By Bren O'Brien
A colt by Dundeel (NZ) topped the Inglis Melbourne Gold Yearling Sale, while former $2 million yearling Faretti (I Am Invincible) has found a familiar home after being sold for $235,000 in an action-packed Inglis Digital July (Early) Sale.
The sale total of $5,623,900 is a new record, eclipsing the Inglis' May Sale’s aggregate of $4.8 million, the sixth successive Inglis Digital Sale to surpass $3 million.
The COVID-19 outbreak in Victoria prevented the Gold Sale from being held in the traditional format, and it was conducted instead as part of the Digital Sale, with Maluka Thoroughbreds getting a good result for the top yearling sold.
Western Australian buyer Peter Caporn was the winning bidder, paying $120,000 for the Dundeel colt out of Blessit (Commands), the unraced half-sister to stakes winners Red Flair (Testa Rossa) and Hello Pretty (Distorted Humor {USA}). She has already produced the winner Blazing Tycoon (Written Tycoon) and the recent Caulfield victor Bless Her (Street Boss {USA}).
“Given the current situation I was obviously unable to see the horse myself in person but from what I could see online and from talking to the right people, he’s very reminiscent of a couple of good gallopers I’ve had over the years,’’ Caporn said.
“He walked like a good horse, looks like a good horse, he’s very typical of the Dundeels and the first two out of the mare can both gallop and this colt is bigger and better than either of them at this stage of their development I believe. "
Lot 303 - Dundeel (NZ) x Blessit (colt)
Maluka had passed in the colt when bidding failed to reach his $100,000 reserve at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale earlier this year and were rewarded for their patience, getting a better result in the digital environment, the second time around.
“It was great to see him achieve that price,’’ Maluka's Luke Anderson said.
“To see how he developed the past three or four months, it was a blessing in disguise that this sale was forced back to now for this bloke as he just needed a bit more time to mature and develop which he has.
“He’s a lovely horse with a great attitude, I just like the way he goes about things, he’s athletic, he’s got a lot of attributes you want to see in a nice horse. He’s got a lot going for him.’’
The price was a record for a yearling sold in Australia through a digital platform.
The other yearling to reach six figures was a colt by Teofilo (Ire), which was sold to Hong Kong buyer Eden Wong for $110,000.
Offered by Chatswood Stud, he is out of multiple winner Hot Augusta (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}), the sister to Group 2 winner Adrift (NZ), from the extended family of G1 Cox Plate winner Maldivian (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}). The colt was an $80,000 weanling purchase at the Inglis Great Southern Sale in 2019.
Lot 436 - Teofilo (Ire) x Hot Augusta (NZ) (colt)
Overall, the Gold Sale, which was severely impacted by the protocols surrounding COVID-19, saw 152 horses sold at a clearance rate of 61.5 per cent.
The average price was a $14,935 and the median was $10,000, with an aggregate of $2.27 million. There were nine horses sold for $50,000 or more.
The same Sale last year, which was held in April 2019 under very different circumstances in a traditional format at Oaklands, saw 192 horses sold for an average of $18,186 a median of $11,000 and a gross just short of $3.5 million.
The sale-topper of the Digital Sale overall was the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained gelding Faretti.
Faretti
While he hasn't quite lived up to his $2 million pricetag from the 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Faretti has been competitive in almost all of his seven starts, including an impressive maiden win at Randwick last October.
It was his own co-trainer, Adrian Bott, who ended up keeping him in the stable, paying $235,000 on behalf of new connections.
“He’s always been a high-profile horse that’s promised us plenty and shown us plenty of potential but due to some really unfortunate circumstances the horse had to be sold," Bott said.
“Once he was listed we were approached by a group of people to continue racing the horse in the hope he can continue to train on and hopefully fulfil the early potential he’s shown us. "
Faretti is out of the stakes-winner Tai Tai Tess (Magic Albert) and is one of two million-dollar plus yearlings from the mare, the other being the Chris Waller-trained Volterra (I Am Invincible).
The well-related 3-year-old Laybuy (NZ) (Savabeel), also found a new home, selling to Mike Moroney's Ballymore Stables for $120,000.
Moroney already trains Laybuy, who is out of stakes-winning mare Shopaholic (NZ) (Pins) and he has had one win from six starts for his previous owners, the Chitticks of Waikato Stud.
Impeccably-bred maiden Coat Of Arms (I Am Invincible) was sold by Newgate for $105,000 to a combination of Archer Park, Edmonds Racing and Kestrel Thoroughbreds.
Coat Of Arms
A $650,000 yearling, Coat Of Arms has been placed once in four starts and is out of the Group 2-winning mare Varenna Miss (Redoute's Choice), the half-sister to multiple Group 1 winner Criterion (NZ) (Sebring) and G1 Doomben Cup victor Comin' Through (Fastnet Rock).
Newgate also sold recent Canterbury winner Concealed (Deep Field) for $100,000 to trainer Kim Waugh.
The 2-year-old colt is a winner of one of his four starts and is out of black-type winning American mare Ashley's Kitty (USA) (Tale Of The Cat {USA}).
Godolphin's consignment of 41 mares and fillies returned $617,750, headed by the consistent filly Delicately (Medaglia D'Oro {USA}), who fetched $65,000 to Tory Lavelle.
Benenden (Dubawi {Ire}) achieved the best price for a Godolphin broodmare, selling for $30,000 to G and S Chappell in foal to Hallowed Crown.
“It’s obviously a very strong market online at present and we’re very happy with these results,’’ Godolphin’s Racing and Bloodstock Manager Jason Walsh said.
“We’ve had some individual breeding prospects sell nicely and we wish all the new owners all the very best with their purchases.’’
