News

PREMIER MEASURES UP ON ALL COUNTS

27th Feb 2008

Please find below an article posted on http://www.racingandsports.com.au/ outlining precisely how the 2008 William Inglis & Son Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale catalogue stacks up in comparison to this years other majors.

Story By Nathan Exelby

Wednesday, 27 February 2008: Statistics point to next week's William Inglis & Son Melbourne Premier Sale continuing a stunning run of success for Victoria's showpiece bloodstock sale.

Premier has enjoyed a massive amount of publicity in recent months, thanks in no small part to superstar graduates Weekend Hussler and Sacred Kingdom.

Inglis has also heavily marketed the fact the sale is Australia's leading source by number of stakes winners among the current three-year-old crop this season.

These include the Oaks winner Arapaho Miss and Australian Guineas aspirant Playwright.

But an analysis of the 2008 catalogue reveals the hype surrounding next week's sale is well and truly justified.

While the Inglis Easter and Gold Coast Magic Millions are the two pacesetters among Australian yearling sales, statistics show Melbourne Premier to be making solid ground.

No less than 46% of next week's catalogue (Session I, Lots 1-602) contains yearlings with either a stakes performed dam or stakes performed sibling.

The Inglis Easter Sale is in a league of its own with a 70% figure, but compared to the 51% in the Gold Coast catalogue (Lots 1-900), you can see that Melbourne Premier is now well and truly in the same ball park.

If we exclude the stakes placed division and are left with only black type winners and black type winning siblings, Premier figures still stack up strongly at around 26% (Easter 51%, Gold Coast 29%).

This is made up of 81 stakes winning dams and 75 stakes winning siblings.

These include 10 Group 1 winning dams and nine Group 1 winning siblings.

Yet, despite the high performance of graduates and the quality of the catalogue, prices in Melbourne have remained affordable.

Last year's sale averaged just over $67,000, with a top price of $420,000 for an Encosta De Lago-New Smyrna colt.

Given the quality of the catalogue, officials will be disappointed if that figure doesn't take another spike this year, but compared to the other major sales, it will still rank as one of the great value sales ... particularly when you consider there may well be a World Champion sprinter or another Weekend Hussler in amongst them.

The Melbourne Premier Sale kicks off on Sunday, March 2 and runs for three days, before being followed by Premier Session II on Thursday, March 6.