Cover image courtesy of Inglis

The build-up to the 2023 Inglis Chairman’s Sale has been steady this autumn, with the intermittent inclusion of some big names to a boutique, elite-level catalogue.

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Now, the sale is about to take place at Riverside Stables on Thursday evening and it promises good theatre and spectacular bidding.

Thursday’s catalogue features 109 horses, a number slightly up on 2022, and they’re such names as Nimalee (So You Think {NZ}), Montefilia (Kermadec {NZ}), Icebath (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}) and Berimbau (Shamardal {USA}). The latter, the dam of the Champion filly Imperatriz (I Am Invincible), will close trade as the very last lot of the night.

Gallery: Some highlight lots being offered at the 2023 Inglis Chairman's Sale.

Traditionally, the Chairman’s Sale has been a spectacle on the Inglis calendar. It’s a young sale, commencing in just 2017 with a catalogue of 93 horses. The company has had a bit of fun with it over the years, decking out its auctioneers and bid spotters in smart black tie.

However, the theatrics play second fiddle to the serious business of trade, and trade has been good at this sale.

Last year’s sale-topper was the Not A Single Doubt mare Shout The Bar, who sold to Coolmore for $2.7 million. The year before, Celebrity Queen (Redoute’s Choice) was a best seller when also going to Coolmore, this time for $2.5 milliion.

As such, the Inglis Chairman’s Sale has consistently turned out some of the year’s far-reaching bloodstock prices since 2017, and the current catalogue is likely to be no different, according to Inglis Bloodstock CEO Sebastian Hutch.

“I can say definitively that this is the best Chairman’s catalogue we’ve ever put together,” he said, speaking to TDN AusNZ. “In terms of lot-for-lot quality, it would be hard to find a better broodmare sale in Australia, and that applies to its variety too.

“We have more strength among race fillies than we’ve ever had, and a great variety of pregnancies to international stallions of real significance, like Gun Runner and Frankel, and then the best of our local stallions like I Am Invincible, Extreme Choice, Snitzel and Zoustar.”

The American sire Gun Runner (USA) is represented by Lot 46, the Artie Schiller (USA) mare Originator (USA), who will be offered by Glenesk Thoroughbreds. Glenesk consigned Shout The Bar last year, and this mare has a September 22 covering to the American stallion, who was offered to Southern Hemisphere time last year.

Frankel (GB), meanwhile, is represented in the sale by four mares served by him on September covers. Both he and Gun Runner are among the 27 covering sires represented across the 109-horse Chairman’s catalogue.

Overall, the highlights of the sale read well.

There are 72 horses on offer that are either stakes horses or stakes producers. It’s also a young catalogue; 43 mares pregnant with either their first or second cover, while a total of 89 horses (a little over 80 per cent of the catalogue) are aged 10 or under.

Thirty-two fillies or mares are free of Danehill (USA), while a breeding right in the Victorian stallion Toronado (Ire) will open the session. A share in the in-form Kiwi stallion Proisir will be offered as Lot 101.

“Over the years, we’ve had top stallion shares on offer,” Hutch said. “We had a share in Extreme Choice 12 months ago (which sold to China Horse Club for $500,000), and one in Russian Revolution a few years ago. To have a Toronado breeding right and a Proisir share this time is a fantastic opportunity for the sale.

“They’re among the most progressive young stallions in Australasia, and Toronado, it would be fair to say, has had a breakout year, as has Proisir. They’re a brilliant inclusion to our catalogue.”

Gallery: Stallions with shares and breeding rights on offer at the 2023 Inglis Chairman's Sale

Showcasing Inglis stock

Among the highlights of the 2023 Inglis Chairman’s Sale are the race mares Nimalee, Montefilia and Icebath.

Nimalee will be offered by Glenesk Thoroughbreds and, after a career that delivered her the G1 Queen of the Turf S. last year, as well as the G2 Emancipation S. and G2 Golden Pendant, she is being offered as a breeding prospect only.

Montefilia on the other hand, at five years old, is being offered by Newgate Consignment as a racing or breeding proposition. The four-time Group 1 winner was twice second in Group 1 company through the autumn and looks to have racing legs left in her.

Icebath, who will be offered as Lot 20, also by Newgate Consignment, is being offered with an option to race on as well. The 6-year-old mare was a last-start fourth to Anamoe in the G2 Apollo S.

“Mares like this, and this sale, are a fantastic showcase for our business,” Hutch said. “In respect to a number of them, it’s such a unique opportunity for us to showcase stock. Montefilia, Nimalee and Icebath, they’re the centrepieces of the sale, so to speak. They’re all graduates of an Inglis sale too, so it’s a great way for us to also promote the merit of our yearling-sale series.”

Other notable additions to find the sale ring on Thursday are Grahame Begg’s retired mare Dosh (Rich Enuff), the dual Group 3 winners Swats That (Shamus Award) and Tralee Rose (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}), along with the dam of Celebrity Queen, Celebrity Miss (More Than Ready {USA}).

“We’re expecting a very good crowd,” Hutch said. “A lot of these good race fillies are owned by well-diversified groups of people, so we’re expecting those owners to come along. It’s a special occasion for them. This is where their achievements with their mares get recognised by the commercial marketplace, which is always an exciting thing.”

Inglis will host the Chairman’s Sale amid evening entertainment. It encourages its guests to dress up and enjoy the unique atmosphere.

“There’s a sense of occasion to the night,” Hutch said. “We have some entertainment post-sale, and we invest a significant amount of time and energy into making this sale a little bit different. And having been to some of the best breeding-stock sales around the way, be it Fasig-Tipton, Keeneland or Tattersalls, the Chairman’s Sale is the best as far as spectacles and occasions go.

“Anybody who has experienced it wants to be part of it again, and we encourage anyone who hasn’t been part of it before to jump in and experience it on Thursday.”

Facilitating the Golden Slipper

One of the distinct selling points of the Inglis Chairman’s Sale in the last handful of years has been its feature sales of the dams of two Golden Slipper winners, both carrying their Golden Slipper-winning colts at the point of sale.

In 2020, Samaready (More Than Ready {USA}) was sold at the Chairman’s by Vinery Stud, fetching $1.8 million when she was bought by Coolmore’s Tom Magnier. She was in foal to Snitzel carrying Shinzo, who dazzled in the Golden Slipper this year and emerged as a white-hot stallion prospect for the future.

The other was in 2018 when Nothin Leica Storm (Anabaa {USA}) was sold by Widden Stud, in foal to Extreme Choice. She was bought by Kingstar Farm for $90,000 carrying the 2021 Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside, also an emerging sire force at Newgate Farm.

In short, the last two colts to win the Slipper have been sold in utero through the Inglis Chairman’s Sale, which is food for thought when it comes to bloodstock selection and elite prospects.

“The Chairman’s Sale has facilitated the transaction of the last two colts to win the Golden Slipper, and I feel this is a significant thing,” Hutch said. “It’s a brilliant feature of this sale’s recent history, and we take great pride in the fact that we sell great mares that can go on and achieve fantastic things as either producers or as race mares.”

Table: Top lots from the Chairman’s sales

Group 1-producing sire Almanzor (Fr) will stand at Cambridge Stud for the same fee as last season - NZ$50,000 (plus GST), despite a strong book of results across the past 12 months.

His achievements include a maiden elite-level success, which came via Manzoice, who scored an upset victory in the 2022 Victoria Derby at Flemington.

Furthermore, Virtuous Circle (NZ) placed second in this year’s G1 ATC Derby, while Andalus (NZ) was runner-up in the G1 New Zealand Derby. Blue Solitaire (NZ) ran third in the G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas, while Mehzebeen (NZ) placed second in the G1 New Zealand Oaks.

Cambridge Stud CEO Henry Plumptre said it’s been a case of what might have been for Almanzor.

“I tell you what, I’d be absolutely thrilled if he had converted all of those placings into wins,” Plumptre told TDN AusNZ.

“He was probably a touch unlucky not to pick up a second Group 1 in the ATC Derby. Coming from last on that heavy track, Virtuous Circle, it was a pretty tough call.

“We’re very happy with the way he’s gone and it’s not just down to a few horses.

“We’ve got a couple of them - we have Holymanz and Marvelouz. Holymanz was very unlucky, we think, when he brought down in the G1 Australian Guineas and Marvelouz, who ran third in the G3 Sunline Vase, is a good filly; she will head to Australia this year.

“There’s plenty of talent out there and he’s getting colts as well as fillies, so it’s exciting. We dared to dream that he might have a start like this and I think he’d done pretty well.”

A multiple Group 1-winning son of Wootton Bassett (GB), Almanzor stood his first four seasons in the Southern Hemisphere at a fee of NZ$30,000 (plus GST), before receiving an increase last year.

He has covered more than 135 mares in each of the five seasons and is set for another big and quality book in 2023.

“The quality of mares increased last year when he went to NZ$50,000. We have given him some very significant mares, including Probabeel and Amarelinha, so he’s got some serious kit coming through in the coming year,” Plumptre explained.

Almanzor’s sale averages have taken a minor hit year-on-year, but Plumptre believes that is consistent with the market across the board. In 2022, his yearlings sold at an average of $123,525 across Australasia, while this year, that figure has dropped to $121,194.

“Although the market was a little bit soft on him this year, it’s a very tough marketplace, the yearling market,” Plumptre said.

Hello Youmzain returns

Hello Youmzain (Fr) will be back and will stand his third season at Cambridge Stud at a fee of NZ$30,000 (plus GST) - the same as 2022.

He has been very popular in his two seasons at the Brendan and Jo Lindsay-owned farm, covering 141 mares in 2021 and 115 last year.

A shuttle stallion, who resides at Haras d’Etreham in Normandy during the Northern Hemisphere breeding season, Hello Youmzain is a multiple Group 1-winning son of Kodiac (GB).

“Like Almanzor, Hello Youmzain brings exceptional credentials with him from Europe and has been very well supported in his first two seasons in New Zealand,” said Plumptre.

“Kodiac is a record-breaking sire of 2-year-olds. We’re pretty confident about that Kodiac line, it’s done nothing wrong in Europe. He’s (Kodiac) been Champion Sire and he’s already got two sons (Coulsty and Ardad) that have produced Group 1 winners; that’s a pretty telling statistic.

“Hello Youmzain is his best-performed son and has produced a great lineup of foals that we are very confident will find favour at the yearling sales next year.

“He’s got a very nice line of foals and will cover another nice book of mares again this year.”

High hopes for Sword Of State

After covering 126 mares in his first season, the well-bred Sword Of State will remain at NZ$15,000 (plus GST).

Plumptre revealed Cambridge Stud is giving the Group 1-winning son of Snitzel every chance.

“We sent him some pretty serious mares because we want to get into the Australian sales with some of them. We’d like to have at least four at Magic Millions the first year he produces,” said Plumptre.

“He’s a beautiful type for a Snitzel, he’s solid and strong, he’s a great-walking horse, he’s very athletic.

“Sword Of State is tailor-made for the Australasian market, he’s a Champion 2-Year-Old with great balance, strength and athleticism.

“Any son of Snitzel is great currency and Sword Of State is bred on the magic Encosta De Lago cross.

“We think Sword Of State is well placed to continue Snitzel’s growing legacy as a sire of sires.”

Embellish makes his mark

Rounding out the four-stallion roster is Embellish (NZ) - a Group 1-winning son of Savabeel, who will stand at a fee of NZ$5000 (plus GST) - up from NZ$4000 (plus GST).

From limited numbers, he has a couple of 2-year-old stakes performers - Luberon (NZ) and Talisker (NZ).

“From a handful of runners, Embellish has made a very encouraging start. He has two stakes performers and several winners that look as though they will improve as 3-year-olds,” Plumptre said.

“When you consider Embellish himself didn’t win until he was three the future looks bright, particularly as he has big numbers coming through and will have plenty of representation on the racecourse.”

Table: Cambridge Stud's stallion roster in 2023, *all prices do not include GST

Cover image courtesy of Coolmore

A week after announcing its 2023 stallion roster, Coolmore Australia on Wednesday revealed its service fee for the Triple Crown winner Justify. The son of Scat Daddy (USA) will stand for $77,000 (inc GST).

Justify is part of Coolmore’s 15-strong roster this spring, returning after a 2022 hiatus when he didn’t shuttle to Jerrys Plains. Previous to that, he had covered books in 2019, 2020 and 2021 at fees ranging from private to $55,000 (inc GST) and $66,000 (inc GST).

Justify’s fee release coincided with a very good week for the stallion.

At Warrnambool on Wednesday, his 2-year-old son Scentify won on debut for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace. Last weekend, his smart filly Legacies maintained her unbeaten run for Peter Moody and Rosemont Stud when winning the Listed ANZAC Day S. at Sandown.

Both of these results follow a vintage start for Justify in Australia. The chestnut stallion is currently leading the first-season sires’ table by earnings, with close to $1.8 million banked across 11 runners. His obvious star has been the Annabel Neasham filly Learning To Fly, who won the G2 Reisling S. and G3 Widden S. through the autumn.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Justify’s Australian stats sit at two stakes winners from just 11 horses to the track, with four winners for seven wins. It’s a very respectable record in a sharp amount of time. While Learning To Fly recovers from injuries sustained during the G1 Golden Slipper, Legacies has been put out with an eye to the G1 Thousand Guineas at Caulfield in the spring.

In the meanwhile, Justify’s return is very welcome to everyone at Jerrys Plains.

“We look forward to welcoming Justify back to Australia this season at a fee that we believe represents great value for breeders,” said Coolmore Australia’s Colm Santry. “All the leading breeders want to use him and he will cover a select book of mares this spring.

“Coolmore’s confidence in Justify has been well-documented and it hasn’t taken long for his progeny in Australia to hit the ground running, just like they did in the Northern Hemisphere.”

Comparatively, Justify is standing at Coolmore’s Kentucky operation for US$100,000, which equates to AU$150,000. He’s logged Group winners in Australia, Ireland and his native America, with close to 50 worldwide winners in two years’ worth of runners. Of those, nine are stakes winners.

The horse was fourth on the American and Canadian first-season sires’ table in the 2022 racing season, and he’s inside the top 10 of second-season sires in this early part of the 2023 calendar.

The Danehill thing

For Coolmore, the Scat Daddy sireline has been ultra-successful. It has delivered them not only Justify, but also Caravaggio (USA) and No Nay Never (USA).

In Australia, this sireline is valuable because it’s free of Danehill (USA), which gives it an important versatility when it comes to breeding options.

Gallery: Stallions of the Scat Daddy (USA) sireline related to Justify (USA)

“High-class, Danehill-free stallions are few and far between in Australia, and it is particularly encouraging that Justify has already proven to be extremely effective with Danehill blood,” Santry said. “Learning To Fly is out of a Fastnet Rock mare, Legacies is out of a Danehill Dancer mare, and Scentify is out of an All Too Hard mare.”

Though it’s early days for Justify in Australia, these sorts of patterns are hard to ignore. Both of the horse’s local stakes-winners hail from the Scat Daddy-Danehill cross. Of Justify’s four winners in Australia, in fact (the other being Californian from an I Am Invincible mare), all feature Danehill closely.

In hand with this outross positivity, Coolmore expects that Justify progeny will only improve as they mature, with Santry admitting as much on Wednesday.

“The indication from trainers is that everything they (Justify progeny) are doing as 2-year-olds is a bonus,” he said. “We expect that this is only the tip of the iceberg for him, which is very exciting.”

Justify is well-clear at the top of the first-season sires’ table in Australia, with Harry Angel (Ire) close to $800,000 behind him, followed by Brave Smash and Trapeze Artist. Should Justify win the title this season, he will be the first shuttle sire since More Than Ready (USA) to be an Australian first-crop Champion.

Returns in the sale ring

Justify’s sales results have lived up to the horse’s fee increase of $77,000. His debut yearlings in 2022 averaged $245,000, and his second crop weren’t much shy of that at $220,000.

To date, his top-selling youngster has reached $1.4 million, a price paid at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in January when Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott snapped up the first born from the exceptional race mare Sunlight (Zoustar).

The topicality of this purchase was interesting on Wednesday as Justify’s fee was released. At Canterbury’s midweek meeting on the same day, Sunlight’s full brother, Kandinsky Abstract (Zoustar), won on debut for trainer Chris Waller. The victory came with all the bunting expected of a colt that cost $3 million as a yearling, Kandinsky Abstract fetching that figure at the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale when offered by Widden Stud and bought by Tom Magnier for Coolmore.

“Breeders that use him this season look set to capitalise on the unbelievable quality of mares that he has covered,” Santry said. “His second-crop yearlings sold for $1.4 million, $750,000, $700,000 and so on.”

These foals emerged from the likes of champion Sunlight, as mentioned, and the Group 1 winners Nakeeta Jane (So You Think {NZ} and Invincibella (I Am Invincible), while Justify has sired progeny from Champagne Cuddles (Not A Single Doubt), Fontein Ruby (Turffontein), Global Glamour (Star Witness) and Tulip (Pierro).

“There is no shortage of quality stock coming through,” Santry said.

Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan

There was plenty of anticipation ahead of Race 2 at Canterbury on Wednesday, with a number of well-bred and expensive 2-year-olds engaged in the 1200-metre maiden for colts and geldings.

One of them was the TDN AusNZ Looking Ahead featured 2-year-old Kandinsky Abstract - the highest-priced yearling sold in Australasia in 2022.

A son of Widden Stud’s brilliant sire Zoustar and the Group 3 victress Solar Charged (Charge Forward), the colt, who was consigned by Widden Stud, was knocked down to Coolmore Australia’s Tom Magnier for $3 million and is raced by their colts syndicate, which includes Sir Peter Vela, Debbie Kepitis, Graham and Linda Huddy, Robert McClure, Kerry and Jenny Pooley, and Joe Poulin.

Entering training with Chris Waller, Kandinsky Abstract is a brother to the three-time Group 1 heroine Sunlight and the Group 3 scorer Sisstar and was bred by Widden Stud, Qatar Bloodstock and Jorshan Investments.

Sent out at $3.90 after showing ability in two trials ahead of his debut, Kandinsky Abstract enjoyed a lovely run in transit. Under star jockey James McDonald, the colt was cruising behind the race leader, Vanquished (Vancouver), upon straightening for home and simply needed an out. Chad Schofield aboard race favourite Vomo Island (Dundeel {NZ}) did his best to keep his main rival pocketed, but McDonald was having none of it and when the duo shouldered into the clear, Kandinsky Abstract dashed clear to score a stylish 1.17l win.

Celestial Legend (Dundeel {NZ}) flashed home to grab second, with Vomo Island third.

“He’s a horse that’s only just started to show us what he has under the hood and he’s got plenty in front of him,” Coolmore Australia’s Racing and Bloodstock Manager, John Kennedy, told TDN AusNZ.

“His two trials, they were just learning, just days out to give him a bit of confidence and (Wednesday) was all about that as well; we wanted to give him a really good experience.

“We weren’t under any illusions as to what we had, but we didn’t want to put pressure on him.

“There’s plenty more left in the tank, l can tell you.”

McDonald was equally impressed, speaking in glowing terms post-race.

“He was good. He’s a very nice animal. He moves extremely well, he’s got a great demeanour and a bright future,” he told Sky Racing.

“I just loved the way he executed his gallop; he relaxed well in behind the pace and showed a good turn of foot.”

Waller has often used off-season maidens as a springboard into better races, such as the G1 JJ Atkins. In 2013, Kandinsky Abstract’s sire debuted with a maiden win at Canterbury in April, then at his fourth start, he finished fourth in the JJ Atkins behind Romantic Touch (Northern Meteor).

Two years later, Press Statement won a Canterbury maiden in April, before taking out the JJ Atkins two starts later. In 2018, The Autumn Sun won a Randwick maiden in April, before touching off Zousain in the Doomben Group 1 for 2-year-olds, then last year, the Coolmore-owned Political Debate (So You Think {NZ}) was second on debut at Canterbury in April, then finished a close second behind Sheeza Belter (Gold Standard) in the Atkins.

Asked if Kandinsky Abstract could be headed north for a winter campaign, Kennedy said it was too soon to know.

“Chris (Waller) is on his way back from Hong Kong. We will see how he (Kandinsky Abstract) pulls up and we will leave the decisions on what we do now down to Chris and the team, but at the moment, we’re very happy and we won’t rule out anything just yet,” Kennedy commented.

Kennedy is confident Kandinsky Abstract will continue to improve during his juvenile season, and he expects the colt will mature and furnish into a special talent for his Classic year.

“He’s a horse with plenty of scope and I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t progress into a high-class 3-year-old,” he remarked.

Kandinsky Abstract’s younger sister made $2.6 million at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. The filly was bought by Yulong from the Widden Stud draft.

Solar Charged was again covered by Zoustar last spring after having a colt by him in September.

A midweek metro juvenile double for Zoustar

Kandinsky Abstract was the second of two 2-year-old winners at Canterbury for Zoustar, with Zia also making the perfect start to her career in Race 1 - a 1200-metre maiden for fillies.

Handled by Brett Prebble, Zia, who was the punters’ elect, led from the outset and was never headed. She won by 0.34l, with Makena second making it a Zoustar quinella, while Zoukerette (I Am Invincible) was third.

“She did it with ease,” Adrian Bott, who trains the filly in partnership with Gai Waterhouse, told Sky Racing.

“She’s a real professional. She showed great speed and was able to control the race. She came back underneath Brett, she was nice and relaxed, gave a good kick and was strong late.”

Prebble added: “She’s such a delight to ride, she’s a lovely filly, I’ve done a bit of work on her in the mornings.”

The veteran rider added that he believes the filly will be better on top of the ground (the track was rated a Soft 7).

Zia was purchased by her trainers, as well as Kestrel Thoroughbreds and Trilogy Racing, for $360,000 at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. The filly was bred and consigned by her breeder, Glenlogan Park.

Zia is from the stakes performer Soviet Secret (Eavesdropper {USA}) and she is a half-sister to the stakes performer Export (Al Samer), who raced as Unbreakable in Macau.

The filly’s second dam, Russian Babe (Singspiel {Ire}), was winless and is a half-sister to the Group 3 scorer Girl In Flight (Commands).