‘The horse sells himself’ – Laurie in the driver’s seat as offers flow for unbeaten Vinrock

Stallion farms are circling Saturday’s unbeaten Sires’ Produce Stakes-winning colt Vinrock, with trainer Matt Laurie already receiving overtures for the Group 1-winning son of I Am Invincible from the nation’s leading breeders.

Vinrock upstaged Sydney’s colts to claim the enormously value-adding Group 1 to his perfect record of three from three and has become one of central figures in conversations about what’s next for the tough two-year-old.

Whether it was by design or not, Inglis’ ringside table allocation for its Easter Yearling Sale in Sydney on Sunday was certainly convenient.

Laurie, who also trains Yulong founder Zhang Yuesheng’s homebred dual Group 1-winning filly Treasurethe Moment, was seated on table nine. 

On table eight was Team Yulong of Zhang, his son-in-law and new general manager Jun Zhang, who was installed as Vin Cox’s replacement soon after his shock resignation late last month, as well as chief operating officer Sam Fairgray.

As the clock ticked past midday and the first lots of the 2025 Easter sale were being sold, Jun Zhang, Mr Zhang and interpreter Livia Wang congratulated Laurie on his success.

What was said beyond the handshakes and well wishes isn’t clear, but it’s a safe bet that if enquiries about Vinrock weren’t made during those initial pleasantries, it is likely his name was mentioned during another brief catch up between the parties at table nine about 45 minutes later.

Vinrock, who began his career with a comfortable 3.25-length win at Pakenham on February 20 and backed it up with a Group 2 VRC Sires victory at Flemington 16 days later, is I Am Invincible’s first Group 1-winning two-year-old in Australia, a significant part of the young stallion prospect’s appeal. 

The three-time champion Australian sire’s other Group 1-winning juvenile is Te Akau’s Move To Strike, who won last year’s Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes in New Zealand. 

Quietly spoken Laurie, never one to get too carried away with superlatives, will let the studs come to him and make their respective offers to buy into Vinrock rather than do the chasing.

“I don’t think I have to do too much, I mean the horse sells himself. He’s by the right sire and a Group 1 winner, so he’ll be really well sought after,” Laurie tells The Straight at the Easter sale. 

“We’ve had a bit of interest already, I’ll just sit back and wait to see what comes. We’ve been doing it a long time, we’ve got relationships with all these guys (stallion farms), so I think we can handle it but I would expect a bit of movement sooner rather than later.”

Vinrock is out of Group 2 Matriarch Stakes winner Girl Gone Rockin’, a daughter of champion sire Redoute’s Choice. The colt was sold by Rosemont Stud to Laurie at last year’s Inglis Premier sale in Melbourne at what is now a bargain price of $300,000.

Adding to his immense value is the fact that the unbeaten colt isn’t owned either outright or in part by a stud farm. He is also the first horse to win both the VRC and ATC edition of the Sires in 44 years. 

Sires’ runner-up State Visit is owned by Coolmore, as is the fourth-placed Wodeton, the Golden Slipper runner-up.

Blue Diamond-winning colt Devil Night, a son of Extreme Choice, is already owned by Yulong, putting him off the table for new stallion prospects.

Saturday week’s Champagne Stakes at Randwick, the last leg of the Group 1 Sydney triple crown for two-year-olds, is likely to prove too tempting to ignore for Laurie and the owners of Vinrock and a deal could be reached before April 19, particularly with all the major players at Inglis’ Riverside Stables this week for the Easter Yearling Sale.

“We’ve got a fortnight (until the Champagne) and we will try and make the best decision, but he’s racing very well, he’s fit, he’s sound, he’s tough and the mile looks perfect, so it’ll be pretty hard to bypass,” the Mornington-based trainer said.

“(Any potential deal) depends on what they offer, I guess, but it’s just a natural thing to take place. He’s a Group 1 winner, he’s going to need a home at some point and these big studs, they’d love to have a horse like him, so they’ll approach us.” 

Laurie has enjoyed a magical week, winning the Sires on Saturday, the Vinery Stud Stakes with Treasurethe Moment the previous Tuesday, with the dominant three-year-old middle-distance filly aiming to stretch her winning sequence to eight in the Australian Oaks this coming weekend.

“It’s been an incredible week. I mean the ride that she’s giving us is quite surreal and then icing on the cake with a Vinnie colt that we selected at the sales to be a Group 1 winner at his third start, it’s hard to comprehend,” Laurie said.

“But, look, he’s a class animal, we knew he was tough right from the beginning and the Sires and the Champagne were two races that we had earmarked for him a long way out, so it’s just nice when a plan comes off.”

Table nine is expected to be a common meeting place again on Monday, the second day of the Easter sale.