Cover image courtesy of Inglis

Record results a boost for Inglis

A record three days of trading at Oaklands Junction continued the remarkable start to the Australian yearling sales season, living up to lofty pre-Sale expectations, fuelled by an extraordinarily strong buying bench which featured 13 buyers spending more than $1 million.

Sebastian Hutch, CEO, Inglis Bloodstock, and his team were very much aware of the high expectations set by the 2022 market and the record results of last year and was delighted with how strong the Sale has been.

"The market’s been extremely strong throughout the year and we were looking at that in the context that the Sale was up 26 per cent last year, that’s an extraordinary jump, and we’re talking about a Sale with significant turnover," he said.

"The turnover (for Premier Session) was $72 million, we’re not talking about a small sale where the figures can be a little bit distortionary in terms of growth. It’s a significant volume of money, so the growth that looks like being achieved here is a massive number again.

"It’s a compliment to the support we’ve had from vendors, the confidence that the buyers have in the market we create here and the horses that vendors offer here. The important thing for us is the success of this Sale has been built on the success of graduates and the quality of stock, fundamentally."

While market demand undoubtedly powered the growth, Hutch is confident that the quality of graduates can live up to the expectations of previous years.

“We feel there’s really nice horses here and hopefully they go on and win good races. Last year’s Sale has produced a host of stakes-winning 2-year-olds already and hopefully we’re having the same conversation in 12 months’ time about the Sale having produced more really good horses," he said.

“It is very simple in many respects: you want to try and get the best horses to the complex and then get as many buyers as we can to try and work through those horses. We’re very self critical, we want to improve all the time, we take great satisfaction from the fact that we have made significant progress in the past two years across each of our sales."

Nicconi colt makes Gabbedy wait

Lot 430, the Nicconi colt from Maluka Thoroughbreds, was due to sell on Monday, but a mishap in his box saw his sale pushed back to the end of the Premier Session.

Damon Gabbedy of Belmont Bloodstock (FBAA), bidding on behalf of an undisclosed client, was happy to wait until he eventually went through the ring, paying the final day's equal top price for the colt, $340,000.

He is a brother to Lankan Star, the Nicconi filly who was second in the G1 Blue Diamond S., out of Stratum mare Clearwater Bay, who won three races and hails from the Aga Khan's 'K' family.

"He was bought for a client who wants to remain anonymous at this stage but I have dealt with him for a long time, so we’re thrilled to be able to get the horse," Gabbedy said.

“There was a bit of bad luck that happened with him being cast in the box but certainly didn’t seem to affect the price he brought, did it?

“We like the proven mares. She’s had three to the races for three winners and Lankan Star is Group 1-placed, a full-relation, of course, and Nicconi is a great sire. He is a big, strong colt much in the mould of Nature Strip, so we’ll be dreaming of him, of course."

Indeed, it was his size that struck Gabbedy when he inspected him through Maluka ahead of the Sale.

“He is a big horse, he’d be 15.3hh already and he is a beautiful mover, a really loose mover. I looked at him two or three times and he put his head down with a great attitude. He’s a bigger, stronger type of Nicconi," he said.

It was the best result of the Sale for Maluka Thoroughbreds, who sold 12 horses in the Premier Session for $1.76 million. The colt was offered on behalf of Janahan Rajakulendran's Monsoon Bay Pty Ltd.

Maluka's Luke Anderson was happy to have got the Sale done after a bit of a stressful 24 hours.

"It was a bit of a drawn out process. Yesterday with him being cast and injured, delayed the process. The team worked really hard to get him through the ring, so that was a great result," he said.

"We were asked by the owners to prepare him for the Sale. He's been with us since October and we did the prep with him. He's just one of those beautiful, bombproof colts that dealt with everything so well."

Clearwater Bay produced a colt by Yes Yes Yes last November and was then given a year off.

Hong Kong destination for son of Zoustar

Yearlings out of New Zealand mares have proven popular this week, with three of the top five lots out of Kiwi mares and for the second time this week, Craig Rounsefell of Boomer Bloodstock was happy to buy a well-regarded colt of that profile for the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Lot 572, by Zoustar out of Group 3 winner Honey Rider (NZ) (Pins), was offered by Widden Stud and drew a successful bid of $340,000 from Rounsefell, with a view to him being offered through the Hong Kong International Sale.

"He's obviously a beautiful colt, really well-balanced. Zoustar has done well in Hong Kong. He's a proven sire, but a younger proven stallion on the way up. He was high on our hitlist, He was out of a young fast, Group 3-winning mare that is by Pins, and I was absolutely delighted to get him," Rounsefell said.

Honey Rider, who won the G3 Gold Trail S. for Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman, is from the family of G1 Telegraph H. winner Adventador (NZ) (Fast 'N' Famous), G3 Newcastle Gold Cup winner Winning Glory (NZ) (One Cool Cat {USA}) as well as G1 Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cup winner Viewed (Scenic {Ire}).

"He's a good broodmare sire Pins and obviously that family has that Kiwi influence. We will be shopping at Karaka next week. It’s a good, speedy fast mare and Zoustars like fast ground, so hopefully this colt will do well," he said.

"He was very busy all week, in fact all our horses were very busy here all week. He was very well-found as a result," Widden Stud's Antony Thompson said.

"He’s a beautiful colt, there were a few on him and I’m thrilled he ended up with Boomer, he’s a fantastic judge of a yearling."

Honey Rider, who is now owned by Widden Stud, missed in 2020 before visiting Trapeze Artist.

That result sewed up a first title for Widden Stud as leading vendor at this Sale.

"It’s a great honour to be leading vendor. We did have a large draft of horses and while it’s not something we specifically target, it’s definitely a great thrill for the farm and for the staff who have done a lot of hard work to get these yearlings here in the way that they have," he said.

"I’m very happy with the results for ourselves and our clients. The job that the Inglis team has done assembling a buying bench of the highest order has been fantastic. They’ve really upped the ante with the vibe and the feel of the Oaklands complex, it’s been a lot of fun."

Machine fires up Griffiths/de Kock

Robbie Griffiths and Mathew de Kock were among the busiest buyers of the week, with 13 total purchases in the Premier Session across various partnership together with their bloodstock advisor Peter Ford.

Lot 585, the colt from the first crop of Aquis' sire Lean Mean Machine from Blue Gum Farm, was always well anticipated in the market and the Cranbourne-based partnership had to fight hard to get him, eventually with a final bid of $300,000.

The colt, bred by Lisa Riley from Stratum mare Innocent I Am, took the eye of the Griffiths-de Kock team and they were determined to get him back to their Cranbourne stables.

"He looked like a Group 1 horse. Mat and I and Mat's dad Mike de Kock and Peter Ford loved him all week. We had to have him," Griffiths said.

"He looks a fast horse, from a fast family, and he's got the bone and muscle and presence. Every time we had him out of the box, he was the same every time. Big, strong step, well-balanced, well-grown and he looks like he will run straight away."

Griffiths expected strong competition for the colt, whose dam is a half-sister to stakes winners Innocent Gamble (Elvstroem) and Viking Legend (Elvstroem).

"We thought it would be a pretty savage contest. We actually thought we might have to pay more So we weren't surprised that it was fierce," he said.

"We are serious about having a crack, that is what we have been doing since the partnership started. We are fair dinkum about getting the right horses to get into the big races and that is what it is all about."

Innocent I Am visited Lean Mean Machine, who now serves in Queensland after two years in Victoria.

Kennewell prevails after Extreme drama

Lot 309, the Extreme Choice colt from the draft of Musk Creek Farm, found plenty of trouble on his way to his new owner, Kennewell Racing/Group 1 Bloodstock and H and H Bloodstock, who eventually landed him for $280,000.

The colt had injured himself earlier in the Sale requiring him to be sold on Tuesday rather than Monday, and then there was further complications when he was initially knocked down for $300,000, only for it to be discovered that the bid had been incorrectly called.

Kennewell thought he had lost out as the $280,000 underbidder, but the bidding was reset, with the colt brought back into the ring, at $260,000. It took the Cranbourne-based trainer just the one extra bid to get him, and he is hoping that it may make a good story when the horse ends up pretty handy.

"They’re sought-after commodities, the Extreme Choices, there’s not many of them. I think he’s the last colt to go through a Sale this year by that stallion. We liked him at a price. We tried to bring the price back a little bit after the dilemma but it was good to get him," he said.

Kennewell said he had no concerns about the setback the colt suffered through the Sale.

“He’s a nice physical, he looks an early running 2-year-old, he’s obviously just had a bit of a foot abscess. Our vet went over him and he’s fine. The farm’s great, Musk Creek are guaranteeing him for 30 days, they’ll take him home and make sure his right, then we’ll get him broken in. He looks an early-running type," he said.

“We obviously were on him the whole sale and I said to the boys, ‘I’ll buy him off you privately if he doesn’t make it through the ring today,’ but he got through. We’ve been limited with the horses we’ve got at this Sale but we’ve got three really nice horses now, so we’re really happy."

The colt is out of Ocean Park (NZ) mare Wahini Miss (NZ), the three-quarter sister to G1 Wellington Guineas winner Sacred Park (NZ) (Thorn Park), Owned by Taj Farm, Wahini Miss has not had a foal since this colt but visited Divine Prophet last year.

Later in the day, Clinton McDonald set a new Showcase Session record when paying $270,000 for Lot 669, a Preferment colt from the draft of Rushton Park.

The New Zealand foaled colt, bred by Mystery Downs, is out of stakes-placed Von Costa De Hero mare Sea Spray.

The Showcase Session saw over $8 million worth of yearlings sold at an average of $51,340 and at a clearance rate which stood at 85 per cent when the hammer dropped on the final lot.

Inglis' attention now turns to conducting its iconic Easter Yearling Sale, which runs from April 5 to April 6 at the Riverside Stables in Sydney.

Top lots

Top buyers

Vendors by aggregate

Vendors by average (3 or more sold)

Sires by aggregate

Sires by average (3 or more sold)

In a special edition of Yarns, Gus is joined by legendary bloodstock agent George Smith. The octogenarian took 20 minutes to share some of his best racing memories and selection secrets over a coffee at the Inglis Premier Sale.

Adrian Stanley was on the road on Tuesday morning, one eye on his 25 yearlings trucking to Karaka, and another on his sole remaining lot catalogued to sell on Day 3 of the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.

The Kiwi vendor, who runs Woburn Farm, a property that sits snug between Cambridge and Ohaupo, was one of a number of New Zealand farms at Oaklands Junction this week. They included Henley Park and Monovale Farm, along with the big guns Cambridge Stud and Waikato Stud, the latter selling under the Stonehouse Thoroughbreds banner - one of several kiwi farms selling under Australian vendors.

For Stanley, it wasn’t ideal that he didn’t travel to Melbourne.

Up until this week, New Zealand required seven days of isolation upon return from Australia, and if the studmaster had followed his draft of seven yearlings to the Inglis Premier Sale, he wouldn’t have made it out of isolation in time for next Monday’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Sale Series.

“It’s been pretty difficult not being there, and it’s been pretty frustrating how our government has shut us down for this long,” Stanley said. “It’s made it very hard to do business, but we’ve done well considering.

“I’m rapt with my team at the farm who prepped those horses for Melbourne, and the team handling them for us over there has been amazing.”

The Woburn Farm draft has been looked after at Oaklands by Dave Morrissey of the Scone-based Cannon Hayes Stud.

“The Sale has gone great,” Stanley said. “Dave has been running the draft for me under the Woburn Farm banner, and he’s been brilliant, giving me all the information that I need to pass along to the owners. But I won’t lie, it’s not been easy to not be there.”

In the end, Stanley could have gone to Melbourne and still made it home for Karaka next week. The New Zealand government this week lifted its quarantine requirements for Kiwi citizens returning from Australia, but hindsight doesn't do much good.

“I had it in the back of my head that that could have been the case,” he said. “But it’s been a big job with 25 horses here going to Karaka, and a big job with staff at this time of year here in New Zealand. We’re not getting any overseas staff in, so I had to stay home and I was very comfortable with Dave running the ship in Australia.”

Hong Kong delight

Woburn Farm had a complete clearance on its seven yearlings at Oaklands Junction this week. They grossed $1.31 million.

The best-selling was Lot 455, an Iffraaj (GB) colt from the Darci Brahma (NZ) mare Darting (NZ), which sold to the Osher Group and Gelagotis Racing for $360,000.

But even that result couldn’t eclipse the farm’s delight in the wake of Lot 387, a Rubick colt from Black Tulip (Lonhro) that sold to Hong Kong Bloodstock and Andrew Williams Bloodstock (FBAA) for $300,000.

“He was a lovely colt,” Stanley said. “His half-brother, Galaxy Witness, is trained by David Hayes up there in Hong Kong and he’s won two from two, so that really helped him catch the eye of the Hong Kong guys.

“I’d had a few phone calls from Hong Kong which was good, so it was a good result for Ben Mills up there at Bird Rock Farm, who bred that colt.”

Stanley wasn’t expecting that level of money for Lot 387. The colt was on the market at $150,000.

“To double that was amazing,” he said. “We like to be realistic with our reserves and get the horses on the market. You make them buyable, you can get them out to the good trainers. That’s my goal.”

Woburn tops the Kiwi board

The Woburn draft at the Inglis Premier Sale was a neat collection of horses that Stanley saw fit for the Sale, as opposed to sending them along to Karaka with his other 25 yearlings.

“Travelling horses to Australia is good branding for us,” Stanley said. “It’s an opportunity to get our product out there among the buyers, and also to meet new buyers that might be emerging. This year was a bit different of course because the initial plan was that I’d get there, and at the last minute that was all changed.”

Karaka shifting from its late-January berth to early March meant the two sales were too close to each other for Stanley’s liking.

“It changed everything,” he said. “The whole business plan went out the door a bit, so we had to change tack and figure out how we were going to do it. But I’m still happy that we sent these horses over and put them in front of the buying bench, and we got great results for my clients.”

Despite the logistical challenge, Stanley said it was still worth it.

“We have a lovely Karaka draft, 22 in Book 1 and three in Book 2, but these Melbourne horses were selected because I thought they’d suit that Sale particularly well,” Stanley said. “Inglis have always supported me in bringing over pinhook horses, and they look after us Kiwis very well.”

Woburn’s Iffraaj colt, Lot 455, proved the highest-selling of all the New Zealand vendors at Oaklands, with Cambridge Stud’s Lot 169 by Almanzor (Fr) selling next best at $330,000 to Tony Pike Racing. Cambridge Stud sold all eight of its draft to a raft of buyers, including John Foote (FBAA), Mark Kavanagh and Trilogy Racing.

Monovale Farm, meanwhile, sold its pair of yearlings, the best of which was a Sacred Falls (NZ) filly (Lot 138) that went to Andrew Bobbin for $150,000. And, via Stonehouse Thoroughbreds, Waikato Stud sold all six of its Premier yearlings.

The best-selling of the Waikato stock was Lot 239, a Savabeel colt from the O’Reilly (NZ) mare Smart Thinking (NZ), which sold to John Foote for $260,000. This horse is from the same family as Queensland Oaks winner Provocative (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}), and he proved the highest-priced of the Stonehouse draft all up.

The Waikato horses netted $1.115 million, settling a healthy appetite for the New Zealand product in Melbourne.

“Nice horses sold well,” Stanley said. “I would have bidded on about 20 horses, and I had a crack at trying to personally buy some pinhookers and Ready to Run types myself. I went in on about 10 horses up to $160,000 and they all made over $200,000, so the nice colts were strong. The fillies seemed a little bit tougher.”

The best of the Premier results had only two fillies within the top 10 of sales overall – an I Am Invincible daughter for Silverdale Farm that sold to Legend Racing of Hong Kong for $550,000 (Lot 497), and a Snitzel filly for Segenhoe that went to Clinton McDonald for $475,000 (Lot 353).

The best of Woburn’s fillies proved Lot 250, a Tavistock (NZ) daughter who is a half-sister to the New Zealand Group 1 winner Stolen Dance (NZ) (Alamosa {NZ}). Lot 250 sold to Zhongli Thoroughbreds for $150,000.

Hopeful for Karaka

With the Premier Sale wrapped up, Woburn Farm is already on the road to Karaka. Its 25 yearlings set off on Tuesday morning, and Stanley is hopeful of a good sale without being bullish.

“I think I’ve got a lovely, balanced draft,” the studmaster said. “I’m confident of selling all of these fillies and colts, but we’ll have to see what the market’s like. In a normal market, I’d be going to Karaka with these horses confident of getting them to the buying bench at the right price.”

Stanley is cautious about being too confident though. There are a few unknowns about the National Sale Series this year, like the absence at this stage of Australian buyers, plus the Sale’s shifting to its March slot for the first time.

“I’m not a negative person,” he said. “I try to look for the positives in most situations, so I’ll say that I’m hopeful. I’m sure New Zealand Bloodstock is doing its hardest behind the scenes to find these buyers and get them in with flights and accommodation.

“This latest announcement will hopefully mean more seats filled on planes coming in because it would be good to get our New Zealand agents back in to market these horses to Australia.”

The picks of the draft

Of Woburn Farm’s 25 yearlings in Book 1 next week, there are 16 sires represented, from U S Navy Flag (USA) to Rip Van Winkle (Ire), Savabeel and Almanzor.

But there are also two respectively by the freshman sire The Autumn Sun and first-season sire Russian Revolution.

The Autumn Sun colt, Lot 554, is a pale bay from the Stravinsky (USA) mare Sara Ann (NZ), making him a half-brother to the G1 Australian Derby winner Tavago (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}).

He’s also a half-brother to the Mark Newnham filly Sanstoc (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}), who won at Kembla Grange last month and is pointed at the G1 Australian Oaks during the autumn.

“This fellow (Lot 554) has really blossomed in the last two weeks,” the studmaster said. “He’s a Guineas-Derby type of horse with good action. These Autumn Suns, I just love them. I’ve tried to buy one but I can’t get near them, so hopefully this guy is going to be as high in the market.”

Stanley first clapped eyes on The Autumn Sun’s weanlings during a visit to the Hunter Valley. He’s tried to get his hands on a few ever since, but he hasn’t been able to get any.

“I don’t have as much money as those Australians,” he said in jest. “But they’re a lovely style of horse that seem to me more like a New Zealand horse. I think they’re miler or Derby types, to be honest.”

Additionally, he flagged Lot 408 by Russian Revolution, a filly from another Strategic mare in Meiji. This is the same family as stakes winners Aichi (Strategic {USA}) and Kinshachi (Commands) and, further along, Detours (Ad Valorem).

“This is an athletic filly,” Stanley said. “She’s going to get up early. She’s a horse that will appeal to the Australian buyers but with a chance of bringing her back to win the Karaka Million. She is very light on her feet with a real good action on her, and she gives me a good feel.”

Lot 408 is a pinhook for Woburn Farm.

She was picked up from the draft of Yarraman Park at the 2021 Inglis Sydney Weanling Sale, costing just $15,000. She’s one of seven yearlings by Russian Revolution in next week’s Book 1.

“Russian Revolution was very unlucky in the Blue Diamond last week with his horse, Revolutionary Miss,” Stanley said. “He’s tracking on very well, and it looks like he’ll have three or four in the Golden Slipper, so hopefully one of them can win that. Newgate has done a good job with him, he’s looking to be a great stallion for them.”

Finally, the studmaster has a good opinion of each of his five U S Navy Flag yearlings.

In particular, Stanley likes Lot 614, a colt from the Snitzel mare Stolen Gem. Stolen Gem is a daughter of the G2 Challenge S. winner De Lightning Ridge (Tale Of The Cat {USA}).

“I’m very confident that all five of these U S Navy Flags will get to the racetrack and that they’ll all win races,” Stanley said. “I’ve got a very big opinion of the stallion. I’ve supported him well with mares and I’ve got clients who have gone to him as well. They just look like proper racehorses with good temperaments and good brains, and they’re very good-walking horses too.”

Lot 614 was bred by Sir Patrick Hogan, and Stanley said there’s a lot of Snitzel about him.

“He looks like he’s ready to get up and going now. Wherever he ends up, be it in Hong Kong, Singapore or Australia, he could get off the plane and be ready to go. He’s a real 2-year-old type, this fellow.”

The Studbook releases the official stats on the previous year's services on March 1 and it shows the continued popularity for Newgate's G1 Golden Slipper S. son of Written Tycoon, with Capitalist serving his biggest-ever book as his service fee rised from $44,000 (inc GST) to $99,000 (inc GST).

He has served books in excess of 200 in each of his five years at stud, with 239 in 2020 his previous best.

Rosemont Stud's Shamus Award saw an enormous surge in numbers to 216 off the back of a brilliantly successful 2021 on the track, highlighted by his G1 Caulfield Cup-winning son Incentivise.

Shamus Award stood for $33,000 (inc GST) last year and saw his numbers jump beyond 200 for the first time, up from 177 in the previous season and 149 in his first season at Rosemont after switching from Widden Stud. He was the most popular stallion in Victoria by some margin.

Widden, meanwhile, saw Zousain's numbers leap to 214 in his second season at his service fee of $19,800 (inc GST) having attracted a strong book of 188 in his first season.

Coolmore's King's Legacy was the most popular first-season stallion of 2021 when it came to mares, with a book of 212 at his fee of $33,000 (inc GST). His barnmate, So You Think (NZ), who had the biggest book of 261 in 2020, saw his book fall to 204, but he has still served more than 200 mares in each of the past four seasons.

Newgate's new addition, North Pacific, attracted a strong opening book of 202 mares, one more than his barnmate Flying Artie.

Champion Australian stallion Written Tycoon served his equal second biggest-ever book, 199, in what was his first season at Yulong Stud. He stood at $165,000 (inc GST), a huge jump from the $77,000 (inc GST) he stood at in his one season at Arrowfield in 2020 and retained his numbers.

The busiest shuttle stallion was Coolmore's new purchase Wootton Bassett (GB), who had a book of 188 mares, while Toronado (Ire), who is based at Swettenham Stud, had 172 and Coolmore's Churchill (Ire) 165.

In terms of the high-profile Australian stallions, I Am Invincible, who stood for the highest fee in the country of $220,000 (inc GST) had 193 mares, the same number as he had in 2020, while four-time Australian Champion Snitzel had his number increase from 150 to 165.

Widden Stud's star Zoustar, who reverse shuttles to Tweenhills Stud in England, had a book of 174, a slight increase from 2020,

Legendary stallions Fastnet Rock and Exceed And Excel had their books carefully managed with Fastnet serving 76 mares and Exceed 90.

The other stallion who stood at six figures or more in Australia in 2021 was Pierro, who served a book of 130.

The stallion with the biggest book in Queensland was Eureka Stud's Spirit Of Boom with 178, while Heroic Valour at Raheen Stud had a huge seasonal jump from 90 mares in 2020 to 157 in 2021.

The top WA stallion was Playing God on 128, while Alpine Eagle led Tasmanian stallions on 90 and Sir Prancealot (Ire) in South Australia with 76.