Cover image courtesy of Inglis
At A Glance
Clearance for Book 2 improved to 78% from 72% last year and the aggregate increased to $7,154,000, ahead of $6,406,500 in 2025 and $6,330,000 in 2024.
The Book 2 average lifted slightly to $45,567 from $45,436 in 2025, while the median lifted in 2026 to $37,50 from $32,000 in 2025.
The joint top lots for Book 2 was Lot 757, a colt by Extreme Warrior who was sold by Rosemont Stud to Lloyd Kennewell Racing, Group One Bloodstock and SP Bloodstock for $220,000, alongside a Zousain colt that was sold by Blue Gum Farm for the same price to Elysian, Taiwan.
The top buyers across all three days was Lindsay Park Racing and Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock (BAFNZ) as they added one more lot in Book 2 to take their total spend over the three day sale to $2.45 million across ten lots.
The top vendors (across all three days): Gilgai Farm headed the vendors by aggregate, selling all of the 16 yearlings they walked through the ring for $3.9 million. By average (two or more sold), Bell River Thoroughbreds ended the sale on a $271,000 average for five yearlings sold.
The top sire (across all three days) was Toronado (Ire) by gross with $5 million from 31 lots, while Zoustar topped the averages across the whole sale at $362,500 across six lots sold.
There is incredible momentum behind this sale now
Inglis Bloodstock CEO Sebastian Hutch was delighted with how the three days of trade played out.
“There is incredible momentum behind this sale now, with an excellent set of results, particularly in the context of the market, following last year’s market-defying sale,” Hutch said.
“There is incredible momentum behind this sale now, with an excellent set of results, particularly in the context of the market.” - Sebastian Hutch
“While it’s always satisfying to see the financial benchmarks improve year on year, what stood out to me as much as anything was the amount of people on the grounds not just on sale days but inspection days as well, the buying bench really got behind the sale again this year.
“We’re hugely grateful as always to the breeders and vendors who have supported the sale and I’m very proud of the effort the team at Inglis put into the sale.
“We are motivated to have as many people as possible go home from each and every one of our sales as happy as possible and it feels like there are plenty of happy sellers and buyers heading home from this sale.
Sebastian Hutch | Image courtesy of Inglis
Hutch noted the diversity at the top of the market, and the spread of the buyers.
“The diversity at the top of the market was great – the top 12 lots were all by different stallions, off service fees from as little as $16,500 so it goes to show there really is something for everybody at Inglis Premier.
“To have Premier as the Southern Hemisphere’s best performing yearling sale to this point of the season for the second consecutive year is a great thrill.’’
“To have Premier as the Southern Hemisphere’s best performing yearling sale... for the second consecutive year is a great thrill.’’ - Sebastian Hutch
Extreme Warrior makes an impact with joint top-seller
Rosemont Stud’s Extreme Warrior made a strong impression across Book 2, on the back of his promising start at stud.
His early runners include Eternal Warrior, winner of the Listed Merson Cooper Stakes, third in the G3 Blue Diamond Prelude (c&g), and an unlucky runner in the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes, and now bound for the G1 Golden Slipper for trainer Lloyd Kennewell. Blandford Baron has also been a metropolitan winner this season.
Extreme Warrior | Standing at Rosemont Stud
The stallion had one lot in Book 1 - a half-brother to Group 3 winner Sneaky Five (Fastnet Rock) and Listed winner Beautiful Mind (So You Think {NZ}) - which sold for $180,000 to MG Price Racing & Breeding Pty Ltd from the Rosemont draft.
In Book 2, he sold four yearlings for an aggregate of $535,000 at an average of $133,750.
The highlight was Lot 757, the joint top-seller of Book 2 - a colt out of Who’s Zooming Who (Sepoy) from the family of dual Group 1 winner and stallion King Of Kings (Ire), which realised $220,000 to the bid of Lloyd Kennewell Racing, Group One Bloodstock and SP Bloodstock.
“The sale's obviously been strong, This horse was probably within the top 5% of the whole catalogue for us. He was not a book 2 horse, and you just had to take that out of your head," co-purchaser Lloyd Kennewell commented.
“We go by physique and we like fast two-year olds obviously, he had a lot of admirers around the complex for a few days, he had that wonderful action that you'd love to see, I come out with Matt Becker who does all my work and as soon as we seen him, we walked away and we're like, thats the best colt we've seen.
“The sale's obviously been strong, This horse (Lot 757) was probably within the top 5% of the whole catalogue for us.” - Lloyd Kennewell
“So we're really keen to come back and get him on the final day. We are really happy to have a good team of horses in the yard. I like fast 2 year olds and he looked at that. So it's worked out well.”
When asked to compare him to Eternal Warrior, Kennewell said:
“Honestly, this one has a better physique, I think he's stronger, and a better type. Eternal Warrior was a lovely colt when we got him in Adelaide but he’s obviously got a really big page. So that was the difference.
Lloyd Kennewell | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“But we were happy to go back to the stallion and we are really excited by this colt.”
Another strong result came with Lot 614 - a colt from the family of Revolutionary Miss (Snitzel) - which sold to O'Shea-Charlton Racing and James Bester Bloodstock for $160,000.
Rosemont Stud principal Anthony Mithen was delighted with the market’s response to their young stallion.
“It's nice when you get validation from the buying bench that we are producing the right horses with the right stallion.
“I think they've all sold exceeding our expectations, and I get reminded all the time that breeders have far greater expectations of their horses, but it's nice when the market's even higher.
“It's nice when you get validation from the buying bench that we are producing the right horses with the right stallion.” - Anthony Mithen
“So he seems to be on the right trajectory. It'll be our job to improve again in 2026 on his fertility rate. He improved every year since his first, so hopefully, with maturity, we're able to get him to sort of normal statistics in 2026. So we look forward to the future with him, and hopefully, they run as fast as they look.”
| 757 | Colt | Extreme Warrior | Who's Zooming Who | Lloyd Kennewell Racing / Group One Bloodstock / SP Bloodstock | Rosemont Stud, Gnarwarre | $220,000 |
| 794 | Colt | Zousain | Cavalry Rose | Elysian | Blue Gum Farm, Euroa | $220,000 |
| 614 | Colt | Extreme Warrior | Grammys | O'Shea-Charlton Racing / James Bester Bloodstock | Rosemont Stud, Gnarwarre | $160,000 |
| 646 | Colt | Dirty Work | Lavender Mist | Top Pick Bloodstock / Mr Pang Chi Ping | Blue Gum Farm, Euroa | $160,000 |
| 586 | Filly | So You Think (NZ) | Deer Mountain | Cape Schanck Stud | Fernrigg Farm, Denman, NSW | $150,000 |
| 747 | Colt | Zousain | Undoubtedly So | Prima Park / Bevan Smith Bloodstock | Rosemont Stud, Gnarwarre | $150,000 |
| 795 | Filly | Brazen Beau | Ceilidh | Vardy Thoroughbreds / Griffiths Racing | Bell River Thoroughbreds, Glen William, NSW | $150,000 |
| 782 | Colt | Kermadec (NZ) | Bon Vacance | Ozbloodstock Co Ltd | Franklin Farm, Euroa | $130,000 |
| 809 | Filly | Alabama Express | Stargazing (NZ) | Henry Dwyer Racing Pty Ltd | Twin Hills Stud, Cootamundra, NSW | $130,000 |
| 635 | Colt | Zousain | Jewelled Princess | Synergy Racing | Yarran Thoroughbreds, Seymour | $120,000 |
| 655 | Filly | Hanseatic | Manhattan Sky | Lindsay Park Racing / Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock (BAFNZ) | Rosemont Stud, Gnarwarre | $120,000 |
| 807 | Filly | St Mark's Basilica (FR) | Irresistable Girl | Eales Racing / Lindsay Park | Newgate Farm, Aberdeen, NSW | $120,000 |
Table: Top lots from Day 3 of the 2026 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale
Stapleton pinhooks successfully
Lot 646 proved a successful pinhook for Ed Stapleton Bloodstock and his partners, with the colt by Dirty Work out of the Exceed And Excel mare Lavender Mist selling to Top Pick Bloodstock for $160,000 - the day’s joint-second highest result alongside an Extreme Choice colt and behind the Extreme Warrior and Zousain colts that joint-topped Book 2 at $220,000.
The colt had originally been purchased for $70,000 from the Crossley Thoroughbreds draft at the 2025 Inglis Great Southern Sale. To see that figure rise by $90,000 when resold through the Blue Gum Farm draft represents a significant return in what remains a challenging market for pinhookers.
Lot 646 - Dirty Work x Lavender Mist colt | Image courtesy of Inglis
“We paid $70,000 for him at the Great Sourthern Sale, alongside my partners, he was quite expensive for the stallion at the time but I was more than happy to take a stand on the stallion and support him,” Stapleton said.
“We bought him on type, the stallion leaves great types, and we had a bit of a long game thinking with him. He is a stallion that has numbers and the timing has worked well, having winners in Australia, New Zealand and an impressive winner in Hong Kong in recent weeks.
“An amazing result really, it’s great for Blue Gum Farm who have done a fantastic job and also had the joint top lot, it’s great for Widden Stud, and it's great for my business Ed Stapleton Bloodstock alongside my partners.”
Ed Stapleton | Image courtesy of Inglis
“He has been popular through the parades, Inglis have done a great job getting the buyers in and we were confident heading in , but you never know, going to Hong Kong makes sense I think. I like taking a bit of a play on stallions, and it has worked this time. He can leave a type.”
“I like taking a bit of a play on stallions, and it has worked this time. He (Lot 646) can leave a type.” - Ed Stapleton
Fernrigg start Book 2 strongly with $150,000 result
It didn’t take long for proceedings to warm up on Tuesday morning at Oaklands as Book 2 got underway, with Tony Ottobre’s Cape Schanck Stud making a winning $150,000 bid for Lot 586 - a So You Think (NZ) filly out of the four-time winning Street Cry (Ire) mare Deer Mountain, offered by Fernrigg Farm.
The result capped off what has been a solid sale for the Hunter Valley operation, which achieved a 100% clearance rate. Across seven yearlings sold, Fernrigg posted an aggregate of $660,000 at an average of $94,286.
“That was a fantastic result for the So You Think filly. Rae-Louise skipped home there last night with the two girls and left me with all the pressure today, but so far so good. That was a fantastic result.
She was a beautiful filly, she was a standout there all week and I'm delighted with that result, that was brilliant.” Fernrigg Farm’s Padraig Kelly commented.
He was also pleased with the depth of buying activity throughout the week.
“Inspections throughout the week have been really good. There's plenty of foot traffic, as the week went through It got a little bit wetter there which tamed it down a bit in Melbourne, yeah, but no, we're very pleased. The horses presented fantastic. The guys on the farm did a great job prepping them, presenting them, and I think the results are showing. It's great.”
Padraig Kelly | Image courtesy of Padraig Kelly
Attention now turns to the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, where Fernrigg will present a smaller draft.
“We actually only have two for Easter this year, so it should be a little bit easier than other years, but we're excited to be down there with a nice filly and a nice colt that are well related. So excited for that.”
“We actually only have two for Easter this year, so it should be a little bit easier than other years, but we're excited to be down there with a nice filly and a nice colt.” - Padraig Kelly
The filly referred to is a Pinatubo (Ire) out of The Muses (Lonhro), an unraced mare who is a half-sister to star filly Tempted (Street Boss {USA}) and four-time stakes winner Kallos (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}). The colt is by Anamoe and is the second foal out of New Zealand Group 1 winner Travelling Light (NZ) (El Roca).
Franklin Farm get a dream result
Christine Charles of Franklin Farm enjoyed a lucrative result and a special moment when Lot 644 - a Nicconi filly out of her mare La Richesse (Danerich) - sold for $110,000 to Gerard Moloney.
The result marked a remarkable return on investment, considering La Richesse was purchased for just $2,000 as a broodmare prospect at the 2023 Inglis Great Southern Sale.
A five-time winner up to 1500 metres, La Richesse earned more than $160,000 in prize money on the track and is now making an immediate impression in the sales ring.
The pedigree features New Zealand star Well Written (Written Tycoon) who is a leading chance in the NZ$4 million NZB The Kiwi this weekend at Ellerslie, along with Group 3-winning sprinter Valentine Miss (Danetime {Ire}) and Listed Dunedin Gold Cup winner Sureasyouwereborn (NZ) (Lucky Unicorn).
Reflecting on how she secured the mare, Charles explained:
“Well, firstly, I folded her down. She was one of my favourite yearlings, and, when the opportunity came to buy her, I rang Brett, of Inglis and asked him to bid on this mare for me, please.
“She was one of my favourite yearlings, and, when the opportunity came to buy her, I rang Brett, of Inglis and asked him to bid on this mare for me, please.” - Christine Charles
“We got her and sent her to Nicconi and this is her first foal.
“She only cost me “$2,000, and she's got a full brother to this one at home now and Well Written has come out to be a great race filly in New Zealand and helped the page.”
Despite the ultimate success, Charles admitted she had been anxious heading into the ring.
“I've been very worried, to be honest because we were in Book 2 and late in the sale. So, I was pretty worried. But both the horses have been really popular, but I just wasn't sure if people would stick around on enough. But they have.
“That was a fantastic result and I am very happy with the price and even more so that it goes to a very good trainer and someone who I have known for a long time.”
“That was a fantastic result and I am very happy with the price and even more so that it goes to a very good trainer” - Christine Charles
In fact this was not the first time that Charles had received a big result at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, back in 2020 she received $100,000 for a Holler colt out of Bon Vacance (Good Journey {USA}), a mare she only paid $1000 for.
Purchaser Gerard Moloney was equally complimentary of the filly’s qualities.
“She was just a nice straight forward filly, a good walker, good temperament and she's got a good page.”
Buyers by gross
| Lindsay Park Racing / Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock (BAFNZ) | 10 | $2,450,000 | $245,000 |
| X Bloodstock | 4 | $1,820,000 | $455,000 |
| Shane McGrath Bloodstock / Clinton McDonald Racing | 8 | $1,625,000 | $203,125 |
| Ciaron Maher Bloodstock | 12 | $1,615,000 | $134,583 |
| MG Price Racing & Breeding Pty Ltd | 6 | $1,410,000 | $235,000 |
| Vahala Racing / SM & KB Bloodstock | 6 | $1,020,000 | $170,000 |
| Liam Howley Racing Pty Ltd | 6 | $1,020,000 | $170,000 |
| Busuttin Racing Pty Ltd | 7 | $1,010,000 | $144,286 |
| R Yiu | 7 | $1,000,000 | $142,857 |
| Bjorn Baker Racing / Clarke Bloodstock (FBAA) | 4 | $990,000 | $247,500 |
Buyers by average (2 or more bought)
| X Bloodstock | 4 | $1,820,000 | $455,000 |
| Gelagotis Racing / James Bester Bloodstock | 2 | $650,000 | $325,000 |
| Archibald Racing / William Johnson Bloodstock (FBAA) | 2 | $600,000 | $300,000 |
| Hong Kong Jockey Club | 2 | $600,000 | $300,000 |
| Bennett Racing | 2 | $500,000 | $250,000 |
| Bjorn Baker Racing / Clarke Bloodstock (FBAA) | 4 | $990,000 | $247,500 |
| Lindsay Park Racing / Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock (BAFNZ) | 10 | $2,450,000 | $245,000 |
| O'Shea-Charlton Racing / James Bester Bloodstock | 3 | $720,000 | $240,000 |
| MG Price Racing & Breeding Pty Ltd | 6 | $1,410,000 | $235,000 |
| Mulberry Racing | 4 | $930,000 | $232,500 |
Vendors by gross
| Gilgai Farm | 19 | 3 | 16 | $3,935,000 | $245,938 |
| Yulong | 87 | 14 | 40 | $3,825,000 | $95,625 |
| Widden Stud | 50 | 5 | 37 | $3,329,000 | $89,973 |
| Blue Gum Farm | 35 | 2 | 29 | $3,314,000 | $114,276 |
| Rosemont Stud | 34 | 6 | 25 | $2,941,000 | $117,640 |
| Two Bays Farm | 16 | 1 | 15 | $2,615,000 | $174,333 |
| Yarraman Park Stud | 13 | 1 | 12 | $2,570,000 | $214,167 |
| Newgate Farm | 20 | 2 | 15 | $2,440,000 | $162,667 |
| Segenhoe Stud | 14 | 13 | $2,052,000 | $157,846 | |
| Newhaven Park | 18 | 1 | 17 | $2,030,000 | $119,412 |
Vendors by average (2 or more sold)
| Bell River Thoroughbreds, Glen William, NSW | 6 | 1 | 5 | $1,355,000 | $271,000 |
| Gilgai Farm, Nagambie | 19 | 3 | 16 | $3,935,000 | $245,938 |
| Mill Park Stud, Meningie, SA | 8 | 1 | 6 | $1,375,000 | $229,167 |
| Cannon Hayes Stud, Scone, NSW | 4 | 4 | $860,000 | $215,000 | |
| Yarraman Park Stud, Scone, NSW | 13 | 1 | 12 | $2,570,000 | $214,167 |
| Milburn Creek, Wildes Meadow, NSW | 12 | 10 | $1,850,000 | $185,000 | |
| Grenville Stud, Whitemore, Tas | 5 | 1 | 4 | $720,000 | $180,000 |
| The Chase, Sutton Forest, NSW | 10 | 2 | 7 | $1,240,000 | $177,143 |
| Two Bays Farm, Flinders | 16 | 1 | 15 | $2,615,000 | $174,333 |
| Newgate Farm, Aberdeen, NSW | 20 | 2 | 15 | $2,440,000 | $162,667 |
Sires by gross
| Toronado (IRE) | 38 | 1 | 31 | $5,035,000 | $162,419 |
| Ghaiyyath (IRE) | 18 | 1 | 16 | $2,845,000 | $177,813 |
| Extreme Choice | 9 | 1 | 8 | $2,530,000 | $316,250 |
| Home Affairs | 16 | 2 | 12 | $2,370,000 | $197,500 |
| Alabama Express | 31 | 4 | 18 | $2,315,000 | $128,611 |
| Zoustar | 10 | 2 | 6 | $2,175,000 | $362,500 |
| Too Darn Hot (GB) | 10 | 1 | 9 | $2,120,000 | $235,556 |
| Shamus Award | 24 | 20 | $1,980,000 | $99,000 | |
| Anamoe | 11 | 8 | $1,910,000 | $238,750 | |
| Dundeel (NZ) | 17 | 1 | 11 | $1,735,000 | $157,727 |
Sires by average (2 or more sold)
| Zoustar | 10 | 2 | 6 | $2,175,000 | $362,500 |
| I Am Invincible | 7 | 3 | 3 | $955,000 | $318,333 |
| Extreme Choice | 9 | 1 | 8 | $2,530,000 | $316,250 |
| Frankel (GB) | 3 | 3 | $820,000 | $273,333 | |
| Anamoe | 11 | 8 | $1,910,000 | $238,750 | |
| Too Darn Hot (GB) | 10 | 1 | 9 | $2,120,000 | $235,556 |
| Street Boss (USA) | 7 | 1 | 6 | $1,240,000 | $206,667 |
| Home Affairs | 16 | 2 | 12 | $2,370,000 | $197,500 |
| Kermadec (NZ) | 9 | 1 | 5 | $980,000 | $196,000 |
| Harry Angel (IRE) | 11 | 1 | 9 | $1,602,000 | $178,000 |
