by Jeff Lowe

Vin Cox, Keeneland Association’s sales representative in Australia, estimated that around 40 Australians were on hand for the first session of the Keeneland November breeding stock sale on Tuesday, and the group made a prominent impact with the purchase of Tears I Cry for $735,000.

Cox signed the ticket for the stakes-winning Chester House mare out of Mount Helena (GB), a Danzig mare who is a half sister to both Street Cry (Ire) and Helsinki (GB), the dam of European champion and sire Shamardal. Street Cry and Shamardal both are standing the Southern Hemisphere season at Darley Australia.

Tears I Cry, a five-year-old, is in foal to two-time Horse of the Year Curlin. Cox bid on behalf of an undisclosed client he described as a prominent breeder in Australia.

Street Cry is coming off a huge week that included victories by his four-year-old son Shocking in the Emirates Melbourne Cup (Aus-G1) on November 3 at Flemington Racecourse in Australia and his five-year-old daughter Zenyatta in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) on November 7 at Santa Anita Park. Shamardal is the sire of Faint Perfume, who won the Crown VRC Oaks (Aus-G1) on November 5 at Flemington.

“It was very much the pedigree—[Tears I Cry is] very closely related to Shamardal and Street Cry, and both those are very prominent stallions in Australia,” Cox said. “Street Cry speaks for himself, and Shamardal looks like a very serious stallion.”

Cox also signed the ticket for Grade 2-winning broodmare prospect Jazzy (Arg) for $120,000. He said Australian buyers saw an opportunity this year with the downturn in the bloodstock market in North America.

“There are a lot of things working for us this year,” Cox said. “Your market has backed off. Our market is relatively strong, with a good racing product and quite a bit of confidence about it. It’s quite the opposite here.”

Jeff Lowe is a Thoroughbred Times staff writer