Cover image courtesy of Inglis
At A Glance
Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed Bellatrix Star (Star Witness) sold for $900,000 to Widden Stud and Bangaloe Stud.
Stakes placed Chatterley (Snitzel) was the second top lot at $250,000.
The Inglis Digital September (Early) Sale grossed $4,039,100.
Bellatrix Star shines the brightest
Winner of the G2 Schillaci Stakes and the G2 Eclipse Stakes, Bellatrix Star (Star Witness) was a prize worth having when Fortuna Racing retired her after a series of unfortunate injuries. Placed behind Switzerland in the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes, bidders pushed her up quickly with Widden Stud and Bangaloe Stud combining to achieve a winning bid of $900,000.
“She’s a lovely, fast filly with a very impressive record, her race career was sadly cut a bit short but to beat the older horses in the Schillaci like she did, she’s a stakes winner at Flemington and to then run second in a Coolmore, it’s a perfect profile of a beautiful filly for us and Julia Ritchie to send to Zoustar, whom she is a shareholder in,” Widden Stud’s Antony Thompson said.
Bellatrix Star | Image courtesy of Inglis
“She earned over $1 million in prizemoney, she won multiple stakes races at two and three so we knew we were going to have to dig deep to buy her but I thought she was absolutely worth that price. Grant (Burrill) and Adam (Henry) from Widden Victoria visited her yesterday and were glowing in their praise.
“Mark Walker and Sir David Ellis and the entire Te Akau team identify such lovely physicals at the sales and they’ve had so much success so it’s nice to secure one of their yearling selections as a broodmare to join the Widden team.
“The entire Te Akau team identify such lovely physicals at the sales and they’ve had so much success so it’s nice to secure one of their yearling selections as a broodmare to join the Widden team.” - Antony Thompson
“The Inglis team was, as usual, fantastic to deal with, Inglis Digital is the world’s leading platform to trade stock on and we’ve been a big believer in it from the outset.”
Antony Thompson | Image courtesy of Inglis
David Ellis and Fortuna Racing paid NZ$80,000 for her as a yearling from Phoenix Park’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale draft. With earnings over $1 million for her five victories, Bellatrix Star has been great for Fortuna Racing.
“It’s a fantastic result for us, it really is,” Fortuna Racing’s John Galvin said.
“It’s a fantastic result for us, it really is.” - John Galvin
“We had a reserve of $500,000 on her and personally I hoped she would sell somewhere between $600,000 and $1m so to get to the top end of that spread is absolutely amazing. To make $900,000 is simply incredible.
“I can’t fault the entire Inglis team. [Bloodstock Sales Manager and New Zealand representative] Brett [Gilding] was the liaison person for us and he was in constant contact keeping me up to date with everything that was happening along the way, providing feedback from various farms that you guys had interested in the mare and everything like that.
“We’re very happy with the professionalism Inglis brought to this entire process.”
John Galvin | Image courtesy of Kenton Wright (Race Images)
Her damsire, Star Witness, is proven in that realm with the likes of Aeliana (NZ) (Castelvecchio) and Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai) out of his daughters. Bellatrix Star’s second dam is G1 New Zealand Stakes winner The Party Stand (NZ) (Thorn Park) who produced G2 Callander-Presnell Stakes-placed Just Party (Justify {USA}) and G3 Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes-placed Petition (Foxwedge).
Four-time Group 1 winner Callsign Mav (NZ) (Altante) features in this family.
Snitzel mare Chatterley thrills Star Thoroughbreds
Star Thoroughbreds offered stakes placed Chatterley (Snitzel) to the market. Placed in the Listed Bill Carter Stakes at two behind Sunrays (Hellbent) and in the Listed Reginald Allen Handicap at three behind future G1 Australasian Oaks victrix Panova (Trapeze Artist), Chatterley won over 1250 metres.
“We’re very pleased with the result, it’s been a tremendous process with (Inglis Digital Business Manager) Nick (Melmeth) and his team,” Star Thoroughbreds’ Denise Martin said.
“We’re very pleased with the result, it’s been a tremendous process with (Inglis Digital Business Manager) Nick (Melmeth) and his team,” - Denise Martin
“We decided to offer the mare for breeding purposes and the Inglis Digital team handled everything so well. It was so seamless and the end result was fabulous.”
Chatterley | Image courtesy of Inglis
Broodmare Bloodstock paid $250,000 to have Chatterley grace their pastures. She is a half-sister to G2 Skyline Stakes winner and G1 Golden Slipper-placed Mamaragan (Wandjina) out of five-time winner Forbidden (General Nediym).
Chatterley’s dual Listed winning second dam Dance Hit (NZ) (Tights {USA}) is the dam of Group 2 winner and G1 Levin Classic-placed Son Of Maher (Al Maher) and his Listed winning full sister Dance With Her.
Chatterley was a $300,000 yearling purchase by Star Thoroughbreds and Randwick Bloodstock (FBAA) from B2B Thoroughbreds’ Inglis Easter Yearling Sale draft. She earned over $109,000 on the track.
Snitzel is emerging as a broodmare sire of note with seven Group 1 winners produced by his daughters including Private Life, Celestial Legend and G1 Golden Slipper winner Mossfun.
Unraced colt makes $205,000
Silverado (Too Darn Hot {GB}), an unraced 3-year-old colt concluded Wednesday’s sale as the third top lot making $205,000 to the bid of Brinawa Holdings. Trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, he has trialled twice for a third in mid August this year.
Originally, an $850,000 yearling sold by Vinery Stud at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, Silverado has a strong pedigree to go with his sale price.
Silverado | Image courtesy of Inglis
His older half-brother Gallant Sun (Written Tycoon) placed in both the G1 Newmarket Handicap and G1 Oakleigh Plate last autumn. Their dam, Plucky Belle (Mossman) won the G1 Coolmore Classic and G3 Lavazza Short Black Plate and three other races.
Silverado’s second dam is G1 Australian Cup-placed and G2 Queensland Guineas victrix Winning Belle (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}).
Another strong sale for Inglis
The September (Early) Sale grossed $4,039,100 with the result being the third sale in succession to have grossed more than the same corresponding sale twelve months prior.
“It was a very strong sale,” Inglis Digital Business Manager Nick Melmeth said.
“It was a very strong sale.” - Nick Melmeth
“We are especially grateful to John Galvin, Sir David Ellis and all of those associated with Bellatrix Star for the opportunity to bring her to market, as well as Antony Thompson and Julia Ritchie for their willingness to really stretch for her.
“There were five individual bidders on her at $660,000 or above, which speaks to the ongoing demand for quality and we are looking forward to bringing more quality stock to the market between now and the end of the year.”
Nick Melmeth | Image courtesy of Inglis
The sale also included an international purchase when Swettenham Stud’s Adam Sangster’s brother Sam paid $47,500 for unraced 4-year-old Autumn Secret (The Autumn Sun) who is a half-sister to Group 3 winner Danawi (Exceed And Excel) out of Group 1 winner Secret Admirer (Dubawi {Ire}).
“I’ve been following a few mares on Inglis Digital and I missed the last sale because I slept through so I made sure I’d set multiple alarms for this sale because I really wanted this mare,” Sangster said.
Autumn Secret | Image courtesy of Inglis
“The platform is very easy to use, there’s enough information on there to give any buyer anywhere around the world all the information they need to purchase with confidence.”
Autumn Secret will be covered by Swettenham Stud's first season sire Diego Velazquez.
