Riverstone Lodge’s 2026 Classic draft packs a powerful punch

In their first ever Inglis Classic Yearling Sale draft, Riverstone Lodge sold Savvy Hallie (Hellbent), twice placed at Group level as a juvenile before winning the G2 Silver Shadow Stakes in the spring. In their second, they sold Blandford Baron (Extreme Warrior), electric pre-Christmas metropolitan winner who went on to run in the R. Listed Inglis 2YO Banner.

What gems will you discover in their 2026 draft? Dive into the pages of five yearlings Riverstone Lodge will be selling in this year’s Classic sale, and find yourself a genuine racehorse in the making.

Lot 134 - Stronger x Lepreezy (Better Than Ready), colt

From the first crop of G1 Hong Kong Centenary Cup Sprint winner and $3 million earner Stronger comes the first foal of nine-time winner Lepreezy (Better Than Ready), who recorded three of her victories as a juvenile, including a pre-Christmas win at her second start. A granddaughter of Listed-winning, multiple Group 1-placed The Big Chill (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}), Lepreezy was a city performer and raced every season until she was six.

Stronger hails from the highly successful Not A Single Doubt sireline that has notably produced Extreme Choice, himself now a sire of sires, and Farnan. This colt is bred on the same Not A Single Doubt/More Than Ready (USA) cross as Group 1 winners Knight’s Choice (Extreme Choice) and Miracles Of Life (Not A Single Doubt), as well as current leading first season sire Tiger Of Malay - a cross which has an exceptional hit rate of 13.6% stakes winners to runners.

Specifically sons of Not A Single Doubt over Better Than Ready mares have produced this season’s exciting R. Listed Magic Millions Wyong 2YO Classic winner Paradoxium (Extreme Choice), and 69% winners to runners.

Lot 189 - Hellbent x Miramare (NZ) (O’Reilly (NZ)), colt

With a page littered with high calibre horses, this colt is out of a full sister to sire Shamexpress (NZ), whose name has been up in lights thanks to the exploits of his World Champion Sprinter son Ka Ying Rising (NZ). This is also the immediate family of Group 3-winning, Group 1-performed O’Reilly Rose (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}), who is out of a half-sister to G1 Caulfield Cup victor Affinity (NZ) (Zamazaan {Fr}) as well as the granddam of this season’s G1 Caulfield Guineas winner Autumn Boy (The Autumn Sun).

Hellbent’s fillies have always been strong - Riverstone Lodge were the vendors of G2 Silver Shadow Stakes winner Savvy Hallie at this venue two years ago - but his colts have started to heat up, including the spring’s $1 million Golden Gift victor Revengeance and G3 BJ McLachlan Stakes winner Zip Lock. I Am Invincible and sons over O’Reilly (NZ) line mares are responsible for 11.9% stakes winners to runners from limited opportunities, including recent G2 Eclipse Stakes winner Kinnaird (Home Affairs) and young sire North Pacific.

Lot 232 - Brave Smash (Jpn) x Nags To Riches (Written Tycoon), filly

This regal filly is the second foal from metropolitan winner and Listed Denise’s Joy Stakes placegetter Nags To Riches (Written Tycoon), who was a debut winner at Hawkesbury as a juvenile. This family tracks back to the great Best In Show (USA) (Traffic Judge {USA}) through her daughter Monroe (USA) (Sir Ivor {USA}), dam of G1 Dewhurst Stakes-winning sire Xaar (GB). The damline is very closely linked to Try My Best (USA), himself the sire of Written Tycoon’s damsire Last Tycoon (Ire).

Already the sire of Group 1 victress Kimochi, Brave Smash (Jpn) has been warmly welcomed by the Hunter Valley and his crop of yearlings selling in 2026 are the first to be conceived since his move to Yarraman Park Stud. This filly is a wonderful outcross with no Danehill (USA) blood on her page, extending her value beyond the racetrack, and is bred on an outcross of Sunday Silence (USA)/Written Tycoon, which is responsible for multiple stakes winner Skyhook (Written Tycoon).

Lot 534 - Portland Sky x Tumbler (Time Thief), colt

This is another colt to come from a strong, sound running family, being the second foal of eight-time winner and Group-performed Time Thief mare Tumbler, who at one stage strung five wins together in succession up to metropolitan level. Tumbler is a half-sister to multiple Group performer and six-time winner Nieta (Nicconi), whose first foal to the track Nipotino (Snitzel) was a Canterbury winner as a juvenile and beat subsequent multiple stakes winner Fashion Legend (Deep Field) in a Kembla Grange race the following August.

Deep Field over mares from the Redoute’s Choice sireline has produced the likes of South African Group 1 winner Al Muthana (Deep Field) and G2 Karrakatta Plate winner Dig Deep (Deep Field), with a strike rate of 15.5% stakes horses to runners. Deep Field is a beloved sire in Hong Kong, and this colt’s family has already struck success in the jurisdiction with Robot Knight (Deep Field) and Lucky Maryknoll (Nicconi).

Lot 599 - Written Tycoon x Zero To Hundred (So You Think {NZ}), colt

This colt’s juvenile winning dam Zero To Hundred (So You Think {NZ}) was a metropolitan winner on debut before running from the tail of the field to be second by a head in the Listed Tattersall’s Club Stakes at only her second start. That is far from the only speed and power on the page, with third dam Celebria (Peintre Celebre {USA}) producing the likes of G1 Railway Stakes winner Gathering (Tale Of The Cat {USA}) and G3 Gold Coast Guineas victress Florentina (Redoute’s Choice).

From the same mare has also sprung the likes of G1 Queensland Oaks winner You Wahng (So You Think {NZ}) and her full sister Listed Princess Stakes winner Street Gossip. So You Think (NZ) has made an excellent start to his broodmare sire career, with his daughters producing 21 stakes horses to date and over 150 winners, including the likes of G1 Golden Slipper Stakes winner Fireburn (Rebel Dane) and this season’s G3 Vo Rogue Plate winner Ninja (Farnan).