The first of many yearlings to be offered at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale by champion sires I Am Invincible and Snitzel were offered this morning selling for $825,000 and $1.3million.
The first yearling by reigning champion sire I Am Invincible offered proved an early highlight when selling for $825,000 to Moody Racing.
Consigned by Sledmere Stud, the filly is a full sister to Group I winning Invincibella from terrific producer Abscond, who is also the dam of Group III winner Secret Blaze and stakes-winner Extreme Flight.
Abscond was covered last spring by Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside.
Hot on her heels into the ring was Highgrove Stud’s Snitzel colt from Acquired that lit up the bid board when selling for $1.3million to Yulong.
He i
s a full brother to $1.1million earning Group II winning sprinter Splintex, who retired to stud in Western Australia last year and covered 118 mares at Darling View Thoroughbreds.
He is also a half-brother to stakes-winner Invictus Salute from Group II placed O’Reilly mare Acquired (NZ), a half-sister to Group II winner and star producer Hips Don’t Lie, the dam of brilliant juvenile stakes-winners Lake Geneva, Acrobat and of course Group III winning Ennis Hill, the dam of this season’s brilliant Group II winning juvenile filly Learning to Fly.
Ron Gilbert of Highgrove Stud was emotional after the sale when talking to Jemma Cutting of Inglis.
“There’s a lot of pressure with a colt like him, since the day he was born,” he revealed.
“We knew what we had straight away and then you get here and have good x-rays and scope and the reserve was $600,000, but you’re thinking $800,000 and maybe $1million, so to get $1.3million was beyond our wildest dreams,” Gilbert said.
“I’d like to thank Mr Zhang and Inglis and I’m just so grateful for everyone back at the farm that’s involved. It’s about doing the right thing by the horse.”
Sam Faigray of Yulong confirmed the colt would remain in NSW for the time being to be broken in, but no trainer had been confirmed.
Acquired was covered last spring by Exceed and Excel after her Snitzel colt sadly died after birth. The two year-old from Acquired is a colt by The Autumn Sun called Sunlord that made $400,000 at Inglis Easter last year for Highgrove.
Trained by John O’Shea, Sunlord has had one trial which he won back in January and is now back in work .
