High interest but scant detail as stallion prospect Reserve Bank sells via Bull Ring

Group 1-winning stallion prospect Reserve Bank has been sold to stand at stud later this year.

But how much the Mick Price and Mick Kent Jnr-trained sprinter made in the maiden Inglis Digital Bull Ring online sale is unknown as is which stallion barn he will inhabit come September 1.

And that confidentiality is a major part of the appeal of the Bull Ring concept, which aims to capture the private market with the advantages of an online auction environment.

At the conclusion of Thursday’s sale of Reserve Bank, last year’s Goodwood winner, Botty’s Bloodstock’s Aaron Bott was happy to publicly identify himself as the buyer.

Bott confirmed the son of Capitalist out of Fastnet Rock mare Our Songbird, a $410,000 Inglis Premier yearling, had been purchased with a view of retiring him to stud but specific details of any arrangement were still being worked out.

“He’s won three in a row, he won five races and won at an elite level against some pretty serious horses, including Giga Kick, and he has the bloodlines,” Bott told The Straight.

“He has Written Tycoon (as his grandsire), he’s out of a Fastnet Rock mare and there’s Singspiel and Kris (in his pedigree).”

With bidders required to register to participate in the Reserve Bank Bull Ring sale, and those participating locked out if they had not bid for a period of time or the price had gone past certain thresholds, Bott described the process as “interesting”.

“(Inglis Digital business manager) Nick Melmeth was very helpful with it and there was certainly plenty of action,” he said.

“I don’t want to give the price away, but we’re very happy with what we’ve got him for and we’re looking forward to the next chapter.”

Reserve Bank’s ownership group included Yulong and G1G Racing and Breeding’s syndicate led by Gary Diamond alongside 12 other parties.

Kent Jnr was pleased with the outcome for the connections of Reserve Bank.

“There wasn’t one stallion master that wasn’t aware that Reserve Bank was going through the Inglis Bull Ring, which is a fantastic and unique concept combining transparency and confidentiality, two of the most important factors when facilitating sensitive stud deals,” Kent Jnr said.

“Everyone who needed to be contacted was engaged directly by the Inglis Bloodstock team, leaving no stone unturned in the pursuit of the best possible outcome.”

Melmeth revealed that Reserve Bank attracted significant interest from domestic and international parties.

“(There were) multiple bidders on the horse, which is reassuring as it shows that the process of marketing the horse in this way was very effective,” he said.

“Ultimately our job is to connect quality stock with the right buyers and we’re very pleased to have achieved that outcome here. The feedback we’ve received from participants throughout the process has been overwhelmingly positive and we’re excited about the opportunities the Bull Ring can create going forward.

“I’d like to thank the connections of Reserve Bank for placing their trust in us and we wish Aaron and his clients every success with the horse,”