Inglis firm in belief Ready2Race is the breeze-up future

Cover image courtesy of Inglis

In the arena that last year unveiled G1 JJ Atkins Plate winner Tron Bolt (Toronado {Ire}), the 2026 Inglis Ready2Race Sale will take place on Thursday, where 257 (after withdrawals) juveniles will go under the hammer, two thirds of whom were acquired specifically for the breeze-up market.

A total of 98 sires are represented in the catalogue, including 12 sires with their first 2-year-olds this season, with drafts offered by 41 vendors. Breeze-ups were held at Warwick Farm, Taupo, and Wangaratta in late September, and Inglis Bloodstock CEO Sebastian Hutch has been looking forward to seeing those horses go through the ring this week.

“On paper, it reads like a very good catalogue, the vendors presented what looked like a really strong group of horses on the respective breeze-up days, and they performed accordingly,” he said.

“We have been excited to see the horses in the flesh, and sentiment so far seems to have been fairly positive.”

Traffic at the Riverside Stables sales complex has been solid on inspection days leading up to sale day, and Hutch expects a good showing and a competitive buying bench again this year.

“It looks like we will have good engagement for the sale, but obviously the challenge with any sale is to marry up the expectations of vendors and buyers,” he said. “At this stage, I am very hopeful for another healthy sale.”

The rise of the breeze-up

The 2025 Inglis Ready2Race Sale produced a record gross in the sale’s short history, achieving $20 million in sales - almost double what the sale recorded in 2023. However a key difference to consider on the run-up to the 2026 renewal is that the 2025 catalogue contained only 224 horses, and after 60 withdrawals, achieved that figure and an 81% clearance rate with 132 horses sold.

Table: Key metrics over the last five years of the Inglis (Sydney) Ready2Race Sale

After withdrawals, the 2026 sale enters sales day with more than 30 more horses than last year’s original catalogue contained.

Hutch noted the increased interest in breeze-up sales internationally over the past years and the subsequent success of graduates has converted in more horses being specifically targeted for the market - and more vendors recognising the sale’s potential. The area has been a particular focus for Inglis in recent years.

“I think the average bloodstock participant would confirm that there are certain elements of the Australian bloodstock market that are, for want of a better word, well exposed,” he said. “The 2-year-old sale format is certainly one that Inglis has recognised as one with significant scope for growth. Over the last number of years, we have invested a huge amount of time and money in it.”

Amongst the names new to the Inglis Ready2Race Sale this year include Newgate Consignment, who will offer five lots, BMD Bloodstock, and Highden Park. Yulong will offer a draft under their own name for the first time.

“Naturally, as part of that investment you're hoping that participants who have not traditionally been engaged with the sale format would recognise that and look to get on board with it,” Hutch said.

“It is fantastic to have Newgate in the sale this year - even just the weight of publicity that Henry Field brings to any event that he's involved in is only a positive for the sale, and hopefully they can have a positive outcome this year. To have Yulong selling in their own name after being involved in the sale for several years is a real positive as well.

“Barry Donoghue, BMD Bloodstock, is someone who has built an incredible name for himself in New Zealand as a good horseman, so it's fantastic to have him here. It is also great to have Libby Bleakley and Sam from Highden Park here. They're very well established horse people in New Zealand and they have a nice draft of horses here.”

Nolen Racing, who were the leading vendor last year when selling 15 horses for an aggregate of $2,188,000, return once again in 2026 with another 15 lots to offer. Hunter’s Lodge, who were new vendors in 2025 and sold five including the $900,000 sale topper for $1,272,000, are back in 2026 with a far bigger offering of 23 ready for sale day.

Table: Vendors with the largest drafts (after withdrawals) at the 2026 Inglis Ready2Race Sale

“A number of other vendors in the same bracket as Highden Park are participating in this sale because they recognise that we're trying to progress the format,” Hutch said. “We ran a record-breaking sale last year in terms of every significant metric, and we'll be working hard to try and deliver an even better result again this year.”

The reason for demand

Toronado (Ire) finished as leading sire last year, having produced the sale topper to take his sales to $1,990,000 for five sold, and he is well represented again this year, with 10 lots after withdrawals going into sale day. He is outrepresented only by Zousain, who has 11.

Table: Top five most represented sires (after withdrawals) at the 2026 Inglis Ready2Race Sale

Zousain, whose eldest crop have just turned five, had his strongest season to date in 2025/26 with 96 winners and two stakes winners; G3 SAJC Breeders' Stakes and Listed Without Fear Stakes-winning juvenile Verzain and G3 Birthday Card Stakes winner Catch The Glory.

Of his five career stakes winners, three have picked up black-type wins at two, plus he recorded six winners of 12 races last season in Hong Kong.

Of the three sub-10s breeze times clocked for the 2026 sale, one was by a Zousain colt offered by Prima Park.

Table: The horses who recorded sub-10s breeze times at the 2026 Inglis Ready2Race Sale

Tron Bolt hasn’t been the only highlight of the last 12 months for Toronado, who produced seven stakes winners last year including G2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Grinzinger Heart and G3 Scarborough Stakes winner Snow Mercy.

He finished inside the top 10 for Australian sires by prize money, and was third by winners behind horses who both had more runners. In Hong Kong, he was fourth in the sires’ premiership and the top active Australian sire, aided by Listed Hong Kong Classic Mile winner Little Paradise.

Toronado has picked up where he left off this spring, with Over The Bridge claiming a consecutive Scarborough Stakes for him before she lines up in the G1 Thousand Guineas this weekend.

Dual Group 1-winning 3-year-old Jacquinot is the most represented amongst the first crop sires, with nine.

Table: First season sire representation (after withdrawals) at the 2026 Inglis Ready2Race Sale

The G1 Golden Rose Stakes winner went on to capture the weight-for-age G1 CF Orr Stakes in the autumn of his Classic season before retiring to Widden Stud. He has 109 first crop 2-year-olds ready to race for him this season.

Graduate focus

Three stakes winners have already emerged from last year’s sale amongst 20 winners. Hard Kick, winner on debut of the Listed Talindert Stakes and the winner of the G3 Poseidon Stakes on his resumption this season, was a $140,000 purchase for Lindsay Park. It was the first time the Lindsay Park name had appeared on the buying sheet at Inglis’s breeze-up sales in some eight years, and the Hayes team have been back at inspections again this week.

Queen Regent (Wild Ruler) was a $30,000 graduate of the sale and she won the Listed Woodlands Stakes for Blake Ryan at just her second start.

Joining them from last year’s cohort are the stakes performers Mbube (Rubick), Seraphox (Harry Angel {Ire}), Buggsy (Harry Angel {Ire}), and Aragog (Dundeel {NZ}).

Hutch said that the calibre of horse coming out of the sale was the ultimate proof of reason to invest in it.

“Of the Australasian 2-year-old sales in 2025, the Inglis 2-year-old sale is definitively the best performing in terms of having graduates coming out and running,” he said.

"We encouraged people to try and come to the sale last year because we felt we had a good group of horses, and then when those horses go out and perform as they have, it shows how strong a group of horses it was. There is plenty more to come from other graduates too.

“And then you marry that into the fact that graduates of previous editions of the sale have become millionaires, won Group 1s, and retired to stud, that is ultimately what gives people confidence to come and participate.

"Libertad is a graduate, Tavi Time and Democracy Manifest are both millionaires, Welcometotheshow ran third in the Toorak last weekend - there are good horses running all over Australia, and in Hong Kong and Malaysia, to come out of this sale.”

A $210,000 graduate of the Inglis sale before being a Group winner at two, three, four, and five, Libertad commenced his stud career at Blue Gum Farm this season.

The best is yet to come for Inglis’s breeze-up sale.

“We are not pretending for a second that the history of the sale can compare with a more established sale such as the 2-year-old sale in New Zealand, but what we are saying is that, over a period of time, we believe our sale will demonstrate itself to be as good and - in time - better than their sale,” Hutch said.

“Our sale has a relatively short history and is gaining serious momentum. I believe that will just continue to grow, and more and more buyers will recognise it.”