Two Bays’ big play pays off at Premier as Zoustar filly sells for $850,000

Melbourne businessman Ross Ferris’ long-term investment in upgrading his Two Bays Farm broodmare band has paid almost immediate dividends, with a Zoustar filly topping day one of the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.

By Australia’s champion stallion, the filly received more inspections than any other yearling in the 814-lot Premier catalogue, providing the Mornington Peninsula breeder with confidence heading into Sunday.

And it was justified, with the second foal out of Group 3-winning Fastnet Rock mare Nudge selling to Group 1 Bloodstock’s Mathew Becker for $850,000 in partnership with Ozzie Kheir, trainer Chris Waller and his agent Guy Mulcaster.

In a $30.490 million day of trade – up $4.313 million on the corresponding session last year – 60 horses sold for $200,000 or more in a show of strength for the middle market. 

Ferris revealed that the sale of the Zoustar filly was “the tip of our upgrade strategy”, with Nudge bought in partnership with Elizabeth and Rick Treweeke, who co-owned the former Chris Waller-trained Fastnet Rock mare, as he went about achieving his goal of selling more regularly in the middle to top bracket of the Premier sale market.

Nudge, who was initially purchased by Waller and Mulcaster as a yearling in 2018, is one of 15 to 20 mares residing at Two Bays under Ferris’ ownership.

“Nudge came in as one of the earlier group of mares. We went from just dabbling in the industry a little bit with moderately priced mares and we decided to really up it,” Ferris said.

“Nudge we bought as an expensive mare with good racetrack performance. But we’ve bought probably six or seven high-quality mares in the last two to three years as well. 

“Probably next year we won’t have four or five Nudges, but we’re hoping the year after we’ll be coming to this sale with – and I’m not saying they’re going to sell for $850,000 – really higher quality products here.”

Becker, who Kheir uses as his agent, consulted Waller and Mulcaster for reassurance after identifying her as “the filly of the sale”.

“She’s just a beautiful, big, strong filly, but also she has really great movement,” Becker said.

“She has everything we look for in a horse. I mean, she would have been not out of place at Easter with the best fillies, but credit to Ross Ferris.

“He’s a great breeder who sells his best horses here. So, she was in Melbourne Premier and she stood out.”

Two Bays also sold a Street Boss filly for $340,000 and a Shamus Award colt for $260,000 on day one.

Early in the session, Lindsay Park’s Ben, Will and JD Hayes, along with agent Dean Hawthorne, bought a colt by the same sire as Victoria Derby and Australian Guineas winner Observer for $520,000.

The Ghaiyyath colt, who was sold through Stonehouse Thoroughbreds’ draft, is a half-brother to another Victoria Derby winner in Extra Brut.

The Darley shuttle stallion, who did not return to Victoria last year but will be in high demand if he is back on the plane ahead of the start of the 2026 breeding season, also provided one of the feel-good stories of the opening session.

A filly by Ghaiyyath was sold for $300,000 by fledgling Victorian operation Penfold Thoroughbreds on behalf of South Australian hobby breeders Greg and Wendy Barber.

As bidding crashed through $200,000 – and well past the $120,000 reserve – vendor Hannah Penfold was brought to tears.

“Her attitude alone tells you how (good she) is, but she works with you as well,” Penfold said.

“Greg and Wendy did a great job in raising her. I accepted her sight unseen and when she stepped off the truck, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I knew we had something good on our hands.”

Victorian trainer Grahame Begg won the bidding duel for the filly who is the fifth living foal out of More Than Ready mare I’m Wicked.

Penfold is in the second year of running her one-person operation, basing herself at Tahbilk, near Nagambie, where she prepared a draft of 11 yearlings for the Premier sale,

And it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing, with Penfold forced to relocate her horses to Inglis’ Oaklands Junction complex as a precaution during January’s bushfire emergency.

“I kind of made the decision early on to try and do as much of the prep by myself as I can, because I can’t afford staff and it’s tough to get good stuff as well,” she said.

“And you are paying well (to get them) and I’m doing it all out of my own pocket. So, when the fires started rolling through – I may have been a little bit overdramatic in evacuating – it was me and 11 yearlings. 

“I wasn’t putting people in danger and I wasn’t putting my horses in danger. I think I made the right decision to bring them to Oaklands (for four days). 

“Once we got back, it was straight back into the prep and it’s all been pretty good.”

Ciaron Maher was the leading buyer with six yearlings bought on day one while Lindsay Park signed for five lots.

Day two starts at 10am on Monday

Day 1 stats (2025 in brackets)

Offered: 254 (252) 

Sold: 193 (179)

Clearance: 76% (71%)

Average: $158,802 ($146,240) 

Median: $130,000 ($100,000) 

Gross: $30,490,000 ($26,177,000)