News

Melbourne Premier in the Spotlight as Kingdom Reigns

13th Dec 2009

Inglis' record as being the only sales company to sell a G1 Hong Kong International Sprint winner continued when local idol Sacred Kingdom won the race for a second time today, over a field rated the best assembled in the event's history.

Later, Inglis only narrowly failed to land an International Group 1 double, with emerging star Happy Zero ($425,000 2005 Easter) finishing second in the G1 Mile to three times winner Good Ba Ba, when making an admirable attempt at 1600m for the first time.

Sacred Kingdom's win continued a wonderful weekend in Hong Kong for graduates of the Melbourne Premier Sale.

Twenty four hours earlier, two Premier graduates - the first from the Melbourne Sale to be offered in Hong Kong - were among the star performers at the Hong Kong Jockey Club's International Sale.

SACRED KINGDOM ($200,000 2005 Premier, 6g Encosta De Lago-Courtroom Sweetie) took his earnings beyond the $4.5million mark in winning this race for a second time, following his 2007 success, taking his overall record to 13 wins in 21 starts.

It completed a hat-trick in the race for Inglis graduates, with Inspiration ($420,000 2005 Easter) winning 12 months ago.

From 11 runnings, Inglis graduates have won the International Sprint six times, with dual winner Silent Witness (Sydney Classic) and inaugural hero Fairy King Prawn (Australian Easter) being the others.

Sacred Kingdom, who was bred by the Calvert family in Victoria and offered for sale through their Kornong Stud draft, has really shone the spotlight on the Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale in Hong Kong.

For the first time this year, two graduates were offered at yesterday's sale and they were among the top few horses that provided the best return for the Jockey Club.

A Testa Rossa gelding from the Rory's Jester mare Alternative Edge sold for the equivalent of $A352,600 after originally costing just $125,500 at this year's Premier Sale.

Then an Anabaa gelding from the High Yield mare Investment Grade was one of only three horses to crack the $HK5M mark. He sold for the equivalent of $A705,200 after being a $190,000 yearling at Oaklands this year.

"I'm delighted that Sacred Kingdom has bounced back to the form that we have come to expect over the last few seasons," Inglis Director Peter Heagney said.

"He has been a great ambassador for the Premier Sale, but additionally, the strong competition for the Testa Rossa and Anabaa youngsters at yesterday's International Sale reflects the high quality of horses that continue to go through the Melbourne sale each and every year.

"Buyers will find a similarly high quality of yearling at our 2010 sale next March."

Featuring a catalogue of some 725 yearlings, the 2010 Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale will be held at Oaklands from March 1-4. The online catalogue will be posted on the Inglis website this week.

The catalogue includes six youngsters by Sacred Kingdom's sire Encosta De Lago.

The reigning Champion Sire of Australia will then have 65 yearlings heading to the Australian Easter Yearling Sale from April 6-8.