Cover image courtesy of Inglis
At A Glance
The $16,104,000 aggregate with 292 weanlings sold was up from last year’s $12,991,000 with 253 sold.
The record average of $55,151 was up from last year’s $51,348 whilst the median remained the same at $30,000.
The clearance rate of 78 per cent was up on last year’s 75 per cent.
It was a record sale in regards to numbers of weanlings sold for over $100,000, $200,000 and $300,000.
The sale topper was the day one $575,000 I Am Invincible colt whilst the best seller on day two was a $320,000 Toronado (Ire) colt sold by Lustre Lodge to M Patel.
Capitalist was the most successful stallion by aggregate, I Am Invincible by average, top price and median.
Of the first season sires Wild Ruler had the highest aggregate whilst Home Affairs had the highest price and the best average - St Mark’s Basilica (Fr) the best median.
Toronado tops Day 2
The G1 Caulfield Guineas winner Super Seth was in the news last week with his second stakes winner and his relation, Lot 318, provided a good result for Lustre Lodge - their Toronado (Ire) colt attracting spirited bidding with M Patel winning the day with a bid of $320,000.
He is the second foal for the lightly raced Atomic Pulse (Deep Field) who showed ability finishing in the placings at all three of her starts for the Kris Lees stable. A $120,000 weanling and $210,000 yearling, she is in foal to Jacquinot with her first foal being a Dundeel (NZ) filly.
Lustre Lodge with Lot 318 - Toronado (Ire) x Atomic Pulse (colt) | Image courtesy of Inglis
“We raced Atomic Pulse,” Lustre Lodge’s Paige Churcher said, “and we had a good opinion of her but she injured a tendon in pre-training. But being such a lovely mare with ability from a good family we decided to add her to our broodmare band.”
Whilst Churcher was confident of a good result for Atomic Pulse’s Toronado, she was pleasantly surprised by just how well he sold - “we could never have hoped for that!” she said.
“We could never have hoped for that ($320,000 for Lot 318)!” - Paige Churcher
Planning to send Atomic Pulse back to Toronado this spring, Churcher described the Day 2 sale topper as “a lovely style of colt who moves beautifully - which I think is what caught everyone’s eye.”
Atomic Pulse is a half-sister to the stakes placed Pearl Congenial (Gio Ponti {USA}) whose G2 Yallambee Classic-winning dam Toast Of The Coast (Rory’s Jester) is the grandam of Super Seth - and of the dual Group winner Wild Planet (Animal Kingdom {USA}).
This colt was the last Toronado of the sale, his first on Day 1 passed in whilst his second out of the city winner Justice Glory (Fastnet Rock) was sold by Stonehouse Thoroughbreds to Byerley Bloodstock for $260,000.
Lot 318 - Toronado (Ire) x Atomic Pulse (colt) was sold from Lustre Lodge to M Patel for $320,000 | Image courtesy of Inglis
Swettenham Stud’s Adam Sangster was delighted by the demand for the Toronado weanlings, noting that “he sires such great types, lovely walkers who really catch the eye.”
“Southern Hemisphere breeders have always warmed to the High Chaparral sireline,” he said, recalling that at one stage he tried to secure that horse for Victoria.
“Unfortunately we did not get a great deal of interest in him but thank goodness for that - if he had not gone to New Zealand there would be no So You Think!”
“Unfortunately we did not get a great deal of interest in him (High Chaparral) but thank goodness for that - if he had not gone to New Zealand there would be no So You Think!” - Adam Sangster
And so Sangster always had his eye on High Chaparral’s (Ire) sons and Toronado has proven the perfect horse for Victoria, siring good fillies and colts and doing a great job not only locally but in Hong Kong where he is one of that competitive jurisdiction’s most popular stallions.
“I remember years ago you’d be disappointed when horses were sold to Hong Kong,” Sangster said, “but now you are delighted as there is such great global exposure to their racing.”
“It is pleasing and satisfying to see Toronado do so well,” Sangster said - “it is great for Victoria, for Swettenham, for our stud and for Al Shaqab.”
So You Think strikes early in the day
Speaking of So You Think (NZ), that champ struck early in proceedings with Lot 294 sold by Davali Thoroughbreds to Avesta Bloodstock and HP Thoroughbreds for $240,000.
A colt out of the stakes-placed Acouplamas (Al Maher), he is a full brother to the G1 ATC Derby hero Quick Thinker and half-brother to the G3 Birthday Card S. winner Seasons and the Group 3-placed Flemington winner The August (I Am Invincible).
Acouplamas is no stranger to sales ring success with her Hong Kong-based six-time winner Not Usual Star (Zoustar) a $1.075 million Inglis Easter graduate.
Lot 294 - So You Think (NZ) x Acouplamas (colt) sold from Davali Thoroughbreds to Avesta Bloodstock and HP Thoroughbreds for $240,000 | Image courtesy of Inglis
Not served in 2021, Acouplamas has a The Autumn Sun 2-year-old (recently named Angelsea) who sold to Phill Cataldo, OTI Racing and Andrew Forsman for $170,000 at Inglis Easter last year.
She is being sold on Friday, the only mare that day in foal to Anamoe.
Divali’s Alison Hush was pleased with the result, telling The Thoroughbred Report that she was expecting around the $200,000 mark.
“He is a lovely colt with his sire’s quality,” she said - “a great mover with a great temperament.”
“He (Lot 294) is a lovely colt with his sire’s quality... a great mover with a great temperament.” - Alison Hush
HP Thoroughbreds’ Anthony Evans agreed, excited to have purchased his first So You Think.
“He is an elite stallion who has winners week in, week out and he just keeps siring star horses over all distances.”
“He (So You Think) is an elite stallion who has winners week in, week out and he just keeps siring star horses over all distances.” - Anthony Evans
Confident that he will be able to “place this colt in any yearling sale,” Evans described him as “just a beautiful colt who was very well prepared by Davali.”
“He is a great type who moves well and he has the pedigree to go with it.”
Highest price for a first-season stallion - Home Affairs
One of the four members of the debut crop of Coolmore Stud’s dual Group 1-winning sprinter Home Affairs taken to this sale, Lot 399 stole the show fetching $260,000.
Sold by Coolmore to Fernrigg Farm, the handsome bay is out of the talented race mare Extra Olives (Redoute’s Choice) who Tom Magnier secured for $875,000 at the 2019 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.
The winner of four of her 14 starts, the dual city winner was second in the G3 Vanity S. for the Lee and Anthony Freedman stable.
Lot 399 - Home Affairs x Extra Olives (colt) sold from Coolmore to Fernrigg Farm for $260,000 | Image courtesy of Inglis
Already dam of two winners, Extra Olives - who paid a return visit to Home Affairs last spring - is a granddaughter of the four-time Group 1-winning sprinter/miler Alinghi (Encosta de Lago).
Fernrigg Farm’s Rae-Louise Kelly was very happy to take this colt home, saying that “he fits perfectly into what we are trying to achieve with our yearling sale drafts,” adding that “he has the quality and pedigree to get into any of the top-end sales.”
“He has lovely movement and such great presence, for us he was the pick of the complex in regards to the colts.”
“He (Lot 399) has lovely movement and such great presence, for us he was the pick of the complex in regards to the colts.” - Rae-Louise Kelly
Kelly has a lot of time for Home Affairs - “he was a great racehorse and Coolmore have been supporting him with some of their best mares so he is going to have every chance.”
Coolmore’s Colm Santry was pleased with the sale, saying that “we bought this colt here to showcase the stallion - he is a great representative of the breed.”
“We bought this colt (Lot 399) here to showcase the stallion (Home Affairs) - he is a great representative of the breed.” - Colm Santry
“He is a lovely colt who was well admired and he sold accordingly.”
“As a $875,000 yearling at (Inglis) Easter, Home Affairs was himself a great looking yearling and he is siring horses like that. They are well-developed, well put together foals who look fast.”
St Mark's Basilica remains popular
On the back of a successful first day which saw the Coolmore Stud-based multiple Group 1 winner represented by three six-figure weanlings, St Mark’s Basilica (Fr) was quickly into action on day two with Lot 307 sold by Rathmore Lodge to Bruce MacKenzie for $200,000.
He is a son of the proven broodmare Amalgamate (Zenno Rob Roy {Jpn}) whose four to race are all winners including the G3 SAJC Breeders S. winner Ecumenical (Zebedee {GB}) and the stakes-placed dual city winner Residue (Shooting To Win).
Amalgamate was purchased in foal for $160,000 at last year’s Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale - Rathmore’s Ross Hatton happy to be part of her purchase with Avesta Bloodstock and McConnell Bloodstock.
Lot 307 - St Mark's Basilica (Fr) x Amalgamate (colt) sold from Rathmore Lodge to Bruce MacKenzie for $200,000 | Image courtesy of Inglis
“I was keeping an eye out for mares in foal to St Mark’s Basilica,” he said, professing to be a major fan having worked at Norelands Stud who consigned that horse to the sales when he was purchased by Magnier for 1,300,000 gns (AU$2.594 million).
“There is a bit of home connection there,” he said and he was smitten by Amalgamate’s foal “from the moment he was born.”
“I actually have a video of him before he even stood up where I declared that he was possibly the best foal we’ve had on the farm.”
“I actually have a video of him (Lot 307) before he even stood up where I declared that he was possibly the best foal we’ve had on the farm.” - Ross Hatton
“I absolutely love him, he has always been a stand-out and he has a super attitude which is so important for a colt.”
In foal to Capitalist, Amalgamate makes her way back through the sales ring on Friday.
Ross Hatton and Holly Lockwood | Image courtesy of Inglis
As is always the case, Bruce MacKenzie will give his new horse plenty of time - “I have bought four horses this week and they are all staying-types who won’t race at two.”
“I have never raced a horse at two and I never will,” he said, happy to claim the rewards of patience – “my horses win at four, five, six, seven and even eight,” he said, adding that “for me it is all about the horse, I love them!”
Bidding from afar, MacKenzie was taken by the style of this colt - “he was one of the best, if not the best colt in the sale.”
“He (Lot 307) was one of the best, if not the best colt in the sale.” - Bruce MacKenzie
Rathmore enjoyed success not long after with Lot 313, a daughter of Coolmore’s Wootton Bassett (GB) selling for $180,000 to the bid of Wattle Bloodstock.
She is a daughter of the unraced Aneeda (Fastnet Rock) whose stakes-placed dam Perfect Persuasion (Encosta De Lago) is a full sister to the Australian Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Alinghi.
“She is a very good bodied filly,” Hatton said, “and she has a nice bit of presence.”
Lot 313 - Wootton Bassett (GB) x Aneeda (filly) sold from Rathmore Bloodstock to Wattle Bloodstock for $180,000 | Image courtesy of Inglis
“And she is a real professional - she didn’t tire at all through all the parades during the week.”
Hatton first met the filly this week, keen to give the credit to her preparation to her breeder, Holly Lockwood’s G 1 G Racing and Breeding.
“She did an outstanding job with her preparation,” he said.
Sebastian Hutch sums up
“Really good trade for the nice horses,” Inglis’ Sebastian Hutch said at the end of the two days of selling weanlings.
“If you present quality to a market like this you are going to be well-rewarded for it,” he said, adding that there were keen buyers who could not actually fill their orders.
“That is actually a bit disappointing for us but our Great Southern Sale is shaping well with over 400 weanlings and there are going to be some good opportunities there.”
“There is plenty of reason to be positive about the market on the back of what we have seen here over the past two days.”
“There is plenty of reason to be positive about the market on the back of what we have seen here over the past two days.” - Sebastian Hutch
“There is no disguising the fact that there is a significant disparity between the wants and the do not wants,” he said - “those horses finding themselves out of favour can be bought at a significant discount over what they cost the breeders to breed.”
“Some breeders have some decisions to make in regards to how they manage their portfolio.”
Hutch is pleased with the “structure and scheduling” of the weanling sales - “holding them after Easter gives people time to get home and take stock. And breeders like the structure of the sale - the weanlings leading into the broodmares.”
Sebastian Hutch | Image courtesy of Inglis
“The condensed period is convenient for people,” he said, noting that “a huge number of our vendors come from a certain radius to the complex.”
Hutch, who traded weanlings himself in the past, is a big fan of weanling sales - “it is a great entry point for young people and there is value for both pin-hookers with a quick turnaround and for end-users looking for the value they might not find at the yearling sales.”
Hutch is looking forward to the rest of the week, noting that “it is not unreasonable to assume that those who did well will head to our broodmare sales with a bit of confidence.”
Top lots
| 195 | B | Filly | I Am Invincible | Shoko | Alma Vale/Kitchwin Hills Partnership | Kaha Nui Farm, NEW ZEALAND | $575,000 |
| 33 | B | Colt | Capitalist | Knit 'n' Purl | Macquarie Stud | Kaha Nui Farm, NEW ZEALAND | $370,000 |
| 170 | B | Colt | I Am Invincible | Rose of Mulan | Yarraman Park Stud | Boomer Bloodstock (FBAA), QLD | $360,000 |
| 209 | B/Br | Colt | Zoustar | Snitty Kitty | Tyreel Stud | Riverstone Lodge / B2B Thoroughbreds/ Suman Hedge Bloddstock (FBAA), NSW | $350,000 |
| 129 | Ch | Filly | Written Tycoon | Passarelle | Willaroon Thoroughbreds, Lurg, Vic | Lyndhurst Farm / Kaha Nui Farm, NEW ZEALAND | $350,000 |
| 318 | B | Colt | Toronado | Atomic Pulse | Lustre Lodge | M Patel, NSW | $320,000 |
| 70 | B | Filly | So You Think | Majesty | Fairhill Farm | Byerley Bloodstock, WA | $280,000 |
| 173 | B | Colt | Frankel | Russian Camilla | Coolmore Stud | Woburn Farm, NEW ZEALAND | $270,000 |
| 47 | B | Filly | Deep Field | Laughen Hard | Bhima Thoroughbreds | M Patel, NSW | $260,000 |
| 24 | B | Colt | Toronado | Justice Glory | Stonehouse Thoroughbreds | Byerley Bloodstock, WA | $260,000 |
Top buyers
| Kaha Nui Farm | NEW ZEALAND | 5 | $1,142,500 | $228,500 | $575,000 | $120,000 |
| Byerley Bloodstock | WA | 3 | $610,000 | $203,333 | $280,000 | $260,000 |
| M Patel | NSW | 2 | $580,000 | $290,000 | $320,000 | $290,000 |
| Woburn Farm | NEW ZEALAND | 4 | $550,000 | $137,500 | $270,000 | $120,000 |
| Sledmere / Cangon | NSW | 11 | $404,500 | $36,773 | $70,000 | $40,000 |
| Trilogy Racing / Suman Hedge Bloodstock (FBAA) | NSW | 3 | $395,000 | $131,667 | $180,000 | $140,000 |
| Boomer Bloodstock (FBAA) | QLD | 1 | $360,000 | $360,000 | $360,000 | $360,000 |
| Cannon Hayes Limited | NSW | 3 | $360,000 | $120,000 | $160,000 | $130,000 |
| Lyndhurst Farm / Kaha Nui Farm | NEW ZEALAND | 1 | $350,000 | $350,000 | $350,000 | $350,000 |
| Riverstone Lodge / B2B Thoroughbreds/ Suman Hedge Bloddstock (FBAA) | NSW | 1 | $350,000 | $350,000 | $350,000 | $350,000 |
Vendors by aggregate
| Fairhill Farm, Mulbring | 21 | $1,935,500 | $92,167 | $280,000 | $65,000 |
| Alma Vale/Kitchwin Hills Partnership, Scone | 20 | $1,240,000 | $62,000 | $575,000 | $11,000 |
| Tyreel Stud, Agnes Banks | 7 | $928,000 | $132,571 | $350,000 | $100,000 |
| Coolmore Stud, Jerrys Plains | 11 | $866,000 | $78,727 | $270,000 | $50,000 |
| Yarraman Park Stud, Scone | 9 | $676,500 | $75,167 | $360,000 | $40,000 |
| Davali Thoroughbreds, Luskintyre | 7 | $557,500 | $79,643 | $240,000 | $50,000 |
| Lustre Lodge, Alison | 6 | $557,000 | $92,833 | $320,000 | $50,000 |
| Bhima Thoroughbreds, Scone | 8 | $537,500 | $67,188 | $260,000 | $41,000 |
| Willaroon Thoroughbreds, Lurg, Vic | 6 | $534,500 | $89,083 | $350,000 | $47,500 |
| Rathmore Lodge, Rockleigh, SA | 12 | $534,000 | $44,500 | $200,000 | $11,000 |
Vendors by average (3 or more sold)
| Tyreel Stud, Agnes Banks | 7 | $928,000 | $132,571 | $350,000 | $100,000 |
| Stonehouse Thoroughbreds, Eddington, Vic | 4 | $500,000 | $125,000 | $260,000 | $110,000 |
| Lustre Lodge, Alison | 6 | $557,000 | $92,833 | $320,000 | $50,000 |
| Fairhill Farm, Mulbring | 21 | $1,935,500 | $92,167 | $280,000 | $65,000 |
| Willaroon Thoroughbreds, Lurg, Vic | 6 | $534,500 | $89,083 | $350,000 | $47,500 |
| Cornerstone Stud, Angaston, SA | 2 | $175,000 | $87,500 | $150,000 | $87,500 |
| Davali Thoroughbreds, Luskintyre | 7 | $557,500 | $79,643 | $240,000 | $50,000 |
| Coolmore Stud, Jerrys Plains | 11 | $866,000 | $78,727 | $270,000 | $50,000 |
| B2B Thoroughbreds, Mittagong | 4 | $302,000 | $75,500 | $150,000 | $74,500 |
| Yarraman Park Stud, Scone | 9 | $676,500 | $75,167 | $360,000 | $40,000 |
Sires by aggregate
| Capitalist | 14 | $988,500 | $70,607 | $370,000 | $32,500 |
| So You Think | 9 | $955,000 | $106,111 | $280,000 | $65,000 |
| Farnan | 7 | $865,000 | $123,571 | $190,000 | $140,000 |
| Wild Ruler | 16 | $727,000 | $45,438 | $110,000 | $42,500 |
| Wootton Bassett | 8 | $725,000 | $90,625 | $180,000 | $85,000 |
| St Mark's Basilica | 6 | $666,000 | $111,000 | $200,000 | $112,500 |
| Toronado | 3 | $640,000 | $213,333 | $320,000 | $260,000 |
| Zoustar | 3 | $630,000 | $210,000 | $350,000 | $140,000 |
| Tassort | 6 | $440,000 | $73,333 | $180,000 | $65,000 |
| Too Darn Hot | 5 | $439,000 | $87,800 | $150,000 | $130,000 |
Sires by average (3 or more sold)
| Toronado | 4 | 3 | $640,000 | $213,333 | $320,000 | $260,000 |
| Zoustar | 4 | 3 | $630,000 | $210,000 | $350,000 | $140,000 |
| Home Affairs | 6 | 3 | $380,000 | $126,667 | $260,000 | $110,000 |
| Farnan | 8 | 7 | $865,000 | $123,571 | $190,000 | $140,000 |
| St Mark's Basilica | 7 | 6 | $666,000 | $111,000 | $200,000 | $112,500 |
| Stay Inside | 9 | 4 | $425,000 | $106,250 | $170,000 | $102,500 |
| So You Think | 15 | 9 | $955,000 | $106,111 | $280,000 | $65,000 |
| Pinatubo | 3 | 3 | $281,500 | $93,833 | $210,000 | $70,000 |
| Wootton Bassett | 13 | 8 | $725,000 | $90,625 | $180,000 | $85,000 |
| Too Darn Hot | 6 | 5 | $439,000 | $87,800 | $150,000 | $130,000 |
