Hunter Valley nursery, Willow Park Stud, has a reputation for selling, with 92.4% of horses offered at auction sold, from 1020 offered.
Willow Park will offer a bumper draft of nine at next week’s Easter Yearling Sale, of which Glenn Burrows finds it hard to pick just one highlight.
The draft includes four fillies, one of those is lot 366, a rare gem by Golden Slipper producing sire, Extreme Choice.
The only yearling in the catalogue by Newgate’s latest sire sensation, she is the second foal of Group II placed Keysbrook, who incidentally was sold by Willow Park carrying her first foal in 2017.
Keysbrook’s first foal, Ruru, provided an update on Saturday, adding another win to her record for Chris Waller.
Following well documented fertility issues, Extreme Choice only produced 29 foals in his second crop, 18 of which have already been through yearling sales this year, so this filly presents a rare opportunity to purchase one!
Another star filly is lot 301, the half sister to five time Group I winning Champion Sprinter, Santa Ana Lane. She is a daughter of sire of the moment, Zoustar. From winning Fastnet Rock mare, Fast Fleet, this filly is bred on the same cross as stakes winner, Persuader.
Rounding out the fillies we have a Russian Revolution filly, from Group III winner Serious Satire, whose first foal sold for $760,000 at last year’s online Easter Sale.
There’s also a Pierro filly from Reply Churlish (NZ), a five time winner by O’Reilly, the ill-fated broodmare sire of two new Group I winners in the last fortnight, Amarelinha and Mo’Unga, not to mention Hong Kong Derby hero Sky Darci.
Both fillies have had updates since the catalogue was printed, with half siblings-both born on the farm-to Serious Satire and Reply Churlish placing in stakes races.
Willow Park will also offer five quality colts, led by lot 299, the Snitzel colt from stakes winner, Exclusive Lass.
An outstanding type with a powerful hindquarter, he is the second foal of Exclusive Lass (another Willow Park Broodmare Sale graduate), from the wonderful Arletty (NZ) family that produced NZ Champion 3yo, Xtravagant.
The mare’s first foal, a Vancouver colt, sold to Coolmore at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale for $600,000.
The draft wouldn’t be complete without a yearling by Champion Sire, I Am Invincible, and this one is a beauty!
Lot 266 is a half a brother to Group 1 SAJC Sangster Stakes winner, Spright, winner of six races and $1.4million.
This colt is also a full brother to stakes placed Mine Two from Dashoff, who currently resides on the farm and will also be offered for sale at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in May.
The remaining colts in the draft include a Zoustar colt from Grade III winner, Diva Express (USA), a Russian Revolution colt from six time winner, Forever Crazy, and a Pierro colt from beautifully bred Fastnet Rock mare, Aonair, read about him here.
The Willow Park team are parading from 9am daily at the Riverside complex, in Barn H.
Parade videos of the full draft are available here
