The highly anticipated William Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale gets underway at Riverside Stables on Sunday. With 500 lots catalogued over two days, it is nothing short of breathtaking.
Last year may have been a bit of an outlier, as the top two lots were fillies.
The honours went to The Autumn Sun filly from Via Africa, purchased by Arrowfield Pastoral / Hermitage Thoroughbreds for $1,800,000 from the Silverdale Farm consignment.
She edged out Coolmore Stud’s Pierro x Ennis Hill filly with Mick Wallace / Gandharvi having the final say at $1,750,000.
Expect normal service to resume, with the big three—Zoustar, Snitzel, and I Am Invincible—dominating, although Frankel (GB) may have a say with ten lots on offer after four withdrawals.
The following are some of the most admired lots on the ground with, as usual, some personal favourites.
Lot 9 Colt Snitzel x English (Encosta de Lago) Consignor: Newhaven Park
Second foal of English the Champion 2YO Filly & 3YO Filly in Australia in 2014-15 & 2015-16 and Champion Female Sprinter in 2016-17. Her six wins were highlighted by the Group 1 All-Aged Stakes and Group 1 Doomben 10000 and was runner-up in the Golden Slipper TJ Smith Stakes and Galaxy.
The first foal on English, an I Am Invincible colt named Eton, sold here last year for $1,550,000, the second highest priced colt of the sale, and is in training with Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.
Lot 19 Filly Frankel (GB) x Fantasy (IRE) (Invincible Spirit) Consignor: Yulong
At the 2022 National Broodmare Sale, Yulong spent over $3 million on three mares in foal to Frankel, the most expensive of which was the Coolmore consigned Fantasy (IRE), which cost $1.7 million.
The Group III-placed daughter of Invincible Spirit has a pedigree that would take centre stage on any farm worldwide. She is a daughter of the blue hen Cassandra Go and is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Halfway To Heaven, Group III winner Theann, and a sister to Group III winner Tickled Pink, the dam of Group 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Victoria Road.
Halfway To Heaven is the dam of European champions Magical and Rhododendron, the dam of 5-time Group 1 winner Auguste Rodin.
Lot 37 Filly Zoustar x Formality (Fastnet Rock) Consignor: Coolmore Stud
Dam won the Group II Silver Shadow stakes and group II Furious Stakes and placed in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes.
Her second foal, the $950,000 Justify (USA) colt Javaja, won both his starts before being sold to Hong Kong.
Forbidden is a daughter of the Singapore Horse Of The Year, Jolie's Shinju (JPN).
Lot 42 Colt Zoustar x Fundamentalist (Not A Single Doubt) Consignor: Segenhoe Stud
Third foal of Listed winner Fundamentalist, a perennial Group 1 placegetter in the Randwick Guineas, Surround Stakes, Thousand Guineas, Empire Rose Stakes, and JJ Atkins Stakes.
The daughter of Not a Single Doubt fell short of her $1,000,000 reserve at the 2020 Inglis Chairman's Sale. Her first two foals, a Zoustar colt sold for $560,000 to Ciaron Maher Bloodstock, and a Written Tycoon colt sold for $280,000 to Yulong.
Lot 48 Colt Zoustar x Goddess (Fastnet Rock) Consignor: Segenhoe Stud
First foal of a lightly raced half-sister to Group 1 CF Orr Stakes winner Manuel, Group III winners Computer Patch and Taking Aim, and stakes-placed Witherspoon.
Lot 68 Filly Snitzel x Hips Don’t Lie (Stravinsky) Consignor: Coolmore Stud
Half-sister to stakes-winners Ennis Hill, Lake Geneva, Acrobat, and stakes-placed Memphis Rock.
Ennis Hill is the dam of the top-class Justify (USA) filly Learning To Fly.
Hips Don’t Lie won the Group II Reisling Stakes and is a half-sister to the dams of Splintex and No More Tears, the dam of Coolmore Stud Stakes winner Ozzmosis.
This mare’s foals aren’t cheap. They sold for $900,000 (2013), $1,000,000 (2014 and 2015), and $1,100,000 (2016). They were all by Fastnet Rock.
In 2021 Sheamus Mills Bloodstock forked out $1,950,000 for the I Am Invincible x Hips Don’t Lie filly Humming, who won on debut and has placed in a further three of five starts.
Hips Don’t Lie’s daughter Ennis Hill, the dam of Learning To Fly, had the second most expensive lot here last year, a Pierro filly that sold for $1,750,000.
Lot 69 Filly I Am Invincible x Hiyaam (High Chaparral) Consignor: Segenhoe Stud
Second foal of the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes winner Hiyaam, who placed in the ATC Oaks and VRC Oaks.
Her dam Mazarine (Zabeel) is a sister to Group 1 Arrowfield Stud Stakes winner Shower Of Roses, and a three-quarter to Octagonal, Don Eduardo, Mouawad, and Peruzzi.
The peerless Eight Carat family.
Lot 82 Filly Zoustar x Invictus Salute (Exceed And Excel) Consignor: Sledmere Stud
After the tragedy of her first foal by I Am Invincible dying after birth, the luck has changed for the stakes-winning Exceed And Excel mare Invictus Salute with this powerful daughter of Zoustar.
A half-sister to multiple Group II winner Splintex, Invictus Salute is out of the Group II-placed O’Reilly mare Acquired, a half-sister to none other than Hips Don’t Lie.
Lot 115 Filly I Am Invincible x Lucia Valentina (Savabeel) Consignor: Elsdon Park
Half-sister to Luella Cristina (Snitzel) who won on debut before placing at her only other two starts in the Group 1 Levin Classic and Listed Warstep Stakes.
Dam was the highest class. Her seven wins were highlighted the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes, Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Group 1 Turbull Stakes.
A brother to this filly made $600,000 here in 2022 and is showing promise in three starts for Chris Waller.
Lot 121 Filly I Am Invincible x Macroura (Snitzel) Consignor: Yarraman Park Stud
First foal of Group III Typhoon Tracy Stakes winner Macroura a three-quarter sister to the Group 1 Surround stakes heroine Sunshine In Paris, who recently finished second in the Group 1 Galaxy.
Macroura’s dam Zenaida is a half-sister to NZ Horse Of The Year, Vosne Romanee.
Yulong purchased Macroura for $1,500,000 at the 2023 National Broodmare Sale.
Lot 180 Colt Snitzel x Negotiate (Red Ransom) Consignor: Arrowfield Stud
Updates galore for this brother to stakes-placed Sweetener and half-brother to Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes winner Secret Agenda.
Negotiate is the dam of the top-class The Autumn Sun filly Tutta la Vita who was second in the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes and third in the Group 1 Surround Stakes. Add in the stakes-placegetters, Stellar Pauline, Donandkim, and the winner Final Agreement, the dam of Group II Gimcrack Stakes and Group III Chairman’s Stakes winner Enthaar.
Lot 205 Colt Snitzel x Paradee (Epaulette) Consignor: Widden Stud
Paradee was the equal second highest-priced yearling filly by Epaulette and proved a fine investment, returning nearly $1 million from six wins and five places from 18 starts for owner Robert Anderson.
Her highlights were the Group II Peter Young Stakes and Group III Alexandra Stakes, and she placed fourth in the Group 1 Australian Cup.
Paradee’s dam Icy Heels is a half-sister to Breeders Plate winner Law.
Lot 227 Filly Zoustar x Prompt Response (Beneteau) Consignor: Widden Stud
Third foal of the Group 1 Tatt's Tiara winner Prompt Response who will enter the sale ring directly after her Snitzel half-sister is sold.
The daughter of Beneteau banked over $1.6 million in her career with six wins including a Group 1, three Group II’s and a Listed Stakes from 34 starts.
The sister to the Group III VRC Maribyrnong Plate winner Prompt Return can also boast of being Group 1-placed on three more occasions.
An I Am Invincible filly from Prompt Response made $1,300,000 to the bid of Wexford Stables here last year. Named Sister Cynane, she is in the stables of Lance O'Sullivan & Andrew Scott at Matamata.
The first foal of Prompt Response, Big Demeanor, has been runner-up at Doomben at his last two starts.
