Inglis Yearlings Best on Record

SALE prices were up by 32 percent at the close of the Inglis Classic Yearling sale yesterday.

There were 47 vendors which had a 100 percent clearing rate, with the most successful being Upper Hunter studs Yarraman Park which sold 19 lots, Bhima Thoroughbreds which sold 18 lots and Newgate Farm sold all 17 lots.

More Than Ready a sire from the Vinery’s was the leading stallion by average at $176,667 and Yarraman Park’s standing stallion I Am Invincible was the leading aggregate sire at $4,015,000.

The Vinery stallions provided the quinella in the Restricted Listed Inglis Classic, with the winner being the filly Frolic.

Johnathon D’Arcy, director of bloodstock for Inglis said the record smashing results were due to several factors including the quality of horses being produced in the Upper Hunter and the strengthening of country racing prize money.

“It is phenomenal result considering we were up over 20 percent last year so it’s great and what pleases us most of all is this sale is not only a sale where big studs sell horses, but it’s a sale where a lot of smaller breeders in the Hunter Valley sell their entire foal crop so for that reason a lot of small breeders are going home very happy and keen to reinvest in the industry and buy mares and breed more horses for next year’s sales,” said Mr D’Arcy.

“We had several overseas buyers in town who all commented on the quality of the product that’s being produced here in Australia and it is a credit to our Hunter Valley studs for being able to produce such a great quality that is recognised worldwide,” he said.

Matt Laurie of Matt Laurie Racing and Mary O’Neill of Newgate Farm after a filly by Fastnet Rock and Esprit de Bleu sold for $230,000. Photo from Inglis.

“The professionalism shown by the Hunter Valley studs and the smaller breeders is coming through with the standard of horsemanship and parading this week at Classic has risen substantially over the last five years and I think buyers are prepared to pay for a better product which is being presented,” he said.

“Another key element of the growth in the market is the prize money particularly in New South Wales where we are seeing record prize money being offered,” he said.

“The minimum prize money for a Saturday race now in Sydney is $100,000, but also at the provincials and country meetings we have a minimum of $20,000 and  we saw a lot more people from rural New South Wales getting involved in the market this week and a lot of country trainers who prior to this probably didn’t have the budgets to come to the bigger sales, but they are now coming to Classic and they are spending their 60 or $80,000 and buying what are going to be very nice horses,” said Johnathon D’Arcy.

An Emirates Park colt by I Am Invincible and Ghaliah which sold for $180,000. Photo from Inglis.