Demand was expected to be strong for the offspring of Redoute’s Choice at
this year’s Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, and the Arrowfield stallion was able to
meet those expectations. Three of his offspring broke the seven-figure barrier
at Tuesday’s opening session of the sale, including the day’s topper, Lot No.
128, an A$2 million colt who was purchased by Victoria-based Rob McAnulty. The
bay, a half-brother to South African Group 1 winner Suntagonal, was bought on
behalf of a syndicate and will be trained by David Hayes at Lindsay Park. A
total of seven yearlings sold for A$1 million or more, including sons from the
first Australian crops of Elusive Quality and Rock of Gibraltar (Ire).
“It’s been an amazing day’s selling from the very kick-off and to sell seven
horses over A$1 million in one day is just sensational,” said Managing Director
Reg Inglis. “We’re very much looking forward to the next two days.”
An active international bench including Shadwell and Darley’s Angus Gold and
John Ferguson engaged in battle with a domestic bench that managed to adeptly
return fire in several forays to secure the most sought after youngsters.
Australia’s leading freshman sire of 2004, Redoute’s Choice has built on that
promising start with six individual Group 1 winners this year, including a trio
of two-year-olds in Miss Finland, heroine of the A$3 million Golden Slipper S.
(Aus-G1) and Nadeem, who captured the A$1 million Blue Diamond S. (Aus-G1).
Tuesday’s session topper, a son of the Last Tycoon (Ire) mare Urge to Merge, was
offered by Arrowfield and bought by Rob McAnulty, who is now off to Phuket,
Thailand, after buying his top prospect.
“We are concentrating our business on buying colts with stallion pedigrees —
you can’t buy them overseas; plus, Australian racing is so good that breeders
really want to race in this country, and a horse like him, with a pedigree to
die for, it is a stallions’ pedigree,” McAnulty enthused. “I love Last Tycoon
mares, but at the end of the day the horse has got to be an athlete, and we
judged him to be the best athlete on the ground. We had a budget of A$2 million
and would not have spent one cent over that. We did not have our first bid until
A$1.7 million and then we thought, ‘Why die wondering?’ and went to A$2
million.”
McAnulty, who will race the colt as part of a syndicate, felt he was fairly
priced. “The horse is already syndicated and going to David Hayes to train,
which makes it a lot easier,” he said. “He is not expensive; we are in a global
business, there are 10 of us in him all taking A$200,000 worth. I have never
enjoyed racing horses on my own; racing is far more fun with friends, and if you
have a fun trainer like Hayesey involved, it is never dull!”
Arrowfield also consigned the second-highest priced yearling on the day, Lot
51, for A$1.6 million. The Redoute’s Choice colt out of Singles Bar (Rory’s
Jester) went to trainer Len Freedman for a syndicate. The bay, a full brother to
stakes winner Not a Single Doubt, was produced by a half-sister to leading sire
Snippets.
“I think he’s great value — you have to expect to pay these sort of prices,
and with all the speed in the family he’s got to be a very, very good
two-year-old for next season,” Freedman said. “It’s a cross that’s already
worked and and his dam is a half-sister to a champion in Snippets, who was a
good sire himself.”
Arrowfield’s John Messara was understandably pleased with the day’s results.
“This is roughly what was expected; they are top-notch colts by Redoute’s
Choice, the strongest two female pedigrees in the sale by him, but we didn’t
want to raise our expectations too high.”
In 2005, Redoute’s Choice had 35 yearlings sell at this sale for an average
of A$611,714 at the Inglis Easter sale.
Tuesday’s highest-priced filly was Lot 81, an A$1.3 million representative
from the first Australian crop of champion Rock of Gibraltar (Ire). Consigned by
Coolmore Stud, she was purchased by New Zealand owner/breeder David Ellis.