Two years ago, Penny Crowley was on the lookout for an inexpensive weanling to prepare for the Sydney summer sales.
The 40-year-old Sydney horsewoman, who prides herself on being a handy judge of bloodstock, saw an advertisement for a broodmare and her foal and was immediately interested.
People like Crowley spend thousands of hours with all sorts of thoroughbreds, looking for the one – the outstanding colt or filly.
They are meticulous and well trained in the spotting of an "athlete".
"I had one weanling to do up for the sales but it needed a mate so I went and followed up the possible investment of purchasing a mare and foal for $25,000," Crowley said.
"When I arrived, I discovered the mare was empty [not in foal], but the colt that was on her took my attention.
"After some negotiations, I managed to buy him for $7000, which I thought was more than fair and [I was] quite excited about its prospects."
Preparations went without a hitch until Crowley was informed her two weanlings had been rejected for the sale but would be put on a reserve list.
"Fortunately, a little time later, I was advised that my Starcraft colt had been accepted after a few withdrawals," she said.
Crowley admits to being excited on sales day and she thought there was every possibility that the youngster would make the reserve of $40,000.
The bidding started at $5000, with three buyers vying for the colt. Within seconds it had reached $80,000. Then, in the last tortuous three minutes the bidding went to $90,000 then to $125,000 and finally to $130,000.
A delighted Crowley was tempted to pinch herself at the windfall.
"It was fabulous. We put some money into our house for renovations but do you know I secretly believed this colt was an exceptional type," she said.
The winning bidder, David Price, of Price Bloodstock Management Limited, said later they had never spend such a big sum on a yearling.
Three months ago, the colt – named Property – was set to be sold to race in Hong Kong until worrying X-rays saw the deal collapse.
Property has since won two of three starts, has amassed $225,000 in prizemoney and is very much in the mix to win Saturday week's $1.5 million Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield.
If the gelding is successful in Victoria's most important two-year-old race, it will see a woman with a brilliant eye for a horse turn $7000 into one of the most expensive racehorses of his year.