The one day December Thoroughbred Sale brought the 2016 Inglis sales season to a close at Oaklands on Friday and it was Zhang Yuesheng's Yu Long Investments that dominated the upper end of trade, purchasing the top three racing lots. The sale delivered an aggregate of A$1,386,650 with an average of A$14,149 (up 44% on 2015), a median of A$6,000 and a clearance rate of 88%. The sale topper was lot 22, Chivalry (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}), a 5-year-old purchased by Yu Long for A$150,000. They also signed for for the ex-Godolphin pair Astley (Aus) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) (lot 54) and Shards (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) (lot 58) for A$115,000 and A$70,000 respectively.
Immediate plans for the Yu Long trio remain unconfirmed, but Farm Manager Scott Williamson said all three could race on in Australia in the short term. “Chivalry's long-term future is probably as a Chinese breeding prospect but he'll likely race here first, but no formal decision has been made,'' Williamson said. “Astley looks a very progressive horse and will probably race in Australia initially before future plans are made and Shards will more than likely be given to an Australian trainer, and we'll assess how he's going early in the prep to see what we do with him,” he added.
The second-top priced offering was a share in popular race horse and successful stallion Star Witness (Aus) (Starcraft {NZ}) (lot 23), which sold for A$140,000 to TK Racing, on behalf of Ultra Thoroughbreds. Godolphin finished up as the day's leading vendor, selling all 11 lots offered for an aggregate of A$410,000, while Lindsay Park Racing also sold all of their 11 offered lots. At the sale's conclusion Inglis' Victorian Bloodstock Manager Simon Vivian commented, “The support from buyers was fantastic, obviously especially Yu Long, and we appreciate the support of all our vendors but a special mention to Godolphin and Lindsay Park Racing who brought big drafts and enjoyed a perfect clearance rate.''
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