Top-end strength drives Inglis Classic to $57 million result

Inglis has conducted its third most successful Classic Yearling Sale in the February auction’s history, with the sale turning over more than $57 million to be only eclipsed by the 2022 and 2023 sales.

The third and final day of the 2026 Classic sale contributed a touch over $17 million to the aggregate, the smallest of the three sessions, but it was on Tuesday when the highest-priced lot was sold at a Classic sale since 2022.

The Ghaiyyath colt was sold for $625,000 to McEvoy Racing and Belmont Bloodstock’s Damon Gabbedy, the ladder leader of the 20 yearlings to sell for $300,000 or more at Riverside Stables this week. 

Another 43 lots sold for between $200,000 and $300,000, helping the gross to $57,233,500 at an average of $97,668 and a median of $75,000. The clearance rate was also up year-on-year at 83 per cent. 

The results delivered on Inglis Bloodstock chief executive Sebastian Hutch’s pre-sale confidence that the auction house could improve on the 2025 Classic sale.

“We wanted the sale to be up. We felt like we were in a position to have a better sale than we had 12 months ago, but it is satisfying to sit here and have the gross be up, the clearance be up, the average be up and the median be up. Everything is up, so that’s pleasing,” Hutch said.

“I don’t think there’s any disguising the fact that there are challenges in the market, particularly in what you’d call the value range of $0 to $100,000 or $0 to $80,000. It’s tricky there, but the appetite for what are perceived to be the really desirable horses seem to be pretty ferocious right the way through the sale.

“Clearance was a concern for people, particularly in the part of the market that this sale predominantly occupies, so to sit here and be clearing 83 per cent with the prospect of that getting higher is pleasing.”

The $625,000 sales-topper saw Melbourne Cup-winning trainers Tony and Calvin McEvoy’s persistence to buy a yearling by Darley shuttler Ghaiyyath finally paying off after they drew a blank at Karaka.

Ghaiyyath is the sire of Victoria Derby winner Observer, who resumed with victory in the Autumn Stakes at Caulfield last Saturday, Yum, Freedom Flame and the Henry Dwyer-trained Different Gravy.

It was the McEvoys’ Ballarat neighbour Dwyer who proved too strong when they went head-to-head on a NZ$360,000 Ghaiyyath filly at the New Zealand Bloodstock sale last month.

This time around, the McEvoys and Gabbedy upped the budget for a Wentwood Grange-bred and sold colt by the same son of champion sire Dubawi, outlasting the competition of agent Dean Hawthorne.

A new southern hemisphere benchmark yearling sale price for Ghaiyyath, the colt is the fifth foal out of Berg En Dal, a Dehere half-sister to New Zealand Group 3 winner Leigh Valley.

“He looks like he’s going to be a lovely three-year-old. There’s no doubt about that,” Calvin McEvoy said. 

“You know, he just had the best attitude. We haven’t had many Ghaiyyaths through the door, but I’ve been watching them and they seem to have great temperaments. 

“They obviously can be there at two, at the back end two, and be getting better at three over multiple distances, which is what we’re seeing.

“He’s so well bred, the stallion, and it’s nice to have one.”

Wentwood Grange’s Dean Hawkins, who also sold an Anamoe filly from the same family for $200,000 earlier in the day, was thrilled with the sale-topping milestone.

“That was unbelievable, he has been a great mover the whole week, and the staff have done a terrific job,” Hawkins said.

“He was on the market at $150,000, he was here to not go home. But he walked so well here, you always get nervous before a sale, but I was stoked.”

Ghaiyyath did not shuttle to Australia last year, having completed southern hemisphere duties for four consecutive seasons, but he will be in hot demand from breeders if Godolphin makes the call to send him back in 2026.

Earlier in the day, a Home Affairs filly from Mullaglass Lodge sold to Bryce Heys and Ellerslie Lodge for $380,000.

Home Affairs topped the aggregate sales for all stallions with $3.15 million spent across 18 lots sold. 

Arrowfield was the leading vendor with $3.82 million spent across 33 yearlings.

The McEvoys and Damon Gabbedy’s $1.15 million spend was only surpassed by Mick Price, who secured eight yearlings for a total of $1.3 million.

Meanwhile, a trainer has been chosen for the brother to trainer Phillip Stokes’ Group 1-placed sprinter Stretan Angel who sold to the Equine Growth Fund on Monday for $540,000.

Ciaron Maher will prepare the Harry Angel colt for the bloodstock trading group, which is led by founder Stefan Pardi.

The Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale will be held next week ahead of the Tasmanian Yearling Sale before Inglis moves to Melbourne for its Premier sale at the start of March.

2026 Classic Yearling Sale (2025 in brackets)

Catalogued 800 (806)

Sold: 586 (574)

Clearance: 83% (80%) 

Average: $97,668 ($94,257) 

Median: $75,000 ($70,000) 

Gross: $57,233,500 ($54,103,500)