The new Riverside Stables in Sydney launched with grand success with the Classic Yearling Sale, and now the focus shifts south to Victoria with the high profile Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale, writes Renée Geelen.
Already, the 2017 Melbourne Premier Yearling sale has found a big winner with stakes-winning 2YO Kinky Boom sold at the Melbourne Sale only twelve months ago. Over the years, this sale has produced many fine gallopers, including champions such as Black Caviar, Jameka, South African Horse of the Year Igugu, and globetrotting Starspangledbanner. Emerging stallions such as Reward for Effort and Trust in a Gust are also Inglis Melbourne Premier graduates.
The Melbourne Premier Sale of 2016 has already produced fifteen stakes winning 3YOs in the current season, and with the Blue Riband session growing each year, many more should be expected as these young horses mature. Other graduates from Melbourne include recent Gr1 winners Hey Doc, Pasadena Girl, Enzo’s Lad, Santa Ana Lane, Scales of Justice, Good Project as well as Hong Kong sprinter Lucky Bubbles, and South African Gr1 winners Alboran Sea, Mac de Lago, and The Conglomerate.
A stellar catalogue of 770 yearlings is on offer in 2018, with siblings to Gr1 winners Happy Trails, Faint Perfume, Ortensia, Alinghi, Le Romain, and Extreme Choice all proving to be headline acts. A further 88 lots are half or full relatives to stakes winners, while the progeny of stakes winning mares account for 103 yearlings catalogued. There are twelve yearlings out of Gr1 winning racemares headlined by Lot 128, a colt by Dawn Approach from Gr1 winner She’s Archie, making this colt a three-quarter brother to Gr1 winner May’s Dream. Also of note are a Deep Field colt from Yosei (Lot 216), the first foal of NZ Oaks winner Miss Mossman (Lot 155) by Medaglia d’Oro, a Stratum filly out of Champion 2YO in South Africa Asylum Seeker (Lot 25), and an All Too Hard colt (Lot 344) from Dorabella whose first foal Coral Coast is a group placed winner this season.
An incredible 23% of the catalogue are the progeny of first season sires, led by Gr1 winner Toronado who has 43 yearlings on offer. Other first season sires with yearling in the Melbourne Premier Sale include Brazen Beau (20), Deep Field (16), Dissident (19), Hallowed Crown (9), Puissance de Lune (6), Sacred Falls (5), Shooting to Win (9), The Wow Signal (5), Wandjina (10), and Zebedee (5).
The catalogue includes plenty of variety for buyers with 120 different stallions represented, including proven sires Written Tycoon (49 yearlings), Reward for Effort (25), and exciting freshman sire Zoustar (39) whose first stakes winner is Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Sunlight. The first day of the Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale will again feature the Blue Riband session where 43 Classic and staying type yearlings will be offered.
The Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale will be held at Oaklands Junction from Sunday March 4 until Wednesday March 7, 2018.
