Well-known Asian agent Willie Leung is Hong Kong Derby dreaming after buying a son of The Autumn Sun at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale for $520,000 on the third and final day of selling.
The brother to Group 1-placed two-year-old filly Tulsi, the most expensive of five horses to sell for $400,000 or more at Riverside Stables this week, the colt is expected to find a home in a Sydney stable before being exported to Hong Kong.
In a milestone for Arrowfield Stud and the stallion, The Autumn Sun, who was rested from stud duties in 2024 while he recovers from a pelvis injury suffered in a paddock accident, has now sired two sale-toppers, Tuesday’s $520,000 colt and Autumn Glow, who made $1.8 million at the Easter sale of 2023.
Valiant Stud’s Fergal Connolly, whose Hunter Valley operation raised and sold the expensive colt, has been managing the breeding interests of Lloyd Walker and it is his mare Talimena who has provided the stud with its two biggest sale ring results since opening its doors in 2018.
Tulsi sold for $550,000 to New Zealand owner Gary Harding at the 2022 Classic sale after being selected by Glenn Burrows.
“He was well found by all the judges and he paraded so well all week, he conducted himself enormously,” Connolly said.
“He could have gone to any sale, but we always like coming to Classic with a nice horse as we get the results.”
Importantly for the colt’s new connections, from limited representation The Autumn Sun is also beginning to make his mark at Sha Tin and Happy Valley as the sire of recent winners Sky Jewellery and Gold Master.
“The dream is the Hong Kong Derby for him,” Leung said.
“I saw about 200 horses in the sale and this was my number one pick. I liked the two Wootton Bassetts on day one and day two, but The Autumn Sun had two winners recently in Hong Kong, and seems to do better in Hong Kong, and that’s why I thought this was the one I should go for.
“I was a little bit scared I wouldn’t get him, but I knew this is the number one pick, and I must get him.
“He looks really athletic for a big horse like him, and walks really well. I knew the full sister is a stakes performer. I went slightly over budget but I needed the best one.”
As well as purchasing the sale topper, Leung also paid $380,000 for a Pinatubo colt on Monday, evidence to him that the Classic sale market was stronger than he was anticipating.
“This is a good Classic sale. There’s plenty of quality. It looks pretty strong this year,” he said.
“Originally I thought maybe it would be a bit weak because of the economy, but good horses always make good money.”
The colt may start his racing career in Australia before being exported to Hong Kong, either with Hawkesbury trainer Blake Ryan or dual-state trainers Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald.
“He could have gone to any sale, but we always like coming to Classic with a nice horse as we get the results” - Fergal Connolly on the selling the sale-topping colt by The Autumn Sun
The market was helped by an injection of international money, with Japanese buyers purchasing 11 yearlings including a $400,000 colt by Wootton Bassett.
Hong Kong buyers also signed for 33 horses across the three days and Malaysia’s Captain Tan Tiang Huat bought six yearlings on his maiden trip to an Australian yearling sale.
Comparatively, there were 56 yearlings sold this year for $200,000 or more, three more than in 2024, while there were 20 horses who fetched for $300,000 or more, up five year-on-year, highlighting the market’s demand for quality.
“This has been a good sale, particularly in the context of the market, and I think people reflect on it in time and say, ‘wow, you know, there were lots of buyers’,” Inglis Bloodstock CEO Sebastian Hutch said.
“I mean, there's a huge volume of people leaving here not having bought a horse, which is frustrating for us. It's market dynamics and you're trying to marry people into the right horses, et cetera, et cetera.
Tim Rowe
“But we haven't exhausted the pool of money at this sale. The turnover is going to be $54, $55 million, which will have it in the top five Classic sales of all time.
“It's a bit dramatic to say of all time, but it will sit very fairly relative to past Classic sales. But there was the money here to make it a bigger and better sale.
“Ultimately, people just didn't find enough of the horses they needed to find to go bang, bang, bang.”
Springfield a surprise newcomer as Kearneys make Classic mark
Trainers Mitch and Desiree Kearney have churned out winners from their Hawkesbury base, turning other people’s so-called equine trash into their racetrack treasure.
The practice has netted them 51 winners since going into partnership seven years ago, but the Classic sale signalled an important evolution of the couple's stable, with the helping of long-time friend Daniel Springfield.
With the financial backing from building industry figure Springfield, 33, the Kearneys ventured to the Classic sale for the first time in a buying capacity, spending $1,345,000 on 10 yearlings by sires such as I Am Invincible, Written Tycoon, So You Think, Yes Yes Yes and Ole Kirk.
Tim Rowe
Desiree Kearney said their due diligence on the 2025 Classic catalogue started weeks ago,
“We've been going through all the catalogues, the breeding, and the day that the horses arrived we were here, we pulled them all out, we looked at them, not just once, but twice, three times, even six times,” she said.
With the Kearney stable boosted in numbers and quality, Desiree is excited about what could happen on the track in the new season.
“It's very, very hard to compete against the bigger trainers,” she said.
“But if you've got someone, a good client behind you, I'm pretty confident that we've got what it takes to have the horses at their best and to keep competing (in good races) and hopefully then they (fillies can) go on to be good breeders as well.”
A rookie racehorse owner, Springfield revealed he grew up with Mitchell Kearney and now that he was in a financial position to support his friend and enjoy the sport beyond just being a punter.
“It's a tough (industry, racing) but hopefully we can give them a start and they can do well with their new horses,” a media-shy Springfield said.
Tim Rowe
The Kearney Racing-Springfield partnership’s level of investment was only bettered by Tony and Calvin McEvoy and their agent Damon Gabbedy, who outlaid $1.712 million. Syndicator Darby Racing bought 11 yearlings for $922,500.
The leading vendor by aggregate was Arrowfield Stud, selling 35 yearlings for a total of $4,242,500.
Inglis Classic sale statistics
Catalogued 806 (808)
Offered 740 (721)
Sold 566 (591)
Clearance 79% (82%)
Aggregate $53,753,000 ($55,352,000)
Average $94,970 ($93,658)
Median $75,000 ($70,000)
Top Lot $520,000 ($600,000)
*2024 in brackets
