Speed and class is key to Crossley Thoroughbreds

“Speed sells, class sells” is the theme to the draft that Crossley Thoroughbreds has brought to the Inglis Ready2Race Sale in 2026. After bringing their inaugural draft to the sale in 2025 and selling the second top lot, a $675,000 I Am Invincible colt bought by Hermitage Thoroughbreds, they return with a hunger to replicate the results this year.

After gaining a wealth of experience across all corners of the Thoroughbred industry, proprietor Mitch Pearce launched Crossley Thoroughbreds in 2023, debuted the operation’s first Inglis and Magic Millions drafts in 2024, and entered the breeze-up world in 2025.

From that draft, you could have purchased juvenile winner Aragog (Dundeel {NZ}), who was fourth in the G3 SAJC Breeders’ Stakes and opened this season with running second to New Zealand Champion 2YO Lara Antipova (Russian Revolution) in the Listed Exford Plate. He lines up for the G3 Sportsbet Classic this Saturday at Caulfield, which will be his fourth consecutive start at black-type level.

The same draft also featured Meness (Ghaiyyath {Ire}), who has placed second four times in five starts, and recent trial winner Accolades (Alabama Express).

“Last year we had Aragog who passed in at this sale but he's gone well, he’s been stakes-placed and was a winner at two,” said Pearce. “He looks quite progressive.”

The farm is still in its infancy, but Pearce has started to see his hard work pay off, with recently winning graduates of their sales drafts including Crank (Wooded {Ire}), Fast Tempo (Fierce Impact), Stevie’s Spirit (Spirit Of Boom), Summer Schemer (Dirty Work), Sir Boom A Lot (Spirit Of Boom), and Fast Food (Hanseatic).

“We are starting to get a fair few winners,” Pearce said. “We’re still a young farm and now we are getting winners, it’s an exciting time for us.”

After breezing at Wangaratta, the draft of 13 (after withdrawals) has made the journey from Victoria to the Riverside Stables complex at Warwick Farm, and Pearce is please with how they have handled the trip.

“It’s been long journey for them, and they’ve all handled it pretty well,” he said. “It was quite a hot day on the Monday, so it was a bit of a shock to the system for us Victorians, but they've settled into the complex quite well. I'm quite proud of how they're behaving and parading throughout the week.”

Temperament is always important in a breeze-up horse, and so is speed and class. Crossley Thoroughbreds has emphasised these as the key attributes they want front and centre in their draft, and Pearce believes there are three lots in particular that really capture both elements.

Lot 23 – Jacquinot x Lankan Gold (Dundeel {NZ}) (bay colt)

Two lots in the Crossley Thoroughbreds draft are by first crop sires, and Lot 23 is a flash son of G1 Golden Rose Stakes winner Jacquinot, who won the G1 CF Orr Stakes as an autumn 3-year-old, beating a field featuring the likes of Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) and I’m Thunderstruck (NZ) (Shocking).

“I’m quite pleased with him,” said Pearce. “He's got a lovely loose walk. Obviously Jacquinot is a first season sire and I'm quite excited to see what he can do in the next few years.”

This colt is the second foal out of Lankan Gold (Dundeel {NZ}), making him a half-brother to last season’s G3 Alexandra Stakes runner-up Classic Gem (Maurice {Jpn}), who was also beaten less than two lengths when fourth in both the G1 VRC Oaks and the G1 Australian Oaks. After spending most of her career to date in stakes company, Classic Gem recently displayed her versatility by coming back to 1400 metres to break her maiden.

Pearce believes that the colt’s strengths lie over similar trips, and that those who look beyond the breeze-up time to focus on his action and temperament will be well rewarded.

“He probably didn't breeze up in that great a time, but I do think that he's going to make a 3-year-old 1600, 2000-metre horse, so I do think there's plenty of improvement in him,” he said.

Jacquinot’s sire Rubrick has been a hit in Hong Kong with similar types, producing 10 individual winners of over 30 races, including G3 Lion Rock Trophy winner Light Years Charm and Listed Classic Cup-winning Group 1-performed Rubylot.

Lankan Gold is a half-sister to Manhattan Street (Manhattan Rain), whose four wins include the 1200-metre Listed Ryder Stakes as a juvenile, and eight-time winner Classic Jade - Top Mountainlegend (Mac) (Manhattan Rain).

This is also the immediate family of Horse Of The Year Lankan Rupee (Redoute’s Choice), whose 11 victories include five at Group 1 level, and G2 Victory Stakes winner Count De Rupee (Real Impact {Jpn}).

The colt breezed in a time of 11.21s at Wangaratta.

Lot 67 – Toronado (Ire) x Pepperberry (Redoute’s Choice) (bay colt)

Toronado (Ire) produced last year’s sale topper Tron Bolt, who has since won the G1 JJ Atkins Plate, and Crossley Thoroughbreds presents one of only 10 opportunities to purchase another by the sire this year with Lot 67.

The son of dual winner Pepperberry (Redoute’s Choice) is a half-brother to the mare’s winners Piperita (Pierata) and Pepperina (Dundeel {NZ}). Pepperberry is a full sister to Listed Heatherlie Handicap winner Great Esteem, who split He’s Our Rokkii (NZ) (Roc De Cambes {NZ}) and Tivaci in the G1 Toorak Handicap, and Listed Adelaide Guineas winner High Esteem.

A three-quarter-sister to Pepperberry is metropolitan-winning Unassailed (Fastnet Rock), dam of four-time winner and multiple Group performer Shalailed (Shalaa {Ire}), who has amassed nearly $500,000 in prize money.

“He's been very popular,” said Pearce of the Toronado colt. “He is a beautiful walking horse with great action. He breezed up really nicely quite - almost effortlessly.”

The colt posted a time of 10.99s on the grass at Wangaratta.

“I don't think we really scratched the surface with him,” Pearce said.

This is also the direct female line of Italian Champion 3YO Colt Central Park (Ire), whose top level wins include the G1 Derby Italiano, and UAE Horse Of The Year Moon Ballad (Ire), the five-length G1 Dubai World Cup winner sired by Dubai World Cup winner Singspiel (Ire).

Tron Bolt isn’t the only reason for Toronado’s present popularity; he finished last season as 10th in the general sires’ list with over $12.9 million in domestic prize money and seven individual Australian stakes winners, including G2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes victress Grinzinger Heart, G3 Scarborough Stakes winner Snow Mercy, Listed VRC St Leger winner Silvasista, and the further Listed winners Westbound, Royal Toronado, and Toropa, plus a further seven black-type performers.

By individual winners, he finished third to Capitalist and Zoustar, achieving 167 winners with less runners than both.

In Hong Kong, he was fourth amongst general sires and was the leading active Australian sire on the list, thanks in part to Hong Kong Classic Mile winner Little Paradise.

This season, Toronado had taken flight again, with his 45 individual Australian winners second only to Zoustar and 3-year-old filly Over The Bridge winning the G3 Scarborough Stakes at just her second start. She heads to the G1 Thousand Guineas this Saturday for her third-up assignment.

Lot 318 – Justify (USA) x Incredulous Dream (Press Statement) (bay colt)

For those in search of something truly special, Crossley Thoroughbreds will offer Lot 318, a colt by 2022/23 Champion First Season Sire Justify (USA) out of Listed Nitschke Stakes winner Incredulous Dream (Press Statement), whose first foal Priory Park (Wild Ruler) was a $220,000 yearling and a winner at his second start as a 2-year-old last season.

Sire of top class juvenile and Group 1 performer Learning To Fly, R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner and $3.5 million earner Storm Boy, and this year’s G1 Stradbroke Handicap winner Spicy Martini, Justify has built a sterling reputation in both hemispheres, amplified by the statistic that his Southern Hemisphere-bred colts and geldings perform at 14% stakes horses to runners.

“He has great strength to him, a really good shape, and he is just a really professional horse,” said Pearce of Lot 318. “He’s paraded really well throughout the week and we are really happy with how inspections are going for him.”

The colt breezed at Wangaratta to clock a time of 10.80s, and his page has a mix of speed and strength that should suit any buyer and jurisdiction.

Incredulous Dream is a half-sister to Global Exchange - Enjoying (HK) (Dundeel {NZ}), who won the G2 Alister Clark Stakes and the G2 Autumn Classic ahead of his export to Hong Kong, where he continued to perform in black-type company for trainer Chris So.

Incredulous Dream’s second dam is the stellar racemare and producer Simply Believe (Kenmare {Fr}), whose G2 Emancipation Stakes-winning daughter Faith Hill (Danehill {USA}) produced three stakes horses including dual Listed-winning sprinter Black Minx (Lonhro), dam of nine-time winner, multiple stakes winner and Group 1-performing ironhorse So Si Bon (So You Think {NZ}).

Another daughter is the dam of Yonce (NZ) (Proisir), whose seven wins include the G3 Carlyon Cup, and yet another produced multiple Group performer More Territories (Territories {Ire}).