The growth of the Victorian breeding industry, especially in terms of stallion power, has mirrored the growth of the Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale. Victorian stud farms saw an explosion in stallion investment in the past few years, writes Renée Geelen, with many of these exciting stallions having their first progeny at the yearling sales in 2018.
Excitement machine Brazen Beau, who stands at Darley’s Northwood Park in Victoria, has twenty yearlings in the Melbourne Premier catalogue. Brazen Beau had four yearlings sell at the recent Classic sale for an average of $193,750, and his colt out of Gr3 winner Written Dash made $460,000. It was a similar story at the Magic Millions Gold Coast sale where he sold 21 yearlings for an average of $135,952. Among Brazen Beau’s highlights at Melbourne Premier are Lot 11, a half-brother to Gr2 winner Fontiton; Lot 255 a half-sister to Gr2 winner and Gr1 Blue Diamond placed Jabali; and Lot 298 a half-sister to Gr1 winners Mongolian Khan and Young Centaur.
Dual Gr1 winner Toronado, who stands at Swettenham Stud, has a huge contingent of 43 yearlings in the Inglis Melbourne Premier catalogue. His stock made solid sales at Inglis Classic with all twelve catalogued selling for an average of $76,792. Toronado has several star lots among his 43 yearlings for Melbourne Premier including Lot 83, a colt out of 2YO Listed winner She’s Got Gears (whose first foal was stakes placed at two); Lot 138 a half-brother to stakes-winner Charlevoix from the Cannsea family; Lot 364 the first foal of Gr3 winner Enchanting Waters; Lot 370 a colt from 2YO Listed winner Eramor; Lot 402 a half-brother to Gr1 winner Precious Gems; Lot 414 a half-brother of Gr1 winner Rock Kingdom; and Lot 526 a half-sister to 2YO Inglis Listed winner Valliano.
Only two first season sires averaged over $100,000 at Inglis Classic, and both of those have large drafts at Melbourne Premier. Deep Field sold thirty three yearlings at Classic for an average of $111,470, and the track record-breaker from Newgate Stud has sixteen yearlings on offer in Melbourne. Lot 9 is a three- quarter brother to this season’s Gr3 winner Metallic Crown; Lot 216 is the third foal from multiple Gr1 winner Yosei; and Lot 224 is a half-brother to Gr1 winner Faint Perfume. Horse of the Year Dissident sold thirty six yearlings at Magic Millions Gold Coast for an average of $200,278, and his twenty five yearlings at Inglis Classic made an average of $108,300 – huge numbers for the top class sprinter. At Melbourne Premier, Dissident has nineteen yearlings including Lot 40 the first foal of Tasmanian Oaks winner Rock Robster; and Lot 143 the first foal of Gr2 winner Dylan’s Promise.
Victorian sire Puissance de Lune will make his yearling debut at Melbourne Premier with six lots, while Zebedee’s first Australian crop will feature at this sale with five yearlings on offer. The Wow Signal has five yearlings, Hallowed Crown has nine, while northerners Wandjina and Shooting to Win have ten and nine, respectively. New Zealand-based freshman sire Sacred Falls has five yearlings; and all up the Melbourne Premier catalogue has almost one quarter of the yearlings in the book by first season sires.
