Cover image courtesy of Inglis

At A Glance

•

2025 was a record gross for the sale, achieving $19 million up from $15.37 million in 2024 and $10.9 million in 2022.

•

There were 163 horses (after withdrawals) catalogued versus 148 last year, and 179 in 2023. The clearance rate improved to 73 per cent up from 62.1 per cent last year which was up from 57.5 per cent in 2022.

•

Last year’s record $1 million price set by Signature Scent (Written Tycoon) wasn’t quite reached with a top of $900,000 for Lot 188, a colt by Toronado (Ire) and he became the record top priced colt at this sale.

•

The average price was $156,180, down from $167,065 in 2024. However, the median stayed static at $100,000. Seven horses sold for $500,000 or more, down from eight in 2024.

•

Toronado (Ire) was the leading stallion by aggregate ($1.99 million), while Exceed And Excel led the averages at $400,000 for three lots sold. Wooded (Ire) had the highest average among first-season sires, with two horses sold for an average of $332,500.

•

Hermitage was the leading buyer by gross ($2.585 million) and average ($430,800) with six horses purchased, including the sale topper.

•

Just as they were last year, Nolen Racing was the leading vendor by aggregate, selling 15 horses for $2.18 million, with an average of $145,800. Rathosheen Bloodstock was the leading vendor by average, achieving $349,000 across their draft with six sold at an aggregate of $2.09 million.

Record gross has Inglis smiling

Inglis CEO Sebastian Hutch was in a jovial mood after the sale, with a record gross set and a clearance rate pushing over 70 per cent. The sale reached a gross of over $19 million at close of business, and met the same median as the previous year at $100,000.

The sale saw 122 horses find new homes, compared to 96 in 2024, and the average dipped from $164,000 to $156,000.

“We’d done the work. I said before the sale that we were the best prepared in terms of the work we had done and the vendors had done, and put together a group of buyers and so we were in a good spot to run as good a sale as we could,” said Hutch, who was pleased with the sale’s metrics.

“We had great depth among the buyers at the top end. One thing we lament at this sale every year is that we don’t have enough horses to satisfy every buyer in that top third or top quartile, and we see that as a likely growth area for the sale.

“I think there were plenty of people making money today. If you want to participate in the sale, and participate well, it’s a professional exercise. You can’t just wake up one day with the idea that I’m going to buy a yearling and bring it to a breeze up sale. (The results for vendors) is part of consolidating a good structure, a good plan, and a good team of people. There’s more than enough opportunity for people to lift the bar again.

“Turnover is going to go through $19 million, that’s a significant step up on the previous record for the sale. I feel like we can take it further again. We want to grow the market and encourage more domestic and New Zealand-based vendors to take part.”

Hutch doesn’t want to grow the size of the sale but rather lift the quality.

“There are a number of our team, Will Stott, Harry Bailey, Brett Gilding, who worked specifically with vendors for this sale and that work starts tomorrow (for next year’s sale). Nicky Wong and James Price have worked very hard canvassing buyers (from Asia).”

Hermitage dominate the buying bench with sale topper

With three of the top five lots, Guy Mulcaster buying on behalf of Eugene Chuang of Hermitage Thoroughbreds, was the leading buyer for Inglis Ready2Race 2025. Overall, they bought six 2-year-olds for $2.585 million including the sale topping Toronado colt.

“It was great to have Mr Chuang here. He’s been a very good client of Inglis for a long time and had incredible success, domestically and internationally,” said Hutch.

“Lady Shenandoah gets all the plaudits, but he also won the Hong Kong Derby last year with an Easter graduate. He’s had a lot of success buying yearlings from Easter and he came here and bought a number of nice horses today. He bought horses for which there was tremendous competition.”

The sale topping Toronado (Ire) colt was offered by first time vendors Hunter’s Lodge. “He really stood out,” said Guy Mulcaster of Lot 188 who is the first foal of G3 Sunshine Coast Guineas winner Baccarat Baby (Casino Prince).

“We identified him off the breeze ups and then we saw him physically and he matched his breeze so it was a no brainer for the Hermitage team to have a look at a horse like that. They saw him this morning for the first time and loved him. It was a great result for them. When you saw him physically you could see there was a fair bit of improvement in him too, so it worked out well.”

Baccarat Baby is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Duais (Shamus Award) and G2 The Roses winner Philia (All Too Hard). He was originally sold by Gilgai Farm at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale where he made $300,000 to the bid of Hunter Lodge and Liam Ruddy.

“It couldn’t feel any better to be honest, it couldn’t have gone any better. I mean the whole draft has sold really well, it’s been a good clearance rate and everybody is getting a good return on investment, so we’re really, really over the moon,” said Ruddy.

“We had the reserve at $400,000 so when the bidding opened at $400,000, that was just the best feeling, we took a deep breath and after that it was just fun. We were trying to keep track of who was bidding but there were so many bids coming from so many directions.

“To have a judge like Guy (Mulcaster) buy a horse off us, we’re stoked. It’s unbelievable that Caspar (Fownes) was desperate to have the horse, he loved him. I guess it’s a real credit to us that those sorts of judges want to buy a horse off us and hopefully we can find another one for them next year.”

On the whole sale, Mulcaster said, “The stock was very well prepared. When they’re buying them at Easter or Melbourne etc, some of them are really nice horses that we already had notes on and they’ve all gone forward and I think their preparation for this sale is a testament to the vendors. There’s so many people here.”

The only I Am Invincible in the sale

The only I Am Invincible in the sale, Lot 68, sold for $675,000 to be the second top lot of the day. He was bought by Hermitage Thoroughbreds who were very active at the sale. Vendor Mitch Pearce of Crossley Thoroughbreds presented the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale graduate.

“He's just stood out all week. He was very busy with parades. He is very tired but he conducted himself very well. Just a beautiful horse to look at. I really think he's going to have a great future,” Pearce said.

“He’s very typical of the sire. I don’t think he’s reached his full potential and should be better at three. He’s a lovely shape, strong.”

The colt was purchased by Kuda Bloodstock from Emirates Park’s Easter draft for $375,000. Crossley Thoroughbreds, based in Victoria, launched in 2023.

A full brother to Ebhaar who won the Listed Merson Cooper Stakes on debut at two, and added another win at three. Ebhaar has a Proisir yearling filly and is due to Brave Smash (Jpn) this spring. The colt’s winning dam Maroon Bay (Exceed And Excel) has also produced the stakes placed pair of G3 Blue Diamond Prelude (c&g)-third Shotmaker (Shooting To Win) and Listed Redoute’s Choice Stakes-third Mednyi (Capitalist).

His second dam, Group 3 winner and Group 1-placed Legally Bay (Snippets) is the dam of Group 1 winner Merchant Navy and his full sister stakes winner Jolie Bay (Fastnet Rock) who is the dam of Group 1 winner Joliestar (Zoustar). This is the family of Group 1 winners Bonaria (Redoute’s Choice) and Paulele.

On the sale, Pearce said, “Very pleased, obviously with the top lot so far. We’ve also sold an All Too Hard for $160,000 and a So You Think for $150,000.”

Baystone Farm’s different strategy

An unusual lot at the sale was 2-year-old filly Rachini (Zoustar) who raced on Wednesday in the Listed Debutant Stakes, running fifth, for trainers Leon and Troy Corstens and Will Larkin. She went through the ring for Baystone Farm without being there, and made $500,000 to the bid of Bjorn Baker and Clarke Bloodstock (FBAA).

Baystone had purchased her for $200,000 from The Chase’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft. “We try and get into the trials to give the buyers more information more confidence in buying the product, but the flipside of that is that sometimes they’re pushed too hard and we have to withdraw them,” said Dean Harvey of Baystone Farm.

“The filly that we took to the races, I suppose it was a new idea. We thought a fair bit of her, she's very, very talented. She’d done nothing wrong and Troy (Corstens) knew that if she wasn’t right she wouldn’t have gone. It would've been a big reward that she won. She still ran well, she just got a bit lost in traffic and got a few things wrong as 2-year-olds can."

“She had a lot of work in the last month. Two trials and a breeze up, then a race in a month. She has a great constitution. Bjorn is going to give her a break and bring her back and she'll be really good for them.”

She might be the only one to go to the races, but Baystone Farm also won a jump out with Lot 48, the Satono Aladdin (Jpn) colt who made $250,000.

“Some (vendors) get to their grand final here and a lot of ours get to the trials so they've already had a big preparation before they breeze. You'll probably find that our don't always run quickly. The actual breeze up is just going through the gears and I think the market is becoming educated enough that they look more at the action than times.

“This market is going forward, and I think there’s more room for more fillies with the way the broodmare market is going too.” Baystone Farm’s draft of seven horses included two fillies. They sold five of their seven for $1.225 million to be the sixth top vendor at the sale.

Pinhooking thrills for Merricks Station

The Rubick colt, Lot 121, was touted as a huge pinhook for Merricks Station. Sold by Supreme Thoroughbreds at the 2024 Inglis Great Southern Sale as a weanling to R A G Syndicate for only $1500, the colt went to the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale for vendor Willow Grove Consignment. Trainer Lloyd Kennewell and Group 1 Bloodstock (FBAA) put their hand up at $22,500 on behalf of clients, and he was sent to Merricks Station to be prepared for this sale. Kennewell and Group 1 Bloodstock had to stump up $300,000 to buy him back for a different group of clients.

“It’s blowing up on Twitter, but I didn’t realise the weanling price,” said buyer Lloyd Kennewell.

“I found him at the Adelaide sale for clients and put him through our system. He stands out and shoulders above every 2-year-old we have, and I was not letting him go through the sale without bidding on him. Obviously when he’s going through a sale for clients, I have to take a serious look at (the perception of buying him back),” Kennewell said.

“He ticks every box. He's got a really good brain on him. All the work he's done at home been nothing short of brilliant and if I could've bought him before he went through the sale, I would have. He's really a lovely horse. I was very keen to put a team together and he’s already fully sold with a couple of clients arguing over the last shares.”

The sire is popular in Hong Kong with the likes of Rubylot. “I was worried about Hong Kong and that I might not have enough money to buy him back but we were lucky to get him as that was sort of my budget roughly around.

“He’s probably the best 2-year-old I’ve got in the stable and if I’ve got that sort of intel, why would I let him go elsewhere. Of the 25 we have this year, he’s head and shoulders above, from what I've seen so far, but that's got to replicate into a race now.”

The colt, who breezed in 10.61s, is the third foal of four-time winner Scandimania (Magnus) whose only foal to race is three-time winner New York Scandal (Manhattan Rain). Further back, this is the family of Black Caviar (Bel Esprit), with the colt’s fourth dam Song Of Norway (Vain) being the dam of Black Caviar’s Group 2 winning granddam Scandinavia (Snippets).

Table: Inglis Ready2race Sale top lots

Cover image courtesy of Crown Lodge

With Godolphin transferring its racehorses to public trainers this season, attention has turned to what comes next for Crown Lodge. Since the move away from a private training model on 1 August, speculation has been mounting over who will assume control of one of Sydney’s most prestigious and historically significant training bases.

Industry talk has resurfaced with suggestions that Crown Lodge at Warwick Farm, one of Australia’s most prestigious racing properties, could soon change hands.

Donovan & Co., in partnership with Magic Millions, is overseeing the process, with agent Clint Donovan stating he is “managing enquiries.”

Who could be next to own Crown Lodge?

Speculation is swirling over who might take over Crown Lodge. Could it be Yulong Investments, extending their rapid growth and strengthening their Sydney footprint?

Or could history repeat itself - with Debbie Kepitis, daughter of Bob Ingham and niece of Jack, seeing a chance to return the famed stable to the family that built its legacy and dominated Australian racing from those very grounds?

Racing NSW has acquired several properties in recent years to lease back to metropolitan trainers, and could be set to add another to the portfolio. Other potential buyers could possibly be Lindsay Park seeking a stronger Sydney foothold, or Champion trainer Chris Waller. Perhaps it could be an option for Ciaron Maher, who continues to expand. New Zealand’s Te Akau operation, now with a Cranbourne base, could see Crown Lodge as a Sydney hub for their Autumn raids or a strong Sydney base.

One thing is certain: the 125-box facility, steeped in history, consistent success and prestige, will be a valuable asset for any racing buyer.

However, there is also a chance Crown Lodge may be purchased by a non-racing entity, with the area around Warwick Farm Racecourse being considered for industrial rezoning.

A valuable asset for Godolphin

The potential sale of Crown Lodge could deliver a timely financial boost for Godolphin. According to an article in Wednesday's edition of the Australian Financial Review, Godolphin reported a $27.3 million loss for the most recent financial year - a swing of almost $67 million from the profit recorded in 2023.

The decline reflects several contributing factors. Fewer runners and top-level results saw prize-money earnings drop by $12.6 million, while stallion nominations fell 44 per cent to $21.8 million. The latter reflects a changing of the guard following the retirement of long-time sires Exceed And Excel and Lonhro.

Like all major studs, Godolphin’s financials ebb and flow with stallion cycles and service fee trends. The arrival of new sires and the rise or fall of established ones can significantly influence annual figures.

There is, however, reason for optimism heading into the next season. Anamoe continues to command strong demand in his third year at stud, standing at a slightly reduced fee of $121,000 (inc. GST). Broadsiding begins his first season at $66,000 (inc. GST) after graduating from Godolphin’s own racing ranks, while Too Darn Hot (GB) returns at a premium fee of $275,000 (inc. GST) after a break from shuttling duties.

After a challenging year, the potential windfall from Crown Lodge would provide a welcome addition to the balance sheet and help underpin a new phase of growth for the global breeding powerhouse.

The history of Crown Lodge

Built in 1987 by Bob and Jack Ingham, Crown Lodge initially housed trainer Vic Thompson until 1991/92, before John Hawkes took over until 2007. Over the years, the stables produced countless champions for the Inghams in their famous cerise colours, including the racetrack stars and stallions Octagonal and Lonhro, who won a combined 21 Group 1 races between them.

Since Godolphin acquired the property, trainers Peter Snowden, John O’Shea, and James Cummings have operated from the base.

Peter Snowden trained more than 1300 winners for Godolphin - or Darley as the racing arm was known then - including 29 at Group 1 level. Some of the standouts were the outstanding 2-year-old Sepoy, Helmet, Guelph (Exceed And Excel), and Earthquake (Exceed And Excel).

John O'Shea trained 10 group 1 winners for Godolphin during his three years in charge, headlined by back-to-back Group 1 victories in the 'stallion making' Golden Rose with Exosphere and Astern.

Since taking over Godolphin’s Australian operation in 2017, Cummings has trained over 50 Group 1 winners, all having spent time at Crown Lodge, including Anamoe, In Secret (I Am Invincible), Cascadian (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), Hartnell (GB) (Authorized {GB}), Bivouac, and Colette (Hallowed Crown).

Through the eyes of Trevor Lobb

Trevor Lobb was part of Crown Lodge at its very beginnings, overseeing the refurbishment of what would become one of Australia’s most iconic racing stables. His memories stretch from the earliest design plans to some of the most thrilling moments in Australian racing.

“I was general manager for the Inghams when we started back in 1986, and the decision was made to purchase the stables that were there,” Lobb explained.

“I was part of the group that instigated it and purchased the property, and we had it designed and built. There were stables there, but we mainly had to alter them all. One block stayed and is still there near the front gates. With 130 boxes, we needed more space, it was very much state-of-the-art.

“On today’s prices, we were very lucky to have built it then. At the same time we were building Woodlands, it all went hand in hand.”

When asked about some of the specifics regarding the build and design of the stables, Lobb explained:

“The designers had designed stables before, they’d done a number of properties and the Ingham enterprises had our own design section. They were mostly building sheds - chicken sheds, but they had involvement, and then the builders had a lot to do.

“Vic Thompson put an awful lot of time into it with designing the size of the boxes. Everybody worked on it - it came to fruition as a team effort.”

One thing Lobb and Woodlands were known for was being pioneers in developing large-scale stables, something that has since somewhat become the norm. But at the time, Crown Lodge was considered enormous.

“Stables have got bigger and bigger, and in a sense what we built was the starting point of big stables,” Lobb said.

“We had 50 in Brisbane, 50 in Melbourne, 20 in Adelaide and 100-odd in Sydney. When we first spoke about starting, we bought the property and thought we’d have a few horses and a bit of fun. That changed within weeks and away we went. The excitement of it was unbelievable.”

A past full of memories

When asked to reflect on some of his best memories from his time at Crown Lodge, it was clear to Lobb that it was all about the horses and the people.

“We had great staff throughout the whole operation. Whether it was at Crown Lodge or in Melbourne. Jack and Bob were horse lovers; everything was done for the benefit of the horse. Winning. It didn’t matter if it was at Hawkesbury or a Group 1, Jack would have the same excitement to see those horses win, especially the homebreds. That was where they got the biggest thrill.

“Lonhro was the pinnacle, a homebred by a sire that we bought and raced. All those good horses gave them enjoyment and the love of it. They’d started with their father having an interest in horses; it was love throughout.”

The Woodlands operation was hugely successful, including more than 40 Group 1 events. Lobb reflected on some of the highlights:

“Between 1987 and 2008, we’d won in excess of 5,400 races, nearly 170 individual stakes wins, and over 40 Group 1 events and $130 million (in prizemoney). The horses that meant a lot to all of us - Octagonal, Lonhro, they were the people’s horses.

“People would stand along the fence at Rosehill whenever they raced. Their wins and what they did were the pinnacles of Australian racing. There haven’t been too many stallions in recent years who have gone close to that. The boys loved racing, a lot of those horses wouldn’t race today.

“To win 26 races and 11 Group 1s, and then go on to be a Champion sire. There are the things that I look back at; to be part of that is something I couldn’t have dreamed of as a child loving horses.

“You still see a lot of the Woodlands families being sought after, from Woodlands through to Darley or Godolphin as it is now. It’s been a major part of my life. Horses like that - Freemason, the jockeys, Shane Dye, Darren Beadman, Darren Gauci, everyone had a part in it. Rodney Quinn was a great stalwart for us.”

When asked to comment on a few other of the top horses that he was involved with, Lobb continued to list of names of Australian legends.

“Freemason was such a great horse. When he beat Northerly, it was the last day Jack was at the racecourse. We didn’t think he would’ve won, but he did it for us all that day. The Cox Plate, sitting under the stand, watching it on the television, because there was that big a crowd that you could get out to watch it.

“Octagonal in the Derby, beating a massive field. The Guineas win by Crown Jester was the first real stallion we brought back onto Woodlands. Unworldly was another one - we lost her in a track accident, but you don’t know what she might have been.

“We had three trainers in all those years. Vic Thompson trained Group 1 winners for us, Johnny Hawkes, and then Peter was still there when it was sold, and went on with Darley with me for a number of years. It was just a dream come true.”

Snowden: 'A great time'

Peter Snowden was Godolphin’s first private trainer at Crown Lodge, overseeing the property for six years before going into partnership with his son, Paul. His association with Crown Lodge goes much further back, spanning more than 20 years, as he worked for both Woodlands trainers Vic Thompson and John Hawkes.

“Gee, it was a great time, I had some good memories there. It would take a while to go through them all,” Snowden said.

“The day we beat Northerly with a horse called Freemason, that was a fantastic day. He was about 33/1, won a Derby and was a very good horse. We had Octagonal, Lonhro, Clang, Strategic, a lot of good horses over the years. Lonhro winning the Australian Cup at his second-last start, that was a spine-chilling win.

“They had a horse called Holy Roller, who was the biggest horse I’ve seen in my life. About 18hh, he was huge. We used draught horse shoes on him and they had to make a barrier extension for him. The girl who looked after him only came up to his brands. He was massive, and the quietest horse you’ve ever seen. Lucky, because he’d have killed someone if he wasn’t a gentle giant, and he won about 12 races too.

“I was there for 20-odd years. It was a great learning curve, I met some fantastic people. The Ingham brothers were fantastic. Vic Thompson was there when I first started, then John Hawkes. It was a long apprenticeship before I took over. A fantastic time of my life.”

Cover image courtesy of Tattersalls

At A Glance

•

Total Book 2 turnover was up by 2% to 69,657,500gns (AU$150.6 million) compared to last year, which is a record for the sale

•

The median was also a record, which climbed 9% to 76,000gns (AU$164,300)

•

The average dropped slightly by 1% to 107,496gns (AU$232,400), and the clearance rate was also down slightly by 1% to 90%.

•

Trainer George Boughey purchased a Night Of Thunder colt for 800,000gns (AU$1.73 million) on behalf of leading owner Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum.

•

Night Of Thunder put in a dominant performance at Book 2, with 17 lots selling for a combined sum of 5,525,000gns (AU$11.9 million). His 325,000gns (AU$702,300) average was 134,353gns (AU$290,300) clear of his nearest pursuer, Starman.

•

Baaeed was the leading first-season sire by both aggregate 2,314,000gns (AU$5 million) and average 144,625gns (AU$312,500),

Lindsay Park active at Tattersalls

Lindsay Park Racing were active at Tattersalls during Book 2, collecting a Lope De Vega colt (Lot 620) for 160,000 gns (AU$344,000) in conjunction with John Foote Bloodstock. Offered by Kellsgrange Stud, the colt is a full brother to juvenile Group 3 winner La Barossa and a half to French stakes performer Itsy Bitsy (Belardo).

They also picked up a Churchill filly (Lot 650) also in conjunction with John Foote Bloodstock for 48,0000 gns (AU$103,700 ). Offered by Highclere Stud, the filly's grandam Karen’s Caper (War Chant) was a Group 3 winner in Great Britain and America, and also twice Group 1 placed.

Gallery: Lindsay Park purchases at Tattersalls Book 2, images courtesy of Tattersalls

The Bloodstock Manager of Lindsay Park, Josh Rix was at Tattersalls and explained Lindsay Park’s line of thinking, purchasing at the yearling sales.

“We had a few clients that together wanted to try a different angle,” Rix said.

“They have bought tried horses before, but they are becoming pretty expensive, especially with the exchange rate and with other buyers in the market pushing the prices up a bit, so we thought we would try a different angle, buy some of the yearlings and get them home as soon as we can.

“They will go down to some late spring grass and some summer sun on their back and will get some more growth into them and we will take out time and break them in and they will get used to our conditions from day one. They will be on our firmer grounds in the summer paddocks, and on our tracks from the beginning of their education.”

When asked how he had found the market, Rix commented, “Book 2 has been much more friendly than Book 1. Especially with our exchange rate.”

Boughey adds another Night Of Thunder colt to the barn

Trainer George Boughey was the latest big name to join the Night Of Thunder fan club at Tattersalls when going to 800,000gns (AU$1.73 million) to secure a colt by the stallion on behalf of leading owner Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum.

Boughey has enjoyed success with the progeny of Night Of Thunder already, notably through that owner's Bow Echo, who was last seen winning the G2 Royal Lodge Stakes at Newmarket in September.

The Wednesday sale-topper was consigned by New England Stud and Boughey drew comparisons to his Group 2 winner by the stallion shortly after outbidding Anthony Stroud on the colt.

He said, “We had some stiff competition – he has been bought for Sheikh Mohammed Obaid and he looks very similar to Bow Echo. Sheikh Obaid picked him out and obviously we are delighted to train him. The colt is from a good family and the mare was a Listed winner. He looks like he will be one for next summer onwards. Sheikh Obaid is a patient owner and hopefully this colt can emulate what Bow Echo did.”

Boughey added, “We have had three or four by the sire and they have all won their maidens, but Bow Echo is the first with us to go on and look like a better horse. It is great to have the horse in the barn.”

The sale-topping colt is out of Golden Horn mare Quenelle D'Or and was offered by New England Stud on behalf of breeders Lady Riblat and Stanley House Stud.

New England's Peter Stanley said, “For a first foal to fetch that sort of price, it is magnificent. It is really thrilling, but Night Of Thunder is an incredible stallion. He is upgrading his mares to an extraordinary level and we are lucky we have taken the punt and used him. We used him a few times and it is paying off.”

He added, “I thought this would be one of the nicest horses in the ring this week and I said to my brother that this horse could make any amount of money. You start at a level and you need two people to lock horns and we were lucky that two great judges were there and did just that. I do think he will be a racehorse – he has it all. He has class and he has a lovely outlook. We have been excited about him for a long time.

“I don't think Lady Riblat has had a broodmare before. My brother [Lord Derby] raced Quenelle D'Or with John and Lady Riblat. They had a lot of fun, so I said to them at the end, 'Why would you want to sell her?' So, we played the breeding game. John had heard that you always lose money breeding horses. I had him on the phone during the bidding and he enjoyed every minute.”

Camelot colt generates big profit

One of the stories of the day, if not the entire Book 2 sale, came when Stanley Lodge manager Nick Cope, along with Ard Erin Stud's Tom and David Brickley, transformed their 80,000gns (AU$172,900) foal purchase by Camelot into a 475,000gns (AU$1.03 million) yearling to Alex Elliott, bidding on behalf of MV Magnier and Peter Brant.

The Camelot colt, who is out of the Listed-winning Clodovil mare Tigrilla, was one of the talking horses coming into the final day of Book 2 and he didn't disappoint. Eventually, it was Elliott who saw off the attention of Anthony Stroud to provide Cope with his greatest day on a sales complex.

“It's my biggest day in the game by a long, long way,” an emotional Cope said. “It's very emotional. When a horse like him, who was a pleasure to deal with the whole way through and was just an absolute gentleman of a horse, does that for you, it's amazing. He is one of those horses who just thrived every day for us. This is life-changing for me. It's massive. Absolutely massive.”

Along with the Brickley brothers, Cope sourced the Camelot colt from Baroda Stud at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale. He was making all of the right noises coming into Wednesday's session, with Cope admitting it was a bit of a struggle to keep a lid on his emotions as the horse entered the ring.

He said, “It's hard. Book 2 can be a hard sale for people to negotiate. We had some massive shows this morning and we knew we were getting on the right shortlists and that we were getting some very good second looks. It just blew up and, when it all works out, it's amazing what can happen in that ring. About five lots before the horse went into the ring, we were looking around to see who was down at the barn earlier in the day. Thankfully, it all came together and the ring just warmed up. Everyone you hoped would turn up did and there were just bids coming from everywhere.”

Cope added, “The Brickley brothers and I always team up together at the foal sales when we can. We try to work the sales as hard as we can and sometimes you come across the real deal, which he was. He did everything right for me all week – didn't put in a bad show and, when they do that for you, you can't ask for much more. He vetted really clean and had a great scope, great x-rays and a great attitude. He's just an unbelievably athletic, easy-moving horse.”

Elliott was flanked by MV Magnier and Paul Shanahan as the gavel fell and confirmed that the Coolmore partners were determined to land the colt.

The agent said, “He is by Camelot and out of a black-type mare who has produced a good horse by Twilight Son. This colt was very well bought by Nick Cope and the boys, and the team was very determined to get him. A lot of the Camelots are real staying types to look at, but I think this mare might speed him up; you could be looking at anything from 7f as a 2-year-old and then as an older horse to a mile plus. We all liked the idea that she would put in speed.”

Breeders of Ombudsman enjoy another day in the sun with Night Of Thunder

Ombudsman's breeder James Hanly warmed up for Saturday's Qipco Champion Stakes by recording yet another memorable day in the sales ring when selling a Night Of Thunder filly to Henry Lascelles for 700,000gns (AU$1.51 million).

Hanly sold Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder), who is a general 15-8 favourite for what is being billed as one of the races of the season, at this sale in 2022 for 340,000gns (AU$735,000).

The master of Ballyhimikin Stud in Ireland has been well-rewarded for his loyalty to sire sensation Night Of Thunder and, along with co-breeders Anthony Stroud and Trevor Stewart, enjoyed another day to remember at Park Paddocks with this filly going to Lascelles on behalf of a major owner-breeder in Britain.

“Night Of Thunder has been an absolute revelation. He's been fantastic for us and we've been so lucky to be involved with him,” said Hanly's son, Jack. “We've been on the bandwagon for a long time now; I don't think we sent him a mare in his first season but every year after that we have. That's really down to Anthony Stroud, he knew from the start how good he was and he kind of bullied us into following him!”

He added, “This filly had a lot of vets, there was a lot of chat about her and a lot of interest. She was an absolute queen down at the box and she was foot perfect here in the ring. We were expecting a good result but this is huge.”

The Night Of Thunder filly is out of Princesse de Saba (Dariyan), who placed in Group 3 company when in training in France. She was sourced by Stroud for €87,000 (AU$155,64) at Arqana in 2021, and has already proved to be a solid producer for connections, given her Mehmas colt made 270,000gns (AU$583,600) at this sale last year.

“The mare has done us proud,” Jack continued. “The half-brother we sold last year was a really good first foal and he's gone down to Australia. She's a nice, attractive mare and I think you have to buy them on the physical as well as the pedigree, and hopefully they'll pass that onto their stock. We loved her from the very beginning.”

That sale contributed towards what has been a memorable two weeks or so for Ballyhimikin, with the farm selling seven yearlings at Book 1 for 3,605,000gns and a further eight yearlings at Book 2 for a combined sum of 1,975,000gns.

“We've had a great crop of yearlings this year and people seem to like them, so hopefully they'll carry on and do well on the track now,” Jack said. “That's the most important thing.”

Asked whether the Hanlys would be making their way towards Ascot to support one of Night Of Thunder's leading performers on Saturday, Hanly concluded, “We can't miss it. It's the race of the year. It'll be some shootout.”

Thought for the day

There has been a lot of money spent at the yearling sales this autumn, but that money has been concentrated between a very thin list of buyers at the top end. Book 2 followed a familiar theme with either Alex Elliott, Amo Racing or Anthony Stroud responsible for 13,327,000gns (AU$28.8 million) of the total 69,657,500gns (AU$150.6 million) spent at Book 2.

The dam of this classy looking Exceedance filly is Havasu (NZ), a daughter of Sacred Falls (NZ). She was an unraced on the track, but her first foal Revengeance (Hellbent), added a major pedigree update to the family when he ran a slashing third in the G3 Breeders' Plate at Randwick.

Gallery: Exceedance x Havasu (NZ) filly, images courtesy of Davali Thoroughbreds

The story behind Havasu

Havasu is a mare that Davali Thoroughbreds picked up for $26,000 at the 2022 Inglis Great Southern Broodmare Sale. Originally, the Davali team thought she was an ideal mare to trade after putting her in foal to Hellbent.

That’s exactly what they tried to do, but the plan didn’t pan out as hoped. She didn’t get near the $85,000 reserve that had been set, which may have ended up being a blessing in disguise. The resultant foal was a Hellbent colt that sold for $100,000 to Darby Racing at this year’s Inglis Classic Yearling Sale. The team now have a mare that has an Exceedance yearling filly and another lovely Exceedance filly at foot.

“We bought her (Havasu) off the track at the Great Southern Sale,” Hush said.

“Originally we thought she could be a good trade mare. We put her in foal to Hellbent, but we couldn’t get a bid, so that was fine, we kept her, and that looks a good call now.

“She ended up having a Hellbent colt, and he was always a nice, neat, tidy workman-like horse, a good solid type of trainers or syndicators horse, and Darby Racing purchased him and sent him to Gai (Gai Waterhouse), which was great.”

Havasu (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}), is a half-sister to Miss Federer (NZ) (Swiss Ace), a five-time winner including the G3 Taranaki 2YO Classic, Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes, Listed Welcome Stakes and Listed Otago Breeders’ Stakes. She is also a half-sister to Starlight Angel (NZ) (Swiss Ace), a three-time winner and Listed placegetter.

Havasu is out of Halobelle (NZ) (My Halo {Arg}), an eight-time winner who took out both the Listed Eclipse Stakes and the Listed Gore Guineas.

Sponsored gallery

First Foals by Hawaii Five Oh

1/6

A current pedigree update and a family on the up

Any pedigree update is always welcome, especially when it’s a significant one. When Revengeance (Hellbent) picked up a placing in the G3 Breeders’ Plate, it added early 2-year-old form to the page - something Australian breeders always value.

With Havasu’s dam being a 2-year-old winner, and her half-sister Miss Federer being a three-time juvenile winner, including at Listed and Group 3 level, there is already plenty of speed in the family.

Revengeance is only Havasu’s first foal, so she’s off to a great start, and she has since left two Exceedance fillies.

“We have a lovely Exceedance yearling out of her, she was a really nice foal, good quality head, good hindquarter, and had a bit of a presence about her, therefore we sent the mare back again.

“Again we have got a nice neat foal that will make into a nice yearling, good size tidy type, good substance, and good power behind her, and she will develop into a nice yearling when the time comes.”

“The aim will be to head to a yearling sale in 2027 with her for sure.”

“The pedigree update is a real bonus, especially for a young mare, and hopefully if the colt (Revengeance) can go on with it, more updates may follow.”

Where does Havasu head next?

There’s been a late change of plans regarding Havasu’s next cover, and it makes perfect sense. She’s heading back to Yarraman Park’s Hellbent with the aim of producing a full relation to Revengeance.

“We have supported Hellbent every year pretty much, and we actually bred a Hellbent filly named My Bella Vista that won on debut at Goulburn a week or so ago,” Hush said.

“So we really like the stallion, and it makes sense to send the mare back to Hellbent, she wasn’t originally going there, but she is now. Revengeance is Group placed and very promising, so going for a full sibling seems a no-brainer.”

“We won't be looking to trade the mare now that is for sure.”

Cover image supplied

1. Best value stallion in the country?

Hellbent - always loved the sire line and had good success with Vinnie. Can get you a top class colt or filly, currently has the classy Savvy Hallie. Will only get better and better over the next few years.

2. Most exciting new stallion for 2025?

Wouldn’t say there is a new stallion that I’m jumping out of my seat to breed to, and from a yearling buyer perspective I would be waiting to see who will be crowned Champion first season sire before I jump on.

3. Breeding more, less, or the same as last year?

Breeding more and higher quality mares.

4. Best breeder in the country?

Gilgai Farm, Rick Jamieson.

5. Best judge of a weanling/yearling?

Myself… without a doubt!.

6. Best pound-for-pound trainer?

Chris Waller. Systems are everything, most enjoyable experience I’ve had with any stable in racing, great team around him, always going above and advising the best for his owners.

7. Most talented young person you’ve come across recently?

Wouldn’t say he is young at all but William Freedman, incredible talent, stable is growing every year and alongside father Richard they will continue to succeed.

Also Mitch Ralph from Arrowfield, incredible horse knowledge in all areas, loves a stat and has a huge passion for Maurice.

8. Redistribute prize money across races, or happy as is?

With our current stocks more than happy to leave as it is, but in a year where it’s not as strong please redistribute.

9. Tariff on imported horses - great idea or misguided protectionism?

Not a great idea at all, however it isn’t in our control, will undoubtedly affect that market and many people's business.

10. Your best mate in the business?

Too many people to just choose one, Glen Barker and Benny Vassallo are family to us.

Peter O’Brien and Brian Clarke from Segenhoe are great mates and invaluable to B2B as a business.

Nick Taylor, Mitchell Ralph, Sean Driver, Will Freedman and Mitch Beer are all some of the funniest people I’ve met.

Gallery: Ricky Surace Jnr's picks for best mates in the business