Widden Stud Secure Witherspoon for $1.2million

The last of the five mares offered at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale with a positive test to Australia’s champion sire I Am Invincible was sold on Thursday with Witherspoon selling for $1.2million to David Redvers/ Widden Stud.

Offered in the Newgate Consignment, Group III placed Exceed and Excel mare Witherspoon had already been making headlines at this sale when her Home Affairs weanling filly sold for $430,000 to Silverdale Farm to become the highest priced weanling this year for her exciting young sire.

A sibling to Group I winner Manuel and Group III winners Sun Patch and Taking Aim, Witherspoon is from stakes-winner Girl Hussler, so has a pedigree bristling with Black Type.

Her first foal, a yearling colt by Zoustar, will get every opportunity after being purchased from Newgate at Magic Millions in January for $400,000 by Rosemont Stud/Suman Hedge Bloodstock.

“A really lovely, sharp type of mare,” Widden’s Antony Thompson said.

“I thought her first two foals were very good and she is a mare that I underbid as a race filly off the track so I probably should have bought her a couple of years ago.”

“It cost me twice as much to come back and buy her now, but having seen the foals she’s throwing, I’ve got more belief in her now than then.

“There is great cover inside her and hopefully she continues to throw those types. We bought her for the commercial mares venture so hopefully we can get a good return on the investment with the form she’s carrying.”

Bred by Segenhoe, Witherspoon has been a regular around the Gold Coast sale ring selling for $500,000 as a yearling and then $510,000 in 2019 at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale as a race filly before embarking on a stud career which at this stage looks more than promising.

“I bought her with David Redvers so she’ll go back to Zoustar and some clients from our mare partnership are involved as well,” Thompson continued.

“We’ve had a lot of luck buying high end mares with Bonny O’Reilly, Prompt Response and Summer Sham all doing well.”