With the premier yearling sales in Australia in the books for another year, the focus of the bloodstock world will turn back to the upcoming breeding season, and breeders and owners will have a chance to stock up their barns at the Inglis Australian Broodmare & Weanling Sale, which runs May 3 to 6 at the Newmarket complex in Sydney. A total of 884 lots have been catalogued, broken down into 272 weanling on day one; 195 broodmare on day two plus stallion shares in Sebring (Aus) and Onemorenomore (Aus) through the Baxter family dispersal; 197 broodmares on day three and 67 broodmares on day three.
“Buyers investing in bloodstock earlier in the year have a headstart in refreshing their broodmare band and securing their matings for the next breeding season,” said Inglis' National Bloodstock Director, Jonathan D'Arcy.
The sale has been extended by a day this year.
“The extension of this year's sale means vendors have shown confidence in the timing of the auction and buyers can be confident that there really is something for everyone at Newmarket this May,” D'Arcy added.
The sale kicks off Monday with the Platinum weanling session, where all 149 lots will be offered with x-rays available for viewing in the sale repository. Fifty weanlings on offer are siblings to stakes performers, including Group 1 winners Pear Tart (Aus) (Dehere) (lot 32, colt by Snitzel {Aus}) and Sirmione (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) (lot 187, filly by Nicconi {Aus}). The sale will also give buyers the first opportunity at public auction to secure the progeny of first-season sires like Pierro (Aus), All Too Hard (Aus), Animal Kingdom and Excelebration (Ire).
Buyers from last year's weanling sessions enjoyed some profitable pinhooks at this year's yearling sales. The success stories include a Choisir (Aus) colt bought for A$30,000 and flipped by Broadwater Thoroughbreds for A$280,000; a Master of Design (Aus) colt bought for A$52,000 and re-sold for A$210,000; and an I Am Invincible (Aus) colt picked up for A$50,000 and re-sold for A$165,000.
The broodmare section of the sale boasts 47 stakes winners, including G1 Golden Slipper winner Calaway Girl (Aus) (Clang {Aus}, lot 748) and G1 Coolmore Classic winner Eskimo Queen (Aus) (Shinko King {Ire}, lot 815). Other highlights include Group 3 winners Danesiri (Aus) (Home On the Grange {Aus}, lot 786), Neena Rock (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}, lot 456) and Absolutelyfabulous (Aus) (Langfuhr, lot 690, in foal to More Than Ready); Group 1 performer Golconda (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}, lot 582) and Johan's Toy (Aus) (Johan Cruyff {GB}, lot 351) the dam of Group 2 winner Toydini carrying to the first crop of Dundeel (NZ).
Buyers will also be able to shop for mares in foal to first-crop covering sires like Zoustar (Aus), Shamus Award (Aus), Declaration of War, Dawn Approach (Ire), Dundeel, The Factor and Camelot (GB).
The Inglis broodmare sale has a history for turning out future star producers, including the dams of Black Caviar (Aus) (Bel Esprit {Aus}) and So You Think (NZ) (High Chaparral {Ire}). Black Caviar's breeder, Rick Jamieson, purchased the undefeated mare's dam, Helsinge (Aus), for $115,000 in this ring.
“At the time I thought she was a difficult mare to mate, and that can happen,” Jamieson recalled. “And I spent a lot of time trying to make effective matings. We came up with Bel Esprit as the best mating for her.”
So You Think's dam, Triassic (NZ), cost Alex and Cecile Smith just A$16,000, and they bred the 10-time Group 1 winner out of her with their friend Michael Moran.
“My neighbours are wonderful, knowledgeable horse people who look out for me,” Cecile Smith explained. “I am the first to admit that I know practically nothing about horses except that I have loved them since childhood. One neighbor in particular who was invaluable in helping us choose stallions for the mares was Triassic's old trainer Brian Jenkins, who felt that High Chaparral would give her foal adequate refinement.”
The sale commences at 10:30 a.m. local time each day. For catalogues, results and live streaming, visit www.inglis.com.au.
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