The Inglis Sydney Easter Yearling Sale has been a happy hunting ground for JHB in recent years. It was where Gr.1 winning sprinter and young stallion Foxwedge was bought, and, in the same year, Gr.2 winner Satin Shoes. It is where stakes-winning juvenile Georgette Silk was sourced, as well as Gr.3 winning juvenile Ashokan. Just recently the latest JHB Easter purchase to put his name down as a top-flight racehorse was Gr.1 Australia Guineas winner Wandjina – proving his worth many times over to become a valuable stallion prospect.
This year there were again a multitude of top-class horses available, both in terms of physical type and outstanding pedigrees. First buy for JHB was a strong Manhattan Rain colt, lot 30, who was as good a physical specimen as you will see and beautifully prepared by Arrowfield Stud, the same consignors as was the case with Wandjina. This colt was bought for $250,000 and is to be trained by Scone trainer Rod Northam, who has done a great job with another JHB purchase from Inglis – the Gr.1 placed juvenile Odyssey Moon.
Lot 124 was an exceptional Exceed and Excel filly from Segenhoe Stud and she was secured for $650,000. She has an interesting pedigree in that she is out of a mare by the Champion USA stallion Distorted Humor who was born, raced and very certainly named in Ireland. Named Radharcnafarraige (…view of the sea…), she was twice a Group 3 winner, including as a two-year-old, where she also ran well at Royal Ascot. She was a fast race filly, and speed is undoubtedly the universal language of pedigrees. Exceed and Excel is himself out of an American-bred mare, and has combined well with mares with American sirelines, producing the likes of Guelph and Kuroshio to name but two recent Australian speedsters – hopefully this filly will be one who shows similar pace.
A success story from last year’s Easter sale has been that of JHB purchase Kimberley Star. Purchased for $40,000 she has already won her purchase price back on the track with a gutsy second in the Listed Inglis Nursery (to fellow JHB purchase Odyssey Moon), and it was for her great group of owners that lot 287, the Smart Missile filly out of Apennine was purchased for $160,000 from Southern Cross Breeders. Smart Missile was very much a case of what might have been, withdrawn at the barriers for the Golden Slipper after defeating the ultimate winner of the race, Sepoy, in the Todman Stakes just two weeks previously. His first crop have impressed at the sales, and this is a most attractive and strong filly. She is out of a winning Dubai Destination mare, and mares by this stallion have thrown some handy runners. They are responsible for the smart European runners Postponed and and Ihtimal as well as the smart Gr.3 winner in Australia, Slightly Sweet.
Another great nursery is that of Ron Gilbert’s Highgrove Stud, the source of Gr.1 Newmarket Handicap winner Wanted amongst others, and they presented a top-notch Stratum colt, lot 406, who was bought for $620,000. He is a full brother to Flamboyant Lass, who was secured by JHB with her trainer Gai Waterhouse at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale last year. On the track she has developed well, an impressive Saturday winner and third in the Gr.2 Blue Diamond Prelude Fillies – she very much looks like a Group winning filly in the making and she will have every chance of getting there with Gai. This colt is out of a half-sister to Gr.3 winner Pasikatera, who is also the dam of smart stakes-winning sprinter Planet Voyage, with this being the further family of dual Gr.1 winner Tempest Morn.
In terms of producing stallion prospects of the highest order, Northern Meteor has been taking all before him in the last two seasons and his untimely loss was a great one to the Australian breeding industry. Lot 448 from Gainsborough Lodge was a particularly impressive representative of Northern Meteor and was secured for $260,000. He is out of a mare who won over 1000m as a two year old and was in turn out of a smart juvenile – Danari – who was second in the Gr.1 Blue Diamond Stakes. This colt’s dam, Indulgent, is also by Stravinsky, who is building up an impressive record as a broodmare stallion. His daughters are responsible for four Gr.1 winners, headed by outstanding sprinter Lankan Rupee, exceptional filly Mosheen and the promising young European stallion Rip Van Winkle.
The final purchase for JHB came late in the second session of selling, with lot 549 bought for $100,000 from Sledmere Stud. The filly, who will race in the heart silks of the Love family, is a daughter of the Golden Slipper winner Stratum, who lists fellow Golden Slipper winner Crystal Lily amongst his best progeny, as well as another great racemare – Streama. This is a filly with a lot of page backing her up. Her dam, the winning Charge Forward mare Girls Night Out, is a half-sister to dual Gr.1 winner He’s No Pie Eater and this is the family of a multitude of Gr.1 winners, including Redoute’s Choice, Hurricane Sky and Manhattan Rain.