The babies take centre stage on Saturday with a fantastic Christmas assured for the connections of the winner of Saturday’s $500,000 Inglis Nursery (1000m) at Randwick.
It is not just the connections that stand to profit. There will be many an anxious studmaster, particularly those with first season stallions, watching on.
And we will be banking on one of those first season stallions to come through on Saturday.
Extreme Choice won the inaugural running of the Inglis Nursery back in 2016, stopping the clock at a blistering 0:56.85 at his career debut.
The now promising young stallion will not have a runner in the race however two of his Newgate Farm barnmates will.
At his third start, Extreme Choice defeated a luckless Flying Artie in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield. Then at his next start, Extreme Choice found plenty of trouble himself in the Group 1 Golden Slipper at Rosehill won by Capitalist.
Flying Artie and Capitalist have two runners apiece in the Inglis Nursery.
We favour the Flying Artie pair who were both eminently affordable as yearlings.
The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained The Art Of Flying has placed at his only two starts in the Inglis Banner (RL) and the Listed Merson Cooper Stakes.
He was second behind Sneaky Five in the Banner, and that daughter of Fastnet Rock made a successful hit and run mission to Sydney for the $1 million Golden Gift at Rosehill.
That has returned connections over $103,000, already wiping off the $80,000 needed to secure The Art Of Flying from the Rushton Park draft at the 2020 Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.
The Annabel Neasham-trained debutant Turboart has been seen out once in public when the narrowest of seconds behind the Breeders’ Plate third Astrologer in a 900 metres barrier trial at Rosehill on November 30.
While bookmakers have Turboart an $18 chance, another Annabel Neasham-trained first-starter Ashema is being kept safe at $5.50.
The daughter of I Am Invincible out of the Exceed And Excel mare Omniscient would have been the second most expensive yearling in the race had not Aquis had such a healthy opinion of her.
She returned home after bidding stopped short of her $800,000 reserve at the Easter Yearling Sale.
Neasham signed the ticket for $140,000 to secure Turboart out of the Glenn Haven Thoroughbreds draft at the 2020 Ready 2 Race Sale. The son of Flying Artie had been pinhooked for $70,000 by Mitchell Bloodstock (FBAA) out of the Aquis Farm Operations draft at the Classic Yearling Sale.
Still, we are going to stick with The Art Of Flying.
Bred by Fairview Park Stud and Kianben Bloodstock, The Art Of Flying comes from one of our favourite families nurtured over many years by Woodland Stud.
Fairway Stud secured his dam Canary for $160,000 out of the Blue Gum Farm draft at the 2018 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale when carrying the son of Flying Artie.
The daughter of Hard Spun (USA) was unraced.
Still, she can boast being a half-sister to eight winners headed by the Champion Sprinter in Australia 2002-03, the triple Group 1 winner Yell (Anabaa).
She is also a half-sister to the Listed winner Sung (Anabaa), who is the dam of the Champion 2yo of 2018-19, Microphone (Exceed And Excel) who has just covered his first book of mares at Darley’s showpiece at Aberdeen.
Yet another half-sister Shouts (Strategic) is the dam of Godolphin’s Group 1 ATC Canterbury Stakes winner Holler (Commands) whose first yearlings are on offer in 2021.
Yell, Sung, Shouts and Canary are out of the talented, stakes-winning racemare Vocalist (Bluebird) a multiple Group II placegetter who is a half-sister to dual Group 1 winner Anthems (Palace Music) and to the dam of the modern-day wonder Written Tycoon.
Some other runners of interest in the Inglis Nursery are the barrier trial stars, Overmann and Acrobat.
It takes a lot of belief to put a $1 million price tag on a yearling. That is what Coolmore valued the Fastnet Rock colt Acrobat at the 2020 Australian Easter Yearling Sale. When he fell short Coolmore were pleased enough to take him home, and he will carry the all-navy silks on Saturday.
Bookmakers have the brother to Ennis Hill and Lake Geneva a $7.50 chance to win a sizeable chunk of that back on Saturday.
Acrobat has been matching strides with the highly-rated Hinchinbrook gelding Overmann in barrier trials.
Carrying the colours of renowned judge Alan Bell, Overmann was the third lot to enter the ring at the Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale where he drew a final bid of $180,000 from Hawkes Racing.
Bookmakers have installed Overmann as the $5 favourite in an open race.
Yarraman Park’s sadly missed Hinchinbrook has a second runner in China Horse Club’s $240,000 Classic Yearling purchase Volcanic Rock.
Capitalist will attempt to extend his lead for champion first-crop sire with the $70,000 Melbourne Premier Yearling colt Mission Value and Sun Stud’s $150,000 Easter purchase Collier Bay who has been far from disgraced at her two starts to date.
There are another two first-crop sires represented.
Shocking Force is a $30,000 Classic ‘cheapie’ from the only crop of Air Force Blue (USA) while the $210,000 Territories (IRE) filly Sunday Yum Cha, will have bookmakers on guard as does everything out of the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace yard.
