Day 3 sale toppers: Toronado and Pierro pair lead the final leg of the Premier Session

Cover image courtesy of Inglis

Day 3 of the 2023 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale wound up on Tuesday afternoon without threatening the order of things. Strong trade was aplenty, but the best-selling pair of the day (Lots 589 and 615) didn’t budge the sale’s top-selling youngster, who remained Lot 159 from Day 1 at $1.1 million.

A total of 75 yearlings were offered on Tuesday as part of the final Premier Session and ahead of the Showcase Session, and they grossed $5,565,000 for an average of $126,477. The median was $100,000 with a clearance rate of 71 per cent.

Overall, it dragged the Premier session to a gross of $57,959,000 across the three days, which was down on last year’s $77,270,000. This is an interesting comparison because the 2022 catalogue had 590 yearlings, which was marginally less than the 615 of this week.

However, the top lot this year of $1.1 million was significantly up on the 2022 figure of $950,000.

As such, the stats for the 2023 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale yoyoed comparatively on last year’s, although feedback was that things had come back to the buyer's favour.

Gross, average and clearance figures on Tuesday were down on 2022, but the top lot was up, with Lot 589 and 615 selling for $400,000, as against last year’s Day 3 top lot of $340,000.

Lot 589 – Toronado (Ire) x Mojo Moon, colt - $400,000

One half of Tuesday’s top-selling pair came early in proceedings, with Collingrove Stud presenting Lot 589 just over an hour into trade.

This neat colt is just the second foal from the Greenwood Lake (USA) mare Mojo Moon, who ranks well as a half-sister to the excellent gelding Testashadow (Testa Rossa). Testashadow won the G3 Festival S. and R. Listed Magic Millions Cup, and he was placed in a stack of Group races.

Lot 589’s page is also recognisable for the presence of Zoustar. The Widden stallion is there via the third dam Crestfallen (Rivotious {USA}), who was a half-sister to Zoustar’s dam.

This Toronado (Ire) colt was one of the 19 yearlings offered by Collingrove Stud and he was by far the best-selling, going to the New South Wales-based Anton Koolman Bloodstock for $400,000.

“I’m pretty fond of Toronado,” said Olly Koolman after signing the ticket. “I bought Senor Toba at this sale a couple of years ago and so he (Toronado) means a fair bit to me. I think he’s a great stallion. He puts great bone and strength into horses and they can get over a bit of a trip but they’ve got a turn of foot, and I just think this horse (Lot 589) will be perfect for what we’re looking for.”

Koolman went in for four horses this week. Others he bought in partnership included a filly by So You Think (NZ) (Lot 138), a colt by Brutal (NZ) (Lot 332), another by Grunt (NZ) (Lot 383) and Lot 589. The latter, he said, was for Hong Kong.

“We’re looking for a 1600-metre to 1800-metre horse for Hong Kong eventually,” he said. “We’ve bought from a range of stallions at this sale for a range of clients, but this purchase was for a Hong Kong order. He will actually race in Australia prior to going there.

“There’s a selection of horses that we’re getting together now, and they’ll stay with David Pfeiffer until such time as we choose to take them up.”

Reflective of both the day’s stats and those of the Premier Session overall, Koolman said the sale had been an interesting few days.

“I think the vendors are having to work a bit harder than they’re used to, which doesn’t worry me so much,” he said. “I haven’t found it too difficult to find a nice horse and we’re going home pretty satisfied.”

Lot 615 – Pierro x Now Now, filly - $400,000

The other half of Day 3’s session-topping pair was Lot 615, a filly by Pierro from the Danehill Dancer (Ire) mare Now Now. Offered by Blue Gum Farm, who is newly flush as the new home of Flying Artie, she sold to trainer Robert Hickmott for $400,000.

Her dam is fairly well-known. Now Now was a half-sister to the South African Group-placed Rock Cocktail (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), but, more significantly, Lot 615 is a half-sister to Fiesta (I Am Invincible).

Fiesta was one of the brilliant 2-year-olds of her crop, winning the G2 Silver Shadow S., G3 Widden S. and two other Group races. She was also second in the G1 Flight S., G2 Tea Rose S. and G2 Percy Sykes S., making her equally as good as a 3-year-old.

On the third line of this family are the stakes winners Stick Around (Twig Moss {Fr}), Charm Scene Land (Brocco {USA}) and Kingsgate (Danzero), the latter twice second in the G1 Epsom H.

Hickmott signed for only two yearlings during the sale this week, the other being a colt by Yes Yes Yes (Lot 585) for whom he paid $60,000. Lot 615 was a final grab in the Premier Session.

“She was obviously the last horse of that part of the sale,” the trainer said. “A lovely filly. Jason and Sean (of Trilogy Racing) bought her as a weaner for $400,000 and they were quite happy to stay in her. They bought her more as a racing proposition.”

The Pierro filly had previously gone through the ring last year at the 2022 Inglis Sydney Weanling Sale, going to Trilogy for an identical price as to what she made on Tuesday. Hickmott said at that weanling price, it was going to be hard for anyone to make much more on her.

Plus, he added, Pierro as a staying-prospect stallion probably wasn’t high on many people’s agendas.

“She looks a real staying type, although Fiesta was a very sharp mare,” Hickmott said. “She’s got a bit of staying quality about her and she’ll be given all the time in the world to be able to produce something on the track.”

Hickmott said his new filly would get four or five weeks before she was sent to be race educated. He said she looked a nice type on-complex, but she would be even better in two or three months.

“She had a bit of a pot belly and a bit of length about her, but she’s got plenty to go,” he said. “I was probably lucky to get her at this sale. In two months’ time she could really develop, which would put a couple of hundred on her.

“Lovely pedigree, great temperament and, if you see her walk, she’s a real beautiful-moving filly as you’d like to see in a staying horse.”

Lot 560 – Written Tycoon x Mantra Of Life (USA), filly - $370,000

This chestnut filly was offered by Noorilim Park, which continued its stellar week of trade into Day 3. The Arcadia-based farm sold the sale’s top lot on Day 1 for $1.1 million, each among the 26 yearlings in its draft.

Lot 560 proved its third-highest seller after Lots 159 and 295, the latter a Written Tycoon filly that sold for $400,000 earlier in the sale. Lot 560 is just the third foal from the American-bred mare Mantra Of Life (USA) (Dubawi {Ire}), herself a half-sister to both a French stakes winner and the dam of a Japanese stakes winner.

There is a lot of international flair on this page, including the dual Group 1 winner in France, Maxios (GB), who is now a sire, and the G1 American Oaks winner Emollient (USA) (Empire Maker {USA}).

Lot 560 sold to Yu Long Investments for $370,000, and she was a delightful prospect for Yulong’s Sam Fairgray, who was on-hand to sign the ticket.

“It’s a nice pedigree and there’s a lot of mix there in the female line that we think will work well with Written Tycoon,” Fairgray said. “He likes mares with Mr Prospector in the pedigree and she has that, and she’s just a lovely individiaul.

“We’re really pleased to get her because we’ve liked her since the first moment we inspected her and she’ll race in our colours.”

Despite the number of mares that Yulong has gone in for by Written Tycoon in the last two years, Fairgray said Lot 560 would complement things well.

“We’ve seen the good stallions end up being good broodmare sires, so if she can perform on the track she could become a good broodmare for us too,” he said.

Lot 560 was part of the single season crop of Written Tycoons that was bred at Arrowfield Stud in 2020. This filly is branded as such, and the relationship wasn’t lost on Fairgray.

“We’ve got a couple of stallions that were bred by them too, so we’re pleased to have another one off their farm,” he said.

Yulong had Alabama Express represented among the freshman sires in this sale. Across the Premier Session of the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, the young stallion had 15 youngsters catalogued of which eight sold (at the time of the writing). His top price was $400,000 (Lot 444) and an aggregate of $1,435,000.

“Alabama Express has been hugely popular, which has been great,” Fairgray said. “They were lovely horses though. They’ve gone to some good stables and that’s all we can ask.”

Lot 582 – So You Think (NZ) x Miss Otto, colt - $300,000

This colt was offered by the respected South Australian operator Mill Park Stud as part of its 11-horse draft, and he was its second best-selling youngster after a Harry Angel (Ire) colt went to Hong Kong for $400,000 (Lot 288).

Lot 582 was bought for $300,000 by Mitchell Bloodstock (FBAA), who dived in for six across the three sessions this week, each by six different sires.

This colt was the only bought by the bloodstock agent by So You Think (NZ), and he is the eighth foal from the Elusive Quality (USA) mare Miss Otto. This makes him a full brother to Peltzer, whose wins included the G2 Stan Fox S. and G3 Eskimo Prince S.

There was plenty of black type on this page.

The second dam, Sizzie ‘Em (Ire) (Flying Spur), is a known producer as the dam of the Group-placed Miss With Attitude (Galileo {Ire}), in turn the dam of the South African Group winner Crown Towers (Camelot {GB}). It’s also the same family as So We Are (So You Think {NZ}), a winner of the Listed Adelaide Guineas.

So You Think was one of the most heavily represented stallions in the sale this week with 27 lots. His progeny averaged $163,947 and their aggregate was $3,115,000 for 19 sold.

Lot 572 – Deep Field x Military Reign, filly - $270,000

This filly was sold right in the middle of the final Premier Session. She was a clean bay by Deep Field and only the second foal from the Western Australian stakes-winner Military Reign (Universal Ruler).

Military Reign won the Listed Beaufine S. during her career and was fourth in the G3 WATC Gimcrack S. She is a full sister to Military Ruler, who was stakes-placed from the General Nediym mare General’s Delight.

The first foal out of this mare was Galeka (Impending), who made $150,000 two years ago when sold at this sale to Jaquers. As such, this filly was a nice improvement on the mare’s selling record.

Lot 572 was bought for $270,000 by a consortium that included Simon Zahra Racing and Cameron Cooke Bloodstock, and it was one of six yearlings the pair signed for, and one of seven for Zahra overall.

For Deep Field, she was one of 12 yearlings offered in the Premier Session, of which eight were sold. The stallion’s aggregate was $1,655,000 and his average was $206,875 across the session’s three days.

As such, he ranked sixth among sires behind I Am Invincible, Exceed And Excel, Pierro, Capitalist and Written Tycoon.

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