Another Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale is done and dusted, and I've seen this one compared to the surreal sale in 2008.
That was the sale when 28 yearlings made north of $1,000,000.
It was the year when Darley made the Ingham family an offer to good to refuse for Woodlands Stud.
Darley purchased 20 lots at an average of over $950,000, while a cashed-up Bob Ingham spent over $17.8million for 23 lots at an average of over $777,000.
With a bit of bad blood running between Darley and Coolmore, Bob Ingham was able to pick the eyes out of the Encosta De Lagos.
Redoute's Choice had an incredible 15 lots make a million or more, with Darley signing for seven. They included the top two lots of the sale at $2.7m and $2.5m.
Of the Ingham Bloodstock seven purchases to make a million or more, five were by Encosta de Lago.
Encosta De Lago (image Mark Smith)
Tracking the racetrack careers of the 28 million dollar yearlings is depressing, but there are a few bright spots.
They include the most expensive yearling filly by Encosta De Lago.
Bob Ingham purchased Little Surfer Girl for $1,500,000 from the Coolmore Stud draft.
She was the first foal for the Group 1 VRC Oaks, MRC One Thousand Guineas and STC Arrowfield Stud Stakes winner Special Harmony (Spinning World).
Little Surfer Girl returned $421,520 on the track and cemented a strong relationship between the Ingham family and an emerging young New Zealand born trainer, Chris Waller.
She placed in her two starts at two, including a narrow defeat by a few Group 1 winner, Hurtle Myrtle, at Canterbury.
Fangirl (Hugh Bowman (image Steve Hart)
Little Surfer Girl earned her first stakes win at three when defeating Sister Madly in the Listed Reginald Allen Quality at Randwick.
It was nearly two years before her second stakes win in the Listed Civic Hcp at Rosehill.
Two starts later; she defeated Quidnunc and Skyerush in the Listed Angst Stakes.
Shortly after separating Sophie's Choice and Divorces in the Group III Maybe Mahal Stakes at Flemington, Little Surfer Girl was retired.
The best of her four winners from six to date is her sixth foal, Fangirl.
The daughter of Widden Stud's sadly missed Sebring has been on a considerable trajectory since breaking her maiden at start three over 1400m at Goulburn last September.
She emulated her dam at her next start in the Listed Reginald Allen Quality at Randwick.
It earned her a trip to Melbourne, where she added the Group III Carbine Club Stakes on Victoria Derby Day at Flemington.
Following a spell, the Ingham family colour-bearer scored a shock win over her boom stablemate Espiona in the Group II Ligh Fingers stakes at Randwick on February 12.
Following a fifth in the Group 1 Surround Stakes and a fourth in the Group II Phar Lap Stakes, both on heavy tracks, Fangirl was back in the winners circle in the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes, which had been transferred to Newcastle. She appreciated the soft track that day.
Alas, constant rain will result in a bottomless track at Randwick if the second day of the Championships goes ahead on Saturday.
Fangirl is an $11 chance to add a second Group 1 in the $1,000,000 Coolmore Legacy (Queen Of The Turf Stakes).
She is a third-generation stakes-winner descending from the remarkable broodmare Marooned Lady, a daughter of Robert Sangster's 1986 Sydney Cup winner Marooned (GB) (Mill Reef).
Marooned Lady was more than capable on the track. Trained by Lou Luciani, she captured the Group III WATC Sires' Produce Stakes.
Fangirl with mum Little Surfer Girl (image Coolmore)
Luciano also trained some of Marooned Lady's best performers, including the 2004 Group II Perth Cup winner King Canute (King Of Kings) and his full-brother Redwoldt, who won the Karrakatta Plate the same year.
Boarded at Coolmore Stud, Marooned Lady never ventured far for a mate. She visited Danehill's brother Eagle Eyed (IRE), Dehere (USA), King Of King's (IRE), Fasliyev (USA), Rock Of Gibraltar (IRE), Encosta de Lago, Galileo (IRE) and High Chaparral (IRE).
Brian Bradley, Peter Walsh, and John Ciprian bred and raced many of Marooned Lady's progeny, including the Perth Magic Millions winner Gambei (Dehere), the dam of Listed Hobart Guineas winner Reprisal (Galileo), and three stakes-placed performers Hifalutin (Peintre Celebre), Europa Point (Rock Of Gibraltar) and Pickin' Time (Fastnet Rock).
Special Harmony was her fourth foal and, by some distance, her best.
A $95,000 Magic Millions yearling purchase by bloodstock agent Robert Roulston on behalf of a group of owners headed by Grant and Annabelle Ahearn, the daughter of Spinning World (USA), was among the best of her generation.
Trained by Lee Freedman, Special Harmony banked almost $1.9 million in a stellar career on the track. Her ten wins included the Group 1 VRC Oaks, Group 1 Thousand Guineas, Group 1 Arrowfield Stud Stakes, Group II A.V Kewney Stakes, Group II Edward Manifold Stakes, Group II Angus Armanasco Stakes, and Group II Moonee Valley Oaks.
