inglis easter 2009 - yearling sale preview

INGLIS 2008 GR1 STAKES1 ALL SILENT 592 LITTORIO 593 MALDIVIAN 594 MENTALITY 595 NEWPORT 596 RACING TO WIN 597 SACRED KINGDOM 598 SHINZIG 599 TAKEOVER TARGET 5910 TYPHOON ZED 5911 DEALER PRINCIPAL 5812 TRIPLE HONOUR 5813 WEEKEND HUSSLER 5814 FORENSICS 5515 GRAND JOURNEY 5516 JUSTE MOMENTE 5517 REAAN 5018 SOUSA 5019 TELL A TALE 5020 WHOBEGOTYOU 5021 SAMANTHA MISS 48

Be in the race

www.inglis.com.au2009 Sydney Classic Yearling Sale - February 8, 9 & 102009 Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale - March 1, 2, 3 & 42009 Australian Easter Yearling Sale - April 5, 6 & 7

From under $10,000 to over $1million, if you buy an Inglis Yearling you'll have the field covered.

Sydney +612 9399 7999 | Melbourne +613 9333 1422

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09. 2009 Easter Yearling Sale Preview

Yearling Sale Preview Easter 2009Easter 2009

Yearling Sale Preview

2009 INGLISMAJOR SALE DATESSYDNEY CLASSIC YEARLING SALENEWMARKET, SYDNEY: 8, 9 & 10 February

MELBOURNE PREMIER YEARLING SALEOAKLANDS, MELBOURNE: 1, 2, 3 & 4 March

AUSTRALIAN EASTER YEARLING SALENEWMARKET, SYDNEY: 5, 6 & 7 April

AUSTRALIAN EASTER BROODMARE SALENEWMARKET, SYDNEY: 14, 15 & 16 April

AUSTRALIAN WEANLING & BREEDING STOCK SALENEWMARKET, SYDNEY: 25, 26 & 28 June

2009 INGLISMAJOR SALE DATESSYDNEY CLASSIC YEARLING SALENEWMARKET, SYDNEY: 8, 9 & 10 February

MELBOURNE PREMIER YEARLING SALEOAKLANDS, MELBOURNE: 1, 2, 3 & 4 March

AUSTRALIAN EASTER YEARLING SALENEWMARKET, SYDNEY: 5, 6 & 7 April

AUSTRALIAN EASTER BROODMARE SALENEWMARKET, SYDNEY: 14, 15 & 16 April

AUSTRALIAN WEANLING & BREEDING STOCK SALENEWMARKET, SYDNEY: 25, 26 & 28 June

Congratulationsto the connectionsof the 21 GroupOne winners of29 races in 2008.

2 2009 Easter Sale Preview

Where else would you finda genuinely world classthoroughbred yearlingsale in a city that offersas much as Sydney?

The Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale

brings you the very best young horses the

southern hemisphere has to offer in one of

the worlds most exciting and happening

cities.

Our Easter Sale has become a globally

admired thoroughbred spectacle and the

increased participation by international

investors each year is testament to this.

Be it Hong Kong, Dubai, Royal Ascot,

South Africa, Singapore, Japan or North

America, Australian horses have performed

with distinction in recent times, lifting

some of the worlds most prestigious races.

Proudly, many of those horses have been

Inglis graduates.

Similarly, its been a rewarding time on the

domestic front, with Inglis the leading

source of Australian Champions and Group

1 winners over the past few seasons.

These results can only be achieved through

the support of a great many people.

We are exceedingly grateful to our local

breeders and vendors, who continue to

entrust Inglis with impeccably bred and

presented horses to sell and that inevitably

go onto racecourse success.

That support continues at Easter in 2009, as

the following pages quite clearly illustrate.

Similarly, I would like to acknowledge the

ongoing support of our vast buying bench.

Your competition has provided vendors

with excellent rewards in recent times, and

pleasingly, the graduates of these sales

continue to justify the strong competition

to secure them.

On behalf of the directors and staff at Inglis

I look forward to welcoming you to Sydney

for the 2009 Inglis Australian Easter

Yearling Sale.

John CoatesChairman

Invitation to Sydneyand the Sales

32009 Easter Sale Preview

The New South WalesGovernment, through Events NewSouth Wales, is pleased tosupport William Inglis and SonLtd in the international marketing and

promotion of its Australian Easter Yearling

Sale in Sydney in April 2009.

Established in Sydney in 1867, Inglis is a

great Australian business success story,

commencing its bloodstock operations at

Newmarket near Randwick Racecourse in

1906 which continue to this day.

Over many years, Inglis has grown the

Australian Easter Yearling Sale to be the

largest and most successful in the

southern hemisphere that annually attracts

major thoroughbred investors from

Australasia and the northern hemisphere to

Sydney.

The Inglis brand is recognised for quality in

international racing and breeding circles as

the sales source for Australias best

thoroughbreds which compete abroad.

Indeed, Inglis is the only sales company to

have sold international group 1 winners in

Japan, Dubai and England and have sold

most of Hong Kongs best racehorses.

I extend a warm invitation to all readers of

this preview magazine to visit Sydney in

April 2009 to participate in the Australian

Easter Yearling Sale along with two world

class racing events in Sydneys Autumn

Racing Carnival the STC Golden Slipper

Stakes (the worlds richest race for two

year olds) at Rosehill Racecourse and the

time honoured AJC Australian Derby at

Royal Randwick.

Just a few hours drive north of Sydney is

the Hunter Valley, the most successful

thoroughbred breeding and wine

producing region in the southern

hemisphere.

As Australias only global city and host to

some of the worlds biggest events, Sydney

offers world class hotels, restaurants,

attractions and facilities for visitors to the

Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. I

encourage you to visit us next April and

experience why theres no place in the

world like Sydney.

Nathan ReesPremier of NSW

Message from thePremier of NSW


Arthur Inglis

Deputy ChairmanStrategic Planning DirectorMobile: +61 412 223 134

Email: [email protected]

Arthur is a 5th generation member of the Inglis familyinvolvement in the Company and has worked in variousroles over more than 3 decades. As well as StrategicPlanning, insurance compliance and OH & S DirectionArthurs responsibilities include overseas marketing toKorea, Philippines and other emerging markets. Arthurholds a BComm and MBA is a CPA and QualifiedPracticing Insurance Broker.

Jamie Inglis

Director-AuctioneerMobile: +61 412 064 442


Jamie Inglis started with Inglis in January 1974 and is the5th generation Inglis to work in the firm. Jamie is alicenced Auctioneer, Real Estate Agent and Stock andStation Agent. His responsibilities are Livestock, RuralProperty and auctioneering at all Thoroughbred Sales.Jamie is also a director of the company.

Mark Webster

Managing DirectorMobile: +61 419 610 809


Mark joined Inglis in mid 2007 as the first non-familymember to lead the company. This is Mark's third career,having served 12 years as a naval officer and 8 years as amedia executive where he successfully managed internetand newspaper businesses for News Corporation. With apassion for horse racing and breeding and a wide rangeof business skills, Mark has introduced a number ofinnovations since joining Inglis, including live internetbidding, the world's first internet based repository and ane-commerce service for clients.

Jonathan DArcy



Jonathan has been at Inglis since 1986. Jonathanoversees the auction side of the business managing ateam of six people in the Bloodstock division. Togetherwith the Melbourne based Bloodstock staff Jonathan andhis team inspect over 4000 yearlings per year to selectfor the Inglis Sales Series. Jonathan is a senior auctioneerwith the company and has sold in China, Malaysia aswell as most states of Australia. He assists with marketingInglis in South Africa. Jonathan is also a director of thecompany.

Peter Heagney



Peter had been with Dalgety Bloodstock for 18 yearswhen Inglis acquired that business in 1994 and he wasappointed Victorian Manager and is now a director ofthe company. Peter oversees the Victorian team of 10staff as well as auctioneering at all Inglis sales. He hasbeen a bloodstock auctioneer for 33 years and has soldin all states of Australia and in New Zealand, Malaysiaand the U.K.

Inglis Sydney

Inglis Melbourne


Matt Rudolph

Commercial Development Manager-Hong Kong RepresentativeMobile: +61 438 628 102


Matt arrived at Inglis in 2004 as a bloodstock consultantand in 2007 took up the role of CommercialDevelopment Manager. Matt is responsible for the firm'sbloodstock marketing, public relations, buyer incentives,international markets as well the Inglis Race Series whichcommenced in 2008. Matt is also Inglis' Hong KongRepresentative and liaises closely with industry bodiessuch as Aushorse and The Federation of BloodstockAgents.

Ian Macpherson

Bloodstock ConsultantMobile: +61 404 839 453


Ian commenced with Inglis in 2002 as a BloodstockConsultant based at Newmarket and manages a largeportfolio of breeders by doing on farm inspections toassist them with their sale selection for yearlings. A wellrespected judge he does a lot of buying during the salesfor clients. Ian also also travels to international anddomestic markets with Inglis staff on trade and marketingtrips.

Byron Rogers

National Sales Manager-North American RepresentativeMobile: +61 447 217 007


Byron arrived at Inglis in 2007 to take up the newlycreated role of National Sales Manager. Byron heads upa bloodstock key account management team that focuseson providing a high level of service to major bloodstockvendors across Australia and New Zealand. Byron andhis team also focus on recruiting high profile entries forInglis auctions and offer a private sales and stallionnomination booking service. Byron is also Inglis' NorthAmerican Representative.

Simon Vivian

Bloodstock-AuctioneerMobile: +61 417 006 546


Simon joined Inglis Melbourne office in 2004 as abloodstock sales consultant and widely respectedauctioneer. Simon has a large base of clients that heassists will all facets of bloodstock transactions and is anintegral part of the selection panel for all yearling sales.Simon also travels to international and domestic marketswith Inglis staff on trade and marketing trips.

Roy Taylor

Leasing & Finance ManagerMobile: +61 411 127 709


Roy commenced employment with Inglis in 2005 asLeasing & Finance Manager. He has recently taken therole of National Leasing & Finance Manager. Thenewly created position encompasses the overallfinance responsibilities for the firm which includespayment to vendors, payment of horse purchasers andleasing & loan facilities.

Inglis Sydney


Kate AnkerAdvertising andPromotionsManager/VIP Contact

Inglis Melbourne

Inglis International

NicolaGriffithsInsuranceManager

JeffMatthews ComplexManager

JaciEllingsFinancialController

AndrewMunceFinance Manager Sydney

BillPantelFinance/ Leasing

AdrianneSarkozySponsorship andAlliance Manager

MichaelKelliherFinance Manager Melbourne

SamFitzgeraldComplexManager

MattRudolphHong KongRepresentative

ByronRogersNorth AmericanRepresentative

SatomiOkaJapaneseRepresentative

PaulGuySouth AfricanRepresentative

MichaelOttoNew ZealandRepresentative

JanuaryFarringtonUK/ EuropeRepresentative

Mobile: +61 438 628 102


Mobile: +61 447 217 007


Mobile: +61 414 414 450


Mobile: +61 418 356 864


Mobile: +64 9 631 5070


Mobile: +353 8513 95456


Mobile: +61 419 533 377


Mobile: +61 429 632 625


Mobile: +61 404 839 450


Mobile: +61 405 197 447


Mobile: +61 411 259 324


Mobile: +61 417 234 070


Mobile: +61 412 149 782


Mobile: +61 412 575 452


Mobile: +61 415 158 825


THE PLACE TO SELL When selling your weanlings and breeding stock in 2009,

Inglis has three outstanding opportunities timed to suit your busy schedule.

Entry forms available from January 2009

Australian Easter Broodmare - Newmarket, Sydney April 14, 15 & 16 Great Southern Weanling & Bloodstock - Oaklands, Melbourne May 18, 19, 20 & 21

Australian Weanling & Breeding Stock - Newmarket, Sydney June 25, 26 & 28

2009 Breeding Stock Sale Dates


Welcome

2 Invitation to Sydney and the Sales

3 Message from the Premier of NSW

4 Inglis Management & Staff

Thoroughbred Matters10 The Group 1 Force

16 The Perfect Distraction

22 Thorough Sales Coverage

26 Lucrative Rewards

30 Exceptions to the Rule and Forgivable Faults

36 A Matter of Timing?

40 Big Earners

42 Nines Girls Go Racing

46 A year of Innovation for Inglis

48 Inglis Race Series Kicks Off

Explore Sydney50 Where To Go What To Do

52 Dont Miss

54 Hidden Secrets

56 Destinations Within Reach

2009 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale Previews60-170 Pedigree References

Accommodation and Restaurant Guide170-176 Accommodation and Restaurant Guide


ContentsSpecial Thanks to

Nathan Exelby is a former Aushorse Young

Thoroughbred Journalist of the Year winner

and an AAMI Victoria Derby National Media

Award winner. He is now Breeding Editor for

www.racingandsports.com.au

Editor

CONTRIBUTORS: Caroline Searcy, Tara Madgwick, Stephen Moran.

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF: Martin King, Tourism NSW, Victoria Racing Club,

Dubai Racing Club, Hamilton Lund, Dan Fuchs, Lee Thomas.

PRINTED BY GALLOPING PRESS Inglis 2008

COVER SHOT:

Inside the

famous

Newmarket

Barn, photo by

Jean Pierre

Henderson

C

The Group 1Force

While record prices andbulging averages arealways welcome at anysale, its the graduates ofthose sales that do the talking on the

racetrack. Specifically, Group 1 racing. And

on that score, Inglis is without peer in

recent times.

Inglis graduates have led the way in Group

1 races over the past three seasons, being

the leading source of G1 winners in 2007-

08, which followed on from the previous

two seasons, where Inglis graduates won

twice as many Group 1 races than any

other auction house.

Since 2002-03, Inglis graduates in their

classic season have received a champion

award every year at the Australian Horse of

the Year Helenus, Exceed And Excel,

Fastnet Rock, Alinghi, Racing To Win,

Serenade Rose, Miss Finland and Weekend

Hussler.

Furthermore, in two-year-old racing over

the past three seasons, the Inglis Australian

Easter Yearling Sale has produced the most

individual two-year-old Group 1 winners

each season.

This success has been reflected in what has

unfolded in the sales ring.

Its no coincidence that the explosion in

the Melbourne Premier Sale in 2008

coincided with the emergence of Sacred

Kingdom and Weekend Hussler as world

leaders in their field. Both graduates of the

Oaklands Sales ring and both glowing

endorsements for the type of quality horses

that vendors consistently bring to Inglis

Sales.

Similarly, the Australian Easter Yearling Sale

has continued an almost unbelievable

upward spiral at a time when Easter

graduates are flying the flag all over the

country and beyond.

The new racing season quickly picked up

where the previous left off. Inglis graduates

have put themselves on target to top last

years feat of 17 individual Group 1

winners, with 11 individual horses

claiming 12 Group 1 races to the end of

the Melbourne spring carnival.

Typhoon Zed, a $62,500 Classic graduate,

got the season off to a perfect start when

he overcame a wide barrier to land the G1

Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee

Valley.

The following Saturday, Weekend Hussler,

the flagbearer for Inglis graduates last

season, added to his bulging Group 1 tally

when stretching out to 1800m in the

Underwood Stakes. It took his earnings

beyond the $3million mark not bad for

an initial outlay of $80,000 for the son of

Hussonet.

Just as they have for the

past few seasons, Inglis

graduates are leading

the way in Group 1

racing for 2008-09,

having feasted on the

spring riches. NATHAN

EXELBY reports.


The week-to-week theme continued when

Mentality burst back into winning form in

taking the George Main Stakes. It gave the

son of Flying Spur the distinction of being a

Group 1 winner at two, three and five

years of age, for earnings just shy of the

$2million mark.

Mentality was the first Easter graduate to

claim Group 1 success in 2008-09, being a

$100,000 purchase at the 2005 renewal.

He was soon joined by more Easter stars

though, with Samantha Miss, Sousa and

Newport winning over the course of the

AJCs spring meet.

Samantha Miss became a dual Group 1

winner when claiming the Flight Stakes;

Sousa was a runaway winner of the Spring

Champion Stakes, and Newport scored in

the Metropolitan.

Making it four for the day was Premier

graduate Littorio, who completed his

transition from promising three-year-old to

older star when claiming the Turnbull

Stakes at Flemington.

In a perfect illustration of the wide

spectrum from which to choose a good

horse, those winners were purchased for

$15,000 (Littorio), $150,000 (Newport) and

$1.5million (Samantha Miss). Sousa was a

$420,000 purchase for Woodlands Stud

and became Champion European stallion

Galileos first Group 1 winner in Australia.

Attention headed south a week later and

for the second year in succession, most

walked away from Caulfield convinced

they had seen another superstar.

Whobegotyou, passed in for just $17,500

at the 2007 Classic Sale (before being later

sold privately for $19,000), romped away

with the Caulfield Guineas to become the

third Classic graduate in six years to win

the Group 1 1600m feature.

The $195,000 Easter graduate Maldivian

took his earnings to $2.5million in winning

the G1 W.S. Cox Plate on October 25,

becoming the ninth Inglis graduate to claim

Group 1 glory this season.

Forensics kicked the VRCs Melbourne Cup

carnival off on the right note with her G1

Myer Classic success, and fellow Easter

graduate All Silent closed it out in style

when dominating the G1 Emirates Stakes.

In between, Samantha Miss became the

seasons first dual Group 1 winner when

proving a class above in the G1 VRC Oaks.


Inglis Group1 WinningGraduates past three seasons

2005-06 18 individual G1winners: Mr Celebrity, GodsOwn, Mnemosyne, Benicio,Serenade Rose, Valedictum,Takeover Target, Perfect Promise,Nadeem, Fields Of Omagh,Racing To Win, Miss Finland,Proprietor, Mentality, CountyTyrone, Perfectly Ready, AboveDeck, Allow

2006-07 16 individual G1winners: Lazer Sharp, PompeiiRuler, Racing To Win, Mentality,Red Dazzler, Teranaba, BentleyBiscuit, Aqua DAmore, MissFinland, Apercu, Camarilla,Forensics, Takeover Target,Blutigeroo, Fields Of Omagh,Floral Pegasus (Hong Kong)

2007-08 17 individual G1winners: Arapaho Miss, WeekendHussler, Samantha Miss, BonHoffa, Dealer Principal, Shinzig,Juste Momente, Maldivian, RacingTo Win, Forensics, Reaan,Typhoon Zed, Triple Honour,Grand Journey, Sacred Kingdom(Hong Kong), The Pooka (NewZealand), Takeover Target(Singapore)

LEFT TO RIGHT: Champion Hong Kong

sprinter Sacred Kingdom; 2008 W.S. Cox

Plate winner Maldivian; and, 2008

Caulfield Guineas winner Whobegotyou.

Its no surprise that Inglis graduates have

been quick out of the blocks in 2008-09

though. Its a well established trend now

that Inglis graduates are leading the way in

Group 1 racing.

Eighteen individual Group 1 winners in

2005-06; sixteen in 2006-07; and

seventeen in 2007-08 has made Inglis

clearly the leading source of Group 1

winners in the southern hemisphere.

And the winners have come across all

price spectrums.

In 2007-08, the Group 1 winning graduates

ranged in price from $1.5million for

glamour filly Samantha Miss, down to just

$6500 for WA Derby winner Grand

Journey.

The oft-trumpeted theory that you need a

fortune to buy a star out of Easter was also

blown out of the water again last

season.

By far and away the leading individual sale

for G1 winners last season, four of the nine

could have been purchased for less than

$200,000.

These started with multi-millionaire Racing

To Win, who cost just $40,000 at the 2004

Easter Sale. Bon Hoffa was a $60,000

graduate, while middle distance stars

Dealer Principal and Maldivian cost

$150,000 and $195,000 respectively.

Owners of the other Easter Group 1

winners last season would also consider

their purchases cheap given what they are

now worth.

Reaans Blue Diamond win easily covered

the $375,000 Angus Gold paid for him at

the 2007 sale, while Shinzigs CF Orr

Its not just on the racetrack where Inglis graduates are excelling.

A quick glance at recent Champion Sire awards reveals they are

also a formidable force in the breeding barn.

The past two Champion Australian Sires are both graduates of

the Newmarket Sales ring.

Encosta De Lago cost just $140,000 at the 1995 Inglis Australian

Easter Sale before going on to Group 1 success in the Vic Health

Cup.

He retired to Blue Gum Farm in Victoria and worked his way up

from a debut service fee of $8500 in 1997 to be now standing at

Coolmore Australia for $302,500.

The son of Fairy King has been a top five stallion on the General

Sire list for the past five seasons and was rewarded with his first

title in 2007-08. His influence has also extended to the world

stage.

Inglis Melbourne Premier graduates Sacred Kingdom, the

worlds highest rated sprinter, and Alinghi, a Graded Stakes

winner in the US, have showcased Encosta De Lagos capabilities

to the world.

Flying Spur graduated from Easter 12 months prior to Encosta

De Lago.

He was secured by Lee Freedman for $160,000 and 12 months

later claimed the Golden Slipper.

The Danehill stallion then claimed another two Group 1

victories at three before retiring to an opening book of 115

mares at Arrowfield in 1996.

After playing understudy to Redoutes Choice, he emerged from

his barnmates shadow to claim the 2006-07 Australian sires title.

He now stands at $137,500.

Exceed And Excel looks certain to join that duo among

Australias best sires.

The Darley stallion made the perfect start to his stud career

when easily winning Australias First Season title and he has also

made a rapid impression in Europe, where he looks certain to

finish in the top three on the First Season list.

Tim Martin saw potential in the Danehill colt from the Lomond

mare Patrona at the 2002 Easter Sale and went to $375,000 to

secure him for owners Nick Moraitis and Alan Osburg.

It wasnt the first time Moraitis had hit the jackpot with an

Easter graduate, with his dual Horse of the Year hero Might And

Power costing just $40,000 from the Newmarket ring in 1995.

Exceed And Excel went on to dual Group 1 success before

Darley stepped in and paid a reported $20million for the colt.


Racetrack Deeds Translate to Sire Success

Stakes triumph led to him standing his

debut season at Eliza Park in 2008 at a fee

of $16,500.

Forensics also took care of her $900,000

price tag when winning the 2007 Golden

Slipper. She made herself an even more

valuable commodity with a string of superb

performances last autumn, capped by her

G1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes success.

Forensics and the aforementioned

Samantha Miss would rate among the most

valuable broodmare prospects in

Australasia. So too would have Giants

Causeways G1 Robert Sangster Stakes

winner Juste Momente, a $300,000 Easter

graduate who sadly died shortly after her

retirement from the racetrack in 2008.

The nine Easter Group 1 winners were ably

supported by others from each of Inglis

other major yearling sales last season.

Melbourne Premier the source of Hong

Kongs Champion Sacred Kingdom had

two Group 1 winners in Australia. These

were headed by Horse of the Year winner

Weekend Hussler, who captured a record

six Group 1 events during the term. The

son of Hussonet cost just $80,000 in 2006

and from the same sale came Arapaho

Miss, a $22,500 daughter of Danehill

Dancer who made that look like an

absolute steal when taking the VRC Oaks.

Inglis Classic improved on its imposing

record of bargain priced graduates when

Triple Honour ($50,000) won the G1

Doncaster Handicap and Typhoon Zed

($62,500) took out The Galaxy. Grand

Journey rounded out the success stories,

graduating from the Melbourne Autumn

Yearling Sale before conquering the West.

He however has been a shrewd investment for Darley and now

stands in Australia at a fee of $110,000.

Another Easter graduate to be sought after for big bucks by

Darley was Reset, the son of Zabeel that cost $190,000 from the

2002 sale, before winning dual Group 1 races for owner Lloyd

Williams.

Reset has already risen to prominence with G1 Victoria Derby

winner Rebel Raider in his first crop.

Coolmore made a successful bid for another Inglis graduate

following the Royal Ascot carnival of 2003.

Choisir had claimed the Kings Stand-Golden Jubilee Stakes

double and set himself up for a dual hemisphere stud career.

He too proved a bargain, costing just $55,000 out of the 2001

Inglis Sydney Classic Sale.

Like Exceed And Excel, Choisir was Champion First Season Sire

in Australia and also claimed a top three finish on the European

freshman list.

Coolmore also hit the jackpot when the Danehill colt from

Piccadilly Circus failed to meet his $300,000 reserve at the 2003

Easter Sale.

Named Fastnet Rock, he won dual Group 1 events as a three-

year-old and is now the hottest of favourites to become the

third straight Inglis graduate to win Australias First Season

crown.

Fastnet Rock has been inundated with mare bookings since he

retired, but he was pipped albeit narrowly for the title of

Australias busiest stallion in 2007.

That tag fell the way of Eliza Parks Bel Esprit, who worked his

way through a massive book of 266 nine more than Fastnet

Rock off a fee of $20,000.

The Royal Academy stallions fee has risen to $33,000 in 2008,

making him one of the great bargains of Australian racing,

having cost just $9000 at the 2001 Inglis Sydney Classic Sale.


LEFT: Coolmores Australian Champion Sire Encosta de Lago.


International Group 1 wins for Inglis

graduates last season were led by Sacred

Kingdom, a $200,000 buy from the 2005

Melbourne Premier Sale.

Sacred Kingdom was ably supported by the

ageless Takeover Target, a winner this time

of a Group 1 in Singapore, to go alongside

his English and Japan conquests, and The

Pooka, winner in New Zealand of the G1

2000 Guineas.

Takeover Target was of course secured for

just $1250 at an Inglis Mixed Sale, while

The Pooka was a $15,000 purchase from

the 2005 Australian Select Weanling Sale.

Like last season, Inglis was also the leading

sale house in Australia in 2006-07, with no

less than 15 individual Group 1 winning

graduates.

Again, Easter was the flagbearing sale, with

10 graduates claiming Group 1 races.

Similarly, with five of the 10 Racing To

Win, Mentality ($100,000), Red Dazzler

($100,000), Teranabaa ($100,000) and

Bentley Biscuit ($120,000) being

secured for $120,000 or less, the theme of

big race winners emanating from the

Easter Yearling Sale without costing a

fortune continues.

TOP: Australian Horse of the Year Weekend

Hussler. ABOVE: Group 1 winning sprinter

Typhoon Zed.

There is nowhere in the World like WiddenAustralias Leading Vendor of Gr 1 Winners

All Silent Emirates Stakes Gr 1 - 2008

Whobegotyou Caulfield Guineas Gr 1 - 2008

Typhoon Zed Manikato Stakes Gr 1 & The Galaxy Gr 1 - 2008

Absolut Glam Winter Stakes Gr 1 - 2008

Triple Honour Doncaster Hcp Gr 1 - 2008

Bon Hoffa Rupert Clarke Stakes Gr 1 - 2007

Floral Pegasus Hong Kong Mile Gr 1 - 2007

Valley of ChampionsValley of Champions

For further information please contact Antony Thompson Derek Field On tel: +61 (0) 2 6549 9999 fax: +61 (0) 2 6549 9900 email: [email protected] or www.widden.com

2666 Inglis ad V5.indd 1 17/11/08 11:00:01 AM


The PerfectDistraction

JOHN SYMOND, Chairman andFounder of Aussie Home Loans, hasenjoyed great success with his racinginvestments, including one of the besthorses to race in Australia in the past 25

years.

Symond raced his first horse in 1973, but it

wasnt until 1984 that he hit the jackpot. A

son of Sea Anchor was offered to him and

a few friends by trainer Paul Sutherland at a

value of about $30,000 after running third

on debut at Rosehill as a 400/1 chance in

late 1983.

We were all short of money at the time,

so as you do, we decided to back him at

his next start to win the purchase price, he

laughs.

Well, the usual happened and he runs an

unlucky second!

With a few dropping off after the foiled

plunge, Symond ended up finding enough

dollars to buy 40% and John Gigante

secured another 40% in a deal that would

take them on the ride of their lives.

Named Red Anchor, the first real sign of

what was to follow with the colt came after

he made up many lengths to run second to

subsequent Golden Slipper winner Inspired

in the Pago Pago Stakes.

Two things happened that day, Symond

recalls.

The first was that Ron Quinton got off and

said he was available to ride this horse in

any race ever.

The second was that Tommy Smith walked

up to us, shook my hand and said

Congratulations, youve got a nice horse

and then offered us a ridiculous amount of

money for those days to buy him. Paul

Sutherland went purple!

But we decided not to accept it because

we were all in love with the horse.

Smith proved to be a good judge, because

Red Anchor won the Champagne Stakes

two starts later before campaigning with

mixed success in Brisbane.

After some disappointments in

Queensland, an amicable deal was done to

buy out Sutherlands share and transfer the

horse to Smith.

Red Anchor was to have six races in

Smiths care winning all of them. His

wins included the Roman Consul in

Sydney, then the Moonee Valley Stakes and

Caulfield Guineas in Melbourne both by

healthy margins before a tilt at the

Australasian weight-for-age championship.

On Cox Plate day we sat next to Tommy

and he looked at my wife and said can I

For those with

demanding careers

outside the industry,

theres no greater outlet

than the thrill of racing

to provide a suitable

distraction. NATHAN

EXELBY spoke to two

very prominent

Australians about their

highly successful forays

delving into

thoroughbred

bloodstock investment.


have a cigarette. I said to him I didnt

think you smoked Tommy and he said I

dont. Thats when it hit me how much this

race actually meant, Symond relates.

On returning to scale, Mick Dittman slid

out of the saddle and said this is the best

horse hed ridden.

The next week, they all said he couldnt

run the 2500m of the Derby, but you can

see on the video and I often pull it out

and watch it when hes six lengths in

front that Mick was throttling him down in

the last little bit.

Its just frightening to think a horse could

do that in those days.

Of course, all good things come to an end,

and with Red Anchor the end came

abruptly.

He won the Apollo nice and easily first up

in the autumn and we were all getting

pretty excited, Symond recalls.

We went to track work one morning and

he worked well, but I got a call from

someone later that morning to say hed

heard on the radio that Red Anchor had

broken down. I rung the stable and they

confirmed hed done a suspensory and that

was it.

He was syndicated to Sir Tristan Antico for

$3million. He threw the Epsom winner

Navy Seal and a couple of others, but he

wasnt a great success and he proved to be

just a freak racehorse.

Symond said tough financial times curbed

his interest soon after and in fact it wasnt

until 2002 that he returned to racehorse

ownership, linking up with Alan Bell, who

had raced the champion Schillaci and at

the time, multiple Group 1 winner Grand

Armee.

Together with Nick Moraitis of Might And

Power fame, the trio purchased the

Danehill-Shindig colt for $750,000 from

the 2004 Easter Sale. Named Strada, he

showed outstanding ability and was able to

capture two Listed races before retiring to

Widden Stud. His first crop of foals are

being born this year. He has some

beautiful, big strong foals and hes ticking

all the boxes so far, Symond said.

Symond and Bell have thrown their weight

behind Strada to give him every chance of

success.

Alan and I have a breeding partnership

called Strada Investments, he said. I go

along for the ride. I leave it up to Alan

hes the expert. Alan is passionate in his

belief that Strada will make a stallion.

Strada Investments purchased six mares in

foal, who have all since foaled and been

covered by Strada.

There were also a number of yearlings

purchased this year, either outright, or in

partnership with others.

These include colts by Charge Forward and

Redoutes Choice, along with a share in the

$2.2million Encosta De Lago-Oceanfast

colt.

I think Ive now got two in training, four

two-year-olds, six yearlings, six broodmares

and six foals, so Ive got plenty to occupy

myself!

Symond said racing was quite unique.

As an owner, you have all the hopes in the

world. Theres nothing like the adrenalin

you get when youre waiting for your horse

to jump out of the barriers there is no

high like it. But conversely, it can go the

other way as well.

But in the end, its a fantastic bit of fun

and the excitement you can get is just

amazing.

LEFT: John Symond (centre) with fellow

connections of Strada, Alan Bell (left) and

Nick Moraitis (right).


BROADCASTER Alan Jones is oneof Australias highest profilemedia identities and has longbeen king of the airwaves inSydney.

Like Symond, Jones loves nothing more

than switching off the rigours of the day-to-

day grind and tuning into the racing world.

Jones has been a passionate racing fan

since his days growing up in country

Queensland, where the Saturday afternoon

races on the wireless were one of the

weeks highlights.

He cant remember exactly the first horse

he owned, but one conveyance that does

stick in his mind is Manifest, a graduate of

the 1997 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier

Sale.

James Packer and I owned a horse called

Manifest. He was very well bred and Gai

(Waterhouse) trained it for us, Jones

explained.

Manifest was not the most talented son of

Champion New Zealand stallion Centaine

to ever grace the racetrack though and he

soon found himself out of the Tulloch

Lodge Stables and into more rural

surrounds.

Jones had known highly respected

conditioner Greg Bennett through his

association with the Whites of Belltrees

and chose him to be Manifests next trainer.

To say Jones and Packer showed patience

with the gelding is to understate to the

highest degree. He ended up winning at

his 49th start in the Might And Power


Maiden over 1300m at Narromine. He

won by four lengths and set a new class

record! Jones laughs.

Manifest finished his career with 3 wins in

61 starts for modest earnings of $25,420.

But Jones horse investments have had

considerably more success since he linked

with Arrowfield Studs John Messara.

Jones and Messara have been long time

friends, having met through Rugby Union,

where Messaras sons Paul and Michael

showed more than their share of talent.

The friendship led Jones into sharing in the

success of Redoutes Choice and Miss

Finland two of the more notable

thoroughbred headline grabbers in

Australia in recent times.

John and I love our Saturdays. I hate being

interrupted on a Saturday afternoon and

most people know that. I simply love

watching the races from home, Jones says.

There was one notable interruption to

Jones afternoon sanctity one year though.

It was Melbourne Cup day and they were

just about to jump in the Cup and the

phone rang I knew it could only be one

person Bob Carr! He has no interest in

racing whatsoever.

Jones answered the call but told the NSW

Premier to call back as there was a more

pressing matter about to be settled at

Flemington racecourse.

Miss Finland gave Jones the opportunity to

savour what its like to race a horse that

would be crowned a Champion of her

generation in successive seasons.

The David Hayes trained filly was a

dominant force at two and is the easiest

winner of the Golden Slipper in modern

times. She trained on at three to land the

Thousand Guineas and VRC Oaks at Group

1 level, before proving superior to the boys

when taking the G1 Australian Guineas.

Miss Finland fittingly rounded out her

Group 1 deeds as a three-year-old when

winning the Arrowfield Stakes.

LEFT: Alan Jones (right) and his fellow connections in Miss Finland, trainer David Hayes (far

left), John Leaver (left of centre) and John Messara (right of centre). INSET: Miss Finland.

For further information or to arrange an inspection of our 2009 Easter Yearling draft, contact Adam White or Peter Orton:

02 6543 8333 www.vinery.com.au

VINERYCHAMPION BLOODLINES TODAYLEGENDS TOMORROW

YEARLINGS


Miss Finland retired with earnings of

$4.6million, highlighted by 11 wins 10

at stakes level.

Theres no doubt about it. She was a once

in a lifetime type of horse and was

something very special, Jones said,

although lamenting her fall from grace as a

four-year-old.

She bloused them in the Memsie and

then we all had to inject against the

terrible EI virus. She ran some good races,

but really, she was never the same again

after that.

Jones is also a shareholder in Champion

Sire Redoutes Choice. He took a liking to

the Danehill colt very early and took

particular notice on the day he was a late

scratching from the Golden Slipper.

He was so confidently backed to win that

race and Im of the opinion that when

money is bet in that volume, it cant be

wrong, he says.

I remember there was a big plonk on

Tobin Bronze to win the Caulfield Cup in

1966 and even though he didnt win that

day, I followed up the next year when he

was a brilliant winner (at bigger odds).

So from that Slipper day, I always thought

that this horse must be in the Todman

mould, such was the confidence about

him. Punters are not stupid and I just

thought this horse has to be red hot.

Six months later, Jones and Messara found

themselves holidaying in the south of

France when that years Caulfield Guineas

was being run, with John Leaver, who has

also enjoyed considerable success with

Arrowfield.

It was far too early for Leaver, but John

(Messara) and I listened to the call over the

phone and I remember it being such a

brilliant call, which matched what was a

wonderful race.

Soon after, Messara was able to negotiate

the part-purchase of Redoutes Choice and

secure him for Arrowfield Stud, with Jones

among the willing shareholders.

Its all a bit unreal really, when you think

about what Redoutes had done since

then, Jones said.

Redoutes Choice has become the most

expensive stallion in the country and won

the Champion Sire Award in 2005-06.

Its great to be a part of it.

Leaders in their fieldJohn Symond and Alan Jones are two of the most recognisable faces in Australia.

Consistently in the news, or making news, they are revered as leaders in their field.

But away from the daily grind of their principal business, nothing satisfies more than

becoming entrenched in another world the one we know as racing.

Both have acquired substantial bloodstock portfolios and enjoyed success at the

highest level.

The great thing about racing in Australia is that anyone can become involved. You

can race a horse on your own, or race it with a hundred others sometimes more.

No other sport attracts the cross section of a community like racing can.

In Australia, weve seen the likes of ex Prime Minister Bob Hawke race a Golden

Slipper winner and international superstar Olivia Newton-John share in the

ownership of the aptly named flying filly I Got Chills.

Of course, theres an almost endless list of sporting stars that have dipped their toe

in the ownership water but a shorter list of those that have enjoyed success!

A few notables include dual Olympic Gold Medallist Grant Hackett, who shared in

the ownership of another aptly named performer, the stakes winning filly Freestyle;

this years fairytale AFL Premiership winner Shane Crawford has raced several

handy performers, NRL Coach Nathan Brown was a part-owner of multiple G1

winner Private Steer, and Wallaby George Smith raced G1 winner Vitesse Dane with

the Kris Lees stable.

Then theres the international cricketers Simon ODonnell and Mark Waugh, who

have turned their passion for racing into successful businesses since putting away

the willow.

Look whats coming for Easter 2009Bay Colt

Tale Of The Cat x Bhandara

Bay ColtRedoutes Choice x Bramble Rose

Bay ColtEncosta De Lago x How Funny

Grey FillyDanehill Dancer x Pace Invader

Brown ColtDanehill Dancer x Recurring

Bay ColtRedoutes Choice x Sydneys Dream

Chestnut ColtMore Than Ready x Tuscan Sky

Bay ColtEncosta De Lago x Bonasera

Bay ColtEncosta De Lago x Dashing Eagle

Brown FillyRedoutes Choice x In The Past

Bay ColtRedoutes Choice x Quays

Bay ColtEncosta De Lago x Snowdrift

Bay ColtEncosta De Lago x Tahni Girl

Our latest Stars: Portillo - Group 2 Winner, 2nd in a

Gr1 Flight Stakes Our Giant - Group 1 Winner Lims Fighter Singapore, Group 3

Winner, Group 1 Place Plus others Imvula, Dancefloor Prodigy, Intuit &Primanova (the Queen of Belle Stakeslisted)

NEW

Since inception Tyreel broodmares haveproduced winners of $32,000,000 in

prizemoney.Over the past 10 years 135 yearlings were

catalogued of which 113 were sold.

Catalogue Clearance 83%Horses Raced 83.47Winners To Runners 72.27%Stakes Winners 11%Stakes Performers 18%

TAKE A LOOK AT OURBRAND NEW WEBSITE!VISIT www.tyreel.comOR LOOK UP TYREEL STUDIN GOOGLE!

TYREEL STUD

tyreel 240x300 19/11/08 3:28 PM Page 1

TYREEL STUD

tyreel 240x300 19/11/08 3:28 PM Page 2

Thorough SalesCoverage

What is the format forcovering a sale? Is there aformula you stick to, or doyou have to adopt a wait andsee approach?

We have a basic format as far as trying to

show as much of the action in the ring as

possible, but interspersed with relevant

interviews. Obviously being live on air for

so many hours means much of it is

basically flying by the seat of our pants! It

would be impossible to do a regular TV

rundown for a broadcast that goes all day.

In fact there wouldnt be too many other

sports that are on air for as many hours as

our sales coverage. Even the cricket wraps

up by 6pm during a test match, and we

were on air till 7.30 some nights after a 10

am start. So TVNs Inglis sales coverage is

quite groundbreaking from a TV industry

perspective. We have cameras in the ring

filming all the time, so if we miss particular

lots we endeavour to show them on replay,

so no-one back at the vendors farms

misses out on seeing their baby go through

the ring.

So theres not much respite inthere?

We generally start our coverage before the

sale kicks off, to go through the results

from the previous day, and bring viewers

up to date on any news surrounding the

sale. Other than walking away briefly

through the day, Bruce and I basically stay

on set all day, particularly with a sale such

as last year, where the million dollar lots

just kept going through the ring.

How hectic does it get duringthe Easter Sale?

It is very hectic. Its very difficult to be

across every horse going through the ring,

and with so many high prices. We started

off with one page of highlight horses to talk

about, and that rapidly grew to about five

pages of horses we wanted to talk about in

interviews with buyers, vendors and Inglis

management. And getting the guests is very

much a spur of the moment thing.

Obviously anyone buying or selling at

Easter doesnt have a lot of time to spare,

so we take them when we can get them.

So theres not much time to prepare. We

very much have to just view the interviews

as a conversation about the sort of things

we think viewers might be interested to

hear.

How much research do youdo leading in?

There is an enormous amount of

preparation involved, and somehow no

matter how long I spend on it, it is never

enough! Because of also hosting and

prepping live racedays through the

autumn, it is impossible to see every

yearling in the catalogue. However our

preview show was a big help as far as

hearing from the vendors, and the Inglis

team, about particular individuals that

were worth paying extra attention to.

Jonathon DArcy was enormously helpful

in letting us know which horses he thought

would bring the high prices, so we were

able to feature a lot of them in the

preview.

A new and exciting

addition to the Inglis

Australian Easter

Yearling Sale has been

TVNs Live coverage.

Co-host CAROLINE

SEARCY was asked

about what goes into

the Easter Sale coverage.


Caroline Searcy is a raceday host and

presenter on TVN. She also presents

and produces the popular weekly

show dedicated to the breeding

industry, "Thoroughbreds."

How accurate are the vendorsin predicting which are likelyto be their star lots?

You inspect a good number of drafts

leading into the sale. Generally the vendors

are fairly accurate about their yearlings.

They will have had a few visits from the

Inglis staff to give them feedback on how

they think an individual will sell, and

plenty of other stud people will also have

viewed their offerings while they are still

on-farm. With some of the wits in the

industry, there is no shortage of honest

appraisal about each horse! So there is

plenty of feedback for vendors to keep it all

in perspective.

Are there a couple ofmemorable moments fromyour time covering the sale?

Arthur Mitchell 06, 07. The Mitchells

run in recent years at the Inglis Easter sale

has been phenomenal for a family owned

operation. I remember how satisfied Arthur

and Harry were two years ago after their

sensational sale, particularly because they

knew how good their draft was. The

previous year they had talked down their

yearlings, as they knew they werent likely

to have any top sellers amongst them. But

when they have a good draft, they know

they are selling a top quality product, and

for such a popular family in the breeding

industry, it was great to see their judgement

being supported in the sales ring.

Glenn Burrows 07. I remember doing a

yearling preview at Willow Park before the

2007 sale, and the yearling that was

obviously the apple of Glenns eye was a

filly by Redoute's Choice out of Milliyet.

She was a beautiful individual, and Glenn

knew very early that she was something

special. That hype surrounding the filly

continued as she entered the ring at

Newmarket. Of course she sold to Ron

Croghan for $1.5million, and is now

Samantha Miss.


TOP: TVNs Caroline Searcy and Bruce

Clark interview trainer Clarrie Conners.

ABOVE: Yarraman Parks Harry (left) and

Arthur (right) Mitchell.

Are there any buyers thatstand out in terms of theirinterviews?

I think the interviews during our Inglis

Easter coverage in 2008 were something

that really stood our coverage out from

anything we had done before on TVN. Bob

Ingham took a bit of convincing to come to

the TVN set, but in the end he provided

one of the highlights of the sale. A

notoriously private individual, Bob had us

all enthralled as he talked about the sale of

Inghams Bloodstock to Darley, and how

hed thought up a figure, added some more

and then doubled it! We had so much

feedback to that interview, and we had

many requests to replay it, which we were

able to do on a number of occasions.

Lloyd Williams was the other fascinating

interview during the 2008 coverage. As he

never goes to the races we rarely get the

chance to hear from him on TVN, and his

assessment of the sales was particularly

interesting. He also discussed his role

advising Bob Ingham, as he re-stocked his

thoroughbred numbers, providing a rare

insight into the relationship between two

powerful industry figures.

Two other interviews also really stood out.

John Ferguson and Angus Gold, buying for

the brothers Sheikh Mohammed and

Sheikh Hamdan, revealed a level of

courtesy between these two goliaths of

world racing and breeding. Ferguson and

Gold both talked about how each brother

would pick particular individuals they had

their heart set on, and the other brother

would agree they would have another

horse instead. It really showed that the

Sheikhs really cared about getting

particular horses, and there was a level of

emotion involved, and yearling buying

wasnt just an impersonal thing for them.


ABOVE: Samantha Miss owner Ron

Croghan. TOP RIGHT: Musket as an Easter

Sales yearling.

Do you follow a horse withmore interest having watchedit being sold?

I definitely keep an eye on horses that have

caught my eye going through the sales ring.

I think its a really strong selling point for

the industry, for people who may be on the

periphery of the industry, to see the foal of

a horse they have seen race being sold

within a short time of it going to stud. Its

what makes the industry so addictive, the

fact that the turnaround time between

horses racing and their first yearlings being

seen is not very long. Its a real marketing

point for the industry I think, to keep trying

to encourage new owners to dip into the

market. I think it helps if they can see the

yearlings being sold so quickly, as

sometimes its a longer period before they

get to a racetrack.

Are there any favouriteyearlings from the pastcouple of years?

There are a heap of them and I always

make notes in the back of the catalogue

about horses Ive liked. A year before the

2008 sale I did a story for our

Thoroughbreds program at Yarraman Park

and we filmed a weanling by Encosta De

Lago out of Oceanfast. He already had a

bit of a presence about him, but I couldnt

believe my eyes when I saw him a year

later while we were filming TVNs Inglis

Preview show. This colt, of course the full

brother to Alinghi, had furnished into a

magnificent, strong individual, with a real

masculinity about him. He was a rather big

type, but still had loads of quality about

him, and needless to say he was eventually

sold to Anthony Cummings for $2.2

million. Im looking forward to seeing him

on the racetrack, and hopefully he can live

up to a bit of what big sister did!

Musket was always an eye catching colt,

regardless of his parentage. Hes grown a

lot as hes matured, but as well as a black

horse always being a standout, as a

yearling he had a real masculinity about

him and you could see he was something

special. As well as being Makybe Divas

three-quarter brother he is now a stakes

winner as well, and if he could win a

Group One, he would be a fine addition to

any farm in the land.


Musket was always

an eye catching colt,

regardless of his

parentage. Hes grown a

lot as hes matured, but

as well as a black horse

always being a standout,

as a yearling he had a

real masculinity about

him and you could see

he was something

special. As well as being

Makybe Divas 3/4

brother he is now a

stakes winner as well,

and if he could win a

Group One, he would be

a fine addition to any

farm in the land.

LucrativeRewards

THE RULES changed forever forAustralian-bred horses whenChoisir completed his marvellousRoyal Ascot double in the middleof 2003.

Firstly, global onlookers suddenly took

notice. Here was a southern hemisphere-

bred son of a highly regarded shuttle

stallion doing what was almost unthinkable

winning twice within the space of five

days at Europes most famous meet.

Not long after, John Magniers Coolmore

Stud put a value on Choisirs feats, stitching

him up for dual hemisphere stud duties in

a deal that was well beyond any figure that

had previously been paid for an Australian-

bred thoroughbred.

So here was a $55,000 graduate of the

Inglis Sydney Classic Sale being sold just

two and a half years later for many millions

of dollars.

It was around this time that Darley started

to make their Australian intentions clear

and the following year, Sheikh

Mohammeds operation swooped on the

dual Group 1 colts Exceed And Excel and

Reset in combined deals that reportedly

came close to $40million.

This represented an extension of almost

two zeros on what the Danehill and Zabeel

colts cost at Easter.

Little wonder then that buyers have since

been prepared to up the ante at Australias

most prestigious yearling sale.

Choisirs feats werent just a vehicle to bulk

up the price of stallion prospects.

Suddenly, Australian horses were being

taken seriously on the world stage.

One horse alone cannot sway an audience,

but since Choisir, there has been a constant

stream of Australian-bred horses doing big

things on foreign shores.

The likes of Hong Kong star Lucky Owners

and Dubai G1 winner Elvstroem both

Easter graduates have added further

chapters to the story, retiring to stud in

Australia off service fees that have returned

shareholders significant seven figure sums

in the early stages of their stud careers.

Haradasun took stallion values to a new

level though when Coolmore secured him

in a deal that reportedly valued him at

$50million, before the Fusaichi Pegasus

colt justified the spend with his Royal

Ascot success this year.

It is now accepted that Australian horses

compare favourably with all comers, a

theory supported by the worlds two biggest

buyers of bloodstock, Demi OByrne and

John Ferguson, when they were at last

A growing level of

unprecedented global

respect for Australian

horses, the continued

excellence of graduates

on the track, and a

surge in the value of

Group 1 winning colts

on the domestic front

have led to the

Australian Easter

Yearling Sale being one

of the Worlds best

choices for quality

young bloodstock.

NATHAN EXELBY covers

these developments.


years Easter Sale. There is a belief that the

Australian product has come of age.

Coolmores Demi OByrne, buyer of

countless Group 1 winners for John

Magnier, has been a regular visitor to

Australia over many years.

The influence of the shuttle stallion

from Danehill down has filtered through

and made a huge difference to the

Australian bred horse, OByrne said last

April.

It is definitely getting better every year.

This is the best catalogue I have ever seen

in Australia and as good as any Ive seen in

the world.

Sheikh Mohammeds representative John

Ferguson was the major player at the

Australian Easter Yearling sale this year,

securing 20 lots for a total spend of

$19,005,000, including seven yearlings for

in excess of $1million. He had no

hesitation in heaping praise on the quality

of horses now found at Easter.

It is now one of the strongest sales

anywhere in the world, Ferguson said.

The standard of the yearlings is

considerably higher than five to 10 years

ago and with young stallions coming

through not only Redoutes Choice, but

others like Exceed And Excel the future

here is very exciting.

With this in mind, you can understand why

Easter yearlings have become more keenly

sought after than ever before in recent

years. It is true that up until the financial

wars of 2008 global markets had

increased significantly this decade, but

Australian bloodstock grew at an even

greater rate. The (Aus) brand has never

been more valuable.

The Easter aggregate of $55.118million

achieved in 2003 is now a distant memory,

with the 2008 figure of $143.825million

representing a 160% leap, bankrolled by

an average of $375,522.

By comparison, Keenelands famed

September yearling sales grew by 40%

between 2003 and 2007 before the

inevitable downturn amid the global

economic crisis in 2008.

In some instances, Easter has been referred

to as expensive, but statistics make a lie of

this assumption. As already outlined, the

rewards for cracking a top colt are great.

In fact, an independent study by Aushorse

of the Select Colts sold at Easter between

2001 and 2003 showed their collective

worth was some $80million more than


LEFT: Darley bloodstock manager John

Ferguson. RIGHT: Choisir triumphs at Royal

Ascot.

what they cost in the ring, based on

prizemoney earned, purchase price of the

stallion and service fees generated.

Similarly, breeders are now prepared to pay

huge money for fillies and mares, as the

$3.4million for Virage De Fortune and

$5million for Milanova illustrated over the

past two years.

The international and domestic buying

bench are happy to spend up at Easter

because they know they are buying the

best of the best.

The very best barometer of a sales success

is what its graduates achieve on the track.

And in that regard, the Easter Sale has been

without peer in recent times.

No other sale came close to matching the

feats of Easter graduates in 2007-08 no

less than nine individual Group 1 winners

graced the turf in Australia during that 12

month period.

These ranged in price from $40,000 for

multi millionaire Racing To Win, up to

$1.5million for Samantha Miss, with Bon

Hoffa, Dealer Principal, Shinzig, Juste

Momente, Maldivian, Forensics and Reaan

at a range of prices in between.

That followed 10 Easter babies lifting

Group 1 spoils the previous season: Racing

To Win and Forensics were joined by

Mentality, Red Dazzler, Teranabaa, Bentley

Biscuit, Aqua DAmore, Miss Finland,

Apercu and Camarilla in the elite band of

Easter Group 1 winners.

And it seems nothing has changed in the

new season either, with seven individual

Easter Group 1 winners in the first four

months of the new season highlighted

by Maldivians Cox Plate triumph.

The success hasnt been confined to the

domestic front. In addition to the successful

stallion prospects, there have been

numerous other gallopers with the (Aus)

suffix flying the flag.

From the same sale as Choisir and for

the exact same amount came the great

sprinter Silent Witness.

Prepared by Tony Cruz, Silent Witness

arrived on the scene at a time when Hong

Kong was looking for a new idol to replace

the great Fairy King Prawn, himself a

graduate of the Australian Easter Yearling

Sale.

Silent Witness filled that void and more.

The son of the Emirates Park stallion El

Moxie re-wrote the record books in

winning his first 17 starts, including dual

successes in the G1 Hong Kong

International Sprint a race that has been

totally dominated by Australian-bred

horses.

Silent Witness eventually retired with

earnings beyond $A9million.

His place at the head of the World

Sprinting ranks was soon taken by Sacred

Kingdom, another Inglis graduate that


RIGHT: 2008 Royal Ascot winner

Haradasun.

found his way to Hong Kong. A $200,000

purchase from the Melbourne Premier Sale,

the son of Encosta De Lago continues the

tradition of Australian-bred sprinters being

rated the best in the world after completely

demoralising his rivals in last years

International Sprint.

Of course, no discussion of champion

sprinters from this decade would be

complete without mention of the

globetrotter Takeover Target.

A multiple Group 1 winner in Australia, the

son of Celtic Swing has taken his trainer

Joe Janiak to all parts of the world,

enjoying success in England, Japan and

Singapore.

His three trips to Royal Ascot epitomise the

kind of toughness that Australian horses

have come to be recognised by.

The $1250 Janiak spent to secure him from

an Inglis Mixed Sale is now in folklore as

one of the great buys in bloodstock history,

with Takeover Targets earnings now

beyond the $5million mark.

While the sprinters have long since

established their place on the world stage

Miss Andretti being another to taste

Royal Ascot success Elvstroem showed

that its not just world class speedsters that

come out of Australia.

A graduate of the Easter Sale, the son of

Danehill created history when he proved

too good in the G1 Dubai Duty Free

(1777m) in 2005, before going on to race

with distinction in Europe. His half-brother

Haradasun then re-affirmed that with his

Group 1 win over 1600m at Royal Ascot

this year. Furthermore, Australian-bred Sun

Classique scored a win in the prestigious

2400m G1 Dubai Sheema Classic this year.

So with Australian horses doing so well

internationally and Inglis graduates leading

the way on the domestic front, its only

natural that its number one sale will be

heavily patronised by an eager buying

bench.

But as has been outlined, the rewards are

there for those that choose wisely.



Exceptions to the Ruleand Forgivable Faults

Go to any yearling saleanywhere in the country andthere will be quite literallyhundreds of youngthoroughbreds of varying shapes and sizes

being paraded before an eager crowd of

agents, trainers and bloodstock investors.

Some will boast impressive pedigrees and

present as close to flawless, while others

will feature various minor and major

shortcomings in either pedigree page,

physical conformation or x-ray.

Their eventual sale price will reflect all of

these factors and combined with market

demand, determine which horses are

million dollar superstars and potential sale-

toppers, versus those who may slip through

unnoticed and unwanted.

Every yearling is evaluated by prospective

buyers using criteria that some regard as

important, while others may not, so lets

examine just what some of our buyers are

looking for or indeed seeking to avoid.

X-Ray Issues

It was 2002 and the first year that x-rays

made an appearance at Australian yearling

sales and a Danehill (USA) colt from

Circles of Gold was purchased from the

Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale for

$330,000.

Subsequently returned to his breeder Frank

Tagg following unsatisfactory findings on

his x-rays, the horse would go on to race as

Elvstroem and would become a champion.

This was no powder puff champion, this

was a horse that would win a gruelling

Group One VRC Victoria Derby over 2500

metres still short of his third birthday (he

was a November 14 foal), win a Caulfield

Cup at four and a weight-for age Group

One at 1400 metres before travelling to

Dubai where he also won at Group One

level.

The case of Elvstroem is one that will

forever be recalled in any discussion

relating to x-rays and six years down the

track, vets and trainers now have a far

better understanding of x-rays and what is

and is not important.

Having now had time to see how horses

with varying x-ray conditions cope with

training and perform on the track, we are

far better able to advise clients of the level

of risk associated which each condition

and determine what is acceptable risk and

what is not, said respected equine

veterinarian Greg Nash of Randwick

Equine Clinic.

Every client has a different threshold for

risk with syndicators for example needing

clean x-rays for the purpose of on-selling,

while others are happy to accept a certain

amount of risk and of course that is

reflected in the price of the yearling.

The introduction of x-rays has undoubtedly

improved the overall level of soundness of

horses presented for sale as vendors are far

less likely to consign horses with serious

issues as they make a fraction of their price

or do not sell at all.

Top-class racehorses

come in all shapes and

sizes, and can be far

from perfect articles as

yearlings as TARA

MADGWICK explains.

Tara Madgwick is Editor of

Breednet.com.au. She is also a

presenter on TVNs popular

Thoroughbreds program.


The thing with a significant number of

these conditions is that they are an

indicator the horse may need some time

and might not be suitable for racing as a

two year-old, said Nash.

Sesamoiditis is one thing that you see

which generally has a good prognosis if the

horse is given the time and not broken in

immediately.

X-rays have become a very useful tool in

assisting trainers to assess a horse

accurately, be aware of any potential

problem and train them accordingly.

Conformation

Too small or too tall, weve all seen horses

canned for one or the other of these

cardinal sins, but at the end of the day

weve seen both giants and midgets that

can run and do so very effectively.

Pocket sized filly Assertive Lass cost just

$38,000 at the 1995 Inglis Australian

Yearling Sale and went on to become one

of the best fillies every prepared by Gai

Waterhouse in winning the Group One

STC Coolmore Classic and AJC Flight

Stakes.

My grand-father

used to breed stock

horses and he used to

say a stallions job is not

to get in the way of good

mares expressing

themselves and when I

saw Grand Armee, he

was all from his mothers

side, he was Marauding,

Whiskey Road, Nijinsky

he was what I hoped

and expected to see.

LEFT: Six-time Group 1 winner Elvstroem.

Equally as good at stud, she left unbeaten

dual Group One winner Reset and Group

Three winner So Assertive before being

acquired by Darley and sent to the

Northern hemisphere.

Standing a tick over 15 hands during her

racing days, Assertive Lass is the archetypal

midget.

Giant horses have also enjoyed their share

of success dating back to legendary

champion Phar Lap, a 17-hand plus

monster, and whether big or small, its all a

matter of proportion, balance and whether

their legs can in fact carry them at top

speed.

Standing just shy of 17 hands is former

champion racehorse Grand Armee, a

seven-time Group One winner of $5.3

million in prizemoney, who was bought by

his owner Alan Bell for $150,000 at the

2000 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

Most people at that sale dismissed him for

being too big, but he appealed to me a

great deal for a number of reasons, said

Bell.

For a horse of his size he was perfectly

proportioned, very athletic and light on his

feet. He did have the rough Marauding

knees, but they settled down over time

and we didnt race him until he was four.

I like buying the progeny of stallions that

the market is down on and his sire

Hennessy had thrown a lot of small,

chunky, chestnut types that were limited

and this horse was nothing like his sire.

My grand-father used to breed stock

horses and he used to say a stallions job is

not to get in the way of good mares

expressing themselves and when I saw

Grand Armee, he was all from his mothers

side, he was Marauding, Whiskey Road,

Nijinsky he was what I hoped and

expected to see.

For all the endless walking and parading at

yearling sales, where buyers endeavour to

work out which horses are offset, turned in

or out, back at the knee, over at the knee

or carry any one of a hundred

conformational flaws its always worth

harking back for just one moment to the

open stallion days at the commercial stud

farms each spring.

On show will be any number of champions

and Group One winners from all over the

world, many of them featuring

conformational imperfections that have

hindered them not one jot in finding

success on the racetrack and a lucrative

career at stud.

Legendary trainer Bart Cummings has not

only prepared countless Group One

winners, but has also selected and

purchased them from the sale ring

including his champion stayer and

Melbourne Cup winner Galilee, who was

an exception to the rules of perfection.

Galilee was turned in and everything else,

but on close examination to the leg he

turned in on, the ligament on the inside

was as thin as a pencil, but the one on the

outside that took all the weight was three

times the size of a normal ligament, so I

took a chance on that and he was one of

the best stayers weve seen, said

Cummings when interviewed on Racenet

TV.

He was turned in like Charlie Chaplin, but

Id never buy one turned that out, turned in

you have a chance particularly if nature

has compensated as it did with him.

The Invisible Horse

Sometimes a yearling is cheap for no

discernable reason other than the fact

nobody else has found him or her, with

John OSheas purchase of his champion

Racing to Win at the 2004 Inglis Australian

Easter Yearling Sale for just $40,000 a

classic example.

A non-descript dark grey from the draft of a

smaller vendor, Racing To Win was neither


LEFT: The mighty little racemare Assertive

Lass. RIGHT: Champion racehorse Grand

Armee.

tall, nor small, and for many prospective

buyers he just failed to register on the

radar.

A saleyard is a melting pot of opinion and

invariably some horses keep cropping up

in conversation and are universally agreed

upon as nice horses and sell accordingly.

Some buyers seem to almost prefer to bid

on these youngsters reassured by the

collective good opinion of others, but for

the astute judge prepared to go with what

he alone sees, there are often significant

rewards.

Older Mares

Many vendors offering yearlings produced

by older mares are shocked when

confronted by the harsh reality that a

significant percentage of yearling buyers

are not interested in what they have to

offer.

It is fact that a majority of stakes winners

are produced from a mares first three foals

and with every increasing foal, some

buyers feel the chances of that mare doing

the job are in fact decreased.

That may be so, but as with everything

there are exceptions to the rule and this

year English Derby winner New Approach

has been flying the flag for older mares.

Purchased by his trainer Jim Bolger for

430,000 euros at the Goffs Million Sale in

Ireland, the Galileo colt is from a Group

One winner in Park Express, who was 21

years of age when she produced him.

The dam of two previous stakes-winners in

Dazzling Park and Shinko Forest, Park

Express actually won the Group One Irish

Champion Stakes in 1986 for Jim Bolger, a

race that her son also captured this year

some 22 years after her moment of glory.


Purchased by his

trainer Jim Bolger for

430,000 euros at the

Goffs Million Sale in

Ireland, the Galileo colt

is from a Group One

winner in Park Express,

who was 21 years of age

when she produced

him.


Its just as well Mr Bolger had no pre-

conceived bias towards the progeny of

older mares or someone else would have

been training his superstar.

Probably one of the best broodmares in

Australia is Group One QTC Queensland

Oaks winner Joie Denise, renowned as the

dam of outstanding mare and triple Group

One winner Tuesday Joy and her Group

One AJC Australian Oaks winning half-

sister Sunday Joy, not to mention Group

Two placed Mary Marvel and stakes-placed

Joie.

While this family is now one of the hottest

and most successful in the country it wasnt

always this way.

Joie Denise is an interesting example, as at

one point in time it looked as though she

had saved her dam Denises Joy from being

a total dud at stud, the champion racemare

failing to produce a racehorse of any note

until the Oaks winner came along.

Subsequently her daughters have proven

to be outstanding producers and have

gone on to create a powerful dynasty of

stakes horses that is seen regularly in

pedigrees at our major yearling sales, but

back then Denises Joy was down and

out.

She was 19 years of age when Joie Denise

came along as her ninth foal, resulting

from her first and only mating to champion

sire Danehill (USA), so if Joie Denise had

been offered in a sale today buyers would

have run a mile, shying away as they do

from older mares and particularly those

that have failed to fire.

While statistics do back up the theory

most mares throw their best horses within

their first three to five foals, there are

exceptions to every rule and the only real

rule is to judge each yearling on its merits

if you dont want to run the risk of

missing out on a Joie Denise or a New

Approach.

ABOVE: The outstanding sprinter-miler

Racing To Win.

While statistics do

back up the theory most

mares throw their best

horses within their first

three to five foals, there

are exceptions to every

rule

Encosta De Lago / Charmview Chestnut colt

Redoutes Choice / Jade Tiara Bay/Brown colt

Fastnet Rock / Making Fey (NZ) Bay colt

Starcraft (NZ) / Market Price Chestnut colt

Redoutes Choice / Oceanfast Bay/Brown colt

Commands / Shanghai Moon (NZ) Brown colt

Fastnet Rock / Snippets Lass Bay colt

Fastnet Rock / Speedy Bell Bay colt

Flying Spur / Star Band (USA) Bay/Brown colt

Encosta De Lago / Virage Grey colt

Fastnet Rock / Crowning Jewel Bay filly

Flying Spur / Foil Bay filly

Elusive Quality (USA) / Magical Miss Brown filly

Flying Spur / Sweet Corn Bay filly

Dehere (USA) / Devils Thumbprint Bay/Brown filly

Encosta De Lago / Timbourina Bay filly

Encosta De Lago / Orderly Bay/Brown filly

The mark of a champion

Breeding future champions

Y a r r a m a n P a r k2009 Inglis Easter Yearlings

For further information or inspections contact Arthur or Harry Mitchell on (61-2) 65451961PO Box 279 Scone NSW 2337 Phone 02 6545 1961 Fax 02 6545 1145 Email [email protected] www.yarramanpark.com.au

A Matter ofTiming?

Whats in a date? Notmuch it seems. Not evena birthdate as I amannually reminded bymy darling children whove been known

to proffer a dismissive its just another

day when my birthday passes without

fanfare.

That thought struck me as I observed the

well grown and mature frame of Estee as

she paraded before winning the 2000

metres Peri Cutten Plate on Caulfield Cup

day. She was, after all, the baby of the

field and more than three months younger

than her eldest rival.

Shes only two, Darleys Henry

Plumptre declared to trainer Lee Freedman.

Indeed so, as she was foaled on 15

November, but clearly that hadnt inhibited

her development.

She may be only two but the reality is that

shes nearly three. You just have to look at

her. Shes a big, strong strapping filly,

Freedman said sometime later.

Whats in a date indeed?

Just a figure on a birth certificate or a note

at the top of the page in a yearling sales

catalogue. Roobles, one of Estees rivals,

was three but, four days earlier, still just

two having been foaled mid-October.

Of course, I will concede that the foaling

date might be less significant once the

horse has begun his or her three-year-old

racing season, but Freedman himself noted

that hed won two of his four Golden

Slippers with November foals Danzero

and Flying Spur.

I particularly remember Danzero as he

was quite a late foal, Freedman said.

At the end of the day I am not overly

concerned with foaling dates. Yes, youre

aware of them on the catalogue page but I

have no bias one way or the other late

or early.

If your mission is to buy a precocious

two-year-old to run in the early season

races then it might be a factor. Obviously

the early foal might be a little stronger but

even then there can be surprises.

In a remarkable coincidence, the 1994

Golden Slipper winner Danzero shares the

same birth date as Estee 15 November.

So what do the figures tell us when it

comes to assessing the racetrack

performance of the early foal versus the

late foal?

Lets start with the Golden Slipper.

In the past 15 years weve seen four

October and November foals win, along

with a further six who were born late in

September (that is, in the last eight days of

that month). Only two winners in that time

were August foals, so an early mating and

an early delivery hardly seem absolute

prerequisites for our greatest test of

precocity.

However that notion still dominates the

thoughts of most broodmare owners

Leading Melbourne

based commentator and

racing analyst STEPHEN

MORAN tackles the

issue of early foals v late

foals, and whether you

need the former if you

want to compete for

two and early three-

year-old riches.


Stephen Moran is widely known and

respected for his presenting roles

with Sport 927 and TVN, as well as

being synonymous for his form

analysis and colourful editorials

during an enduring association with

Best Bets.

according to Arrowfield Studs managing

director John Messara.

People still want their mares to be served

as close as possible to September 1 to

produce the early foal which they regard as

advantageous, he said.

Of course that presents logisitical problems

and you cant please all of the people all of

the time, with preference generally based

on a mare's preparedness for conception

but thats another story. Messara says he

understands that view.

There is no doubt that an early foal has a

physical march over a later foal and is

regarded as having an advantage, he says.

However, I dont think in the medium

term it makes much difference to their

relative athletic performance.

I havent seen the stats on this recently,

but I remember T.J. Smith saying that he

quite preferred the later foals, born in the

warmer conditions.

Perhaps then the great Tommy Smith

would have selected the three best

Caulfield Guineas winners of recent years


ABOVE: Horse of the Year and 11-time

Group 1 winner Lonhro. BELOW: Golden

Slipper winner and Group 1 sire Danzero.

Golden Slipper2008 Sebring 23-Sep2007 Forensics 5-Sep2006 Miss Finland 16-Aug2005 Stratum 20-Oct2004 Dance Hero 17-Sep2003 Polar Success 1-Sep2002 Calaway Gal 21-Aug2001 Ha Ha 9-Oct2000 Belle Du Jour 28-Sep1999 Catbird 26-Sep1998 Prowl 30-Sep1997 Guineas 22-Sep1996 Merlene 27-Sep1995 Flying Spur 4-Nov1994 Danzero 15-Nov1993 Bint Marscay 15-Oct1992 Burst 20-Sep1991 Tierce 7-Sep1990 Canny Lad 1-Sep1989 Courtza 25-Oct1988 Star Watch 10-Oct

Blue Diamond2008 Reaan 17-Sep2007 Sleek Chassis 7-Oct2006 Nadeem 26-Aug2005 Undoubtedly 21-Sep2004 Alinghi 20-Aug2003 Kusi 9-Aug2002 Bel Esprit 29-Aug2001 True Jewels 9-Sep2000 Road To Success 28-Aug1999 Redoutes Choice 15-Aug1998 Danelagh 17-Aug1997 Knowledge 17-Sep1996 Paint 5-Sep1995 Principality 7-Oct1994 Hurricane Sky 16-Oct

Caulfield Gns2008 Whobegotyou 19-Aug2007 Weekend Hussler 3-Nov2006 Wonderful World 1-Sep2005 Gods Own 22-Aug2004 Econsul 16-Sep2003 In Top Swing 30-Aug2002 Helenus 5-Sep2001 Lonhro 10-Dec2000 Show A Heart 26-Sep1999 Redoute's Choice 15-Aug1998 Kenwood Melody 8-Nov1997 Encounter 14-Sep1996 Alfa 22-Oct1995 Our Maizcay 24-Oct1994 Palace Reign 2-Oct

in Lonhro (born 10 December), Weekend

Hussler (3 November) and Our Maizcay

(24 October).

OK, he might have missed the August foal

Whobegotyou, but the point is the Guineas

has produced six winners in the past 15

years who were October or later foals.

The same number of

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