The Australian beef cattle record auction price of any breed was smashed tonight at the Australian Wagyu Association Elite Wagyu Sale in Melbourne.
The first lot of the sale - Sunnyside S0014 - sold for a whopping $400,000 to Yulong Investments, Mangalore - making it the most expensive individual lot of cattle ever sold in Australia.
The heifer was sold by Sunnyside Wagyu, Inverell, NSW, through agency Grant Daniel Long, Dalby, Qld.
The 13-month-old heifer was sired by Arubial Bond MYMFQ007, and out of PSKFP0362 Sunnyside P0362.
The sale eclipses the former top-priced record set in November 2017 when NCC Brahmans, Duaringa, Qld, sold NCC Justified for $325,000.
Tonight's sale also follows an impressive run of Wagyu sales, after Mayura Wagyu, Millicent, SA, set the Australian record of $122,500 for a full blood Wagyu bull earlier this month.
Sunnyside S0014 was described by the stud as "a young female... set to be an exceptional heifer for breeding, with parentage from quality genetics".
"Sired by high-marbling bull Arubial Bond MYMFQ0007 (son of Mayura Itoshigenami Jnr) and with a maternal grandsire Macquarie Downs BDWFY0408," the stud said.
"[The heifer] boasts a balanced combination of marbling as well as carcase size.
"With a good spread of high-performing [estimated breeding values], this female sits within the top 1 per cent across all indexes."
The stud said the heifer was free from all genetic conditions and was offered without being joined.
"[She is ready to be] utilised to full value as part of any breeding program, given such dynamic genetics," they said.
Also at the sale, Lot 19, Sahara Park Yasufuku R153, sold for an Australian Wagyu bull record of $240,000 to Bar H Grazing, Comet, Qld.
The bull - sold by Sahara Park Wagyu, Garnant, Qld - was sired by WKSFS0100 World K's Yasufuku Jr (FB5061) and out of WGWFD8516 Wagyu Genetics Aizakura D8516.
Almost 70 lots were on offer during the sale, including Wagyu females, bulls, flushes, embryo and semen packages, held in person during the Australian Wagyu Assocation's WagyuEdge Conference in Melbourne and online through Elite Livestock Auctions.
*More to come