Trade moved up a gear at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale on Monday when a colt by I Am Invincible (Aus) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) laid down a marker as the world's most expensive yearling this year when selling to Ciaron Maher for A$1.4m. The colt (lot 259), offered and bred by Rick Jamieson's Gilgai Farm, is the most expensive yearling ever sold in Victoria and it is also the highest price achieved for one by his sire so far.
After two days of trade the aggregate sits at A$33,330,000 with the sale topper helping to raise the average slightly to A$126,730. The clearance rate is steady at 82% and Inglis Victorian Bloodstock Manager Simon Vivian was thrilled with the success of the day and how the sale is performing in general.
“We came into day two knowing we had some outstanding yearlings to offer the market and this was ultimately supported by the vast buying bench in attendance, where those quality yearlings realised very pleasing results,” Vivian said. “Undeniably, the highlight was selling Gilgai Farm's I Am Invincible colt for A$1.4million. Such theatre has not been seen in the Oaklands ring before and I am delighted for the vendor, excited for the purchaser and respectful for the underbidders.”
The current sale topper had caught the eye of trainer Ciaron Maher fully six months ago when he visited Gilgai Farm. Maher showed great determination to secure the half-brother to Group 1 winner The Quarterback (Aus) (Street Boss). Bidding opened at A$200,000 for the Sept. 7-born son of Soorena (Aus) (Encosta De Lago {Aus}) and moved swiftly beyond A$500,000 with Maher facing stern competition from The Quarterback's trainer Robbie Griffiths. As the bids kept coming in increments of A$100,000 the price soon eclipsed the previous Premier Yearling Sale record of A$750,000 and the previous best of A$900,000 for a son of Yarraman Park's I Am Invincible.
After signing the docket for A$1.4m Maher said, “I thought then [six months ago] he was a lovely type and obviously he's got a stallion's pedigree, is a cracking type and I've loved the way he's developed the past six months. He's a great mover, got a great temperament, he's got what it takes.”
Maher continued, “I don't always inspect before looking at my catalogue, but I did with this particular draft and I quite like that way of doing it. You're not influenced by pedigrees or fashionable stallions or anything like that. Gilgai have done a great job again. They seem to do it year after year. I'm very excited to be able to get him home and I can't wait to get him into the stable.''
Gilgai Farm's Kelly Skillecorn was naturally ecstatic with the result. “Unbelievable, it's amazing, it really is,” he said.
“We were hopeful of a figure in the highish hundreds of thousands, but to see him do that, it's quite extraordinary. During the sale, I was nervous the whole time. I was nervous from when we got him back from Segenhoe as a foal when I saw how good he was because anybody that's seen him since fell in love with him from the moment they saw him. We're just thrilled that Ciaron is getting him, he's in the top half-dozen trainers and the obvious young trainer that's just skyrocketed to the top. He's an extraordinary horseman.”
Two other horses reached the A$500k mark on Monday. The first of these was a colt by Not A Single Doubt (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}) bought by Sun Bloodstock for A$520,000, after a good bidding tussle with Aquis Farm. Lot 205 was offered by Lauriston Thoroughbred Farm and is the second produce out of the eight-time winner Rhodamine (Aus) (Success Express). Sun Bloodstock certainly made their presence felt on day two at Oaklands as they were also under-bidders on the third- and fourth-highest lots. They came out second best to the Hong Kong Jockey Club for lot 163, a colt by Written Tycoon (Aus) (Iglesia {Aus}), knocked down for A$500,000, while John Saddlers Aquanita Racing fended them off successfully for lot 167, a colt by Lonhro (Aus) (Octagonal {NZ}), bought for A$440,000.
Spieth (NZ) (Thorn Park {Aus}) has been chinned in his last two starts in Group 1 races and his trainer Bryce Heys, got in on the action at the upper end, when giving A$400,000 for lot 230, a colt by Snitzel (Aus) offered by Burnewang North Pastoral.
Following two days of trade, Gilgai Farm is the leading vendor for both aggregate (A$2,745,000) and average (A$274,500) for drafts with three or more sales. Not surprisingly, I Am Invincible is the leading stallion by aggregate with $A3,505,000, while Snitzel leads the way by average (three or more sold) on A$348,750. The third session of the Melbourne Premier Sale continues on Tuesday at 10 a.m. local time.
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