‘I think ultimately it will prove to be a buyers’ market’ – Inglis all set for Australian Weanling Sale
Anamoe (Street Boss), Jacquinot (Rubick), Artorius (Flying Artie) and Hitotsu (Maurice) are among sires who’ll have their first progeny go to auction at a bumper edition of the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale from Monday.
From a hefty catalogue of 574 lots – up from 456 last year – some 469 lots will go on offer, after withdrawals, on Monday and Tuesday at Riverside, drawn from a wide array of 107 stallions.
A full brother to Too Darn Lizzie (Too Darn Hot), a colt by Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) out of a rare Danehill (Danzig) mare, and a daughter of Oakleigh Plate (Gr 1, 1100m)–winning mare Sheidel (Holy Roman Emperor) – who is offered as part of Dorrington Farm’s dispersal – are among the highlights of the sale.
So too are two fillies and a colt by the great Frankel (Galileo), 12 lots by this year’s record-breaking first–season yearling sale sire Home Affairs (I Am Invincible), eight weanlings by the in-demand Too Darn Hot (Dubawi), plus two lots each by Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) and Zoustar (Northern Meteor), and one by I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit).
Pointing to sale graduates such as Group 1 winners Kimochi (Brave Smash) and Hayasugi (Royal Meeting) – sold for $21,000 and $47,500 respectively – Inglis Bloodstock CEO Sebastian Hutch said he expected another range of quality weanlings would pass through the sale.
Given the vast catalogue and a level of toughness in the yearling market this year, Hutch expects the sale may present a buyers’ market.
“We’re very pleased with the catalogue and how it’s come together,” Hutch told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“It’s the biggest catalogue we’ve had for the sale certainly in recent memory, with a huge cross section of stallions and a strong representation of 59 different vendors.
“Understandably, there’ll be some caution in the approach of pinhookers, noting challenges to the yearling sale market in 2025.
“From an Inglis point of view we’ve run a healthy set of yearling sales, but there’s no disguising the fact there were challenges in the market.
“So I think there’ll be an inclination on the part of pinhookers to be more selective in their approach.”
He added: “There’s a huge amount of choice for people, and I think ultimately it will prove to be a buyers’ market.”
The sale last year averaged $55,000 through 291 lots sold at a clearance rate of 78 per cent, up from $52,000 through 249 lots at 73 per cent in 2023. The median was $30,000 for both sales.
Given the larger size of this year’s catalogue, the average is expected to be down, but Hutch was confident of a strong clearance rate.
“The results last year were fantastic, grossing in excess of $16 million,” he said. “That’s given vendors confidence they can bring foals here.
“We’ve always cleared well at this sale and we’ll be doing our best to have a high clearance rate again this week.”
Hutch said foot traffic had been busy in the days leading up to the auction, which begins a huge week of breeding stock sales at Riverside that also includes Thursday’s Chairman’s Sale and Friday’s Australian Broodmare Sale.
Traders will be the dominant force as usual at a sale which has turned pinhooking results at this year’s yearling sales including $60,000 into $400,000, $25,000 into $240,000 and $150,000 into $420,000.
But Hutch expects a noticeable presence from end-user buyers – as seen with the purchases of the aforementioned Kimochi and Hayasugi. He said the buying bench would also contain a healthy international presence.
“We’ll have good representation from New Zealand, some visitors from south-east Asia, some visitors from Europe, and a broad cross section of people engaged online,” he said.
“There are end-users who participate in the sale, but it’s primarily a trade driven market.
“It’s dominated by pinhookers, while some will buy to breeze, others buy to trial and trade, or race and trade. If we can have that complemented by a smattering of people who are looking to try to identify and race high end stock, all the better.
“There’s certainly the stock of the necessary quality to do that. There’s some very well-credentialed foals here, and I expect those foals to be well found and sell well if they vet well.”
None will be more keenly sought than Lot 367 from Widden Stud on behalf of breeder Rob Cummings, a colt by Too Darn Hot out of Group 2 winner and Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) runner-up Enbihaar (Magnus). The colt is a full–brother to Group 2 winner Too Darn Lizzie, who was also co-bred by Cummings.
Too Darn Lizzie, who fetched $1 million at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, and Enbihaar, will also be offered at Riverside this week, at the Chairman’s Sale.
“He’s a high-quality weanling and he’d be a horse who would be first into any major sale, and first into any major stable,” Widden owner Antony Thompson said of Too Darn Lizzie’s full-brother.
“I see him as a horse who’d attract end-user interest, people who’d want to get ahead of the curve and buy a smashing sort of colt with a big pedigree.
“He’s a lovely type, his full sister made a million, and this guy is a little bit bigger than her probably. He’s got lovely scope, a lovely presence, a really good way about him and he’s been much admired.
“He was inspected 50-odd times on Saturday. I think he’s the horse of the sale.”
Thompson, who’ll offer eight lots, is also excited about the first offerings of Widden’s dual Group 1-winning sire Jacquinot, who has 13 weanlings at the sale.
“His first crop looks really good,” Thompson said. “He’s been very popular, with two big books of mares, and we’re very happy with his stock. I’m sure we’ll see some sell very well here.”
Widden’s two Jacquinots include Lot 314, a filly who’s the third foal of the remarkable blind mare Cerda (Snitzel).
A $450,000 yearling buy for Waterhouse-Bott, Cerda lost her sight soon after running second in her only two starts in 2020 – in the prestigious Kirkham Plate (1000m), beaten half-a-length by current sire Tiger Of Malay (Extreme Choice), and in the $1 million ATC Golden Gift (1100m), beaten 0.4 lengths by ultimate triple stakes winner Sneaky Five (Fastnet Rock).
Widden’s other Jacquinot is Lot 494, a filly first foal out of an unraced sister to Silver Shadow Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) winner Swift Witness (Star Witness).
Thompson also made mention of Lime Country Thoroughbreds’ Jacquinot colt, from the same family as stakes winners Musidora (Rock Of Gibraltar), Tulip (Pierro) and Sacred Eye (High Chaparral).
Overall, Thompson is expecting a “very competitive” sale.
“There’s been lots of foot traffic here, lots of Kiwis, lots of foal buyers trying to pinhook for next year’s sales,” he said.
“And there’s a few end-users around for the really top end stuff. It’ll be interesting to see who plays there – what trainers, agents and farms.”
No new sire will create more excitement than Darley’s nine-time Group 1 winner Anamoe, whose two lots include Alma Vale Thoroughbreds’ exceptionally bred filly from a line of three stakes-winning mares: dam Eawase (Sebring), her dam Karuta Queen (Not A Single Double), and her dam Card Queen (Final Card).
Anamoe’s other weanling is Fernrigg Farm’s Lot 244 – a half-sister to Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) hero Quick Thinker (So You Think) and Group 3 winner Seasons (Sebring).
Arrowfield Stud’s dual Derby winner Hitotsu has eight lots including Rheinwood Pastoral’s filly from Cheyenne Sue (Zizou), a half-sister to Group 1 winners Mazu (Maurice) and Headway (Charge Forward).
Newgate Farm’s debutant sire Artorius has a strong representation of 14 weanlings including Alma Vale’s Lot 301, a half-brother to Field Of Play (Deep Field), this year’s Blue Diamond Prelude (Gr 3, 1100m) winner who himself is a graduate from this sale, sold for $255,000 in 2023.
Other first-season sires represented include Best Of Bordeaux (Snitzel), Daumier (Epaulette), In The Congo (Snitzel), Paulele (Dawn Approach), Sejardan (Sebring) and Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) winner State Of Rest (Starspangledbanner).
Wootton Bassett’s sole offering is Davali Thoroughbreds’ Lot 576, a colt out of 20-year-old Danehill mare Twinkle Toes, who’s thrown no fewer than four stakes winners in Western Australia.
Seven-time stakes winner Sheidel is represented by Lot 120 from the draft of Noorilim Park, a filly second foal from the second crop of Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Stay Inside (Extreme Choice).
Frankel’s three lots also boast quality pedigrees.
Yarraman Park’s Lot 418 is a colt first foal of Irish mare Have A Good Day (Adaay), a Group 3 winner in France.
Coolmore offers the two Frankel fillies in Lot 218 – out of British mare Wind Chimes (Mastercraftsman), the equal leading 3YO filly on the 2018 World Thoroughbred Rankings for a mile – and Lot 581, from the stakes-placed Manderley (Clodovil).
Zoustar’s two lots are well-bred and well-spaced, starting with Lot 24, The Chase’s colt from a half-sister to three stakes winners who were Group 1-placed in Media (Gilded Time), Timbourina (Timber Country) and Cardinal Virtue (Elusive Quality).
Late on day two, Milburn Creek presents their Zoustar in Lot 555, a chestnut colt from Miss Canada (Exceed And Excel), a Group 2-placed dual winner from a female line of three stakes-winning mares including her dam Inglorious (Hennessy), Canada’s Champion 3YO Filly of 2011.
Snitzel’s two lots can be expected to sell well. Lot 92 from Segenhoe Stud is a filly second foal of triple stakes winner Rubisaki (Rubick), while Coolmore’s Lot 293 is a filly from a half-sister to Hong Kong Group 1 hero Lucky Bubbles (Sebring).
I Am Invincible’s lone offering is Lot 319 from his stud farm Yarraman Park, a filly from the family of US Grade 1 heroine Mani Bhavan (Storm Boot) and Australian dual black–type–winning mare Mumbai Muse (Zoustar).