Pedigree Boosters: Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale

Cover image courtesy of Inglis

The catalogue for the 2023 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale was released on January 23. Since then, a host of yearlings that will go through the ring at Riverside have had their pedigrees enhanced, which is important information for vendors and buyers alike.

Lot 185 - Blue Point (Ire) x Joyeuse (King’s Best {USA}), filly - on account of Widden Stud

The first yearlings by Darley’s multiple Group 1-winning shuttle stallion Blue Point (Ire) have been extremely well-received in Australia this year, selling for up to $900,000, and as one of only two fillies by the stallion in this year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, this Widden Stud-consigned filly is bound to command plenty of attention.

Not only was Blue Point the leading first-season sire by average at Magic Millions in January, he was also the leading first-season sire by aggregate at last month’s Inglis Premier Yearling Sale and was responsible for the top lot at the Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale in February.

This filly makes plenty of appeal on her distaff side too, being out of the well-related King’s Best (USA) mare Joyeuse, who has produced six winners, two of whom have been victorious at stakes level, from seven foals to race. That sextet is spearheaded by G2 Let’s Elope S. winner Sword Of Light (New Approach {Ire}), who also landed the G3 Blue Diamond Preview for fillies as a juvenile before Widden Stud snapped her up for $900,000 at the 2020 Inglis Chairman’s Sale.

Another of this filly’s half-sisters, Kaiken (Exceed And Excel), has already produced a winner of her own in the shape of Tanto (Churchill {Ire}), who has won two races, one of which came at Moonee Valley, since the catalogue went to print.

Joyeuse herself, who was most recently served by Widden Victoria’s Group 1-producing sire Gold Standard, is a half-sister to no less than four multiple stakes winners, most notably gun sprinter Flamberge (Exceed And Excel), whose 11 career victories included the G1 Oakleigh Plate, G1 William Reid S. and G1 Goodwood H.

Joyeuse is also a half-sister to G2 Caulfield Sprint H. winner Sunburnt Land (Scenic) and dual Group 3 scorer Durendal (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}).

The Shamardal (USA)-King’s Best (USA) cross has produced 14 winners from 16 runners at a 12 per cent stakes winners to runners strike rate, spearheaded by French Group 2 winner Doha Dream (Fr), who was crowned Champion 3-Year-Old Stayer in France back in 2016.

Lot 211 - Magna Grecia (Ire) x Magic Art (Perugino {USA}), colt - on account of Davali Thoroughbreds

There has been plenty of black-type activity in the pedigree of this colt by Coolmore shuttle stallion Magna Grecia (Ire), and as the only offering in the catalogue by his dual Group 1-winning sire, he is bound to make plenty of appeal when he enters the ring late on Day 1 of the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

His dam, the winning Perugino (USA) mare Magic Art, has been somewhat unlucky in the breeding barn, but her two foals to race are both winners, spearheaded by Peter Moody’s Group 2-winning mare Chain Of Lightning (Fighting Sun).

She has been highly tried this campaign, running with great credit in three Group 1 contests against the colts and geldings, and she added further black-type to this colt’s page at the start of her preparation when third in the G2 Rubiton S. behind the subsequent G1 Oakleigh Plate quinella of Lofty Strike (Snitzel) and Uncommon James (Cable Bay {Ire}).

Magic Art herself is a half-sister to the dam of progressive 3-year-old Glint Of Silver (Rubick), who landed the G2 Autumn S. at Sandown before giving multiple Group 1-winning filly Zougotcha (Zoustar) most to think about in the G2 Phar Lap S. at Rosehill Gardens last month.

Talented mare Po Kare Kare (NZ) (Savabeel) is another new stakes winner for this family since the catalogue went to print having won the G3 Triscay S. in February, while other notable names on the pedigree page include The Everest hero Classique Legend (Not A Single Doubt) and Champion 3-Year-Old Racing To Win (Encosta De Lago).

In addition to updates on his female side, connections of this colt would also have been delighted to see Magna Grecia record his first winner with his very first runner last weekend after Myconian (Ire) made an impressive winning debut at Saint-Cloud in France.

Magna Grecia, a winner of the G1 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, is a half-brother to World Champion 3-Year-Old St Mark’s Basilica (Fr), who was well-received by Australian breeders last year, covering an impressive 159 mares on his first foray Down Under.

Lot 384 - Dundeel (NZ) x Stay With Me (Street Cry {Ire}), colt - on account of Arrowfield Stud

A stakes win from a half-sibling is about as good as it gets in terms of pedigree updates on the eve of a major sale, and that is exactly what has happened in the case of this Arrowfield Stud-consigned colt by red hot stallion Dundeel (NZ).

His half-sister, Waltz On By (I Am Invincible), added a second stakes victory to her impressive resume with a brave success in the Listed Bendigo Guineas on Saturday, while this colt’s sire, Dundeel, was another in the headlines on Saturday after his son Militarize (NZ) blitzed his rivals to run out a dominant winner of the G1 Sires’ Produce S. at Royal Randwick.

Dundeel is now the sire of six elite-level winners, including three Group 1-winning 2-year-olds, and is currently enjoying his best season in terms of Australian stakes winners with several months of the campaign remaining.

As a grandson of Champion 2-and 3-Year-Old Filly Miss Finland (Redoute’s Choice), this colt already had plenty going for him pedigree wise. He is a truly blue-blooded individual and is out of the G1 Thousand Guineas heroine Stay With Me (Street Cry {Ire}), who is the best-performed of Miss Finland’s seven runners and has a perfect record at stud to date, having produced two winners from two runners.

What’s more, this colt’s sister became Dundeel’s most expensive yearling ever when selling for $1.7 million to Hawkes Racing at last year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. With his sire in irresistible form, there is every reason to expect more fireworks 12 months on.