Greek Australian bags last true blue blood

Last week, BC3 Thoroughbreds, a consortium of racing investors, successfully bid $2.6 million for Lot 200 at the Inglis Easter Sales, and led away a yearling filly that has the bluest blood in Australian race horsing.

Chief Executive of BC3, Bill Vlahos, whose business partners include jockey Simon Marshall and American racehorse trainer John Brocklebank, pipped other punters to the post at the yearling sales event to secure ownership of Black Caviar's half-sister.
Peter Moody, Black Caviar's trainer began the auction with an offer of $1.5 million, though was unable keep up with the more well-heeled pack, which included Japanese bidders.
Bill Vlahos told Neos Kosmos that the price paid wasn't a surprise.

"We thought it would be somewhere between $2 million and $3 million, and it was at the top end of what we were prepared to pay. It was actually our last bid, " confessed Vlahos.
"There are two things that makes this yearling so special for us: John Brocklebank, who picks all our yearlings and has a very high success rate, rated her as one of the best yearlings he's seen in the five years he's been coming to Australia.

"There was a lot of blueblood for sale at the auction that we could have purchased, but they weren't as well conformed and put together as this one," said Vlahos.
The filly, sired by Redoute's Choice, out of celebrated mare Helsinge, also the mother of undefeated colt All Too Hard, will now be trained by Victorian-based horseman Danny O'Brien.
"She's just the bluest blood in Australia at the moment. Helsinge's owner wont be selling any more of the progeny so it was the last opportunity to buy and own some of that blue blood."

Black Caviar's little sister will remain unnamed until the BC3 consortium come up with a name they can agree on.
"The various owners will all have a say on the name, it's a pretty important one to get right. We're hoping it will be as copyrightable as Black Caviar," said Vlahos.
"She's now at our farm down at Torquay. She'll have a rest for the next four to six weeks, and then we'll start to break her in and she'll go through our BC3 training program - build a bit of bone density and so on. Like Black Caviar, she probably won't get her first run until after Christmas."

Bill's winning bid is the equal-highest price paid for any yearling filly in Australian history. He has indicated BC3 will keep around 70 per cent of the prized yearling - leaving the door open for anyone who would like a share in the amazing Black Caviar story. Prices available on request.