worth.
“We are known to be sellers, but now we are starting to see a lot of racetrack success with our graduates, horses coming off of our farm are winning stakes races and Gr.1s, and now there is certainly a demand from the market to get their hands on them.
“We are here for people to buy what we breed out of these Gr.1 mares that we purchase, and now that we have so many stallions on the roster, it’s good to get our stock into different states, into different jurisdictions, and spread our wings that way as well.”
The filly’s dam Mightily (Not A Single Doubt) was a winner herself on the track and has had two foals to race so far, both by Yulong stallions; With Strength (Grunt {NZ}) has won twice this season and Eagerly Awaits (Written Tycoon) broke her maiden in August after garnering two second placings in two starts as a juvenile.
Sold to Yulong in utero and foaled down at their Victorian base, Mightily was a graduate of the stud’s first ever yearling sale draft, selling for $280,000 to Andrew Williams Bloodstock at the 2018 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale. She delivered a colt by Pierata in 2025 before visiting first season sire More Than Looks (USA).
Yulong paid $735,000 for Extremely (Hussonet {USA}), the dam of Mightily and Extreme Choice, at the 2016 Inglis Australian Broodmare And Weanling Sale, where she was offered by Bell River Thoroughbreds after Extreme Choice’s Gr.1 Blue Diamond Stakes victory. Mightily was in utero at the time.
Top lots
| lot | sex | sire | dam | vendor | buyer | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lot 1113 | F | Tagaloa | Mightily | Yulong | Cape Schank Stud | $270,000 |
| Lot 1077 | F | Better Than Ready | Istiraaha | Yarramalong Park | Jay Bellamy | $200,000 |
| Lot 1154 | C | Bivouac | Rebel Cry | Eureka Stud | Brett Cavanough Racing | $180,000 |
| Lot 1141 | F | Tassort | Pinot Madam | Blue Gum Farm | Mishani Enterprises | $170,000 |
| Lot 1060 | C | Better Than Ready | Haven | Telemon Stud | Gollan Racing | $150,000 |
Vendor aggregate
| vendors | sold | average | top price | gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yulong, Nagambie, Vic | 8 | $102,188 | $270,000 | $817,500 |
| Bowness Stud, Young, NSW | 14 | $49,500 | $150,000 | $693,000 |
| Eureka Stud, Cambooya, Qld | 9 | $68,611 | $180,000 | $617,500 |
| Widden Stud, Widden Valley, NSW | 15 | $37,033 | $85,000 | $555,500 |
| Raheen Stud, Warwick, Qld | 10 | $51,550 | $100,000 | $515,500 |
| Yarramalong Park, Kalbar, Qld | 7 | $71,714 | $200,000 | $502,000 |
| Kenmore Lodge, Wyreema, Qld | 8 | $59,688 | $100,000 | $477,500 |
| Lyndhurst Stud Farm, Warwick, Qld | 8 | $46,000 | $70,000 | $368,000 |
| Baramul Stud, Widden Valley, NSW | 6 | $60,167 | $75,000 | $361,000 |
| Telemon Stud, Innisplain, Qld | 5 | $70,600 | $150,000 | $353,000 |
Vendor average (2 or more sold)
| vendors | sold | average | top price | gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yulong, Nagambie, Vic | 8 | $102,188 | $270,000 | $817,500 |
| Noble Bend Farm, Greenmount, Qld | 4 | $88,000 | $125,000 | $352,000 |
| Goodwood Farm, Murrurundi, NSW | 2 | $82,500 | $100,000 | $165,000 |
| Blue Gum Farm, Euroa, Vic | 3 | $73,000 | $170,000 | $219,000 |
| Yarramalong Park, Kalbar, Qld | 7 | $71,714 | $200,000 | $502,000 |
| Telemon Stud, Innisplain, Qld | 5 | $70,600 | $150,000 | $353,000 |
| Eureka Stud, Cambooya, Qld | 9 | $68,611 | $180,000 | $617,500 |
| Figtree Thoroughbreds, Biddaddaba, Qld | 5 | $66,000 | $120,000 | $330,000 |
| Baramul Stud, Widden Valley, NSW | 6 | $60,167 | $75,000 | $361,000 |
| Kenmore Lodge, Wyreema, Qld | 8 | $59,688 | $100,000 | $477,500 |
Sire aggregate
| sires | sold | average | top price | gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Better Than Ready | 15 | $58,200 | $200,000 | $873,000 |
| Spirit of Boom | 11 | $52,727 | $100,000 | $580,000 |
| Pierata | 7 | $74,643 | $130,000 | $522,500 |
| Stronger | 7 | $65,714 | $100,000 | $460,000 |
| Tagaloa | 3 | $140,000 | $270,000 | $420,000 |
| Tassort | 4 | $95,750 | $170,000 | $383,000 |
| D’Argento | 5 | $66,500 | $150,000 | $332,500 |
| Barbaric | 7 | $43,857 | $70,000 | $307,000 |
| Ole Kirk | 3 | $98,333 | $120,000 | $295,000 |
| Best of Bordeaux | 7 | $37,571 | $50,000 | $263,000 |
Sire average (2 or more sold)
| sires | sold | average | top price | gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tagaloa | 3 | $140,000 | $270,000 | $420,000 |
| Ole Kirk | 3 | $98,333 | $120,000 | $295,000 |
| Tassort | 4 | $95,750 | $170,000 | $383,000 |
| Rubick | 2 | $75,500 | $125,000 | $151,000 |
| Pierata | 7 | $74,643 | $130,000 | $522,500 |
| D’Argento | 5 | $66,500 | $150,000 | $332,500 |
| Stronger | 7 | $65,714 | $100,000 | $460,000 |
| Star Turn | 2 | $65,000 | $90,000 | $130,000 |
| Victor Ludorum | 2 | $62,500 | $65,000 | $125,000 |
| Portland Sky | 2 | $60,000 | $60,000 | $120,000 |
Written for TTRAusNZ
