News

Successful Great Southern concludes strong Inglis breeding stock sales season

9th Jun 2023

The Inglis Breeding Stock Sales Series today concluded in fine style as fillies again stole the show at the Great Southern Sale.

As was the case on Day 1, a Frankel filly topped the Day 2 action at Oaklands today as the curtain came down on a huge month of breeding stock sales across Sydney and Melbourne.

Offered by Esker Lodge, the Frankel x Murasaki filly (lot 318) sold to Yulong for $475,000, ensuring the top seven lots of the Great Southern Weanling Sale were all fillies.

Her sale capped off a big month of Inglis breeding stock sales at Oaklands and Riverside, with a combined gross of $77,653,000 resulting in an 11% year-on-year increase.

The jump in turnover comes at a time when the overall market has cooled, adding further significance to the results.

Today’s top lot of Esker Lodge was the culmination of a hectic week for the farm.

“I’ve never been busier at a sale in terms of inspections, we were run off our feet and the right buyers were here and that turned into results in the ring so to sell eight from nine in the current market, I couldn’t be happier,’’ Esker Lodge’s Darren Dance said.

“This Frankel filly, she’s a very straight forward weanling, a lovely type, she was so popular during the week, everybody who looked at her loved her and she sold accordingly.

“[$475,000] is really good money in any market I think, it helps that Frankel is probably the sire of the moment right now and they’ve all been selling well so we’re delighted with the outcome.’’

Yulong’s Sam Fairgray was delighted to add another Frankel filly to Yulong’s ever-increasing number of purchases for 2023.

“Obviously Mr Zhang loves Frankel, he’s a great stallion and the cross with this filly is fantastic as well, being out of a Dubawi mare,’’ Fairgray said.

“She’s a nice physical, moves well, we’re really pleased to add her to our group of weanlings. We’ll take her home and see how she develops and see closer to sale entries time whether we put her back through the yearling sales or keep her and race her.

“There’s plenty of competition here [at Great Southern], it’s very strong. We’ve been beaten a couple of times on some nice weanlings and there’s been plenty of nice weanlings here.’’

Today’s second-top lot was a Rushton Park-offered Capitalist x Passarelle filly, which sold to Silverdale Farm and Brian McGuire for $460,000.

The filly will be pinhooked through a 2024 select yearling sale and McGuire is hopeful lightning can strike twice – he and Silverdale teamed up to purchase a The Autumn Sun x Via Africa weanling filly last year which went on to top this year’s Easter Yearling Sale at $1.8m.

“That was obviously a huge success and it’s a driving force behind what Steve and Eliza and the team at Silverdale want to do, purchase and develop quality young horses that are going to go on with it,’’ McGuire said.

“She was a queen this filly today, very athletic, all quality, good size and strength, a lovely head on her and we’re really excited to get her.

“It’s been a great sale, some fantastic horses on offer, I always love coming down here… touch wood we can repeat the luck we’ve had here before.’’

The Capitalist filly was bred by Sally Watkins, who was understandably thrilled with the result.

“It’s absolutely wonderful, I thought she was a three-to-four-hundred-thousand-dollar filly so to see her sell for $460,000 was just amazing,’’ Watkins said.

“It’s my best ever result. It’s nerve wracking, we thought she’d sell well but I was nervous and very emotional because I do all of the work myself, I’ve prepped her myself and been with her since she was a baby. It’s quite emotional.’’

At the conclusion of the Great Southern Weanling Sale, a total of $9,823,000 had been traded at an average of $45,060.

Once the final weanling was offered, the Great Southern Broodmare Sale took centre stage and was topped by the G3 placed mare Veranskova.

Offered by Alderson Racing, Veranskova was purchased by Andrew Williams Bloodstock on behalf of Peter Collier.

“She’s a lovely strong mare, classy and was purchased for Peter Collier who is an existing long-term client and good friend,’’ Williams said.

“I thought she fitted in the four-to-five hundred [thousand dollars] range so we had to go a bit further than planned but we’re thrilled to have got her.

“It’s been a great couple of days, Inglis has done a tremendous job in attracting some lovely well-bred fillies and quality colts here and it’s been really strong especially at the top.’’

This week’s Great Southern Sale results has capped an exceptional breeding stock sales season for Inglis, much to the delight of Bloodstock CEO Sebastian Hutch.

“To achieve an 11% rise in turnover for our breeding stock sales is very satisfying, especially considering supply is exceeding demand in certain parts of the market,’’ Hutch said.

“There have been some fabulous results along the way. To sell almost $23m worth of weanlings – a market-leading figure for a second consecutive year - is a really pleasing result and we have only been able to achieve that due to the wonderful support of a broad cross section of vendors.

“There is no doubting that the market in respect of breeding stock and weanlings has been more selective, but we are very happy with the markets that we have been able to facilitate in Sydney and in Melbourne and as ever, we expect there will be any number of fantastic success stories to emerge from these sales.’’

To make an offer on a passed in lot from the Great Southern Weanling Sale or Great Southern Broodmare Sale, please contact Inglis’ Will Stott on 0408 126 952.

Attention now reverts to the online space, with entries now open for the Inglis Digital June (Late) Sale and will remain so until midnight on Wednesday June 21.

Among the confirmed early entries is a pair of high-class mares in Daisies (Sebring) and Literary Magnate (Written Tycoon).

Daisies is a winner of three Group races, including the G2 Stocks Stakes, while Literary Magnate is a G3 winner of over $500,000 in earnings.

To enter in the June (Late) Sale, CLICK HERE.