News

Easter catalogue: Best of the Best

26th Jan 2017

Billed as the Best of the Best, the highlights of the 2017 Australian Easter Yearling Sale catalogue, now available online, reads as a global who’s who of the turf.

There are 129 siblings to Stakes winners including 39 Group 1 winners such as Flying Artie, Extreme Choice, Divine Prophet, Yankee Rose, Shooting To Win, Able Friend, Werther, Preferment, Abbey Marie, English, Shamus Award, Dundeel and Star Witness.

There are three colts by Frankel (ex Group 3 winner Precious Lorraine, Listed winner Lovetorn, and half-brother to Group 1 winner Fenway), two colts and one filly by leading USA sire Tapit, a filly by Sea The Stars (from Group 3 winner Ready To Lift) and one colt by Shamardal.

Snitzel is the leading stallion overall with 44 progeny, ahead of Redoute’s Choice (36), Sebring (35), Pierro (33), Fastnet Rock (27) and Medaglia d’Oro (26).

Ten First Season Sires are also represented - Zoustar, Fiorente, Dundeel, Shamus Award, Camelot, Dawn Approach, Declaration of War, The Factor, Fighting Sun and Epaulette.

Of the 480 Lots to be offered, 146 Lots are from Stakes-winning mares – including 22 Group 1 winners and first foals from Samaready, Secret Admirer, Gondokoro and Steps In Time – and 304 Lots contain black type in the first dam.

Arrowfield is the leading vendor with 51 Lots, followed by Widden (36) and Coolmore (32).

With Arrowfield’s star stallions Snitzel and Redoute’s Choice leading the numbers, as well as strong representations of many of their other stallions such as Animal Kingdom, Dundeel, Medaglia d’Oro and Smart Missile, chairman John Messara is thrilled with the draft.

“We have a very strong draft of 51 yearlings for Easter, which has something for everyone,’’ Messara said.

“It promises to be a good sale.’’

Inglis National Bloodstock Manager Jonathan D’Arcy described the catalogue as “truly world class and representative of the enormous investment that Australasian breeders have put into the bloodstock industry over the past 10 years.’’

“Our breeders have sourced some of the best credentialed young fillies and mares from North America and Europe and bred them to the best stallions in the world,’’ D’Arcy continued.

“This will be a special year to be at Newmarket and I am very proud that we have been entrusted by our client’s with this amazing array of top class yearlings to offer to the market.

“Inglis has always maintained a strict selection policy with the Easter sale and this year we have trimmed the catalogue to showcase what we feel are 480 of the finest yearlings to be offered in Australasia in 2017.’’

To view the Easter catalogue, click here.