Six highlights for Inglis Classic
Here, in lot order, is a look at six likely head-turners at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, starting Sunday.
Lot 56
b c Zusain – Happy Pilgrim (Congrats)
Rheinwood Pastoral
DOB: 02-11-24
The outstanding Private Harry (Harry Angel) is one of Classic’s great success stories, sold there for $115,000 in 2023 before winning his first five starts and more than $2 million in prize-money, taking in The Galaxy (Gr 1, 1100m) and a buy-in from Yulong along the way.
And now – not only at the same sale but out of the very same box – his breeders Rheinwood Pastoral are offering the star sprinter’s half-brother.
The colt by Widden Stud speed sire Zousain (Zoustar) was born in November, but you wouldn’t know it, says the southern highlands farm’s stud manager Dee Foster.
“A lot of people are surprised to find out he’s a November foal,” Foster says. “He’s actually quite forward for a November foal. He’s a good size, with good scope, nice muscle and good bone.
“I think he’s strong enough, mentally and physically, to go early – a typical jump and run colt.
“He’s a really nice colt with a great attitude; very easy to do anything with. He’s pretty easy on the eye and he moves well, and he’s been well received so far.
“We thought about taking him to the Easter sale, but we wanted to present him ourselves, and he was forward enough to bring here.”
Part of Rheinwood’s eight-horse draft, the colt also has elite-level winner Arkady (Myocard) in his family, and already has a strong omen about him.
“It wasn’t intentional that he would have the same box at the sale as Private Harry,” Foster says with a smile, “but hopefully it’s a good sign.”
Lot 138
b/br c Too Darn Hot – Light Up The Room (So You Think)
Newgate Farm
DOB: 22-09-24
Newgate is offering two highly rated yearlings – the filly Lot 233 and the colt Lot 621 – by its sizzling hot sire Extreme Choice (Not A Single Doubt), whose offspring have been the top two sellers in Classic history.
So it speaks volumes for Lot 138 that insiders consider this colt possibly the pick of Newgate’s 15-horse draft.
Offered on behalf of Ridgmont, the powerfully built colt is by one of Australia’s other most in-demand stallions, Darley’s champion first and second season sire Too Darn Hot (Dubawi).
And the female family is high on quality, with stakes-placed dam Light Up The Room (So You Think) a half-sister to Group 3 winner Mare Of Mt Buller (Dundeel). Fourth dam Savana City (New Regent) won the AJC Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) to become joint top filly on the Australasian 3YO Classification in 1987-88.
“He’s a very strong, athletic son of Too Darn Hot with plenty of size and scope, out of a really good racemare,” says Newgate managing director Henry Field.
“He’s was raised at Ridgmont, and they wanted to bring a horse of his calibre to Classic to really stand him out.
“He’s a dark horse with plenty of strength and great quality. But what’s particularly good about him is he’s a horse who just keeps improving all the time, so you can see him being even better in six months.
“He’ll definitely be capable of having good two-year-old form, but he’ll furnish into a really good three-year-old.
“He’ll be one of the most sought after colts at the sale.”
Lot 337
b c Pierro – Real Desire (Wanted)
HP Thoroughbreds
DOB: 14-09-24
Another great Classic success story is Skybird (Exosphere), sold by HP Thoroughbreds out of the old Highway Session in 2022 for $110,000, going on to become an elite-level winner of the VRC Lightning Stakes (Gr 1, 1000m) and more than $1.2 million in prize-money so far.
Now her southern Hunter Valley breeders HP Thoroughbreds are putting up that mare’s three-quarter brother, by another son of Lonhro (Octagonal) in Pierro, out of the winning mare Real Desire (Wanted).
It’s a page littered with black type and some regal names. Third dam Snow Finch (Storm Bird) claimed a black type race in Ireland and threw two dual stakes winners in Australia, one of whom was super broodmare Snippets’ Lass (Snippets).
She left the great four-time champion sire Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice), dual stakes winner and subsequent sire Hinchinbrook (Fastnet Rock), a third black type victor in Viennese (Redoute’s Choice), and the stakes-placed dam of Group 1 winner Rediener (Redoute’s Choice).
“He’s very similar to Skybird,” says HP’s Anthony Evans.
“He’s a lovely, strong, medium sized colt. He’s got a great action, a great temperament, and is just a quality animal.
“He was down to go to the Easter sale but we decided to bring him here. It’s the same sale as Skybird was sold at, and we thought he’d be a stand-out here.
“A lot of people have commented on how well he moves. Everything about him just points to him being a really nice horse.
“The family doesn’t go super early – Skybird didn’t start til she was three. He’s strong enough and forward enough to be a two-year-old, but will probably be better at three and four, like Skybird.”
Lot 406
b c Flying Artie – Set The Tone (Reset)
Riversdale Farm
DOB: 19-10-24
Classic has long been a key destination for Hong Kong-based buyers, and this strapping colt looks certain to attract concerted attention from that direction.
By Flying Artie – sire of Europe’s reigning champion sprinter Asfoora – he’s a brother to emerging Hong Kong star My Wish.
That five-year-old gelding has won six of 16 starts, including three stakes races up to Group 2 level, and has twice run fourth at the top tier.
Just the second foal out of 2100-metre winner Set The Tone (Reset), this colt boasts a deep pedigree including his stakes-performed third dam Late Night Fun (Handy Proverb). She’s a half-sister to the black type placed Chatelaine (Flying Spur), dam of elite-level winning sprinters Mazu (Maurice) and Headway (Charge Forward), Australia’s Champion 2YO Filly of 2008-09.
“He’s a lovely style of horse with plenty of scope,” says Riversdale’s Nick Hodges, who’s presenting his farm’s largest Classic draft, at 27 lots.
“He’s just a horse who’s got a big presence about him, and a great walk. He really means business when he’s out there.
“He’s got good bone. He’s got a bit more depth to him than an out-and-out two-year-old, so you’d expect him to be a very good three-year-old.
“He’s been popular so far. People are coming for him, which is what you’d expect with his page, and you’d think he’ll draw good interest from Hong Kong.”
Lot 462
ch c Harry Angel – Sretan (Bernardini)
Kirks Bridge Farm
DOB: 14-09-24
The Hunter Valley’s Kirks Bridge Farm presents this brother to star sprinter Stretan Angel, the winner of three stakes races who’s also run second in the VRC Lightning Stakes (Gr 1, 1000m) and SAJC Goodwood (Gr 1, 1200m).
Another son of Darley’s outstanding shuttler Harry Angel (Dark Angel), who finished seventh on Australia’s general sires’ table last year with just three crops running, the colt is the sixth foal of Sretan (Bernardini), whose dam was the Group 3-winning Pure Joy (Fusaichi Pegasus), the granddam of three-time stakes winner Alegron (Teofilo).
This early-looking colt is the highlight of his young farm’s well varied nine-horse draft, the largest it’s taken to Classic, and he’s been shaping that way for a long time, according to Kirks Bridge’s Brad McCarthy.
“He’s been a stand-out on the farm from day one. It’s been a bit of a wait but finally we’re here,” McCarthy says.
“It’s been great watching him grow. From pretty early doors I had a very high opinion of him. He’s a really classy colt, and the goal was always to try to bring him to a sale like Classics and stand him out a little bit.
“He’s such a big strong horse with plenty of scope, massive hindquarters, and a big, deep shoulder.
“The thing I like about him, and I have from day one, is the way he uses all of himself when he moves. He’s not a horse who just props along, he really uses every muscle when he walks.
“He’s matured so nicely along the way. He’s been a professional from day one and he hasn’t put a foot wrong.”
Lot 607
b f Spirit Of Boom – Zoom By (Red Dazzler)
Eureka Stud
DOB: 20-09-24
With exquisite timing, Melbourne’s boom two-year-old Big Sky (Bivouac) stormed to victory and up the betting charts for the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) by taking last Saturday’s Chairman’s Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m) at Caulfield, giving him two wins from as many starts.
His Queensland breeders Eureka Stud are now excited to offer his half-sister who promises just as much speed, by their renowned explosive sire Spirit Of Boom (Sequalo).
And he hails from a power-packed page, so resplendent in black type there’s only room for two dams.
The first, Zoom By (Red Dazzler), was a speedy winner of four races. Second dam Zippast (Lord Seymour) was unraced, but is the mother of Listed victor Firenza (Kenny’s Best Pal), who’s the dam of Group 3 winner Tuscan Sling (Danehill Dancer) and the dams of two more stakes winners.
Zippast also left Beauty World (Danehill Dancer), a super producing dam of five stakes winners, including four-timer Lite’n In My Veins (Henrythenavigator), and Loveyamadly (Bel Espirit), who’s kept the chain going by leaving two more black type victors.
It’s a family that keeps giving, and Eureka are delighted with this addition.
“She’s a nice filly who looks a lot like her mother,” says Eureka’s Harry McAlpine.
“She’s strong, big hipped, sharp and with a great nature. She’s got a lot of the quality of her mother, who we raced ourselves and was extremely fast.
“Big Sky also has the mother’s quality, but has a bit more stretch and scope. This filly’s a bit more close-coupled, and is a pretty typical Spirit Of Boom.
“She’s a nice moving filly with a good athletic walk. She should go early and should be a very easy filly to train.”