At A Glance

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At the close of Day 2, Premier had 375 lots sold for a gross of $52,509,500 at an average of $140,025, with additional trade on passed-in lots still likely to continue. This is compared to last year’s figures of 383 sold for a gross of $50,821,000 at an $132,693 average.

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A median of $100,000 was achieved again (same as 2024) while the clearance rate at the end of Day 2 was 76 per cent. This compared to a 75 per cent clearance rate for the Book 1 statistics in 2024. Post ring sales are likely to increase the clearance over the next few days.

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Riverstone Lodge, A & S Freedman, and Julian Blaxland Bloodstock (FBAA) combined to purchase the top lot on Day 2, an I Am Invincible filly from Special Lover (NZ) (Pins) sold by Noorilim Park who made $500,000.

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Yulong was the leading buyer by aggregate over the two days of selling, purchasing nine yearlings for $2.58 million, while they were also the leading vendor by gross with 35 yearlings sold for $5.9 million.

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Mulberry Racing’s two purchases for $915,000 put them at the top of the buyer’s list by average (2 or more sold) with an average spend of $457,500.

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Yabby Dam Farms were the leading vendor by average (2 or more sold) over the two days with two lots sold at an average of $300,000 each, while Gilgai Farm came in second with 11 lots sold at an average of $268,000.

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Victorian-based stallion Toronado (Ire) topped the sire’s list by gross over the two days with 13 sold for $3.68 million, while Zoustar and Written Tycoon came in second and third with almost identical aggregates at $2.18 million and $2.16 million respectively.

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Frankel (GB) topped the sire’s list by average (2 or more sold) with his three yearlings sold averaging $520,000, while Zoustar was the best of the locals averaging $311,000 for his seven lots sold.

#1. Inglis delighted with extraordinary results

“If you had said to me or any other participant that we’d end up with figures up on 12 months ago I don’t think any of us would’ve believed you,” Inglis’ Sebastian Hutch said.

“People generally expected the sale to be down so to be up is verging on the extraordinary.”

Hutch was especially pleased with the quality of yearlings who made their way to Oaklands Junction.

“Led by the likes of Rosemont, Yulong and Gilgai we were able to provide horses that had great appeal to the buying bench,” he said.

“Vendors supported us with an outstanding group of horses which gave people the incentive to attend and to participate.”

“There were some really incredible prices for particular horses,” he said, “and what is most encouraging from our point of view is the variety of people participating.”

“There were lots of different buyers and there always seemed to be a different underbidder and that’s a good sign for the market.”

Hutch hopes that more of the day one and day two horses will find homes in the coming days. “Ultimately we want to get to the stage where the clearance rate is as high as we can get it; at the same time last year it was where it is now but we then got it up to 76 per cent.”

Hutch was excited to see different sorts of stallions to the norm proving very popular, noting that “it is not as though the likes of Camelot (GB), Mehmas (Ire) and Earthlight (Ire) have had anything big happen here recently to drive their big results so it’s astonishing really.”

#2. Toronado comes of age

“I absolutely love him,” said Gilgai Farm’s Rick Jamieson of Swettenham Stud’s Toronado (Ire) and whilst we may put that down to this week’s stellar results as the reason for that, the fact is that Jamieson has been on the Toronado bandwagon from day one.

He bred the G1 Sussex Stakes and G1 Queen Anne Stakes winner’s first Group 1 winner Masked Crusader; the G1 William Reid Stakes winner who he sold for $340,000 to the Hawkes stable at the 2018 Inglis Premier.

Three of his 11-strong draft at this year’s sale are sons of Toronado and each sold well, exceptionally so in fact with the equal sale-topping $1 million colt being a Gilgai product.

He went through the ring on Sunday whilst another two sold well on Monday; Lot 322, a three-quarter brother to Masked Crusader fetching $475,000 to the bid of Mulberry Racing and Lot 449 $400,000 to Upper Bloodstock (discussed below).

“Our Toronado colts are beautiful,” Jamieson enthused, “the stand-outs of our draft.”

Sending “six or eight mares to Toronado,” Jamieson currently has six in foal to the horse he said is his “second favourite stallion after Ole Kirk (who he bred).

There is, he told us, so much to like about Toronado.

“He is fertile, he gets them in foal and he sires good types. When a stallion does that, it’s a good start; you are a fighting chance.”

“And I don’t think we have seen the best of Toronado yet as the quality of his books has improved over the last few years.”

“Adam Sangster deserves a lot of credit, he has supported Toronado all the way through.”

Swettenham Stud’s Sam Matthews was understandably delighted by the demand for Toronado colts though also a bit disappointed in the response to his fillies.

“The Hong Kong factor is a major part of his sons selling better than his daughters,” he said, “and the fact that he doesn’t yet have a good son at stud.”

“But we are big believers in his fillies as well.”

Matthews is fully aware of the perception that the sire line of High Chaparral (Ire) - and Sadler’s Wells (USA) before him - has been much better represented overall by its boys than its girls, but believes that has been overstated.

Matthews loves the consistency of the stock sired by Toronado.

“You can send a 15.3hh mare to him or a 16.3hh mare and you are going to get the same good type. He has been consistent right from the start. He gets great sales results and they can run.”

He is looking forward to even better performances with this yearling crop the first sired by Toronado when his fee was raised from $49,500 incl GST to $88,000 incl GST.

Ross Lao of Upper Bloodstock is an unabashed Toronado fan and when he put in the successful $400,000 bid for Lot 449 it was the fifth time he has bought one of the bay’s yearlings.

Another nice one from the draft of Gilgai Farm, the colt is out of the placed Exceed And Excel mare Segosha whose dam is a half-sister to the Group 2 gallopers Chinchilla Rose (Lion Hunter) and Ferocity as well as the Group 3-winning high-class broodmare Leone Chiara (Lion Hunter).

Lao purchased the horse for Hong Kong where Toronado has been represented by 23 individual winners of 67 races; three stakes winners including the Group 1 sprinter Victor The Winner.

There are several traits of the breed that make Toronado an attractive proposition for Hong Kong racing, Lao noting that “they are very tough, they have the right action, they are a good size with a strong girth and they handle the firm tracks.”

“They are robust and they have great temperaments which makes them so suitable for racing in Hong Kong.”

#3. More international than ever

Change occurs over the space of years rather than immediately but there is no doubt that the Inglis Premier is a different sale to what it once was. There was a time that the catalogue had a singularly Victorian flavour in regards to pedigrees; each year you would see the same families and whilst the most successful of those still have an impact, there is now a bigger range of horses with relations from around the globe.

We had a chat with three agents who have a few Inglis Premiers under their belts on their thoughts.

Bloodstock agent Damon Gabbedy has lived in Melbourne for 28 years and was at this sale for a few years before that.

One change he has really enjoyed is an aesthetic one.

“Simon Vivian did a great job with the refurbishment of the auditorium,” he said. “It has kept people around the ring whereas they used to go out to the bar! The sale has a much more exciting atmosphere than it used to have.”

He also noted that Inglis’ international push in regards to participants has also had a positive effect.

“Going out and getting those Hong Kong buyers has led to a bigger demand for well-bred horses which has in turn made the catalogue a more international one.”

The sale becoming more attractive to buyers from outside Victoria has also led to local breeders being able to bring their best to Oaklands with Gabbedy noting that “it is great to see Victorians showing faith in their own sale.”

Bloodstock Agent Kevin Dagg has an impressively long local history, one he has been keeping track of.

“This is my 52nd Melbourne Premier,” he said, making him well-qualified to discuss any changes over the years.

“It is definitely a far more international sale than it was,” he said, “and there is considerably more New South Wales representation as well.”

“The sale has probably become more professional over the years,” he said, adding that he has enjoyed seeing “young studs improve the way they present their horses as they come back each year.”

Peter Ford is another local agent with plenty of Inglis Premier experience and he has noted not only the “internationalisation” of the catalogue but also of the buying and selling bench.

“When you have players from overseas like Resolute Racing buying and Yulong selling the sale is on a different level than it was in the past.”

“We’ve always had shuttle stallions with their progeny at this sale,” he said, though the quality of those has increased, Wootton Bassett (GB) one horse he used as an example.

#4. Pin-hooking strength in numbers

“The Four Leaf Clovers” is what a group of four mates have informally called themselves; “for luck” said one of its members and spokesman Anthony Mithen of Rosemont Stud.

The foursome got together last year with pin-hooking aims, buying a group of six youngsters and it was on Monday that one of those (the fourth through the ring so far) had them “in profit mode.”

Lot 249 was that horse, a Zousain filly bred by Robert Crabtree and purchased for $70,000 under the banner of Vermair Farm at last year’s Inglis Great Southern Sale.

A daughter of the G3 Sir John Monash Stakes winner Miss Promiscuity (Magnus), she attracted strong bidding with John O’Shea, Charlton Racing and James Bester Bloodstock happy to take her home for $230,000.

Mithen said that she was one they liked enough not to be concerned if she had not sold.

“She is such a lovely filly that we thought we’d be happy to keep her,” he said, though the result was most welcome.

“She is a beautiful mover from a great farm,” he said.

The filly hails from one of Crabtree’s well-known families, one which has produced the stakes winners Amtrak (Flying Spur), Furio (Testa Rossa) and Exploding Wonder (Francis Bacon {Ire}). As well as a northern hemisphere star in the shape of Gentildonna (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).

Widden Stud’s Zousain has performed well since this filly was purchased, his winning tally currently sitting on 35 including the stakes winners Drifting, Amelita and Bellazaine.

Another member of the pin-hooking syndicate, one which sold for smaller profit margins the progeny of Lonhro and So You Think (NZ) at the Gold Coast and in New Zealand, is famed New Zealander cricketer Brendon McCullum, current English coach who trades as Vermair Farm.

Things are not going too well on the cricket side of things for him at the moment, “hopefully that will make him feel better!” Mithen said of the passionate racing fan with a lover all things racing and breeding.

#5. Racing is becoming more of a science

Anyone watching the results over the past couple of days will have noticed that trainer Dominic Sutton, who enjoyed Group 1 success with last weekend’s Australian Guineas winner Feroce (NZ) (Super Seth) has been busy.

He has signed up for five yearlings, teaming up with McKeever Bloodstock and Byron Rogers to spend $1.34 million on sons and daughters of Alabama Express, Home Affairs, Lucky Vega (Ire), Mehmas (Ire) and Too Darn Hot (GB).

His buying approach is a combination of the traditional and the scientific, Sutton telling us that whilst it is vitally important that he likes the individual, there is considerable research going on behind the scenes.

“Byron has developed his own model in regards to biomechanics with every horse in the catalogued studied via video,” he explained.

“He has been extremely successful with this in the US and Europe,” he said, adding that other parameters (such as pedigree) are studied as a short list is put together.

Johnny McKeever spends a good time on inspections and the team are again busy on sales day taking further looks of those horses who make the short list.

And they are happy to spend the money on the horses who tick all the boxes.

“Obviously you have to really like the horse on type but having all the right data behind that gives you more confidence to bid,” Sutton said.

“There is a lot more science in buying horses now and it is the same for training horses. Racing has been five to 10 years behind other sports in this regard and it was only a matter of time till we started to catch up.”

“Building up data on your horses is going to be a major part of training in the future,” he said, noting that many trainers are already embracing several science based measurements such as stride length and frequency, heart rate, recovery and maximum speeds.

Top Lots Day 2

Buyers by Aggregate

Buyers by Average (2 or more sold)

Vendors by Aggregate

Vendors by Average (2 or more sold)

Sires by Aggregate

Sires by Average (2 or more sold)

Cover image courtesy of Riverstone Lodge

Lot 487 - I Am Invincible x Special Lover (NZ) (Pins) (filly) - $500,000

Riverstone Lodge, Anthony and Sam Freedman, and Julian Blaxland Bloodstock (FBAA) swooped late on the second day to secure a half-sister to G3 Blue Diamond Preview (F) winner Miss Roseiano (Exceed And Excel), presented by Noorilim Park Thoroughbreds. As a daughter of Listed-placed Special Lover (NZ) (Pins), the filly also counts five-time winner Easy Single (Not A Single Doubt) as another half-sister and descends directly from blue hen Diamond Lover (Sticks And Stones), dam of sire Don Eduardo (NZ) and G1 Australian Oaks winner Tristalove (Sir Tristram {Ire}), as well as the dam of Viscount.

Another descendant of Diamond Lover made a splash recently, snagging his first Group 1 win at the weekend for Dominic Sutton; previously second in the G1 Caulfield Guineas, newly minted top-flight winner Feroce (NZ) (Super Seth) counts Tristalove as his third dam. He was also third in the G3 CS Hayes at the beginning of this preparation.

“(It’s a) blue-chip family and her sire is a three-time Champion Sire who does a great job with his fillies,” said Blaxland. “She has two sisters working for her, hopefully, she can do it on the track and then go on to be part of Riverstone’s elite broodmare band.

“When you look at the market this year, she was good buying. She might not be a pre-Christmas type, she looks more of a 3-year-old type. She is big and strong with a lovely loose action, (and has) that beautiful quality head that Vinnie (I Am Invincible) puts into his fillies.”

Blaxland was pleased with the price, “we thought the price was about right. They are very hard to buy when they are already (surrounded by) stakes winners.”

Special Lover missed to Toronado (Ire) last season and visited G1 Golden Slipper Stakes winner Shinzo in the spring. Miss Roseiano continues to enhance the page, having delivered her first foal in the spring, a filly by Justify (USA), before visiting Wootton Bassett (GB).

New Zealand auction house Gavelhouse offered a Charm Spirit (Ire) half-sister to Feroce on their latest auction on Monday night, with foal at foot by Preferment (NZ); Calliope (NZ) sold for NZ$130,000 to the bid of Francisw.

Lot 322 -Toronado (Ire) x Miss Conduct (Dissident) (colt) - $475,000

Mulberry Racing was active again on Monday morning, securing Lot 317, a Toronado (Ire) colt out of Miss Conduct (Dissident) from Gilgai Farm, further strengthening their bloodstock portfolio after purchasing a $440,000 Home Affairs colt the previous day.

Miss Conduct, a winner over 1415 metres, is a half-sister to Masked Crusader (Toronado {Ire}), making this colt a three-quarter brother to the Group 1 sprinter.

Gilgai Farm’s Rick Jamieson was thrilled with another strong result after selling a Toronado colt for $1 million the day before, describing this fellow as “a beautiful colt, along with the other colt (who was) a stand-out of our draft.”

With a pedigree rich in speed and juvenile form, this colt’s grandam, She’s Got Gears (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), won the Listed Ottawa Stakes as a juvenile, while the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Skirt The Law (Better Than Ready) adds further stakes-winning class to the page.

Lot 432 - Earthlight (Ire) x Sanadaat (Not A Single Doubt) (colt) - $475,000

Godolphin’s former shuttler, Earthlight (Ire), has yet to make an impact on the track in Australia, with his oldest Australian progeny only 2-year-olds. However, he made a $475,000 statement, when Yulong Investments purchased Lot 432, Earthlight's flashy chestnut son from the draft of Alma Vale.

The colt is the fifth foal out of Sanadaat (Not A Single Doubt), a two-time winner who also placed in the Listed Talindert Stakes as a juvenile. She has already produced a talented filly in Matisse (Microphone), who won as a 2-year-old and has placed in the G3 Vanity Stakes, G2 Blue Diamond Prelude (F), and the G3 Blue Diamond Preview (F). She has also trained on well at three, finishing fourth in the G1 1000 Guineas.

“The mother’s thrown a handy performer already, the pedigree’s working okay, and he is a nice, big, forward horse that we hope can be a good racehorse,” Vin Cox said.

“He’s an early enough type; he’s that sort of build in front and mature enough.”

When asked if he had any exposure to the stallion, Cox replied, “I did when I was back at my Godolphin days, but not since then. But he's a nice horse, and we were happy to get him.”

Since producing this outstanding colt, Sanadaat foaled a Better Than Ready filly in the spring but was subsequently left empty.

Lot 339 - Camelot (GB) x Mrs Bannock (Ire) (Shamardal {USA}) (colt) - $420,000

Lot 339, an imposing colt by Camelot (GB) offered by Blue Gum Farm, was snapped up for $420,000 by Eddie Hirsch of Woodside Park Stud after a spirited bidding duel.

Camelot has been a standout sire, producing 63 stakes winners worldwide, including 12 in Australia, at an impressive 9.9 per cent stakes winners-to-runners ratio.

The fifth foal out of Mrs Bannock (Ire) (Shamardal {USA}), a juvenile winner in Great Britain and producer of two winners in Italy, this colt was highly sought after.

Mark Dodemaide of Woodside Park Stud shared their excitement, “We just really loved him - our favourite horse of the sale. We may have gone a bit further than expected, but Eddie was brave, and we’re really happy.”

He will be trained by Vin Malady at Hirsch Park, with big-race aspirations:

“You dream of Derbys with horses like him, but he may be a bit sharper—maybe we see him on Caulfield Guineas day with a bit of luck.”

Dodemaide also praised the colt’s pedigree and preparation, “He looked like a Camelot with class. Blue Gum have been a staple here since this complex was built and the breeder Darren Dance, always produces quality horses, so we knew he’d been well looked after.”

Lot 428 - Mehmas (Ire) x Salmah (Fr) (Shalaa {Ire}) (colt )- $420,000

Dominic Sutton made another splash on the second day of selling when signing the docket with McKeever Bloodstock and Byron Rogers for $420,000 for a Mehmas (Ire) colt offered by Penfold Thoroughbreds. The dam Salmah (Fr) (Shalaa {Ire}) is a half-sister to dual Listed winner Tuned (Toronado {Ire}), who ran several credible Group placings in the United States.

Their dam Zagora (Fr) (Green Tune {USA}) is the big attraction on the page; the USA Champion Grass Female was a dual Group 1 winner - including winning a G1 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf - amongst eight stakes wins on either side of the Atlantic. She is also a half-sister to G2 UAE Derby runner-up and sire Asmar (Ire).

Swettenham Stud’s Sam Matthews was elated with the sale, “(he’s) a beautiful horse, neat with a massive walk, and a lovely horse to do anything with, though we did not expect that price - the reserve was only $50,000!”

The colt was bred by Al Shaqab Racing, who part-owns Mehmas as well as having ownership of Shalaa (Ire), and Matthews was pleased to see the fruits of their support for Swettenham pay off.

“Mehmas is a super stallion up north,” he said. “Al Shaqab Racing wanted to support Toronado with well-bred international mares, so they sent two down for him, both in foal to Mehmas. They wanted to try something a bit different and will now try this sort of thing again in the future.”

He was also pleased to see the result for Penfold Thoroughbreds as vendors.

“This is Hannah Penfold’s first draft (at Inglis Premier), she worked at Swettenham Stud - she actually foaled this colt down - and we wanted to support her as we have before with Crossley Thoroughbreds and Collingrove Stud.”

Salmah has a colt on the ground by Toronado and visited Castelvecchio in the spring.

Lot 384 - Shamus Award x Platinum Mam’selle (Fighting Sun), filly - $85,000

Buyer: Lindsay Park Racing, Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock (BAFNZ) and Slade Bloodstock

Vendor: Two Bays Farm

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Lindsay Park Racing, Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock (BAFNZ), and Slade Bloodstock collaborated on the second day of the sale to take home a $85,000 acquisition from the draft of Two Bays Farm. The daughter of Rosemont Stud’s flagship sire Shamus Award will remain within the state with the Hayes team.

Co-trainer Will Hayes was a big fan of the filly, telling The Thoroughbred Report, “she’s a really good mover, has a good attitude, and is from a good family. She has a good page and is very typical of the sire.”

Platinum Mam’selle (Fighting Sun) is an attractive broodmare to the Australian market, having been a juvenile winner and placed in the G3 Taranaki 2YO Classic en route to the broodmare barn. She is one of two winners for Redoute’s Choice mare Miss Fascination, herself a daughter of dual Listed winner Bibury Flyer (GB) (Zafonic {USA}), who picked up her black type wins as a juvenile as well.

Her first foal One Special Girl (Tavistock {NZ}) was an $80,000 weanling purchase for Mitchell Bloodstock (FBAA), and the mare picked up a third placing this year in her second preparation.

Further back is a strong black type European family, with fourth dam Affair Of State (GB) (Tate Gallery {USA}) having at least seven stakes performers driectly beneath her, including G1 Cheveley Park Stakes winner Lezoo (GB) (Zoustar), a product of the Widden stallion’s lucrative reverse shuttle career.

Lezoo is one of three black type performers directly descending from G3 Firth Of Clyde Stakes winner Roger Sez (Ire) (Red Clubs {Ire}), whose grandson Fandom (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) was a dual Listed winner last year in the United States.

The purchase continues the long-running and prosperous partnership between the Hayes brothers and Rob Slade’s Slade Bloodstock.

“Slade are great supporters of ours, we have a good relationship,” Hayes said. “We have been having a good run lately.

“Here to Shock won the big weight-for-age race in New Zealand that was worth NZ$500,000 and he has now won over $2.5 million.”

The combination are heavy supporters of Shamus Award, and were happy to return to the well once again.

“We also had a recent 5.5l debut winner at Pakenham (called) Bit Of Shoosh,” Hayes continued. “He looks very promising, and is also by Shamus Award and owned by Slade Bloodstock.”

The pedigree has an interesting duplication of leading broodmare sire Redoute's Choice at the third generation on both sides of the pedigree; a demonstration of his versatility producing quality broodmares and as a sire of sires as well. As an example with success, last year's G2 Angus Armanasco Stakes winner Summer Sham (Not A Single Doubt) carries a similar double-up in her page.

Lot 384 was a ‘20/20 Match’ under Stallion Match’s analysis. This means that this mating has two or more successful graded stakes winners with over 20 shared ancestors within five generations. While only 45 per cent of matings are a 20/20 Match, 70 per cent of stakes-winning horses are bred on it, increasing your chances significantly.

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

Feroce (NZ) (Super Seth), who has always displayed superior talent, narrowly lost in the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas last year. This Saturday however, both horse and trainer were determined to secure a win, with Feroce successfully overpowering top New Zealand colt Savaglee (NZ) to claim the time-honoured event.

The two horses engaged in a gripping struggle over the final 150 meters, with Feroce ultimately pulling ahead to win by a decisive 0.75 lengths. Goldrush Guru (American Pharoah {USA}), the G1 Victoria Derby (2500 meters) winner, finished third just a length behind, in an eye-catching performance as he prepares for the G1 Rosehill Guineas (2000 meters) on March 22.

It was a pertinent victory for Sutton, who has made a meteoric rise in the training ranks since saddling up his first winner at Pakenham last year on March 23 in a 2-year-old maiden – the horse, Feroce.

“It’s pretty crazy,” Sutton said.

“Would I have thought he would have got to these heights? No, to be honest. We were there just trying to buy nice horses we could win races with. It’s been a crazy ride.

“It’s pretty special to win a Group 1 so early in my career but we all know you need to have the right horse and he was the right horse, so it’s a big thrill.”

Despite being sent out a rough chance in the Australian Guineas at $14 after a subpar performance when third in the G3 CS Hayes Stakes (1400 Metres), Sutton insists he was confident the gelding would prove hard to beat.

“A lot of people and the market probably wrote him off a tad but Billy Egan, who knows him like the back of his hand, came back after the CS Hayes and said he’s absolutely flying,” Sutton said.

“Don’t worry, it was just the soft ground, Billy said. He just did not handle the soft ground whatsoever.”

Feroce to bypass All-Star Mile

The impressive victory also provided the son of Super Seth an automatic spot in next Saturday’s $2.5 million G1 All-Star Mile (1600 metres), however, Sutton has all but ruled out running Feroce on the quick back-up despite sharing that the horse ‘pulled up super’.

“It’s very unlikely he will take his place in the All-Star Mile,” Sutton said.

“He’s just run a personal best in a very hard race and then to run him again against weight-for-age horses a week later is probably not the right thing to do for the horse.

“We’re thinking he will go to the G1 Australian Cup, a 2000-metre race back to Flemington in four weeks’ time. Originally, he was meant to go to Sydney for the Rosehill Guineas but as we learned the other day he hated the soft ground so I just think there’s no point sending him up to Sydney at this time of year when the ground is going to be soft.”

Feroce is currently marked as a $15 chance in All In markets for the All-Star Mile behind Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) at $2.80.

Feroce, perfectly imperfect

Feroce, bred by Pencarrow Stud, was acquired for $160,000 by Sutton and McKeever Bloodstock from Kilgravin Lodge’s draft at the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale after breezing up in 11.04. He is the third winner and second stakes winner to be produced from Corinthia (O’Reilly), who is a half-sister to G1 Rosehill Guineas winner De Beers (Quest for Fame). Feroce boasts a strong pedigree, being a half-brother to New Zealand stakes winner Siracusa (Sebring) and hailing from the famed Eight Carat (GB) (Pieces Of Eight {Ire}) family.

“He was a beautiful individual,” Sutton said.

“He had a few faults just on confirmation that we forgave because he was just such a big strapping horse, he had the right pedigree and he breezed in a very easy manner. It was probably fortunate for us that he had a couple of little faults there that knocked him off the Hong Kong list because if he was perfect he probably would have been out of our price range. We lucky for him to fall in our bracket.”

Johnny McKeever who owns renowned European bloodstock agency McKeever Bloodstock alongside Byron Rogers, who co-developed the leading pedigree program TrueNicks, has been credited with assisting in the rapid and successful rise of the Sutton stable.

“Johnny McKeever has been paramount from day one, along with Byron Rogers through our main owner, Simon Chappell,” Sutton said.

“They have allowed me to go to the sales and helped me select. They have been doing it for years, these guys. They have a good knowledge base and they are very well-connected. They have good relationships with all the breeders which is very important. It helps me navigate my way in finding the right horses to put in the stable, so it has been very important to have them both by my side.

“Johnny has been a family friend of my fathers since they were 20-years-old, arriving in Australia on a gap year together. See our relationship goes back a long way. Byron is a new association through one of my dad’s good mates in Simon Chappell, who is obviously our biggest supporter. He has got a system that really works, they’ve had a lot of success doing it in the UK and they were ready to try their hand over here and it just made sense to keep it a nice tight-knit group.”

The rise of Sutton Racing

Sutton's training career has been on a remarkable upward trajectory since he began at Pakenham in early 2024. His initial experience in Australian racing started many years earlier, where he spent two years with Chris Waller, followed by an eight-year period with Leon and Troy Corstens. This time provided him with invaluable knowledge of high-level training. It was then that Sutton decided to take the leap of faith and go out on his own.

Since then, he has quickly expanded both his team and the number of horses under his care. With fewer than five horses in training initially, he achieved his first runner and winner in March 2024, and shortly after, he celebrated his first metropolitan victory at Caulfield in April, coinciding with his relocation to Ballarat. Earlier this year, Sutton further expanded his operations by acquiring 25 boxes at Flemington, all within just 12 months.

Coming from a robust racing lineage—his father was an owner and breeder who also rode as an amateur jockey, his uncle trains jumps horses, and his grandmother is active in breeding and ownership—Sutton has cultivated a distinctive training style shaped by these diverse experiences.

“This time last year we had three horses in our stable,” Sutton said.

“We are now sitting at 40 in work and 60 on the books, so it’s growing pretty quickly and I’ve had good support from people like David Moodie, he’s been fantastic – sending us 10 horses. The original clients that have stuck with me from day one are really keen to invest more and we are starting to get a really good core ownership group around us.

“I learnt a lot from Chris (Waller) and obviously I just picked up my own style as well. Fortunately, my fiancé and I ride as well. We’re very hands-on, that’s the way that we train.

“Early doors, we had to back ourselves – a lot of people were interested but wanted to see how we did. So we did take a big risk, we bought horses and we had to carry some horses ourselves for a while. We didn’t sell Feroce way up until he trialled. We took a risk and luckily it’s paying off and now people are wanting to jump on board.”

Sutton is ambitious, someday planning to try and match it with some of the largest and most elite stables in the country. However, he understands that there is still a long way to go.

“At this stage, numbers-wise, we will stick with where we are at,” Sutton said.

“As I said, we like to be hands-on with the horses and that’s the way that we want to do things. Maybe in the future, we may be striving to get to the size of say a Chris Waller or a Ciaron Maher but we have expanded and expanded over the last 12 months at quite a quick rate so, you just make sure you don’t grow too quickly, that you have the right systems in place, the right people in place and the right horses in the stable as well because numbers don’t always mean everything. We’re really trying to concentrate on quality rather than quantity.

“We’ve bought six yearlings here at (Inglis) Melbourne Premier and picked up five at the Magic Millions so we are sitting on 11 yearlings but are always open to new clients and people looking to be a part of it.”

Super Seth a super sire

Feroce delivered Sutton's first Group 1 triumph and simultaneously became the first elite-level winner for his sire, Super Seth, who stands at the world-renowned Waikato Stud. Sutton is optimistic that Super Seth is on a path to rival the top sires.

“I think Super Seth is going to be a serious stallion,” Sutton said.

“The stats that he is producing in his first couple of crops is pretty substantial. I know the guys at Waikato have full faith in the horse and it is starting to show on the racecourse. I’d happily take some more. We actually purchased another Super Seth, Lot 226, with the same cross as Feroce out of the most recent Ready to Run sale in New Zealand. It’s a formula that has obviously worked for us so we were very happy to go back and do it again.”

Super Seth emerged as New Zealand's top first-season sire for 2023-24 and currently leads the second-season rankings for 2024-25. He has sired 25 winners, with six individual stakes winners. His daughter La Dorada (NZ) has claimed victory in this season's Karaka Millions 2YO (1200 metres) and the G2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200 metres). Additionally, promising filly Sethito (NZ) recently achieved a win at black-type level after a close second in the G2 Eight Carat Classic and is nominated for the G1 Australian Oaks (2400 metres).

Feroce has now taken his record to three wins from nine starts with a further three placings and earnings now surpassing $1.3 million.

Cover image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club

Rubylot is the 2025 Classic Cup winner

Sixth in the first leg of the 4-year-old series, the Listed Classic Mile, Rubylot (Rubick) enjoyed the additional distance in the 1800-metre Listed Classic Cup on Sunday night at Sha Tin and won by 0.8l from Mile winner Mark Newham-trained My Wish (Flying Artie) with Pierre Ng-trained Johannes Brahms (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) in third.

“It really was (an excellent win). (Classic Mile Day) was the day where all the horses that cut the corner were the strongest and he still ran the third-fastest sectional and he went the widest,” Hayes said.

“That wasn’t the place to be. Brenton today learned from that – he cut the corner and peeled out into the straight and he was able to unleash that great sprint he’s got. You always look at this race to find the closers and that’s a good pointer to the Derby. I don’t think anyone ran home faster than him today. It was a brilliant sectional.”

Rubylot will head to the Listed Hong Kong Derby next on March 23. Hayes is now top of the trainer’s premiership with 35 wins for the season, a remarkable turnaround from the 2022-23 season when he came 13th in the pecking order.

“It would be very nice (to win another BMW Hong Kong Derby). It’s been a long time. It’s one of the races everyone in Hong Kong wants to win,” Hayes said. “To my eye, he (Rubylot) was the strongest late and that’s a good sign stepping up to the 2000 metres. Being a Rubick you were always concerned, but he’s out of a Dubawi mare and stoutly bred on the dam side.”

Rubylot became the 14th stakes winner for Rubick, whose best is Group 1 winner Jacquinot. Purchased by Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock from Woodside Park’s 2022 Inglis Ready To Race Sale for $100,000, Rubylot is the fourth foal and third winner for Emirates Comfort (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) whose 3-year-old gelding Desert Legend (Zousain) ran fourth recently, her 2-year-old gelding Buffo (Alymerton) is unraced and she has a colt foal by All Too Hard.

Emirates Comfort is a daughter of G1 Arlington Park Beverly D Stakes winner Royal Highness (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) who also produced G2 Longchamp Prix Dollar winner Free Port Lux (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) and this is the family of G1 Breeders' Cup Turf winner Yibir (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}).

The Hayes stable star Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) came from the same crop as Rubylot. “It was a pretty good crop of PPGs (previously unraced horses) to come out of Lindsay Park – him and Ka Ying Rising in the same year. One’s a staying version and one’s a speed version. I’m hoping (Rubylot) can do what most of the Classic Series horses that win (do) the next year and that compete in the upper-class races.”

Avdulla’s treble led by Rubylot

Australian jockey Brenton Avdulla’s win in the Listed Classic Cup on Rubylot was part of a treble for the evening. “It’s always nice to win big races, especially with everyone flying in – it was hard to get a ride today. I had four rides, I thought three of them were good, competitive rides and they’re the three that have lobbed. They all had nice runs in transit, got the job done,” Avdulla said.

“Hayesey’ had the horse (Rubylot) spot on. He had a nice run-through and I was confident at the 250 (metres) he was going to get the job done. I’ve got no doubt if he drew a gate in the (Hong Kong Classic Mile) he would have gone very close (to winning).”

He also won on John Size-trained Enthralled (USA) (American Pharoah {USA}) who will head to the Hong Kong Derby next. “I actually said to John after I first rode (Enthralled) that if you had another two months up your sleeve, he’d be one of the live chances in the Derby,” Avdulla said.

“So, he’s had to get him there quickly. It’s not often you see John give them only a couple of trials and then run them in a mile. I think he’s a good quality horse and if he makes his way into the Derby field, he’ll be a live hope for sure.”

Known as James Webb when he raced in England, where he won twice from six starts, this was his third start in Hong Kong. His dam, Amuser (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is a beautifully bred unraced daughter of triple Group 1 winner Six Perfections (Fr) (Celtic Swing {GB}), who produced four stakes winners led by three full siblings to Amuser, being G2 Herbert Power Stakes winner Yacatan (Ire), G3 Arlington Park Modesty Handicap winner Faufiler (Ire), and Listed winner Mount Everest (Ire), as well as half-sibling G2 Chantilly Prix du Gros-Chene winner Planet Five (USA) (Storm Cat {USA}).

Avdulla's other winner was the John Size-trained Young Champion (Ire) (Zoustar).

Justifying impressive on debut

Trainer Caspar Fownes has unearthed an exciting sprinter with 3-year-old gelding Justifying (Justify {USA}) winning on debut for jockey Luke Ferraris. He covered the 1000 metres in 55.67 seconds.

“He’s a very fast horse and he’s got a long way to go because he’s still quite mature. I gave him two trials and normally I’d give them a few more but he looked to be ready to come to the races. He’s a pretty straightforward horse, he showed a lot of speed and I think he’s quite exciting,” Fownes said.

Sold by Nooralim Park at the 2023 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale to T Nolen for $100,000, Justifying was catalogued for the Inglis Ready To Race Sale but passed in.

Justifying is the third foal for Montana Flight (Flying Spur) and her third winner. Montana Flight is a full sister to G2 Roman Consul Stakes winner Montana Flyer, and a half-sister to G2 Light Fingers Stakes-placed Montana Sunset (More Than Ready {USA}) who is the dam of G3 SAJC David Coles AM Stakes-placed Iphimedia (Exceed And Excel). Montana Flight's yearling colt by Portland Sky was withdrawn from this year’s Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.