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Anamoe steals the show as curtain comes down on Great Southern Sale
Paul Symes
ANZ News
It was the Anamoe (Street Boss) show on the final day of the Inglis Great Southern Weanling Sale as the Darley dynamo delivered some outstanding results for vendors, most notably the $825,000 fetched by Three Bridges for his filly out of their prolific producer Femme Fireball (Pierro) - which represented a joint-record price for this sale.
Remarkably, the total spend on the trio of Anamoe weanlings offered for sale came to a cool $1.505 million, with his prized colt selling for $480,000 earlier in the session and his filly consigned by Twin Hills Stud on the opening day procuring $200,000.
As widely expected, given the prodigious prowess shown by her elder sisters, Lot 406 - the fifth foal (all fillies) produced by broodmare phenom Femme Fireball - proved to be the headline act on a highly competitive day of trading at Oaklands Junction.
It is exceedingly rare for a mare to produce Group 1 winners with her first two foals, and Yulong will be hoping Femme Fireball can extend that hot streak after Yuesheng Zhang eventually emerged triumphant from an intense bidding duel for the bay filly shortly after 4.30pm on Friday afternoon.
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The filly’s half-sisters, Femminile (Dundeel) and Ciaron Maher’s recent Queensland Oaks (Gr 1, 2200m) heroine Fireball Miss (Bivouac), were sold as yearlings for $150,000 and $140,000 respectively, with the former subsequently acquired by Yulong for $1.5 million as a broodmare prospect off the back of her valiant victory in the 2025 South Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2500m).
Femme Fireball’s third-born – subsequently named Fiamina (Pinatubo) – was snapped up by Laurel Oak Bloodstock for $250,000 last year, and while her fourth filly is yet to hit the open market, there was little doubt that the mare’s most recent offering would command a great deal of attention when she entered the sales ring as the highlight lot of Three Bridges’ premium draft.
With Bennett Racing - who own Fireball Miss - keen to add the filly to their expanding stable, bidding in the auditorium soon reached fever pitch but ultimately it was Mr Zhang’s deep pockets that won the day, as the filly joined the daughter of Frankel (Galileo) acquired by Mitchell Bloodstock in 2023 as the equal-most expensive weanling purchased at the Great Southern Sale.
“To get these results is what you dream of. We thought we had the right product, we bought her to Inglis and she shone
Three Bridges’ principal Toby Liston had teamed up with TBV’s president Peter Murray to purchase Femme Fireball – when she was in foal to Anamoe – at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Broodmare Sale, with Boomer Bloodstock and Paul Willetts securing the mare for $900,000 on behalf of their clients.
That astute acquisition is already reaping rich rewards, and with the promise of much more to come given that the stakes-placed mare is only 11 years of age, Liston was understandably delighted with the farm’s early return on their investment.
“To get these results is what you dream of,’’ Liston said.
“We thought we had the right product, we bought her to Inglis and she shone.
“You get nervous when you’ve got such a quality animal and obviously there were multiple bidders up to $600,000 and $700,000, everybody wanted her, which is marvellous.
“She’s obviously smashed the record for a weanling sold this year and why wouldn’t she, she’s such a beauty.’’
The filly’s co-breeder Peter Murray added: “So exciting. Can’t really believe it to be honest, I’m kind of speechless.
“It was amazing, really. You get caught up in the moment and you don’t know which way the bids are coming because they’re coming from online, from the other end of the room, the auctioneer [Will Gardner] was fantastic, it was great theatre.
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“I’d like to also thank Inglis, they’ve been fantastic getting the right buyers together, they’re very supportive and we’re very appreciative.’’
Earlier in the day, Burnewang North made waves when realising $480,000 for Anamoe’s colt out of the farm’s broodmare Witches (Lonhro), who flew out of the breeding blocks with her first-born Aditi (Exceed And Excel) finishing second on debut in the 2022 Maribyrnong Trial Stakes (Listed, 1000m) for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.
As such, Lot 276 inevitably generated huge interest in the auditorium and online before he was eventually knocked down to the substantial bid placed jointly by bloodstock agents Suman Hedge and Stefan Pardi.
The dynamic duo were clearly determined to depart Oaklands Junction with the colt in their safe keeping, not least as Anamoe’s current trajectory is so steep that the value of his stock is only likely to increase exponentially.
Pardi was a relieved man after fending off the persistent challenge of his fellow bidders to secure the second highest lot, with the renowned judge adamant that the colt will prove his worth both at the 2027 yearling sales and, beyond that, where it matters most – on the racetrack.
“I loved him, I just wanted to have him, on my notes I just had ‘Love. Him. Have to take home,” Pardi said.
“I loved him, I just wanted to have him, on my notes I just had ‘Love. Him. Have to take home
“He’s all class, a well-bodied colt, beautiful head and I’m leaning toward Inglis Easter with him and he’ll be a standout there as well.
“Burnewang North do an outstanding job and this colt was just so chilled, so relaxed, he got pulled out for inspections so many times, even a few times I was there I had to wait in line to inspect him but he was just always relaxed and that’s a very good temperament to take to a sale and end users will have a look at that when he’s a yearling.’’
The premium price capped a very successful sale for the team at Burnewang, who sold a grand total of 11 six-figure lots including a $260,000 Home Affairs (I Am Invincible) filly to Hedge on day two.
Burnewang’s managing owner, Cathy Hains, hailed a terrific set of results for the family business which more than allayed her pre-sale fears.
“I came here today worried, but we certainly leave very, very happy with the results,” she told ANZ News.
Stats
2026 |
2025 |
|
|---|---|---|
Catalogued |
438 |
327 |
Offered |
378 |
281 |
Sold |
295 (78%) |
227 (81%) |
Aggregate |
$15,289,500 (50.47%) |
$10,161,000 |
Average |
$51,829 (15.79%) |
$44,762 |
Median |
$25,000 (13.64%) |
$22,000 |
Top Lot |
$825,000 (406) |
$475,000 (Lot 198) |
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“There’s been a fairly high passed-in rate, so it’s hard to escape that; but when we manage to sell
them all and go home with a smile on our face, it’s been a good sale. We get them on the market and
let the market decide, so we’re very focused on coming here with a draft and meeting market
expectations.
“A couple of them have very much exceeded our expectations, but they’re
very nice horses who should present beautifully as yearlings, and then as racehorses. With the
stallions we pick, we focus on new-season and proven horses which is why we sent the mare to Anamoe.
She has already produced a stakes-placed filly, she’s relatively young and this colt was another
outstanding type.
“We’re weanling sellers, so we have to be very cognisant of trying to produce a commercial animal in the sense that we don’t do it for fun. We do it because we love the business, and we want it to be a commercial operation.
The colt’s famous father will be joined on Darley’s roster for the upcoming season by returning shuttler Ghaiyyath (Dubawi), whose progeny continue to be viewed as precious commodities by the buying bench – as witnessed by the $260,000 sale of his colt out of Taqdees (Redoute’s Choice).
Ghaiyyath sired the sale’s first six-figure weanling on day one when Shadow Hill Thoroughbreds received $220,000 for his colt out of Holy Spirit (Deep Field), and 24 hours later renowned Kiwi pinhookers Mark and Shelley Treweek of Lyndhurst Farm paid $40,000 more than that for Lot 228.
The colt will shortly head across the Tasman Sea to the married couple’s farm on the outskirts of Cambridge, and it would be no great surprise if he were to go under the hammer at Karaka next year.
Some early day two fireworks were initiated by Lot 164, a bay colt by Swettenham Stud’s flagbearer Toronado (High Chaparral) who fetched $220,000 for Highfield Thoroughbreds.
The colt is the second foal produced by the well-bred mare Royal Filly (Pierro), and he was snapped up by bloodstock agent Paul Willetts who was no doubt motivated in part by the recent trial performance of his half-sister Brooke’s Blooms (Hanseatic).
The Chris Anderson-trained juvenile, a $60,000 purchase from the Rosemont draft at the 2025 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, is yet to make her competitive debut but she surely won’t be far off after comfortably accounting for her rivals by more than two lengths in a 1000-metre trial at Doomben at the start of the month.
“There were a lot of very good Toronados in the sale and we were very pleased to pick this one up,” Willetts told ANZ News.
The Great Southern Weanling Sale gross of $15,289,500 saw a $4.2 million jump (51%) on last year and set a new record for the sale, eclipsing the previous benchmark of $12,140,600 set in 2024
This year’s Great Southern Weanling Sale saw incredible growth, with the average ($51,829) and median ($25,000) – both sale records – up 16 per cent and 14 per cent respectively year-on-year.
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A total of 55 weanlings sold for $100,000 or more at Great Southern this week – up from 27 last year – taking to 124 the number of six-figure weanlings sold in this year’s Inglis Weanling Sales Series.
Inglis Bloodstock CEO Sebastian Hutch described the past month of breeding stock sales as “phenomenal’’.
“When you look back and reflect, to gross almost $35,000,000 for our weanling sales series is really incredible, especially when you consider the Magic Millions Weanling Sale grossed $16,149,500, so our sales have more than doubled that,’’ Hutch said.
“For context, as recently as 2019, our weanling sale series was over $10.2 million behind that of Magic Millions in terms of turnover, so thank you to all vendors for working with us to help to turn that around.
“Our team has worked exceptionally hard to generate momentum behind our weanling sales series and I’m confident the drive and passion within our team will see us continue to progress the standard of service that we offer our clients through the balance of the year and into 2027.
“These past two days at Oaklands have been hugely rewarding for a large number of people and we are incredibly grateful for the support that we have been afforded by our buyers and, in particular, our vendors.
“Special mention must go to Catherine Hains, Aaron and Emma Todd, Tanya Edwards and the entire Burnewang North team, to sell all 17 weanlings offered is a tremendous achievement.”
Armidale rewarded for weanling gamble
Armidale Stud’s managing director David Whishaw spoke of his pride and optimism for the future as he reflected on two days of hugely successful trading for the family farm at the 2026 Inglis Great Southern Weanling Sale.
After consigning the sale-topper in the opening session, a crack colt by Coolmore’s sought-after sire Home Affairs (I Am Invincible), the team at Armidale were again in celebratory mood on day two having sold Lots 410 and 421 for a combined $410,000.
The sale of their colts by King’s Gambit (I Am Invincible) – a half-brother to unbeaten juvenile Aristopolos (St Mark’s Basilica) – and Toronado (High Chaparral) took their overall tally to $805,000, thereby dwarfing the $166,000 Armidale realised for their four lots at this same sale 12 months ago.
The startling increase cemented Armidale’s status as arguably Tasmania’s most prominent stud farm and, according to Whishaw, is testament to the effort and indeed expertise of his committed staff.
“We’re very proud of the job that our team does,” he told ANZ News.
“We’re a small family-run business, and we’ve got outstanding loyal staff who go over and above. I think the results over the two days are wonderful for our business financially, and they allow us to continue to invest. We need to get these wins to allow us to stay relevant and viable.
“It’s also a wonderful shot in the arm for our team who look after these stock, and I think it helps them understand why they get out of bed. They love getting out of bed to help make a difference in growing out good quality racehorses, but I think they also need to see us getting some results in the sales ring to ensure we can continue to invest in our business and invest in them.
“With all the big boys getting bigger, it’s not easy for the small breeders to get a win. But our results are a bit of a win for all the small breeders, so hopefully they see that they can do it too.”
The King’s Gambit colt sold for $210,000 to Blue Gum Farm and Suman Hedge, who were no doubt taken by the feats of Aristopolos - a winner of six successive races including the Gold Sovereign Stakes (Listed, 1200m) and the Elwick Stakes (Listed, 1100m).
Aristopolos was sold by Armidale to trainer John Blacker for $60,000 at last year’s Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale and, given his half-brother is a more impressive physical specimen, Whishaw was unsurprised that he commanded a considerably higher fee.
“This colt certainly had his admirers,” Whishaw told ANZ News.
“He’s a beautiful, strong, forward colt, and well-muscled. He’s similar to his brother, but stronger. His brother was a big, strong horse, but he probably lacked a bit of hind quarter and was weaker through the hocks. Whereas this guy’s got a great hind quarter, stronger through the hocks, and we just felt he was a great representation of a first season sire.
“There was a King’s Gambit weanling that was bought [by Jim Carey] for $265,000 up in Sydney, and with his brother being undefeated in six starts, we once again felt it would do no harm to showcase this colt as a weanling.”
