Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Inglis Digital on Wednesday hosted its April (Late) Online Sale with a bumper, record-setting catalogue of 669 entries. By close of trade, the session topper was Lot 510, the 11-year-old mare Electric Charge (Charge Forward), who sold to Trilogy Racing for $360,000.
Electric Charge was offered unreserved by Rheinwood Pastoral in foal to the Kia Ora sire Prague. She attracted furious bidding in the twilight of her auction, getting 84 bids before Trilogy was finally successful.
The mare was lightly raced during a 14-start career which produced a win and seven placings. However, the glitter on her was firmly stuck to her pedigree.
Lot 510 - Electric Charge, in foal to Prague, was purchased for $360,000 by Trilogy Racing | Image courtesy of Inglis Digital
She is from the Danzero mare Miss Bussell, who won the Listed Widden S. as a 2-year-old and was second to Excellerator (Exceed And Excel) in the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic. Miss Bussell also placed third in the G1 Champagne S. and G1 Queensland Derby.
Electric Charge is a half-sister to the G3 Adrian Knox S. winner Miss Darcey (Hussonet {USA}), so there is plenty of pedigree about the first line on this page.
And it goes on, with the second dam, Lurestina (NZ), a daughter of Sir Tristram (NZ), being herself a stakes-winning, stakes-producing mare. The third dam here was Noelini (NZ) (Battle-Waggon {GB}), who was similarly proven.
Electric Charge has been at stud since 2015, producing five foals. Her 2020 colt by Russian Revolution is the stakes-winning juvenile Libertad, who won the G3 Kindergarten S. a few weeks ago. As such, there was plenty going on with this mare.
“We’ve got a huge amount of time for Libertad, and Jason (Stenning, of Trilogy Racing) is adamant he wants to breed some more of him,” said Trilogy’s Sean Dingwall. “He was going to buy her no matter what. Inglis Digital is a great medium for moving mares, especially when you don’t have to shop them around anywhere to sell them. It’s just really easy and convenient.”
Sean Dingwall
For Rheinwood Pastoral’s Ray Willis, it was a hugely satisfying result.
“It was fantastic,” he said. “The bidding just kept going and going. She’s a nice mare and I was very, very happy with the price. I’ve sold online before but nothing at that level.
“We’re thrilled for Trilogy to have secured her. She’s been a tremendous mare for us and we wish them every success in the future with her.”
Yulong swoops for good families
Yulong was typically present throughout bidding on Wednesday, and by close of proceedings it had secured the second-, third- and fourth-most expensive lots of the sale.
Lot 565 was the 5-year-old unraced mare Lunalove, a daughter of Redoute’s Choice who was consigned to Inglis Digital by Newgate Farm (as agent). She was equally as popular as Electric Charge, with bidding closing at a final price of $305,000.
Lot 565 - Lunalove, in foal to Pierro, was purchased for $305,000 by Yulong | Image courtesy of Inglis Digital
Yulong was once again buying under the auspices of Chatsworth Farm, and it bought the mare in foal with a September cover to Pierro. Despite just one foal to date, a colt by I Am Invincible last spring, Lunalove’s marketing was geared around her very strong pedigree through her third dam, Tristalove (NZ) (Sir Tristram {Ire}).
The 5-year-old is from the High Chaparral (Ire) mare Forever Loved (NZ), who was a Group 2 winner in Australia. Forever Loved, in turn, is a half-sister to the Group 3-winning Zephyron (NZ).
There is black-type all over this family, including Mongolian Marshal (NZ) (High Chaparral {Ire}), a winner of the G3 Waikato Cup, and, of course, the dual Group 1-winning Tristalove, dam of no less than four stakes winners.
Sam Fairgray | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Lunalove was a rare opportunity for entry into one of the Stud Book’s very best families and she will be well-housed at Yulong, according to Sam Fairgray.
“We thought she’d be a lovely mare to add to the collection,” he said. “The Redoute’s Choice factor is always strong. She’s a nice type out of a High Chaparral mare, so there’s nice blood there in the family, and we think she’ll be a great match for Tagaloa”
Yulong also signed for Lot 213 during the sale, the 6-year-old mare Zouluminous (Zoustar), who will also head to Victoria at a selling price of $245,000. Zouluminous was hotly contested as bidding drew to a close in the afternoon. She attracted 28 bids before her final figure was reached.
Lot 213 - Zouluminous was purchased for $245,000 by Yulong | Image courtesy of Inglis Digital
Zouluminous was offered by bloodstock agent Sheamus Mills on behalf of a private client who had purchased the mare from David Ellis’ Te Akau Racing operation.
Zouluminous has had a 32-start race career that resulted in five wins and 12 placings. She was second to Irish Girl (NZ) (El Roca) in the G3 South Island Thoroughbred Breeders S. in March, which came off the back of two straight wins over a mile.
“She was bought by my client on the back of Veight looking like he might be a serious colt,” Mills said, speaking to TDN AusNZ. “It was really a shorter-term play to buy into the Veight family somewhere, and she was bought with the idea that Veight could win either the Sires’ Produce or the Champagne, in which he ran well without obviously winning.”
Sheamus Mills
The dam of Zouluminous, the Fastnet Rock mare Luminous Harmony, is a full sister to the dam of Veight (Grunt {NZ}). Veight emerged as a smart 2-year-old this season, winning the G2 VRC Sires’ Produce S. and running fourth in the Sydney equivalent.
“The timing was just there to offer her,” Mills said. “I thought she would make that money. She’s by one of the premier stallions in Australia really, and a lot of people will be looking at these well-performed Zoustar mares and fillies as very desirable broodmares for the future.
“Black type holds a premium. I think it’s risen by about 33 per cent over the last two or three years, and this mare is a nice physical specimen. So I thought $245,000 was about her mark.”
“Black type holds a premium. I think it’s risen by about 33 per cent over the last two or three years, and this mare (Zouluminous) is a nice physical specimen. So I thought $245,000 was about her mark.” - Sheamus Mills
With the breeding stock sales just around the corner, the decision to sell online is an interesting one, particularly with mares of this quality. The Inglis Digital April (Late) Online Sale featured no less than 320 mares from such vendors as Arrowfield, Segenhoe Stud, Rosemont, Mill Park Stud and Widden.
“Zouluminous would have been among the supplementaries in the breeding stock sales, which would have been fine but everything was closed as far as the main sales go,” Mills said. “As far as Veight being a bit of headline horse, it was just a matter of offering her when he was still fresh in everybody’s mind.
“Veight is by Grunt, so it would make a lot of sense for this mare to go straight to Grunt. I don’t know what Yulong’s plans are, obviously, but she is a lovely type for Grunt, a really good match on pedigree and physically. For a young stallion like him who looks promising with his 2-year-olds, I would have thought she’d be the perfect way to support that horse.”
“Veight is by Grunt, so it would make a lot of sense for this mare (Zouluminous) to go straight to Grunt... For a young stallion like him who looks promising with his 2-year-olds, I would have thought she’d be the perfect way to support that horse.” - Sheamus Mills
Yulong thought similarly, according to Fairgray.
“She’s from the same family as Veight, so she’ll go to Grunt,” he said. “It just makes sense. We’ll try and breed a close relation to what will hopefully be a Caulfield Guineas winner later in the year. Grunt has had a really strong start and we want to keep supporting him with quality mares like this.”
Lot 661, the 11-year-old mare Written Dash (Written Tycoon), was the last of four horses to sell over $200,000 on Wednesday. She also went to Yulong, this time for $205,000.
Written Dash won the G3 Typhoon Tracy S. in 2015 before her stud career, which has since seen her produce five live foals by such sires as Brazen Beau, Exceed And Excel, I Am Invincible, Zoustar and Wootton Bassett.
Lot 661 - Written Dash, in foal to Bivouac, was purchased for $205,000 by Yulong | Image courtesy of Inglis Digital
She was offered by Tyreel Stud on Wednesday in foal to Bivouac.
The mare has a decorated sales history. Her Brazen Beau yearling fetched $480,000, while her subsequent yearlings realised $700,000, $800,000 and $340,000. She is a full sister to the dam of the stakes-winning The Intimidator (Toronado {Ire}), while this is the family of the G1 Blue Diamond placegetter Masthead (Written Tycoon).
The wrap-up
The Inglis Digital April (Late) Online Sale was a reflection of how far the platform has come, featuring substantial broodmare drafts from the likes of Arrowfield (32 horses), Kingstar Farm (seven horses) and Rosemont Stud (eight horses).
Lime Country Thoroughbreds was also among the vendors, as was Mullaglass Stud, which consigned nine horses.
The sale also featured substantial reductions for Bowness and Woodpark Stud. Combined with Arrowfield’s healthy numbers, these three vendors amassed close to $1 million collectively.
In total, 320 broodmare options were offered, with the top-four lots in the sale being breeding propositions. The rest of the catalogue was made up of 63 yearlings, 23 weanlings, 112 racehorse colts and geldings, and 101 racehorse fillies and mares.
Of the 45 shares on offer, percentages and breeding rights were offered in such stallions as Sooboog and Fierce Impact (Jpn).
In total, Wednesday's sale grossed $5,607,999, with a clearance rate of 73.9 per cent. The average was $11,659 and the median $3500.
Entries for the Inglis Digital May (Early) Online Sale are now open and will remain open until Wednesday, May 3, which will be the eve of the Inglis Chairman’s Sale at Riverside.
