Skybird secures Inglis slot for The Everest

Group 1-winning mare Skybird (Exosphere) has been confirmed as Inglis’ representative in next month’s $20 million The Everest (Gr 1, 1200m) at Randwick.

Trained by Mitch Freedman, Skybird made her top-level breakthrough earlier this year when she unleashed a devastating turn of foot to win the Lightning Stakes (Gr 1, 1000m) at Flemington in February.

Injury ruled her out of the remainder of the autumn, but Skybird made her return in the Moir Stakes (Gr 1, 1000m) earlier this month, finishing within two lengths of the winner after striking trouble in running. She will next line up in Friday night’s Manikato Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) at The Valley before taking her place in The Everest on October 18.

Inglis Bloodstock CEO Sebastian Hutch said the mare was a standout choice for their slot.

“Since its inception, The Everest has been a captivating spectacle and the race in 2025 is shaping up as the most enthralling yet,” Hutch said.

“We work diligently through the year in consideration of prospective runners for our slot and Skybird catapulted to the forefront of our consideration with her win in the Lightning, which was nothing short of awesome.

“Mitch Freedman is a young trainer that the market has a lot of respect for and he has been very patient in his development of this filly, she is unexposed, progressive and shaping as a candidate to produce a career best at Randwick on Everest day.

“It’s been enjoyable to liaise with [managing owner] Michael [Scalzo] through the slot negotiations and the ownership experience of the Skybird owners is yet another fantastic promotion of our business and the industry as a whole, a $110,000 Inglis Classic Yearling that becomes a Group 1 winner of almost $1.3 million in prize-money and is now competing in the best sprint race in the world. It’s the stuff that dreams are made of.”

Skybird’s Everest shot represents a significant milestone for Freedman and his stable.

“She is an exceptional talent and it’s very exciting to take up the Inglis slot, given she was an Inglis purchase, and it really is a dream come true for all of the team at Mitch Freedman Racing,” the trainer said.

Skybird becomes the ninth confirmed starter for The Everest and the sixth Inglis graduate to secure a slot, joining Overpass (Vancouver), Joliestar (Zoustar), Lady Shenandoah (Snitzel), Private Harry (Harry Angel) and Angel Capital (Harry Angel). If successful, she would become the third-consecutive Inglis graduate to win the world’s richest turf race.

Munce confident Payline can strike in Manikato

Brisbane trainers Chris and Corey Munce are hoping their seasoned sprinter Payline (Shooting To Win) can add an elusive Group 1 win to his resume on Friday night when he takes on a hot field in the Manikato Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) at The Valley. The five-year-old gelding produced a strong late finish to land fifth, beaten only 1.5 lengths, in the Moir Stakes (Gr 1, 1000m) last start behind the re-opposing Baraqiel (Snitzel). "It was an outstanding effort in a high-pressure race at this track over that distance," Corey Munce said. "Ideally you need to be handier than what his normal racing pattern is, but he overcame that obstacle and to be beaten a length-and-a-half, first-up in a Group 1, we were really happy." Payline had a look at The Valley prior to his Moir outing and returned for another gallop there on Monday. With the Manikato over 1200 metres and a small field, Munce believes conditions are more suitable. The stable also considered a gear change but opted against it. "We worked him in blinkers last week and we elected to leave them off in his work on Monday just to see whether he had taken that step," Munce said. "Justin Huxtable, who rode him in the Moir, was on him, and he was happy. There was give in the track and while he wasn't out to break any records, it was more about getting him to the track and getting the adrenaline going. He has worn blinkers in a race before and we put them on him sometimes in his work as he can be quite casual. He can work the house down, but as he's getting a bit older, he's starting to work it all out and he doesn't have to overdo it in the morning. I think if we have some luck in running and his momentum is not stopped, he'll run well."

Vinrock set for Stutt Stakes

Matt Laurie and Yulong have opted to keep Vinrock (I Am Invincible) in Melbourne to contest the Stutt Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m) at The Valley on Friday night, rather than travel to Sydney for the Golden Rose Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m), as the Group 1-winning colt continues his preparation towards the Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m). Laurie said interstate travel would not bother Vinrock, but after a first-up fourth at Caulfield in the McNeil Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) on August 30 before winning the Exford Plate (Listed, 1400m) at Flemington, it was decided a contest closer to home was a better option. "We had a good think about it, and we just felt to give him the best chance to be back for the Guineas it would be to stay home and run in the Stutt," the Mornington trainer said. "Hopefully it's another Group race he can add to his resume and then he can take his chance in the Guineas. I don't think it will hurt him having a strong, 1600-metre run before the Guineas. He can begin well and take up a position, and I think the Stutt has been a reasonable form race for the Guineas. We've been to Sydney before with him. I'm not worried about the travel as such and I'd love to compete in the Golden Rose, but for his primary goal [of the Guineas] we're better off staying home and focusing on this."

Aberlour chasing The Valley success

Kiwi import Aberlour (Mongolian Falcon) will bid to land a first stakes race on Australian soil when she lines up in Friday night's Stocks Stakes (Gr 2, 1500m) at The Valley. Having landed a pair of Listed contests when trained in New Zealand, the now five-year-old mare is stationed with Joe Pride and got off the mark in Australia at the ninth attempt when scoring in a Benchmark 78 (1800m) at Randwick in July. Having backed that up with a second and third placing in her next two starts, Pride has opted to up the mare in grade. "A few weeks ago, I just thought 'I want to get her into a stakes race because I think she's going well' and this race looked the most winnable of the races I had as options," Pride told Racing.com. "She's going super. She ran a really nice second to David Pfieffer's mare Oh Diamond Lil and she came out and won the Tibbie [Stakes] and there's a little bit of form out of her last run as well. She's actually won [three times] going Melbourne way in New Zealand, around tight, little tracks and I just think her pattern will really suit Moonee Valley. She'll run really well. It took me a little while, but I've worked her out now and got her comfortable in her surroundings here. She's come from Riverton in New Zealand at the bottom of the South Island and it just took a bit of an adjustment period for her. But since she's been racing well, she's held her form really consistently."

Esha to bounce back in Scarborough

Shane Nichols’ flying filly Esha (Extreme Choice) faces a pivotal test in Friday night’s Scarborough Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) at The Valley. The well-bred three-year-old returns to racing against her own age and gender after tackling the older horses in the Moir Stakes (Gr 1, 1000m) last start, finishing a very respectable eighth. "It looks an ideal race for her," Nichols, who now trains in partnership with Hayden Black, told Racing.com. "We'll decide where we go, we'll talk to the ownership group after that about whether we potentially go to a Coolmore or whether we stay on a fillies path." Nichols revealed Esha had excuses in the Moir Stakes, where she finished 2.6 lengths off winner Baraqiel. "She got galloped on, had a little wound on her hind pastern but it cleaned up pretty quickly and she was back to normal," he explained. "Damian Lane came out and galloped her last week, she worked well. Then her normal rider Yasmin just gave her a gallop Tuesday morning. I think she probably presents up in pretty good shape." While all three of Esha’s career starts have been over 1000 metres, Nichols is confident about the step up to six furlongs. "I don't think it's any concern," he said. "Her mother was a strong miler, she relaxes really well, she'll be up on speed probably not doing a lot of work unless they tear along, in which case, she might even take a sit. I wouldn't think it'd be any dramas." Mark Zahra takes the ride from barrier six.

Te Akau filly with point to prove at The Valley

New Zealand's champion two-year-old of last season, La Dorada (Super Seth), will be out to prove her ability against her Australian counterparts on Friday night when she contests the Scarborough Stakes at The Valley. A dominant winner of the $1 million Karaka Millions 2YO (RL, 1200m) and Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) last term on home soil, La Dorada was transferred across to Te Akau Racing’s Cranbourne base this spring and lined up against the older horses first-up in the Moir Stakes (Gr 1, 1000m). The daughter of Super Seth (Dundeel) finished back in the field in the high-pressure contest won by Baraqiel, and her trainer Mark Walker is expecting an improved effort back in her own age group and sex at the set weights and penalties. “She came through it well, she didn’t get all favours there and 1000 metres was always going to be too short,” he said. “We had the option of running against the three-year-old fillies and she would’ve carried 59.5 kilograms, so we opted to run with 50 kilograms in the Moir. She’s come along in the coat and her work has been good since, so back to set weights, we think she’ll bounce back tomorrow evening. She should be a genuine top three contender, it is a strong field but it’s always important that our better horses can measure up in Australia. With the black-type situation in New Zealand, the most recent example being the Thorndon Mile being downgraded [to a Group 2], it is crucial when we do bring horses to Australia that they hold our black-type status true to form.”

Barrier blanket for Memo

The Peter Snowden-trained Memo (Capitalist) is set to make her Melbourne debut in the Scarborough Stakes at The Valley on Friday night. The Magic Night Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) winner will have a barrier blanket on in an attempt to get her to jump quicker than she did when resuming in the Furious Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) at Randwick earlier this month, where she was beaten 3.4 lengths to finish ninth. Snowden said Friday night will be important for Memo but believes the filly, who finished runner-up in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) in January, goes into the race with a 'good chance'. "The other day at Randwick she missed the start and came out three lengths behind the second-last horse, so she virtually had Buckley's chance of winning," the trainer told Racing.com. "Her sectionals were good; she finished on the back of the placegetters and no doubt if she had have jumped, she would have ran a lot better. I trialled her with a barrier blanket on last week and she jumped well and she won her trial. Nash [Rawiller] rode her and he's going down to ride on her Friday. He was impressed with her and thought the barrier thing wasn't such a big deal and he thinks he can get her to step well enough. If he does that on Friday night then she's in with a hope. She's never run a bad race, but that start is important. At that level you can't afford to make a mistake like that."

Stardom set to star at The Valley

Adrian Bott is confident talented filly Stardom (Zoustar) filly can bounce back from a disappointing effort when she takes on the Scarborough Stakes at The Valley on Friday night, having finished 11th first-up in the Furious Stakes. "She had to do a bit of work there [in the Furious] and probably that pressure ultimately told being first-up," Bott, who trains in partnership with Gai Waterhouse, told Racing.com. "So I'd be forgiving of that. We just wanted to keep her to the sprinting trips and there weren't many options for her up here in Sydney so there looks a couple of nice races coming up for her down there. She's had a little bit of time to settle in and she looks in good shape, so I'd like to think she can bounce back because her win up at Scone there was plenty of merit to that." Stardom had a workout around The Valley circuit on Monday morning with stablemate Bellazaine (Zousain). "She went around The Valley this week and seemed to work up great," Bott said.

Forgot You bidding for Benalla Cup glory

Dual Group 2 winner Forgot You (Savabeel) will bid to roll back the years when he lines up in the Benalla Cup (2100m) at Friday’s Benalla meeting. The Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained seven-year-old landed the Stutt Stakes on The Valley card on the same day back in 2021, but is rarely seen at stakes level nowadays and the gelding will be aiming to improve upon a fifth placing in the Gold Nugget (1600m) last Friday. "He was a bit plain last Friday at Ballarat, so we thought we thought with a quick turnaround and a jump up in trip to get him thinking a bit," Busuttin told Racing.com. "At his best he should and would win but he needs to lift off the back of his run the other day. The other day in the Gold Nugget it was a dead-set sit and sprint. They dashed up 400 metres and the horses in front of him left him flat footed. He's a seven-year-old gelding. We're not saving him for anything."

Autumn Boy out to emulate sire in Golden Rose

Chris Waller is hoping talented colt Autumn Boy (The Autumn Sun) can emulate his sire’s success when he lines up in the Golden Rose at Rosehill on Saturday. Waller also trained former star galloper The Autumn Sun (Redoute’s Choice), and said Autumn Boy was in a similar mould, both physically and in temperament. "His demeanour and he is also a very similar type," Waller said. "The Autumn Sun had an amazing attitude towards life. He enjoyed every minute of it and he showed that in his racing. He tried hard and he was a pleasure to deal with and this is a carbon copy.” Waller has applied blinkers to Autumn Boy, a tactic that proved successful in his sire’s Golden Rose bid, with the champion trainer renowned for sticking to proven formulas that invariably work for him. "When you're getting old you follow old traditions and we did it with The Autumn Sun," Waller said of the gear change. “But I do think it will help him over 1400 [metres]." Autumn Boy is one of four Golden Rose runners for Waller along with Wodeton (Wootton Bassett), Sixties (Flying Artie) and Beiwacht (Bivouac).

Rise At Dawn on Five Diamonds trial at Rosehill

The Team Hayes-trained Rise At Dawn (Almanzor) will be on trial for November's Five Diamonds (1800m) when he tackles Saturday's Shannon Stakes (Gr 3, 1500m) at Rosehill. Saturday's contest provides the winner with a ballot exemption into the Epsom Handicap (Gr 1, 1600m), for which Rise At Dawn is equal 31st in the order of entry with 53 kilograms, but Ben Hayes has his sights on another lucrative task for the five-year-old son of Almanzor (Wootton Bassett). “He’s in the Epsom and if he was to run well it could be something we’d consider,’’ Hayes, who trains in partnership with his brothers JD and Will, told Racing NSW. “But there’s the Five Diamonds Prelude [on October 25] and the Five Diamonds [two weeks later] for him. The Epsom is there as a back up but we’ll most likely do the Five Diamonds prep." Hayes also admitted that this weekend's Shannon Stakes presented a nice opportunity for the gelding. "That was the reason we decided to come to Sydney," he said. "It’s a race he should be able to cross hopefully not doing too much work. With Gringotts in the race compressing the weight scale he gets in quite nicely with 56.5 kilograms. There’s a lot of good horses in it but it looks a nice opportunity for him.”

Slight program deviation no bother for Gringotts

Having been ruled out of the 7 Stakes (1600m) with a poor blood reading, the Ciaron Maher-trained Gringotts (Per Incanto) will take on Saturday's Shannon Stakes at Rosehill in a change to his previously planned schedule. "There wasn't much to it but in the middle of a preparation we didn't want to take the risk," Gerard-Dubord said. "He actually galloped [Saturday] morning in an easy piece of work. We will take his bloods and if that's right he will be taking his place on Saturday and it will be three weeks into a King Charles [III Stakes] which will work very well." Gringotts heads into this weekend's race a month between runs after resuming with a solid fifth to Via Sistina (Fastnet Rock) in the Winx Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m). "He is going very well and his first-up run was good. He just had to make his run a bit earlier than usual on that very heavy track," Gerard-Dubord said. "He will strip fitter and I'm looking forward to him getting back to the races."

Guineas Prelude task for Bellazaine

The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable will saddle up Bellazaine in the Thousand Guineas Prelude (Gr 2, 1400m) at Sandown-Hillside as the the filly steps up to 1400 metres after an unplaced showing first-up in the Cap D'Antibes Stakes (Listed, 1100m) at Flemington. Bellazaine won the Lonhro Plate (Listed, 1000m) as a two-year-old during a campaign which also saw her contest three Group 1 races, finishing midfield in the Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) and ATC Sires' Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) before a ninth placing in the Champagne Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m). "Probably getting out slightly in trip will be of benefit to her," Bott told Racing.com. "She was just quite lost that first time down the straight [in the Cap D'Antibes]. She travelled well through the early part of the race and then just when they linked onto the course proper she was having a good look around. I think getting back to a race where she's got the rail to follow and getting around a bend is going to be a positive for her, and getting out in trip." Bellazaine holds a Thousand Guineas nomination and Bott expects Saturday's race will give a better indication of where the filly is at this campaign. "For sure, we wouldn't be afraid to test her over that sort of trip because she was tested over it at two and I thought she handled it really well at that stage," Bott said.

Ka Ying Rising has Canterbury stretch

Hong Kong-based trainer David Hayes has reiterated his delight in how his stable star Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress) has handled his journey over to Australia. The Champion Hong Kong sprinter is being geared up for a crack at next month's The Everest, and had a look around Canterbury racecourse on Thursday morning. "He's in great order. He's got some new shoes on, he's settled in and he's enjoying having a pick of the grass outside his stable," Hayes said. "He did lose twenty-two pounds – if the scales are correct and they're calibrated the same because the Hong Kong scales may be different. But the most important thing is he's eating his feed, he's drinking and there's a consistent weight in Australia. I'm not concerned about his weight. He is carrying terrific condition. He's working on his own all the time in quarantine and that will be a bit of competitive company to trial against. He won't be out to break records but we will certainly let him increase the last 200 metres in the trial to stretch his legs out. That's a very important day for him. I will be down there monitoring how the horse is coping and pointing the staff in the right direction."

Whangaehu ready to roll in feature mile

The prospect of a heavy surface for Saturday’s Te Rapa meeting could play into the hands of Central Districts visitor Whangaehu (Proisir). The versatile seven-year-old has competed right out to the two miles of an Auckland Cup (Gr 2, 3200m), but last term, he found career-best form over the middle-distance trips, winning the Trentham Stakes (Gr 3, 2100m) and placing in the Herbie Dyke Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m). Now firmly in the Group 1 fold, Whangaehu will resume in the Howden Insurance Mile (Gr 1, 1600m), having had two public trials to prepare for trainers Bill Thurlow and Sam O’Malley. “We’re really happy with him, his trials were good and his second one was the best of those,” Thurlow said. “He’s on his way up nicely. We would’ve ideally liked to have given him a run somewhere but nothing really fitted his programme, so we’re pretty happy going into the race off what we’ve done with him. He’s fit, he’s done plenty of work, so I don’t think it’ll be too big of an issue and he’s gone really well fresh before.” As of Thursday morning, the Te Rapa track was rated a Heavy 9, and further downgrade wouldn’t worry Thurlow. “He operates on either and he’s won on wet ground, so it’s not as a big a concern for him as it may be for some of the others,” he said. “The only issue will be whether it’s too heavy and his condition gives out, but apart from that, I’m not too concerned.”

Donoghue chasing dream result in Guineas

Navy Dreams (Merchant Navy) all but won at stakes level last season and the in-form colt will have an opportunity to go one better at Te Rapa on Saturday. The Barry Donoghue-trained son of Merchant Navy (Fastnet Rock) will attempt to break his maiden status in the Hawke’s Bay Guineas (Gr 2, 1400m). Like his young charge, Donoghue will be chasing his first victory with his main focus as a successful Ready to Run Sale vendor under his BMD Bloodstock banner, selling unraced stock out of trials and tried horses. “I had to get a trainer’s licence to have horses at the trials and have done alright,” the former jumps jockey said. “I got him [Navy Dreams] to trial, but the offers didn’t come, he ran second at Taupo to Tajana and that form looks brilliant now.” Navy Dreams’ best performance came at his final appearance as a two-year-old when he finished a close second in the Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre Stakes (Listed, 1400m) at Te Rapa. The Raptors Thoroughbreds-owned colt returned at Ellerslie earlier this month against older opposition to finish runner-up to Have A Crack (Zoustar), who is unbeaten in two New Zealand starts. “His first-up run was very good, so he deserves his chance and he’s trained on well,” Donoghue said.

Northern Group 1 on the line for Richard Stomper

A trip north to Auckland next month is in the offing for Richard Stomper (El Roca) when he heads to Riccarton on Saturday to contest the North Canterbury Cup (2000m). The five-win gelding holds a nomination for the Livamol Classic (Gr 1, 2040m) at Ellerslie on October 18, and his connections are keen to see him contest the $550,000 feature if he performs well this weekend. “If he runs in the top four, we would still be keen to go to the Livamol,” trainer Stephanie Faulkner said. “It would be very tough in the Livamol, but everyone is keen to give it a crack, he has a few owners that are keen to head up there.” The six-year-old son of El Roca (Fastnet Rock) kicked-off his preparation with a bang when winning first-up over a mile at his home track of Phar Lap Raceway earlier this month, however, he sustained an injury shortly after which led to a few quiet days in the interim. “He got a bit of an injury that night when he got home,” Faulkner said. “He was playing around in the yard and he cut his knee. It wasn’t a serious injury, more of a cosmetic thing, but he did require stitches. He had three or four days a bit easier than he needed to have. He is probably a gallop short, but you never know in these races.” While his connections are keen to head north, if he performs below expectations, Faulkner has an alternative plan in mind. “Failing that [Livamol], he will probably freshen-up and we will put a late nomination for the mile on the middle day of Cup Week," she said.

JPN: Lucky Sweynesse ‘fulfilling a dream’ for Cheng family

Lucky Sweynesse (Sweynesse) will make his owners’ dreams come true this Sunday when he heads to the starting gates for the Sprinters Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) at Nakayama. The former Hong Kong Champion Sprinter (2022/23) is owned by the Cheng family – Cheng Ming Leung, Cheng Yu Tung, Cheng Mei Mei and Cheng Yu Wai – passionate racing enthusiasts who are on the cusp of realising a long-held ambition when Lucky Sweynesse boldly flies the Bauhinia flag for Hong Kong against the best of Japan. Cheng Ming Leung, father of Cheng Yu Tung, Cheng Mei Mei and Cheng Yu Wai, said: “Coming to race in Japan is fulfilling a dream. I came here with my friend Mr [Yuk Lun] Wong in 2008, and he owned Armada, who was second in the Yasuda Kinen that year. It was an amazing experience for me and my family, so one day I always wanted to come here. Mr Wong will be coming to Japan this time to support us on Sunday here.” Trained by Manfred Man and to be ridden by Derek Leung, Lucky Sweynesse is one of four Group 1 winners in Sunday’s race. Satono Reve (Lord Kanaloa) – who has placed behind Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress) – is the likely favourite in Japan after his Takamatsunomiya Kinen (Gr 1, 1200m) success at Chukyo in March.

HK: My Wish pleases Newnham ahead of Celebration Cup

Mark Newnham is optimistic My Wish (Flying Artie) can make a triumphant start to an ambitious 2025/26 campaign when the rising star resumes in the Celebration Cup Handicap (Gr 3, 1400m) at Sha Tin on Sunday. Newnham orchestrated My Wish's stunning advance last season when the diminutive gelding progressed from a rating of 54 and Class 4 company to a mark of 105 and standing as a genuine Group 1 contender with four wins, two seconds, two thirds and a fourth from nine starts. The Australian horseman believes My Wish has benefited from a spell and natural maturity after the 2025 Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) winner and Hong Kong Derby (2000m) runner-up's rousing trial win at Sha Tin on September 19. “I'm really pleased with him. He's mentally and physically stronger and he's more relaxed in the mornings. His appetite is better so I would say he's made improvements in a lot of little areas,” Newnham said of My Wish. “I would say he'd be very hard to beat. He's a horse that doesn't carry a lot of excess weight, so he gets himself fairly ready and he's run well and won first-up last season. He's a horse that performs fresh. He's actually weighing at over 1,000 pounds at the moment and everyone will be happy with that. He's just strengthened up that much more and I think he's got a good season ahead.”

76 for Night Of Thunder

Distant Storm (2 c ex Date With Destiny by George Washington) became the 76th individual stakes winner for Darley’s former shuttler Night Of Thunder (Dubawi) when impressing with a dominant display in Thursday’s Tattersalls Stakes (Gr 3, 7f) at Newmarket. Ridden by William Buick, the Charlie Appleby-trained colt took his record to two wins from three starts as he came from last-to-first in the seven-runner Group 3 and powered four and three-quarter lengths clear of runner-up Commander’s Intent (Victor Ludorum). There was a further half-length back to Archer Royal (Blue Point) in third. Bred by Newsells Park Stud, Distant Storm was first purchased by CF Bloodstock for 90,000gns at Book 1 of the 2024 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale before being re-purchased by his owners Godolphin for €1.9 million at this year's Arqana May Breeze-Up Sale. He is closely related to winner Classic (Dubawi) and a half-brother to three more winners including the Group 3 scorer Beautiful Morning (Galileo), being the ninth foal out of the Listed-placed George Washington (Danehill) mare Date With Destiny. Night Of Thunder, who shuttled to Darley Australia for one season in 2016, stood the 2025 northern hemisphere breeding season at Kildangan Stud for a fee of €150,000 (approx. AU$267,470).

IRE: Starspangledbanner colt tops record-busting September Yearling Sale

Newmarket trainers descended on Fairyhouse en masse for this year’s edition of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale. George Scott duly ensured the raiding party was bringing the sales-topper back across the Irish Sea after bidding €200,000 (approx. AU$356,920) for a son of Starspangledbanner (Choisir) midway through another lively session on Wednesday. The colt was bred by Hamwood Stud from Broderie Anglaise, a Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) sibling to seven black-type performers, including Group 3 scorer Hearthstead Maison (Peintre Celebre) and the Group 1-placed Moth (Galileo) and Rave Reviews (Sadler’s Wells). Joey Logan was consigned to the position of underbidder. Figures for the two-day sale posted some eye-popping returns. Turnover was up fully 51 per cent to €18,759,500 (approx. AU$33.46 million), the average price rose 48 per cent to €42,635 (approx. AU$76,070) and the median was up 54 per cent to €37,000 (approx. AU$66,010). All three indices showed clear sale records. The financial details were underpinned by a rock-solid clearance rate of 93 per cent as 440 yearlings found a buyer from 474 offered.