Photo: Kenton Wright Racing Images
Five-time Group One winner Legarto (NZ) (Proisir) has been purchased by Yulong Investments for A$2.8 million at the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale.
By Proisir, out of the Towkay mare Geordie Girl, Legarto was sold as a yearling by Highline Thoroughbreds at Karaka for $90,000 and raced under the care of Ken and Bev Kelso.
Legarto has been one of New Zealand's best-performed gallopers in recent seasons, winning Group Ones on either side of the Tasman for trainers Ken and Bev Kelso, including the Australian Guineas (1600m) in 2023.
She bowed out a Group One winner in the Bonecrusher Stakes (2000m) on March 7, having won the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at her previous start. She also won the Herbie Dyke in 2025 with her other Group One coming in the New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) in 2022.
As they have done many times at sales in Australia in the past few seasons, Yulong and Coolmore settled down to duke it out with the eerie sale-ring hush descending as bids quickly escalated to $2m before rising in $200,000 increments to $2.8m.
It was Yulong who proved strongest and Legarto will be a headline resident of that organisation's recent Hunter Valley acquisition, Segenhoe Stud, where a meeting with one of its new stallions awaits.
"She's the mare of the whole sale and we love her; we fell in love with her when we first saw her," Yulong's Jun Zhang said.
"We're going to put her to Segenhoe. We purchased Segenhoe and we need some very elite mares to support our stallions, Devil Night or Private Harry."
“Every mare is very special, so we can’t put any price tag on them. I think she was the one and we had to get her.”
