A Frankel filly with substantial international bloodlines secured the top price of the opening day of the Inglis Great Southern Sale in Melbourne, selling to Gary Harding for $525,000.
Harding, the owner of previous Group 1 winners Bounding and Bonham, stayed the distance to secure the filly from the draft of Rosemont Stud, who was catalogued as Lot 7 and sold early on Thursday.
She is out of Irish-bred American Grade 3 winner Abby Hatcher, a daughter of Acclamation who Rosemont purchased for US$185,000 in 2021 at Keeneland.
It is the second year in a row that a Frankel filly has provided the top result of the weanling section at this sale after a filly from Burnewang North’s draft fetched $825,000 last year.
A colt by I Am Invincible brought the equal second highest price of the day, $300,000, when selling to Kaha Nui Farm.
Catalogued as Lot 95, the colt from Three Bridges Thoroughbreds also boasts an international damline, with his dam, Daiblotine a stakes winner in France. The extended family includes Swettenham Stud stallion Wooded.
Kaha Nui Farm also paid $300,000 for Lot 148, a Toronado colt offered by Blue Gum Farm. His dam, Gig, was a multiple stakes placegetter and is a half-sister to multiple Group 1 winner Happy Clapper.
A colt from the first Australian crop of Pinatubo secured $260,000. Lot 43, a half-brother to Group 1 winner Need I Say More, was purchased by Bastille Trust.
Cannon Hayes Stud also featured on the buyers’ sheet, securing a Zoustar colt, Lot 270, out of stakes-placed News Girl, for $250,000.
Thursday’s trade exceeded Day 1 last year in terms of aggregate ($7.4 million to $5.8 million) and average ($50,897 to $41,436). The clearance rate battled to get just over 60 per cent.
There are a further 156 weanlings and 72 broodmares and race fillies to sell on the second day of the sale.
