Image courtesy of Inglis
A dedicated Inglis Digital Australian Broodmare Sale Session will be added to both the Inglis Digital April (Late) and May (Early) Sales, with the traditional Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale being removed from the physical sale calendar.
“The traditional Australian Broodmare Sale has been discontinued, but this new structure is even more user friendly and cost effective for buyers and sellers,” Inglis Digital’s Nick Melmeth said.
The end of an era
With the lift in the digital platform at Inglis, making selling broodmares simplified, perhaps this decision has become inevitable. The sale wasn’t held in 2020 because of COVID, and prior to that was part of a joint weanling and broodmare sale.
The gross at the Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale has fallen from $11 million in 2021 to $3.6 million in 2025, and the number of lots on offer in 2025 fell to a low of 106 with only 83 walking through the ring.
Inglis has responded to this clear message from vendors and moved the sale online.
| Aggregate | $3,657,000 | $7,944,000 | $8,047,000 | $8,668,000 | $11,294,600 |
| Average | $67,722 | $59,729 | $74,509 | $64,687 | $62,748 |
| Median | $48,000 | $45,000 | $55,000 | $45,000 | $44,500 |
| Catalogued | 106 | 219 | 170 | 198 | 248 |
| Sold | 54 | 133 | 108 | 134 | 180 |
| Clearance | 65% | 70% | 76% | 79% | 80% |
Table: Metrics for the Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale over the past five years
New sale, new timing
The Inglis Digital platform allows Inglis to host the Australian broodmare sale with different closing dates to the usual fortnightly digital sale. Both the April and May sales will close on Wednesday as usual, with the specialised race fillies and broodmare sections closing the following day on the Thursday.
“Our new platform allows us to close out Digital sales over an extended period, so, subject to the volume of entries, we will sell race fillies and broodmares in these two sales on the Thursday and close out the balance of the other stock as normal on the Wednesday,” Melmeth said.
“Our new platform allows us to close out Digital sales over an extended period... we will sell race fillies and broodmares in these two sales on the Thursday and close out the balance of the other stock as normal on the Wednesday.” - Nick Melmeth
“It is effectively the same structure but gives people an extra 24 hours to work on the breeding stock, allowing for additional time for inspections, evaluations and vetting.
“The idea has already been met enthusiastically from vendors, a number of whom will be looking to consolidate stock in one or both of these sales, with a view to facilitating inspections from interested parties.”
Godolphin have already committed to a draft of 45 race mares and broodmares for the May edition of the newly announced sale.
Nick Melmeth | Image courtesy of Inglis
New bidding schedule
Entries for the April Digital Sale will close Wednesday April 22, and bidding opens on Friday April 24. The final countdown of bidding closes from 10am Wednesday April 29 for racehorses (colts & geldings), shares, unbroken stock, yearlings and other. The final countdown of bidding closes from 10am Thursday April 30 for the Australian Broodmare Sale Session for race fillies and broodmares.
A similar timing will occur for the May sale, with bidding closing on Wednesday May 13 for racehorses (colts & geldings), shares, unbroken stock, yearlings and other, and on Thursday May 14 for the Australian Broodmare Sale Session for race fillies and broodmares.
Weanling sale remains a physical sale
Inglis will continue to hold the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale as a physical sale, and this will be conducted on Tuesday May 5 and Wednesday May 6 at their Riverside complex, with the Inglis Chairman’s Sale to be on Thursday May 7.
“This change is in response to feedback from both vendors and buyers,” said Melmeth.
Too Darn Lizzie | Image courteys of The Image Is Everything
The 2025 Inglis Australian Weanling Sale saw 365 weanlings sell for a gross of $19.3 million and an average of $52,905. The top lot in 2025 was a Too Darn Hot (GB) full brother to G2 Thousand Guineas Prelude victrix Too Darn Lizzie who was sold by Widden Stud for $775,000.
Too Darn Lizzie was sold at last year's Inglis Chairman's Sale for $2.4 million and purchased by Ciaron Maher Racing. She had originally been a million dollar yearling.
