Written by Jessica Owers
Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
The Inglis Digital October (Late) Online Sale came to a conclusion on Wednesday afternoon with its star lot, the 5-year-old Shamus Award mare Media Award, passed in. Bids on the G1 Australasian Oaks winner failed to meet the reserve, leaving the 11-year-old Starcraft (NZ) broodmare Dual Star as the sale’s top seller.
Dual Star was sold for $150,000 to Szeto Yuk Ting acting on behalf of Orbis Bloodstock, the mare selling with a Castelvecchio filly at foot. The foal is only a few days old, born on October 22 and bred on the same cross as the dual stakes-winner Ain’tnodeeldun (Dundeel {NZ}).
Dual Star was trained by Paul Messara through 2013 to 2015. She was lightly raced with just nine starts, of which she was second to the Golden Slipper winner Mossfun (Mossman) in the R. Listed Inglis Nursery.
Dual Star | Image courtesy of Inglis Digital
On paper, this mare is especially well-bred.
Her grandam was the G1 Blue Diamond S. winner True Jewels (Brief Truce {USA}), who also won the Listed Ottawa S. True Jewels later produced Villain (Carnegie {Ire}), who was a Listed winner and Group 3 placed, as well as Fashion (Encosta De Lago), stakes placed and herself the dam of three winners.
As recently as last weekend, Dual Star had a significant upgrade. Her first filly, the now 4-year-old mare Shalstar (Shalaa {Ire}), was second to A Very Fine Red (Deep Field) in the Listed Alinghi S. at Caulfield. Trained by Paul Messara and raced in the Arrowfield colours, Shalstar is a promising prospect for her dam and, subsequently, Orbis Bloodstock.
Wednesday’s transaction was the second time Dual Star had been sold this year alone, the 11-year-old being offered by Arrowfield Stud through the Inglis Digital April (Early) Sale. On that occasion, she was bought by Darby Bloodstock for $50,000.
Orbis Bloodstock's Paul King
She made three times that amount on Wednesday afternoon and is the latest of a number of high-profile purchases for Orbis Bloodstock.
For an identical sum of $150,000, the group also bought the second-highest seller at the Inglis Digital October (Early) Sale a fortnight ago, the 10-year-old former Godolphin mare Seagrove (Exceed And Excel), while in September, Orbis paid $375,000 on Inglis Digital for the sale-topping Group 3 winner Estonian Princess (Snitzel).
Spartus strikes for London
Wednesday’s digital sale produced two six-figure results, the other being Lot 84, the 3-year-old colt London (Capitalist). London sold for $100,000 to Spartus Bloodstock with plenty of promise.
London | Image courtesy of Inglis Digital
The colt is widely recognised as belonging to the James Harron Bloodstock Colts syndicate and was purchased by that group from Davali Thoroughbreds for $600,000 at the 2021 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
Trained by Chris Waller and in Harron’s colours, London had six starts for a win at Hawkesbury on September 3, and he was conclusive in that victory. He won by 2.26l on a Heavy 8 and has been fifth in his two starts since. He was advertised on Inglis Digital with plenty of potential in a less competitive environment.
Buyer Spartus Bloodstock has been busy on the Inglis Digital platform.
London was raced in the famous James Harron Bloodstock silks | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
In the Inglis Digital July (Early) Sale, it paid $135,000 for a Capitalist weanling from Zouriana (Zoustar), while in the same sale it went to $325,000 to buy the Group 3-winning, Group 1-placed colt Signore Fox (Exceed And Excel) from Waratah Thoroughbreds.
In fact, in 2022 alone Spartus Bloodstock has made six purchases through the Inglis Digital platform, totalling $1.13 million.
Its biggest splash was for the 6-year-old mare Felicia (Unencumbered), who was also a Group 3 winner and Group 2-placed, and who sold to Spartus for $330,000 in September.
Group 3 winner Felicia was purchased by Spartus Bloodstock through the Inglis September (Early) Online Sale for $330,000 | Image courtesy of Inglis Digital
The figures
The Inglis Digital October (Late) Online Sale wrapped up on Wednesday with a gross amount of $1,540,049, with a 195-horse catalogue presented and 151 sold. That amounted to a clearance rate of 80.75 per cent.
The average was $10,199, with the median $5000, and the catalogue was largely filled by racehorse geldings/colts (85 of the 195 catalogued, or just under 45 per cent).
A total of 32 broodmares were catalogued, which accounted for 16 per cent, and 141 of 195 entries were offered unreserved, or just over 72 per cent of the catalogue.
