Great Southern trip worth the effort with ‘life-changing’ result for Armidale with Home Affairs colt

Tasmania’s Armidale Stud’s winter trip to the mainland has paid off, with the decision to sell a second crop colt by boom stallion Home Affairs realising $330,000 at the Great Southern Weanling Sale.

The highest-priced Lot during Thursday’s afternoon opening session at Inglis’ Oaklands Junction complex, the Home Affairs colt was one of four by the soon-to-be crowned champion first season sire to sell for $120,000 or more.

Home Affairs is the sire of Golden Slipper-winning colt Guest House and 11 other first-crop two-year-old winners this season, with his commercial appeal likely to put him in the upper echelon of Australian stallions in 2026 at a service fee of $176,000 (inc GST).

The Great Southern Sale session-topping colt was bred by Ken Breese in conjunction with Armidale’s Dave Whishaw and bought by James Carolan with the assistance of Mel O’Gorman.

The son of Home Affairs is the sixth foal out of Lonhro mare Myhro, a half-sister to Listed winner Snitz and from the same family as the John McArdle-trained stakes winners I’ll Have A Bit and Yum. Breese has developed the weanling’s extended family over a number of years, with Yum’s Pinatubo half-sister topping the Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale at $170,000 in February.

Whishaw described the sale of the colt as a “life-changing result”.

“You can breed a life-changing horse, or you can own a life-changing horse, and that can be life-changing in racetrack performance or it can be life-changing in the way they touch your life, and something like this is huge for us,” Whishaw said.

“We brought him here knowing he was the right product, Home Affairs was very hot and he is out of a Lonhro mare that’s certainly doing the job, she’s four winners from five to the track.

“We’re realistic vendors and we bring horses here to sell. I was comfortable he would make north of $200,000, but he was on the market from $150,000 onwards.”

O’Gorman’s final inspection of the Home Affairs colt as he was led around the back parade ring convinced her that he was the right horse to bid up strongly on with the backing of her partner, Duncan McRae, and Carolan.

“Normally once I see them walking out the back against the others I know straight away,” Tamworth-based trainer O’Gorman said.

“I’m like, ‘yeah, he’s the one for me’. I had him on the list early. He just looks really sensible, well-mannered, and he’s got a great walk. He really has a beautiful action on him, so just ticked a lot of boxes for me.”

Carolan added: “You’ve got to buy quality in this market. Mel has a great eye for a young horse and she’s looked at every lot in the catalogue and really homed in on this colt so we’re thrilled to have got him.

“We thought he was worth around the $300,000 mark, we’ve obviously had to cop a bit more but it’s a partnership between myself, Mel and Duncan and that’s all part of it sometimes.

“Home Affairs is one of the most exciting young sires around and as for this colt, we might race him, we might trade him, we’ll just get him back to Tamworth where we all live and let him grow out and make that decision later in the year.’’

The opening session achieved $4.597 million in turnover at an average of $50,516 and a median of $24,000, figures that are up on the completed 2025 Great Southern Sale. The clearance rate was 66 per cent.

Prolific buyer Stefan Pardi’s ambition of purchasing 100 horses this year is well on track, with the Sydney investor adding four weanlings to his portfolio on Thursday at a combined cost of $710,000.

The quartet included a $240,000 son of Shinzo out of Je Suis Belle from the draft of Cathy Hains’ Burnewang North Pastoral, the leading vendor by aggregate on the opening day.

A Ghaiyyath colt out of Holy Spirit sold for $220,000 to Bill and Chris Pearce’s Bromfield Park, while a Leo To-bred Anamoe filly, who was consigned by Twin Hills Stud, made $200,000 to the bid of Dave Morrissey’s Cannon Hayes Stud for $200,000.

Agent Cameron Cooke was also active, buying four weanlings on Thursday.

Day two’s longer session starts at 10am.