A diverse international bench competing fiercely at the top end pushed the
Inglis Australian
Easter Yearling Sale to unexpected new heights, as the three-day event concluded
yesterday with
significant increases in all major statistical categories. The auction house reported a total of 406
horses sold for a gross of A$117,130,000, a 29.4-percent increase from 2005, while the average
of A$288,498 and median of A$180,000 represented gains of 38.9 percent and 20
percent,
respectively.
The purchasing power of international buyers including Charles
Laird (eight for
A$5,640,000); Tim Stakemire, agent for Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum
(nine for
A$3,870,000); and Angus Gold, agent for Shadwell (five for A$3,580,000) made it
tough for
domestic buyers, but local trainer Tim Martin did sign for nine yearlings and gross receipts of
A$1,885,000.
“This has been absolutely amazing,” Inglis’ Managing
Director Reg
Inglis commented. “It is the greatest sale ever held in this part of the world. After the
first day it was so
successful and we knew it would continue.”
A total of 14 youngsters achieved
seven-figure price
tags, compared to just eight last year, and the sale set records as a son of
Redoute’s Choice
brought A$3 million and his daughter was sold for A$2.6
million.
Harry and Arthur Mitchell’s Yarraman Park Stud capped a whirlwind 24 hours when
Demi O’Byrne snared Lot No. 451, the much-anticipated full sister to champion filly Alinghi (Aus)
(Encosta de Lago) for A$2.6 million, a new Australasian filly record. The
family-owned
farm had three youngsters fetch $5.9 million within 24 hours, and 14 sold
overall at an average of
A$755,357.
“It has been pretty nerve-wracking,” Arthur Mitchell said. “I think a few of us will go and
have
a nice dinner somewhere and a few bottles of decent red.” Mitchell then
continued, “It won’t
change anything. We
will poke along the way we always do. We knew she was a nice foal and she grew
into a nice
yearling, but it goes beyond being monetary. She was a very special filly,” he
said.
Bidding began
at $1 million with Coolmore, which bought only one other horse during the sale,
entering the fray
at $2 million to outstay underbidders believed to include Sheikh bin Khalifa al
Maktoum and
Irishman Seamus
Burns.
“She was a standout at the sale from day one. It was just a matter of
waiting and hanging around,” Coolmore’s Michael Kirwan said. “She was faultless
really, she
looks like a real racehorse and the fact that she is a full sister to a champion
only enhances her
appeal.”
The filly will be trained by Lee Freedman, who also prepared Alinghi to
win on 11
occasions including four Group 1 wins before she was sold to Arrowfield for a
reported $3
million.
Redoute’s Choice predictably accounted for six of
the 14 million-dollar lots with 35
yearlings averaging $710,857.
“Redoute’s Choice is an incredible stallion,” Inglis said . “He
brought everyone to the sale, and those that couldn’t buy one stayed on and
bought others. The
whole sale is a huge credit to our vendors.”
On Thursday, trainer Gai Waterhouse gave $2.2 million on behalf of an overseas
owner for Lot
385, a Secret Savings sister to Group 1 winner Shamekha (Aus). Dr. Shalabh Sahu of
Emirates said the filly had been out more than 100 times and had a $1-million
reserve.
“Everyone was
talking about the
sister to Alinghi, but for me, this was the standout filly of the sales, she just reminds me so much
of Shamekha, she is the most fluid, glorious filly,” said Waterhouse.
Waterhouse trained Shamekha and her sire, the latter winning the Doncaster H.
(Aus-G1).
Dehere,
relocated for this season from Arrowfield to Coolmore, was among the leading sires, averaging
$5,85,500 for 10 sold, including a half-brother to Listed winner Keep The Faith (Aus) (Sunday
Silence) from Duelling Girl (Danzig) (Lot 280) purchased by Woodlands for A$1.1
million from
the draft of John Messara’s Bellerive Stud.
Agent Vin Cox gave A$925,000 for a Dehere–Hill of Grace (Zabeel) colt on behalf of a California client, and A$600,000
for a
Dehere–Lady Mulan (Bigstone [Ire]) colt for a Sydney owner. Both were
offered by
Willow Park.
“Both horses were lovely athletic horses, with fantastic pedigrees
out of great
racing mares, by a very good horse in Dehere,” Cox said. “He is a consistent sire with a great
winner-to-runner ratio and can get a top horse. More importantly, they have got
the pedigrees that
hopefully, if they win the right races, they are worth a lot of money as
stallions,” he said. “The
thing is, they are outcross from the Danehill, Redoute’s Choice, Flying Spur
theme, and stud
farms in a couple of years’ time are going to be looking for these sort of horses
that have won nice
races and aren’t necessarily from those lines, as there are so many Danehill mares around,” he
added.
The Ingham family’s Woodlands Stud certainly had the arsenal to return fire in
several sale ring
battles, emerging as leading buyer with 27 yearlings bought for $13,110,000.
“We
are very happy
with what we have bought; most of the fillies we have purchased are close to
what we thought
their value was,” Woodlands bloodstock manager Trevor Lobb said. “This is part
of a bigger
picture to ultimately upgrade the strength
of the broodmare band at Woodlands. We’ve had a lot
of success on the track with the horses we’ve bought and hopefully that will
continue.”