Bumper Inglis Ready2Race catalogue released
A total of 289 lots have been assembled for October’s two-year-old sale at Riverside
Inglis has released its largest catalogue yet for the upcoming Ready2Race sale in October, with a total of 289 two-year-olds listed, a product that the auction house’s CEO of bloodstock Sebastian Hutch believes is due to significant investment in the sale and its outstanding graduate success.
The number eclipses the 256 lots that were assembled for the 2016 Ready2Race catalogue release, the final two-year-old auction held at Inglis’s Newmarket complex in Sydney, as several breeze-up vendors familiar to buyers at the Inglis two-year-old sale return with their largest consignments to date, joined by a handful of new faces to enter the market with strong entries.
Those within the regular category include Blake Ryan Racing, who has 29 lots catalogued – up from 18 entered in the 2021 sale – to be this year’s largest entrant. Other large consignments include WBF Thoroughbreds with 19 entries; Hannover Lodge (18 lots); JCS Thoroughbreds (16 lots) and Glenn Haven (seven lots), while Sullivan Bloodstock have a notably bigger draft with 14 lots entered, up from five entered a year ago.
New Zealand farms also have a strong presence in the catalogue, with Cheltenham Stables, who sold a $370,000 Pierro (Lonhro) colt last year, having increased their entries from five in 2021 to 14 for this year’s sale, while Ohukia Lodge, who have three Group-race-winning graduates from their 2020 draft, have eight entries, and Kiltannon Stables nine.
Kiwi farms make up several of the new vendors at this year’s Inglis Ready2Race Sale, with renowned breeze-up vendors Sam and Hana Beatson selling under their Riversley Park banner for the first time at an Australian two-year-old sale, with ten horses entered. Ross MacKay’s Leanach Lodge (nine lots) are also newcomers to the Sydney sale, while Woburn Farm have two entries.
The total number of horses entered at the Inglis Ready2Race Sale from New Zealand farms has doubled from 26 in 2021 to 52 this year, a figure which also surpasses the number of entries from New Zealand for the 2020 sale, which was 42.
New players from Australia also look set to make an impact, with Tyler Aitken submitting five entries under his T D Aitken Horse Training and Breaking banner, Victoria’s Mitchell Park with seven, Reid Racing four, while A List Stud, who sold a sale topping $350,000 Extreme Choice (Not A Single Doubt) colt at last year’s Magic Millions 2YOs in Training Sale, have 11 entries.
“We’ve invested our time and effort in the format and I think vendors have recognised that,” Hutch told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“With these sort of numbers our sale is going to be a very significant sale in terms of critical mass and I think that’s fantastic for buyers, but I’m confident that our catalogue is very strong on quality as well, as it’s probably the best two-year-old catalogue we have produced.
“There’s a great variety of vendors and they’re very effective operators from all regions of Australasia. It feels like there’s the very vast majority of the leading consignors involved in our sale.
“It’s a format we are very much committed to and take very seriously. Our bloodstock members have been working with a number of the vendors and preparers through the season to try and identify suitable horses for the format. That’s been the case for a number of years, but it’s really been backed up by the performance of graduates.”
Since its inception in 2013, Inglis’s Ready2Race Sale has been the source of 25 individual stakes winners, with ten of those emanating from the 2020 and 2019 sales, including Group 1-placegetters Forgot You (Savabeel) and Lightsaber (Zoustar).
That duo are among four Group-winning graduates from the 2020 Ready2Race Sale, with Group 3 winner Gunstock (Tavistock) and Alister Clark Stakes (Gr 2, 2040m) winner Prix De Turn (Turn Me Loose) also proving highlights on the track, while $125,000 graduate Douceur (No Nay Never) finished runner-up in the VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) last year.
“The performance of our last three sales has been exceptional, you only need to look at the weekend just gone and Alpha One, a graduate of last year’s sale, finishing runner-up in the Vain Stakes,” Hutch said.
“He cost a lot of money but he was a fantastic athlete and breezed accordingly. But that’s the sort of horse that you can buy at this sale now.
“Douceur was desperately unlucky not to win an Oaks last year, and who would have said five years ago you could have come to a two-year-old sale and buy an Oaks winner?
“Ultimately, buyers and vendors are beginning to gain confidence in what we’re trying to do and hopefully we can continue that momentum into the sale this year.”
The Asian market has been a particularly lucrative destination for two-year-old sale graduates. Three of the top ten highest-priced horses were bought by Hong Kong-based buyers at last year’s Inglis Ready2Race auction, while the 2020 top lot was bought by the Macau Jockey Club for $610,000, with the next two highest-priced lots bought by Hong Kong buyers.
The impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic have been well documented as an obstacle to international trade, but Hutch is confident the Hong Kong and Asian markets will be out in force for the October 11 sale this year.
Notable graduates to have performed in Hong Kong include Group 2 winner Wishful Thinker (I Am Invincible) and Group 3 winner Super Wealthy (Epaulette), while this year’s dual Singapore stakes winner Golden Monkey (Star Turn) is a graduate of the 2020 sale.
“There are still some restrictions in play, particularly with regard to some of the Asian markets,” Hutch said.
“But we’re expecting strong participation from Singapore and I’m confident that the Macau Jockey Club will be very invested in the sale and Hong Kong agents and trainers will be engaged with the sale, there’s no doubt.
“A lot of smart winners in Hong Kong have come out of the sale and buyers there take the sale very seriously. It is a format that lends itself to operating from afar. There’s a large volume of information made available by the vendors and you can watch the breeze videos and then operate through agents on the ground.”
The leading stallion represented is Newgate’s champion Hong Kong sire Deep Field (Northern Meteor), who has 13 entrants, including Blake Ryan’s $250,000 Inglis Easter purchase out of Invading Humor (Invasor). Little Avondale Stud’s Per Incanto (Street Cry), the leading sire in Hong Kong by winners last season, has ten entrants and Capitalist (Written Tycoon) 11.
There will also be an early glimpse of progeny from sires with first-crop two-year-olds, including five entries for Aquis Farm’s Lean Mean Machine (Zoustar), four entries for Darley’s Harry Angel (Dark Angel) and Widden Stud’s Written By (Written Tycoon), and representation from The Autumn Sun (Redoute’s Choice), Trapeze Artist (Snitzel), Justify (Scat Daddy), Brave Smash (Tosen Phantom), Grunt (O’Reilly), Saxon Warrior (Deep Impact), Showtime (Snitzel), Real Steel (Deep Impact), U S Navy Flag (War Front), Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy), Prized Icon (More Than Ready), Embellish (Savabeel), Santos (I Am Invincible), Eminent (Frankel), Encryption (Lonhro) and Ace High (High Chaparral).
The breeze-up sessions will be held at Seymour (September 9), Eagle Farm (September 14), Warwick Farm (September 16) and Cambridge (September 19), with an alternate session to be held at Warwick Farm (October 6), ahead of the sale at Riverside on October 11.
The full catalogue can be viewed by clicking here.
Inglis Ready2Race Sale dates
September 9 – Seymour breeze-up
September 14 – Eagle Farm breeze-up
September 16 – Warwick Farm breeze-up
September 19 – Cambridge breeze-up
October 6 – Warwick Farm, alternate breeze-up
October 11 – Ready2Race Sale