Successful Great Southern concludes strong Inglis breeding stock sales season

Media Release - Friday June 9

The Inglis Breeding Stock Sales Series today concluded in fine style as fillies again stole the show at the Great Southern Sale.

As was the case on Day 1, a weanling Frankel filly topped the Day 2 action at Oaklands today as the curtain came down on a huge month of breeding stock sales across Sydney and Melbourne.

Offered by Esker Lodge, the Frankel x Murasaki filly (lot 318) sold to Yulong for $475,000, ensuring the top seven lots of the Great Southern Weanling Sale were all fillies.

$475,000 Frankel filly with the Esker Lodge team .

Her sale capped off a big month of Inglis breeding stock sales at Oaklands and Riverside, with a combined gross of $77,653,000 resulting in an 11% year-on-year increase.

The jump in turnover comes at a time when the overall market has cooled, adding further significance to the results.

Today’s top lot of Esker Lodge was the culmination of a hectic week for the farm.

“I’ve never been busier at a sale in terms of inspections, we were run off our feet and the right buyers were here and that turned into results in the ring so to sell eight from nine in the current market, I couldn’t be happier,’’ Esker Lodge’s Darren Dance said.

“This Frankel filly, she’s a very straight forward weanling, a lovely type, she was so popular during the week, everybody who looked at her loved her and she sold accordingly.

“[$475,000] is really good money in any market I think, it helps that Frankel is probably the sire of the moment right now and they’ve all been selling well so we’re delighted with the outcome.’’

Yulong’s Sam Fairgray was delighted to add another Frankel filly to Yulong’s ever-increasing number of purchases for 2023.

“Obviously Mr Zhang loves Frankel, he’s a great stallion and the cross with this filly is fantastic as well, being out of a Dubawi mare,’’ Fairgray said.

“She’s a nice physical, moves well, we’re really pleased to add her to our group of weanlings. We’ll take her home and see how she develops and see closer to sale entries time whether we put her back through the yearling sales or keep her and race her.

“There’s plenty of competition here [at Great Southern], it’s very strong. We’ve been beaten a couple of times on some nice weanlings and there’s been plenty of nice weanlings here.’’

Today’s second-top lot was a Rushton Park-offered Capitalist x Passarelle filly, which sold to Silverdale Farm and Brian McGuire for $460,000.

$460,000 Capitalist filly from Passarelle.

The filly will be pinhooked through a 2024 select yearling sale and McGuire is hopeful lightning can strike twice – he and Silverdale teamed up to purchase a The Autumn Sun x Via Africa weanling filly last year which went on to top this year’s Easter Yearling Sale at $1.8m.

“That was obviously a huge success and it’s a driving force behind what Steve and Eliza and the team at Silverdale want to do, purchase and develop quality young horses that are going to go on with it,’’ McGuire said.

“She was a queen this filly today, very athletic, all quality, good size and strength, a lovely head on her and we’re really excited to get her.

“It’s been a great sale, some fantastic horses on offer, I always love coming down here… touch wood we can repeat the luck we’ve had here before.’’

The Capitalist filly was bred by Sally Watkins, who was understandably thrilled with the result.

Advertisement

“It’s absolutely wonderful, I thought she was a three-to-four-hundred-thousand-dollar filly so to see her sell for $460,000 was just amazing,’’ Watkins said.

“It’s my best ever result. It’s nerve wracking, we thought she’d sell well but I was nervous and very emotional because I do all of the work myself, I’ve prepped her myself and been with her since she was a baby. It’s quite emotional.’’

At the conclusion of the Great Southern Weanling Sale, a total of $9,823,000 had been traded at an average of $45,060.

Once the final weanling was offered, the Great Southern Broodmare Sale took centre stage and was topped by the G3 placed mare Veranskova.

Written Tycoon mare Veranskova sold for $510,000.

Offered by Alderson Racing, Veranskova was purchased by Andrew Williams Bloodstock on behalf of Peter Collier.

“She’s a lovely strong mare, classy and was purchased for Peter Collier who is an existing long-term client and good friend,’’ Williams said.

“I thought she fitted in the four-to-five hundred [thousand dollars] range so we had to go a bit further than planned but we’re thrilled to have got her.

“It’s been a great couple of days, Inglis has done a tremendous job in attracting some lovely well-bred fillies and quality colts here and it’s been really strong especially at the top.’’

This week’s Great Southern Sale results has capped an exceptional breeding stock sales season for Inglis, much to the delight of Bloodstock CEO Sebastian Hutch.

“To achieve an 11% rise in turnover for our breeding stock sales is very satisfying, especially considering supply is exceeding demand in certain parts of the market,’’ Hutch said.

“There have been some fabulous results along the way. To sell almost $23m worth of weanlings – a market-leading figure for a second consecutive year - is a really pleasing result and we have only been able to achieve that due to the wonderful support of a broad cross section of vendors.

“There is no doubting that the market in respect of breeding stock and weanlings has been more selective, but we are very happy with the markets that we have been able to facilitate in Sydney and in Melbourne and as ever, we expect there will be any number of fantastic success stories to emerge from these sales.’’

To make an offer on a passed in lot from the Great Southern Weanling Sale or Great Southern Broodmare Sale, please contact Inglis’ Will Stott on 0408 126 952.

Attention now reverts to the online space, with entries now open for the Inglis Digital June (Late) Sale and will remain so until midnight on Wednesday June 21.

Among the confirmed early entries is a pair of high-class mares in Daisies (Sebring) and Literary Magnate (Written Tycoon).

Daisies is a winner of three Group races, including the G2 Stocks Stakes, while Literary Magnate is a G3 winner of over $500,000 in earnings.

To enter in the June (Late) Sale, CLICK HERE.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Golden Rose Colts – Sires of the Future
The $1million Group I ATC Golden Rose (1400m) this Saturday offers the winner far more than prizemoney and assuming it’s a colt he is given a golden ticket to a commercial stud career, so let’s take a look at this year’s contenders, who would you want on your stallion roster in 2026?
€1.9million Sale-Topping Colt Wins G3 Somerville Stakes
The Group III Somerville Stakes (7f) was run at Newmarket overnight with the Godolphin blue carried by exciting Night of Thunder colt Distant Storm, who they purchased for a sale-topping €1.9million at the Arqana May Breeze Up Sale earlier this year.
Charm Stone Share Highlights September (Late) Online Sale
A share in G1 winner Charm Stone headlines the Inglis Digital September (Late) Online Sale, which is now open for bidding.
Toronado’s Snow Mercy Takes Out G3 Scarborough Stakes
Coming off the back of a maiden victory at Morphettville recently at just her second start, the Phillip Stokes trained Snow Mercy highlighted her future class with an impressive victory in the Group 3 MVRC Scarborough Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on Friday night.
Ardrossan Filly Wins First Kiwi Juvenile Race of New Season
Otaki horseman Johno Benner has a good association with the Karaka Millions, and he could have another serious contender on his hands for January’s showpiece.
Expensive I Am Invincible Mare Wins G1 Manikato
The highest priced filly at the 2022 Magic Millions Yearling Sale when selling for $1.55million, I Am Invincible filly Charm Stone has been a star from day one and is now a two time Group I winner after landing her second victory at the top level with a dominant win in the $2million MVRC Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on Friday night.
Pedigree Potential –NZB Ready to Run – Nicks that Click
A quality packed catalogue for the 2025 NZB Ready to Run Sale is now online and in the lead up to the sale we’ll go looking each week for some horses of interest that jump out on pedigree for various reasons.
China Horse Owners Alliance named new Inglis China Representative
Inglis is thrilled to announce the China Horse Owners Alliance (CHOA) as the company’s new China Representative.
Dozens of Drawcards - NZB Ready to Run
As the NZB Ready to Run Sale goes from strength to strength with its stunning results in the sale ring and on the racetrack, the catalogue for the world’s leading sale of two-year-olds continues to get better and better.
Pride of Jenni Too Good for Treasurethe Moment in G2 Feehan
Pride of Jenni might be an eight year-old mare that is drawing ever closer to the end of her glorious career, but there was a sparkle in her eye before the Group II MVRC Feehan Stakes (1600m) and it was the Jenni of old that ran her rivals ragged at Moonee Valley on Friday night.