The Hong Kong-based Sun International created headlines in May when they finalised negotiations to buy Victoria's biggest stud farm, Eliza Park.

They then splashed $2,157,500 at the Magic Millions National Sales in June buying eight weanlings, nine yearlings and 13 broodmares.

Eliza Park's representatives went after the top end of the market and outlaid €1,458,000 ($2.23m) on the eight mares with the prices ranging from €420,000 to just €45,000 averaging €182,500.

The plans are for them to return to Australia where they will eventually be covered by Eliza Park's stallions to southern hemisphere time.

Three of the mares are in foal (northern hemisphere time) to Fastnet Rock, with other covering stallions including Galileo, Oasis Dream, New Approach, Excelebration and Myboycharlie.

Three other Australian based bloodstock agents also figured, with Belmont Bloodstock's Damon Gabbedy paying €400,000 for the mare Monblue, a half-sister to Kris Lee's German-bred Salon Soldier, which died earlier this week from a ruptured appendix.

The latter had won his last two starts and looked to have the potential to win in group 1 company.

Gabbedy ended day one with three lots for €600,000 while Sheamus Mills, another Victorian agent, bought three for €285,000. Gary Mudgway bought two mares on day two and three, while Kiwi based agents Paul Moroney and Paul Willetts signed for a mare each.

HOT SNITZEL

Arrowfield Stud's Snitzel topped $4m in prizemoney last Saturday when Petrol Power won the group 3 Lee Steere Stakes at Ascot. It was the three-year-old's fourth win from nine starts with another four placings and he has won almost $400,000.

Snitzel's overall earnings total $4,039,132 and he is quickly overhauling premiership leader Monsun whose earnings are at $4,279,390 thanks to Fiorente's Melbourne Cup win.

Fastnet Rock is third with $3,877,230 in the bank since the season began with Exceed and Excel, last year's victor, in fourth place.

Snitzel experienced a wonderful 2013 with his first seven-figure yearling sale result at the Inglis Easter Sales. He then sired his most important winner at the Melbourne spring carnival when Shamus Award won the Cox Plate as a maiden performer for trainer Danny O'Brien.

In last year's stallions premiership Snitzel finished in the top 10 for the first time with his progeny earnings of $5,792,904 getting him to ninth place. He will go close to toppling that figure in the 2013-14 season.

The Magic Millions two-year-old sprint on the Gold Coast on January 11 could have an important bearing in Snitzel staving off the obvious attacks from Fastnet Rock and Exceed and Excel.

TAB.com.au issued first markets on the Magic Millions this week and two fillies sired by Snitzel are first and third in the betting - Oakleigh Girl ($5.50) and Sheer Style ($7).

Oakleigh Girl was a $400,000 yearling buy by Brisbane trainer Danny Bougoure with the youngster's dam being the group 1 Oakleigh Plate winner Miss Kournikova and she won on her debut at Flemington on Melbourne Cup day in group 3 company. Sheer Style is prepared at Hawkesbury by Garry Frazer and followed two city seconds in Sydney – one behind boom two-year-old Earthquake – with victory in the Magic Millions Clockwork Challenge at Ballarat on November 24.

BRIGHT FUTURE

Akeed Mofeed’s sterling performance to win one of the four group 1 races conducted in Hong Kong last Sunday could find himself heading not only to Royal Randwick for The Championships in April, 2014 but a stud career in South Australia as well.

Former English trainer Richard Gibson, who is in his second year of running a Hong Kong stable, said The Championships were definitely on the agenda for the son of Dubawi after taking out the $HK22m ($3.14m) Hong Cup Cup over 2000m.

Akeed Mofeed is owned by Pan Sutong, who recently bought into Lindsay Park in Angaston in South Australia.  There are suggestions he could possibly stand at Colin Hayes' former showplace when he retires.

UK DOWNTURN

Weatherbys have released the number of broodmares to be covered in the UK for the 2013 breeding season and have declared a slight downturn compared to the previous year.

A total of 6734 mares were registered with the Weatherbys Return Of Mares department - a decrease of 186. Weatherbys also released the number of broodmares registered this year was 8298, 401 less than last year.

“The foal numbers were comparable to last year, I think that reflects the residual mare population is of a higher quality - not just their racecourse ability and progeny success, but also their health fertility and able to produce foals,” Weatherbys director Paul Greaves said.

Hoofnote: On the subject of mares Dancing Rain, who was bought by Sheikh Mohammed for 4 million gns ($7.58m) at the Tattersalls Sales last week will be mated with New Approach in the 2014 breeding season. Dancing Rain is currently in foal to Frankel, which contributed heavily to the mares purchase price.

GALILEO DOUBLES UP

Galileo’s dominance of the European flat-racing season was quite staggering with the Coolmore stallion doubling the prize money won by his nearest rival.

In Europe Galileo was represented by 282 runners with 132 individual winners taking out a total of 206 races and winnings of £7,254,595 (13.15m).

More than half was won on English and Irish tracks - £4,710,015 in fact - with Dubawi second to him with winnings of £2,519,935 in those two countries.

Leading sire of two-year-olds in England and Ireland was the one-time Australian shuttler Invincible Spirit who had 34 individual winners of 39 races.

johnhollysenior@gmail.com