Sale Overview

The catalogue for the 2023 Classic Yearling Sale – the sale that has seen its graduates enjoy an explosion of recent big race success – is now available online.

To be held on the three days of February 12-14, a total of 830 lots have been catalogued for the auction – 690 in Book 1 and 140 in the Highway Session.

The catalogue is made up of the progeny of 109 individual sires that will be presented by 69 different vendors.

Of the catalogued lots, 698 (or 84%) are BOBS Eligible, while there are also yearlings which qualify for VOBIS, QTIS, Westspeed and Racing Rewards SA.

All yearlings offered will be eligible for the $7.55m Inglis Race Series, including the $2m Inglis Millennium, the $1m Inglis Sprint and the $1m Inglis Pink Bonus Series.

Graduates of the Classic Sale have enjoyed unparalleled success across a range of Australia’s biggest races.

Since 2016, Classic graduates have won feature races such as the $15m The Everest, G1 Golden Slipper, G1 Melbourne Cup, G1 Sires Produce Stakes, G1 Champagne Stakes, G1 Lightning Stakes, G1 Randwick Guineas, $2m Inglis Millennium, G1 Victoria Derby, G1 Empire Rose Stakes, G1 The Galaxy, G1 Doomben 10,000, G1 William Reid, G1 Moir Stakes, G1 Spring Champion Stakes, G1 HKJC Centenary Cup etc – the list goes on.

These races have been won by gallopers of the ilk of Classique Legend, She Will Reign, Mazu, Shadow Hero, Shelby Sixtysix, Hot King Prawn, Vow And Declare, Castelvecchio, In Her Time, Samadoubt, Extra Brut, Maid Of Heaven, Hellbent etc. Of the 13 G1 winners to have come out of the Classic Sale since 2018, nine could have been secured for $100,000 or less while in the same period, a total of 16 graduates out of the sale have won $1m or more in prizemoney in Australia.

The Classic Sale – the first of Inglis’ five select yearling sales annually – has also been a happy hunting ground for outstanding 2YO success via the likes of Extreme Choice, Castelvecchio, She Will Reign, Sejardan, Profiteer, Yankee Rose, Frolic, Fiesta, Cosmic Force, Mildred, Prime Star etc.

Its reputation of being a sale that provides stallions continues to surge off the back of graduates such as I Am Invincible, Choisir, Extreme Choice, Brazen Beau, Hellbent etc, as has its record of providing valuable broodmare prospects - In Her Time sold for $2.2m as a broodmare, Pippie for $1.8m, Fiesta for $1.35m, Savanna Amour for $1.25m, Rubisaki for $1m, Sweet Deal for $850,000 etc plus significant undisclosed amounts for the likes of She Will Reign and Yankee Rose.

The 2023 catalogue again promises to unveil many more future stars, both on and off the track.

The catalogue has progeny by proven stallion such as I Am Invincible, Extreme Choice, Written Tycoon, Zoustar, Snitzel, Kingman, Deep Field, So You Think, Exceed And Excel, Fastnet Rock, Capitalist, Street Boss, Russian Revolution, Dundeel, Brazen Beau, All Too Hard, Hellbent, Savabeel, Nicconi, Per Incanto, Toronado, Shamus Award, Lonhro, Pierro etc.

A total of 22 first season sires are represented in the catalogue including Pierata, Exceedance, Yes Yes Yes, Too Darn Hot, Blue Point, Zousain, Brutal, Castelvecchio, Cosmic Force, Dubious, Microphone, Super Seth, Tassort, Calyx, Unite And Conquer etc.

Widden Stud is leading vendor by number of entries with 56 lots catalogued for its draft, ahead of Arrowfield (50), Sledmere (44), Vinery (38) and Newgate (35).

Inglis’ NSW Bloodstock Manager Chris Russell was thrilled with the quality and depth the catalogue would present buyers come February.

“Demand for places in the sale was extraordinary and the result of that is the most exciting, diverse and strongest Classic catalogue we have ever had,’’ Russell said.

“The best breeders and vendors in Australia and New Zealand all wanted to be involved in the Classic Sale because they know what a progressive sale it is.

“Not only has it produced recent G1 winners like Mazu and Icebath and Shelby Sixtysix etc but there have been 16 Classic graduates to earn $1m or more in Australia since 2018 including Classique Legend, Sejardan, Profiteer, Prime Star, Sweet Deal, Fiesta, Pippie, Chapada, Rubisaki etc.

“It is undoubtedly the best value of the early Southern Hemisphere yearling sales – the average price that an Australian Stakes winner since 2018 could have been bought for at Classic is just over $100,000, which makes it significantly better value than other sales in the early part of the sales season.’’