Story by Andrew Eddy fror racing.com

Group 1 winners are sourced in any number of ways in their early days, but Brave Mead might break new ground if he can win Saturday’s $1 million ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes at Randwick.

Brave Mead came out of an online digital sale at the height of a COVID lockdown in July 2021, with trainers Ciaron Maher and Dave Eustace buying the weanling for $90,000 despite neither having laid eyes on the horse.

Maher’s bloodstock expert Will Bourne said the team had some inside running, however, as Australian Bloodstock’s Jamie Lovett had seen the horse and was keen to pursue the son of Brave Smash, who Australian Bloodstock had brought out to Australia from Japan to win at G1 level a few seasons ago.

“We bought it during COVID after Jamie Lovett pointed it out to me,” Bourne said on Monday.

“I didn’t actually see him, so I went off videos and photos but, in all fairness, you go back through the videos and the photos, he was a big, strong colt and there wasn’t too much not to like about him.

BRAVE MEAD (Brave Smash x Mead) is a listed winner at start 3 and did it with ease 💪

The sun of our dual group one winner is showing just what the stallion is capable of it 🐎💨

Keep an eye on him 👀

Love your work @cmaherracing
& @JohnnyA_24!

Congrats to our connections 👏 pic.twitter.com/fIOH4ETGuI

— Australian Bloodstock Updates (@ausbloodstock2) March 24, 2023

“Funnily enough, the other horse we bought online during that period was The Fortune Teller and I think he was an $80,000 weanling as well, so we’ve done well out of the two online purchases.”

Brave Mead

Trainer: C.Maher

Age: 2YO
Sex: Colt
Colour: Bay
Prize Money: $130,600

Last 5: 311
Career: 3-2-0-1

POS	Jockey	Track	Date	DIST	Race	WGT	MRG	Odds
1 – 5	J.Allen	M V	24 MAR 2023	1200m	ST ALBANS STKS	58kg	2.8L	$1.40
1 – 12	J.Allen	PAKM	10 MAR 2023	1200m	2Y MDN-SW	58kg	4.5L	$2.50
3 – 11	J.Allen	PAKM	23 FEB 2023	1200m	2Y MDN-SW	58kg	0.3L	$2.60

The Fortune Teller has been placed at the elite level three times but hopes are high that Brave Mead can go one better and become the first weanling online purchase in Australia to score a G1 victory.

The Sires’ Produce Stakes came into view for Brave Mead after he ran clear for a two-and-three-quarter-length win in the Listed St Albans Stakes (1200m) as the $1.40 favourite last Friday night.

Sportsbet has Brave Mead marked as an $8 chance to win the Sires’ on Saturday, behind Golden Slipper Stakes runner-up Cylinder, it’s third placegetter Don Corleone ($4.50) and the emerging Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained Veight ($5.50).