Still Sunny At The Top At Inglis

STILL SUNNY AT THE TOP AT INGLIS 
by Christina Bossinakis & Rob Burnet 
After days of rainy and dank weather in the Sydney area, the clearing skies offered the faithful at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale some respite from the elements. However, the climate in the sale’s arena appeared a little milder than the previous day. At the end of Day 2, two yearlings broke through the seven-figure mark, while four surpassed the mark during Tuesday’s initial session. Also, the gross fell to A$28,755,000 for 122 sold (77% clearance rate) Wednesday, while A$37,375,000 was generated from 138 sold (82% clearance rate) Tuesday. The average dropped from A$270,833 down to A$235,407 from Tuesday to Wednesday, while falling markedly from $A314,781 in 2013, largely boosted by a session which saw a yearling bring A$4 million. The gross for the first two sessions closed out A$68,115,000, while the average stood at A$256,071. In 2013, gross for the first two sessions was $75,310,000. 
Despite yesterday’s falling figures, officials remained upbeat about the results, largely given the absence of break out horses akin to the 2013 renewal of the sale. 
“In terms of the overall terms of the sale where it is sitting at the moment, I am pleased with the 80% clearance rate as a running tally, and the running tally of the average is $254,346, which is also pleasing,” said Inglis Managing Director Mark Webster. “The end results are going to look quite respectable, and we will get there and have quite decent results.” 
From the other side of the fence of buyer and seller, Arrowfield’s Jon Freyer felt the trade was fair, despite the deceptively negative figures. 
“I think the horses made their money, quite honestly,” he said. “Last year was skewed because of those two high-priced horses. Tuesday was slightly better on the first day on pedigrees and individuals, but that was just a chance. I think when you revisit the values post sale, people will say there was value. Speaking to buyers today, it was hard to buy today. So, I don’t think it was as bad as it looked.” 
The highest priced yearling to top the A$1-million mark was Lot 224, a colt by Street Cry (Ire) out of the unraced mare Star On High (Fusaichi Pegasus). Emirates Park and Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum joined forces to secure the bay for A$1.5-million from the Three Bridges Consignment. 
Almost as much the story as the yearling that sold was the one that didn’t. Lot 263, a colt by Street Cry (Ire) and the only foal out of the now deceased Australian Horse of the Year Typhoon Tracy (Aus) (Red Ransom), created considerable discussion on the sale ground when being passed in for $2.1 million. The colt was offered by Vinery Stud. 
Webster indicated the sale company was informed of the A$3-million reserve as the colt entered the ring. 
“We have to work under the instructions of the vendor and we have to be respectful of that,” said Webster. “It is their product and they can set the reserve, but all I can say about that is I think we did our job in that we had the right buying interest in the horse and it is up to the market to set the price. The vendor can set the request and the market has to set the price and the market said $2.1 million.” 

Partners On a High… 
Last year, Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa bin Saeed Al Maktoum and Nassar Lootah combined forces to buy a Fastnet Rock (Aus) colt for $4 million, now called Emaratee (Aus) with the Hawkes’ stable, and on Wednesday they combined again for Lot 224, the brown colt by Street Cry (Ire) out of the Fusaichi Pegasus mare Star On High out of the draft of Three Bridges Thoroughbreds. 
Trevor Lobb, general manager of Nassar Lootah’s Australian stud Emirates Park, stood with Sheikh Khalifa’s family friend Mohammed Khaleel down the walkway on the left hand side of the auction ring. 
Bidding reached the A$1 million mark and went to A$1.2 million before two A$50,000 bids took the price to A$1.3 million, with Khaleel holding the bid. Shadwell’s Angus Gold responded at A$1.4 million and then Khaleel returned with another bid at A$1.5 million. 
After a pause before the hammer came down, Khaleel and Lobb were able to shake hands on their joint purchase. 
Three Bridges Thoroughbreds presented the colt on behalf of Rick Jamieson’s Gilgai Farm. Last year, they jointly presented the A$5 million Redoute’s Choice (Aus) colt out of Helsinge (Aus), and therefore a half-brother to world champion sprinter Black Caviar (Aus) and Group 1 winner All Too Hard (Aus). That colt has subsequently died after contracting laminitis, while an ownership scandal swirled around him as he ultimately unsuccessfully fought for his life. 
“He’s just a great colt, and it has gone to a good owner and good luck,” said Jamieson. 
“He’s a lovely horse and just a really lovely colt,” said Lobb. “We did not expect that it would bring quite that amount, but quality horses they always sell. You cannot slip one through as everyone finds it, so we were very pleased to get him. Hopefully for the partnership he will have stallion potential in the future. 
We just started the partnership last year with that colt [Emaratee] who will hopefully turn into a race horse and then a stallion at the end. We just walked in and had a look at him this morning, and he is about to come back in and he has developed magnificently, and hopefully he puts his best foot forward this time through. 
Of the partnership, Lobb commented that Sheikh Khalifa and Lootah “are both very good friends, and they just thought that rather than compete with each other they would just buy one a year, and if we found more than that we might buy more than that a year. It is just good fun to have everyone together.” 
He added: “I have always tried to buy the right type of horse and we have all had a look at him and felt he was one of the picks of the sale. It would not have mattered what his sire was, it was just the type of horse he is. He is the type of horse who might come at two, although the Street Cry’s generally do not, but he is built like he could and hopefully when we select a trainer he will go there and away we will go,” he said. 
The colt comes from the family of Peeping Fawn, Europe’s champion 3-year-old filly of 2007 and a multiple Group 1 winner, as well as young sire Thewayyouare (by Kingmambo). The Coolmore sire shuttles to Windsor Park Stud in New Zealand for the Southern Hemisphere breeding season. The third dam is the GI Kentucky Oaks winner Blush With Pride, and she is the half-sister to Monroe, the dam of Xaar, Diese, Masterclass and Ile De Jinsky, as well as American Broodmare of the Year Better Than Honour, the dam of GI Belmont S. winners Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy) and Jazil (Seeking the Gold).