She went through as the last lot of the prized offering, but Chayan made the wait worthwhile when she readjusted a number of records at Inglis’s Chairman’s Sale in Sydney on Thursday night.
The two-year-old daughter of I Am Invincible, who won this year’s Group 2 Reisling Stakes and started favourite in the Golden Slipper, sold to Coolmore’s Tom Magnier for a staggering $5.6 million.
It was the highest price paid for a two-year-old filly at public auction in Australia and smashed the previous Chairman’s Sale record of $4.2m, set by The Everest winner Bella Nipotina last year.
Chayan is now the second most expensive filly or mare sold at public auction in the Southern Hemisphere behind Imperatriz, who sold for $6.6m at the 2024 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.
A $250,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale purchase, Chayan was offered by owner Eric Koh, who conceded to experiencing mixed emotions after the result.
“Unbelievable, I came here thinking maybe $3.6 million would be tops, at best, but to go beyond four (million), beyond 5 (to) 5.6 is unbelievable,” Koh said.
“This is obviously the biggest result and achievement for myself, so I’m very happy, very satisfied but heavy-hearted to lose her.
“I’m happy for Coolmore, for Tom (Magnier) and I think she’s got huge potential ahead.”
Chayan’s racing upside was a key part of the appeal of the filly whose career to date has been overseen by Annabel and Rob Archibald.
After a second to Streisand in the Group 2 Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m) on debut, she was down the track in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) before returning to Sydney for a brilliant win in the Reisling Stakes.
That was a performance that earned Chayan a Timeform rating of 111, which is the highest awarded to any two-year-old filly to date this season in Australia.
Chayan then started $5.50 favourite in the Golden Slipper, in which she finished fifth, beaten a tick over four lengths by Guest House.
Magnier confirmed that the Archibalds would remain trainers of Chayan, who he expected to have to fight hard for.
“When you have a filly as highly-rated and thought of as she is you expect to have all the top people on her,” he said.
“We’re delighted to get her, we’ll need a bit of luck but it’s over to Rob and Annabel now.”
Chayan was one of nine lots who sold for at least $1 million at the Chairman’s Sale with Hellbent’s Group 1-winning daughter Benedetta the highest-priced mare of the sale at $1.9m.
She was bought by Yulong, who also purchased three-time Kiwi Group 1 winner Provence for $1.8m, Snow In May and Hazlebrook for $1,050,000 apiece, and Moldova for $1m.
Japan’s Katsumi Yoshida paid $1.4m for Philia, Stefan Pardi went to $1.2m for Kiki Express, while Arrowfield Stud and Hermitage teamed up to buy Arabian Summer for $1m.
All up, just over $39m was traded on the 115-lot sale with mares selling at an average of $494,747 with a $300,000 median.
