Cover image courtesy of Inglis
Lot 238 - Zoustar x Nudge (Fastnet Rock), filly - $850,000
Late on Sunday afternoon, it was Chris Waller, Mulcaster Bloodstock, Group 1 Bloodstock (FBAA), and Ozzie Kheir who prevailed in the purchase of Lot 238, a filly by Zoustar, for $850,000 as the first day of the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale began to come to a close. The filly is the second foal from Group 3 winner, Group 1-performed Nudge (Fastnet Rock) who amassed more than $1.2 million in prizemoney on the race track.
Placed in the G1 Tattersall’s Tiara and G1 Vinery Stud Stakes, and fourth in the G1 Australian Oaks, Nudge is a half-sister to G1 Windsor Park Plate winner Julinsky Prince (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}), out of three-time Listed winner Julinsky Princess (NZ) (Stravinsky {USA}).
The filly’s cool, calm, and collected demeanor in the ring was the clincher for Group 1 Bloodstock’s Matthew Becker.
“She has a great attitude, and she has been like that the entire week,” he said. “We saw her very early on and then every day, and she’s not turned a hair. She had a lot of parades, she was a very busy filly. In our eyes, she was the best filly in the whole sale. We are just thrilled to get her.”
"We saw her (Lot 238) very early on and then every day, and she’s not turned a hair." - Matthew Becker
Expecting stiff competition in the ring, Becker had approached Waller to team up for the filly, given she was bred on the same cross as recently retired Waller star Zougotcha (Zoustar).
Lot 238 - Zoustar x Nudge filly | Image courtesy of Inglis
“We identified her and thought that there is no better judge of a Zoustar filly than Guy (Mulcaster) and Chris, so we reached out to them to see if they wanted to do something, and they loved her as much as we did,” Becker said.
“We were thrilled to combine our team with theirs. She will be trained at Rosehill and hopefully she can be the next star Zoustar filly in their stable."
Matthew Becker | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“You never quite know what to expect when you bring a horse to a sale,” said Two Bays’ Ross Ferris. “We like to support our local sale, it gives our horses a little bit extra time to put their best foot forward. This filly has been a gem since she was born. (Manager) Rob (Carlisle) said she was like Bambi when she was first born, she was all legs and she didn’t quite know where to put them, but she has just matured into the most gorgeous filly with a great physique.
“Not just that, she has a great brain to her, and she’s got presence. She is so calm and her disposition is so good, hopefully she can bring that to the racetrack.”
“She (Lot 238) has a great brain to her... She is so calm and her disposition is so good, hopefully she can bring that to the racetrack.” - Ross Ferris
Ferris was particularly awed by the filly’s performance in the ring; “What about how she was in the ring? She’s never been in this ring before and she was walking around there like she had been there every night of the last year. Her ability to handle any situation with composure is amazing.”
Ross Ferris | Image courtesy of Two Bays Farm
Ferris thanked his co-breeders, the Treweeke family, for the opportunity to be part of Nudge’s breeding journey, having bought into her in 2022 for $550,000 via an Inglis Digital sale.
“We are so thankful and thrilled for this result," Ferris said. "This is the highest priced horse we have ever sold. She had over 250 inspections this week.”
Nudge’s first foal, a full sister to this year’s offering now named Wink Wink who also sold by Two Bays Farm, was bought at the same venue last year by Grahame Begg Racing and Rohan Hughes Bloodstock for $300,000. Nudge visited Broadsiding in 2025.
Lot 19 - Ghaiyyath (Ire) x Dom Perion (Redoutes Choice), colt - $520,000
Dean Hawthorne Bloodsock (BAFNZ) and the Lindsay Park team struck early on Sunday morning to secure Lot 19, a son of Ghaiyyath (Ire), for $520,000. Offered by Stonehouse Thoroughbreds, the colt is a half-brother to G1 Victoria Derby winner Extra Brut (Domesday) and is descended directly from blue hen and Listed winner Charlotte Amalie (Fr) (Gay Mecene {USA}) whose stakes-winning offspring are headed up by 20-time winning sprinter Esteemed Friend (USA) (Gulch {USA}).
Dam Dom Perion (Redoutes Choice) was a metropolitan winner herself and has so far had four foals to the track for four winners, including seven-time city winner Fill The Flute (Statue Of Liberty {USA}).
The combination of fellow Ghaiyyath son Observer conquering the G1 Australian Guineas–Victoria Derby double on Saturday and the Derby flavour up close in the pedigree had the Hayes brothers pushing their budget to secure the colt, but Ben Hayes shared that they were happy to go the extra mile.
“We loved him,” he said. “There was a couple more bids than we wanted, but we really liked him. We have got some really nice clients who have come into him.
“There was a couple more bids than we wanted, but we really liked him (Lot 19).” - Ben Hayes
Ben Hayes | Image courtesy of Inglis
Half-brother and $369,825-earner Toronto Terrier (Toronado {Ire}) was a graduate of Inglis Premier himself, and Extra Brut was originally sold via the Inglis Great Southern Sale at the same venue.
“He has just done everything right,” Hayes said. “We have watched him through the whole sale and he’s nice and quiet, his temperament is great. He’s our first buy of the sale, so we are off to a good start.”
“He's been a ripper colt,” said Ryan Arnel of Stonehouse. "We were just speaking about how the whole family has been great for us. We have sold two brothers who made great money, and now the Ghaiyyath (has too).
Ryan Arnel | Image courtesy of Inglis
"For us, this horse was something else. He’s a true Derby style of colt, by the right stallion at the right time, and I think he will have every chance."
Lot 125 - Toronado (Ire) x Inishmore (More Than Ready {USA}), colt - $410,000
X Bloodstock snuck in a last minute additional $10,000 bid to secure Lot 125 by Toronado (Ire) from the draft of Mill Park Stud. The colt is a half to three metropolitan winners, capped by Listed Port Adelaide Guineas victor Harleymoven (Foxwedge) and eight-time winner Lady Dunmore (Wandjina), who ran fourth in the Listed Railway Stakes at Oakbank.
The price secured on Sunday exceeds the $360,000 paid by Lees Racing at last year's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for the colt's 2-year-old half-sister Bristow Days (Street Boss {USA}).
“We're absolutely thrilled,” said Mill Park's Chris Watson. “He was a colt who was really well sought after from day one, so we are ecstatic. He had everybody we could possibly imagine on him, and to have Ricky Yiu as the underbidder and for him to sell to X Bloodstock, we're thrilled.”
“He (Lot 125) was a colt who was really well sought after from day one, so we are ecstatic. He had everybody we could possibly imagine on him.” - Chris Watson
Watson commented that he felt the inspections were up even on last year, and commended Inglis for the strong buying bench at the sale.
“He was solid the whole way through,” he said of the colt's attitude to inspections. “He had one of the highest number of inspections we have had on a horse here in Melbourne, so really thrilled.”
Dam Inishmore (More Than Ready {USA}) is a half-sister to 12-time winner and G2 QTC Cup victor Catapulted (Catbird) from a speedy Western Australian family that has also produced Jukebox and Bruckner. Inishmore was covered by Cylinder in 2025.
X Bloodstock bought two lots on the first day of the Inglis Premier sale, and they set a new top price record for second season sire Doubtland when purchasing Lot 87 for $320,000.
Lot 256 - Extreme Choice x Pecans (Skilled), filly - $380,000
John O’Shea and Tom Charlton secured three lots on the first day of the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, crowned by an Extreme Choice filly out of dual Group 3 winner winner Pecans (Skilled). Lot 256, bought in partnership with James Bester Bloodstock, is a half to two winners and is a granddaughter of Listed KPMG Stakes winner Walnut (Procol Harum {NZ}).
Walnut has also produced Listed Merson Cooper Stakes winner Secession (Lonhro) and his multiple Group-placed full brother Power Purdey, who is a six-time winner between Australia and Macau.
“She is a great example of her sire,” said Charlton. “She has a bit of growing still to do, but she has a good action and plenty of strength, and when she does furnish in the next few months, she will look the goods.
“She (Lot 256) is a great example of her sire... She has a bit of growing still to do, but she has a good action and plenty of strength.” - Tom Charlton
“(Horses of this breeding) are hard to buy. Everyone is looking to buy them, so lucky we had a group who were keen for this type of filly. We were near the end of our limit there, but I am sure everyone will be happy.”
Tom Charlton | Image courtesy of Australian Turf Club
Charlton acknowledged the strength of vendor Newgate Farm’s draft, and appreciated that they brought this filly down to Inglis Premier.
“We thought this was the best one they had,” he said.
Lot 139 - Toronado (Ire) x Justice Glory (Fastnet Rock), colt - $375,000
Bell River Thoroughbreds hit a high note in the early afternoon on Sunday when selling a Toronado colt for $375,000 to the Hong Kong-based Lucky Owners Pty Ltd. Bred by Stonehouse Thoroughbreds, Lot 139 is the fifth foal from Justice Glory (Fastnet Rock), a city-winning sister to Western Australian star Tuscan Queen, whose multiples stakes wins include the G2 Western Australian Derby and the G3 Western Australian Oaks.
Third dam Wanaka (NZ) (Green Perfume {USA}) was a half-sister to Singapore Horse Of The Year Zirna (NZ) (Deputy Governor {USA}), herself the second dam of last start G2 Zipping Classic winner She’s A Hustler (NZ) (Ace High).
“It’s a beautiful result,” said Bell River’s James Ferguson. “We thought about going to the Classic sale but we just gave him that extra month. We got home from the Gold Coast Yearling Sale and while I was away, he just took off, and then he just kept going the right way.
“He has really peaked down here at this sale, so it’s a combination of looking after the horse well at home and giving him that extra month where he really thrived. As we all know, timing is everything in this industry, whether it’s a pedigree update or a stallion that has had a big result on the track.
“He (Lot 139) has really peaked down here at this sale, so it’s a combination of looking after the horse well at home and giving him that extra month where he really thrived.” - James Ferguson
“It was a well thought out plan (for this horse, who is bred by) a new client at the farm, who gave us free range with where we placed him and, at the end of the day, I am glad we have been able to pull it off for him.”
James and Andrew Ferguson | Image courtesy of Inglis
The colt was a pinhook for Stefan Pardi Bloodstock, who purchased him at the Inglis Great Southern Weanling Sale last year for $160,000.
Lot 279 - Frankel (GB) x Quantum Mechanic (Deep Field), filly - $375,000
Mill Park Stud produced another headliner lot late in the sale on Sunday afternoon when selling a British-born daughter of Frankel (GB) to Shane McGrath Bloodstock and Clinton McDonald Racing for $375,000. Lot 279 is the first foal of G2 Sunline Stakes winner Quantum Mechanic (Deep Field), who placed six times at Group level including coming third in the G1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes.
Quantum Mechanic is a half-sister to South African dual Group 2 winner Mount Pleasant (Vancouver) out of Life In A Metro (Fastnet Rock), a half-sister to three stakes winners headlined by the G1 Oaks winners Abbey Marie (Redoute’s Choice) and Absolutely (Redoute’s Choice). The family goes back to include prolific Japanese racehorse and sire Kinshasa No Kiseki (Jpn).
Since returning to Australia with her Frankel filly, Quantum Mechanic has missed twice before being covered by Ole Kirk in September of 2025.
Mill Park Stud end the first day of the sale as leading vendor by average (two or more sold) thanks to their two top lots. They will sell five more across the next two days of selling.
Lot 225 - Home Affairs x Mywayorthehighway (NZ) (Swiss Ace), filly - $360,000
Dominic Sutton and Byron Rogers combined to purchase Lot 225, a filly by Home Affairs, for $360,000 as the first day of Inglis Premier continued apace. The filly is the fourth foal from G3 Vo Rogue Plate victress Mywayorthehighway (NZ) (Swiss Ace), a full sister to the dam of multiple stakes winner Aitch Two Oh (Headwater).
Mywayorthehighway’s first two foals are multiple metropolitan winners, with Navyonthehighwater (Merchant Navy) running fourth placings in the G2 Hot Danish Stakes, the Listed Bright Shadow Stakes, and the Listed Recognition Stakes. This is also the family of Lindermann (Lonhro) and Reset.
“We are big supporters of the stallion,” said Sutton, who has purchased three other Home Affairs yearlings so far this sales season. “He is obviously a leading 2-year-old sire, and he showed that yesterday with a quinella in a stakes race down the straight. Really happy to have picked her up.”
Sutton could see the filly matching her parents’ prowess over the short course, and pointed to her residual value for after racing.
"We had to push a little bit to get her, she was a little bit more than we thought she would be, but for the nice ones, sometimes you have to push it," he added."
"We had to push a little bit to get her... but for the nice ones, sometimes you have to push it." - Dominic Sutton
Vendor Northmore Thoroughbreds last year sold the 2026 G1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Streisand (Magnus), and Sutton commented that it certainly shone a light on the draft they brought to this year’s sale.
“It certainly gives you confidence in what they can produce,” he said. “It shows they can produce horses that perform at the top level.”
Dominic Sutton | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Sutton employed Byron Rogers’ biomechanical models to assist in selecting the filly.
“The data was very strong for her, she was the pick of the sale from our data, so really happy to have picked her up,” he said.
Lot 147 - Harry Angel (Ire) x Kibibi (Exceed And Excel), colt - $360,000
Boomer Bloodstock (FBAA) bidding on behalf of Hong Kong Jockey Club was keen to secure Lot 147, a son of Harry Angel (Ire), for $360,000 when he was offered by Willow Grove Stud on Sunday afternoon. The colt’s dam Kibibi (Exceed And Excel) is a full sister to dual Listed winner Athelric and descends directly from G1 Blue Diamond Stakes victress Danelagh (Danehill {USA}).
Amongst Danelagh’s other descendants are dual Hong Kong Group 1 winner Vengeance Of Rain (Zabeel {NZ}) and G1 Australian Oaks winner Dizelle (Zabeel {NZ}), dam of G1 VRC Oaks winner Pinot (Pierro). The family, which has been cultivated by Godolphin, also features G2 Tulloch Stakes winner Old North (Lonhro) and his stakes-performed brother Bryneich.
Willow Grove's Ralph Satchell was delighted with the result for his colt.
“It's great to bring him here and get such a great result,” he said. “And it is great to see him go to Hong Kong connections. Inspections have been through the roof, there was a lot of good judges on him. He presented well, an easy going sort of horse that adapted very well to the sale scenario.”
“It's great to bring him (Lot 147) here and get such a great result.” - Ralph Satchell
Harry Angel has had three winners this season in Hong Kong, including Spirit Of Peace who has earned HK$3 million (AU$550,000) in his career in the jurisdiction to date.
Ralph Satchell | Image courtesy of Inglis
