Inglis Preparing For Milestone Easter Sale

Any business requires innovation to stay at the top of its trade, and in its 150th year Inglis certainly cannot be accused of being stagnant.

While there is plenty to reminisce about during this milestone year, Inglis has a lot going on in the coming weeks to keep its sights firmly fixed on the future: Three sales including the first renewal of its Chairman's Sale, its flagship Easter yearling sale and weanling and broodmare sale; and the ongoing construction of a new state-of-the-art sales complex that will debut in 2018.

While there will be much happening in Sydney the first two weeks of April–with the third renewal of The Championships also on tap–the focus for many will be the Australian Easter Yearling Sale, where 480 of the country's best yearlings will go under the hammer on Apr. 4 to 6.

The Easter sale falls toward the end of a racing season that has seen some vintage performances from Easter grads. The highlight was a trifecta in Victoria's most prestigious juvenile race, the G1 Blue Diamond, where the filly Catchy (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) led home 'TDN Rising Star' Pariah (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}) and Formality (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}).

The 2016 Group 1 winners sold at Easter include G1 Schweppes Oaks winner Abbey Marie (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}); G1 Coolmore Stud S. winner Flying Artie (Aus) (Artie Schiller); G1 Champagne S. and G1 Victoria Derby winner Prized Icon (Aus) (More Than Ready); and Whisky Baron (Aus) (Manhattan Rain {Aus}), winner of South Africa's G1 Sun Met H. Last weekend's G1 Coolmore Classic winner Heavens Above (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) was offered through the Easter ring but failed to meet her reserve, as did champion sprinter Chautauqua (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}). The Easter catalogue received another boost on Saturday in the form of G1 Golden Slipper winner She Will Reign (Aus) (Manhattan Rain {Aus}). While she is a graduate of the Classic sale, her Shamus Award (Aus) half-sister will be offered at Easter as lot 86.

The results of Inglis's two yearlings sales thus far in 2017 are also encouraging heading into Easter, said the company's National Bloodstock Director Jonathan D'Arcy.

“The sale season here has been good,” he said. “Our Classic sale was up 25%, Melbourne was up 12%, and Magic Millions I think was up 5%. Good horses are selling very well. We averaged A$280,000 last year, and I think we can do that this year.”

“With the quality of the catalogue I'm very confident we're going to see some very good prices paid for the top-quality stock,” D'Arcy added. “We've seen that throughout the yearling sale series so far this year. We've got a very good buying bench being assembled. We have several new investors from Europe and America coming out. I think people are starting to recognize the Australian bloodstock industry is probably the most vibrant industry in the world today, and they're seeing the opportunities to buy a colt and take it through to Group 1 races and then reap the benefits of what is probably the strongest stallion market in the world. And I think our female families, because of the investment our breeders have made over the last 10 to 15 years in North America and Europe buying top-class fillies off the track and buying into top-class families, I think that's starting to show in the internationalization of our catalogue.”

Indeed, many pages in the catalogue wouldn't be out of place at the yearling sales in America or Europe, and sure to draw the attention of overseas visitors will be the three Tapits (lots 109, 122 and 179) and two Frankel (GB)s (lots 102 and 210). Also represented are prominent European sires Shamardal (lot 399), Sea The Stars (Ire) (lot 301) and Dansili (GB) (lot 30).

“Its great to be offering three Tapits,” D'Arcy noted. “He's one of the star sires in North America. I was at Keeneland in September and saw how popular he was there. He's had several very good horses on turf so I'm sure he'll make the grade here. While they're in small numbers it would come as no surprise to see one or more of those yearlings in our better-quality races as they get older.”

Four Frankel yearling were sold through Easter last year, with the highest-priced, a A$1.6-million colt out of More Strawberries (Aus) (More Than Ready) bought by trainer Chris Waller, winning a Rosehill barrier trial on Monday.

“There are very good reports about a couple of the Frankels we sold here last year,” D'Arcy said. “I know Chris Waller is very happy with the More Strawberries colt, and once again we've got a couple of very nice Frankels to offer.”

While international sires always offer an added element of interest, it is the local sires that are the lifeblood of the sale, and shoppers certainly won't be lacking for choice of offerings by the country's leading sires. Topping the list by number is the country's current leading sire Snitzel (Aus) with 44, and the Arrowfield resident has had a remarkable season in 2016/17. Having tied the record for 2-year-old winners in a season last year at 30, Snitzel is well on his way to becoming the all-out record holder this year, with 24 juvenile winners with more than four months remaining in the season. He has sired 21 stakes winners thus far this season including 2-year-old Group 1 winner Summer Passage (Aus), an A$800,000 Easter graduate, and 2-year-old stakes winners Teaspoon (Aus) and Ducimus (Aus). On Saturday, his Russian Revolution (Aus), also an Easter grad, became a new Group 1 winner when taking Rosehill's Galaxy H.

“Snitzel's just having an unbelievable season, a freaky season, really,” D'Arcy said. “He's going to be setting a new record for number of 2-year-old winners. And they're not only winning 2-year-old races, they're winning the best races we've got. He's gone to another level as a stallion.”

Snitzel's sire Redoute's Choice, Australia's three-time champion sire, comes next by numbers with 36.

“I think people are starting to realize how lucky we are to have a sire of Redoute's Choice's calibre,” D'Arcy said. “He's been a leading sire for many years and he's now one of our leading broodmare sires. His influence as a sire of sires through Snitzel and Not A Single Doubt and others–I think people are starting to recognize that to buy a Redoute's Choice is really an investment that could pay off in huge numbers down the track.”

Arrowfield Stud, which stands both Snitzel and Redoute's Choice, brings the largest draft to Easter with 51 catalogued. Those include lot 142, a full-brother to Group 1 winner Sweet Idea (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}); and lot 256, a Snitzel filly out of South African champion National Colour (SAf) (National Assembly). National Colour's first three yearlings offered at Easter made A$675,000, A$800,000 and A$1.75-million, all bought by Shadwell, and her 4-year-old colt Rafeef (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}) won a Group 2 in South Africa earlier this month.

Lot 333 also boasts a significant catalogue update, being a full-brother to Pariah. Lot 310 is a Snitzel half-sister to another 'TDN Rising Star' in Alter Call (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who was herself the highest-priced filly at Magic Millions in 2015 at A$1.05-million. Lot 370 is a Redoute's Choice half-brother to Arrowfield's six-time Group 1 winner and first-season yearling sire Dundeel (NZ) (High Chaparral {Ire}), while the Snitzel colt out of Top Cuban (Aus) (Anabaa) (lot 395), whose Redoute's Choice colt made A$1.5-million here last year, should also be popular.

Arrowfield Chairman John Messara said, “This is arguably one of our best-ever Easter drafts. Apart from the yearlings by our proven stallions, we also have some lovely horses by the younger brigade of Animal Kingdom and Dundeel, in whom we have a deal of faith.”

Dundeel made a strong showing at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in January, his top-priced colt, out of champion and Group 1 producer Miss Finland (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}), bringing A$900,000. Miss Finland has also helped give Animal Kingdom a boost ahead of the Easter sales, being the dam of his first winner on Mar. 8, the 'TDN Rising Star' Earth Angel (Aus).

“Animal Kingdom has now had seven 2-year-old starters for one winner and four placegetters–he's on his way,” said Messara. “We expect him to produce milers and above, so his time has not come yet. However, the feedback from trainers who have his first crop is positive. Earth Angel is very much a miler in the making. We are hoping she'll be a Classic contender next year. Her win certainly won't do his second crop any harm [at the sales], irrespective of the fact that her dam is the champion Miss Finland.”

Sebring (Aus) is represented by 35 yearlings, including a colt out of Mill Park Stud's Group 1 producer Dane Belltar (Aus) (Danewin {Aus}) (lot 97) and half-brother to champion Star Witness (Aus) (Starcraft {NZ}) (lot 204).

The next two busiest sires at the Easter sale are Coolmore's leading first-season sire Pierro (Aus) with 33, and its champion sire Fastnet Rock (Aus) with 27. Pierro notched his first stakes winner when 'TDN Rising Star' Tulip (Aus) took Rosehill's G3 Magic Night S. on Mar 11, and she bolstered her credentials with a third in the Golden Slipper a week later. Coolmore offers her full-brother as lot 251. Fastnet Rock has enjoyed a stellar season, with the Blue Diamond first and third-place finishers Catchy and Formality, and Saturday's G3 Thoroughbred Breeders S. winner Shoals (Aus), among the 12 stakes winners and five stakes placegetters helping him into second in the sires' premiership.

Coolmore sold both Catchy and Formality as yearlings, and the farm has similarly enjoyed a strong season with its graduates, which also include G1 Randwick Guineas winner Inference (Aus) (So You Think {NZ}), the 48th Group 1-winning graduate of Coolmore Australia; G2 Hobartville S. winner Man From Uncle (Aus) (Uncle Mo); G3 Kembla Grange Classic winner Dawn Wall (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and of course the peerless Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}). Coolmore has had a group-winning graduate in Sydney or Melbourne each of the last seven weekends.

“We are heading into Easter with great confidence in the ability of our stallions, the farm and the team that drives it to regularly produce elite racehorses,” said Shane McGrath, Bloodstock Sales Manager of Coolmore Australia. “Since the start of 2015 there have been over 50 stakes-winning graduates of Coolmore Australia, of which 11 are Group 1 winners. Amongst them are great horses who have won many of Australia's biggest races, including Winx, Catchy, Inference, Vancouver and Pride Of Dubai.”

“The stallions are also performing to an exceptionally high level,” McGrath added. “Dawn Wall was the 31st stakes winner worldwide for Fastnet Rock since the beginning of 2016 [with Shoals his 32nd, and 110th overall]. In that time he has sired six Group 1 winners including four Group 1- winning 2-year-olds. Just for good measure, So You Think is Australasia's leading second-crop sire with a pair of Group 1 Guineas winners in his first crop, while Pierro is the leading first- crop sire.”

Coolmore's 32-strong Easter consignment boasts 12 Fastnet Rock yearlings, including lot 104, a colt out of stakes winner Delta Girl (NZ) (General Nediym {Aus}); and lot 316, a colt out of the stakes-placed Ronan's Bay (Johannesburg).

Other highlights on pedigree in the catalogue include lot 48, a full-brother to Hong Kong Horse of the Year Werther (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}); lot 85, a Magic Albert (Aus) half-sister to dual Group 1 winner Yankee Rose (Aus) (All American {Aus}); lot 124, a Smart Missile (Aus) half-brother to dual Group 1 winner Extreme Choice (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}); lot 125, an All Too Hard half-brother to Slipper winner Mossfun (Aus) (Mossman {Aus}); lot 207, a Zoustar (Aus) half-sister to Classic winner Shooting To Win (Aus) (Northern Meteor {Aus}) and Group 2 winner Deep Field (Aus) (Northern Meteor {Aus}); lot 294, an Exceed and Excel (Aus) half-sister to last year's G1 Caulfield Guineas winner Divine Prophet (Aus) (Choisir {Aus}); lot 326, an All Too Hard filly who is the first foal out of champion sprinter Samaready (Aus) (More Than Ready); and lot 334, an Exceed and Excel colt who is the first living foal of dual Group 1 winner Secret Admirer (Aus) (Dubawi {Ire}).

Regardless of the results achieved, this year's Easter sale will be a milestone one in that it will be the last-ever Easter sale held at Inglis's Newmarket complex. That property is set to be developed as the company builds its state-of-the-art Riverside Stables at Warwick Farm, to be completed in late 2017.

“It's going to be a bittersweet year in that it'll be the last-ever Easter sale held here at Newmarket,” D'Arcy said. “I've been here for 30 years and there are a lot of great memories. Just walking around the grounds at the moment it's hard to believe that in a month's time it'll be the last sale that we ever conduct here. It is bittersweet, but I think it's going to be a special event. We've gathered up, through the support of our vendors, an outstanding catalogue, so I think it's going to go out with a bang.”