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$3 Million Redoute's Choice Colt Shatters Australian Record As Trade Booms

18th Apr 2006

South African trainer Charles Laird made history at Newmarket tonight paying $3million for Yarraman Park’s Redoute’s Choice colt from Deja Slew (USA), bettering the previous Australian record of $2.5 million set at this sale last year.

Just under an hour later Tim Stakemire bidding for Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum made a winning bid of $2.3million for another Yarraman Park Redoute’s Choice.

Yarraman Park’s Arthur Mitchell was not surprisingly ecstatic and said afterwards “It’s been a great sale, I had no idea it would make that much! This just might be the best 24-hours of my life.”

Session-topping buyer Laird hinted at his determination to get his hands on a Redoute’s Choice yearling on Tuesday, having spent $1million on Giant’s Causeway colt. He told reporters this evening he would have gone even higher to secure the record-breaking colt.

“We really wanted this one, we knew this was the one, he said. “We have the best colt at the sales, he’s like an attractive woman on the street you know, he talks to you.”

The colt heads straight to South Africa after the obligatory quarantine period, for Laird’s big owner Marcus Jooste.

Redoute’s Choice progeny, who are averaging a whopping $881,750 were again the star attractions of an evening’s trade that saw 73 yearlings change hands for gross receipts of $25,380,000 at an average of $347,671.

These figures represent giant gains on the corresponding session last year where 79 lots sold for gross receipts totalling $17,640,000 and an average of $223,291, while cumulatively 239 yearlings have changed hands for a gross of $68,710,000 and average of $286,291.

“I didn’t think the $2.5million record would be broken, although we were very confident going in to this sale, it has way surpassed our wildest expectations,” said Managing Director Reg Inglis. This is the greatest sale we’ve ever seen.”

For a more detailed report on the top lots please visit Tonight at Easter

TOP TEN LOTS INGLIS AUSTRALIAN EASTER YEARLING SALE DAY 2