Inglis has announced its largest Easter Yearling Sale catalogue in four years, with 500 lots, highlighted by the first filly of champion mare Winx, one of 41 yearlings by Group 1-winning mares.
Off the back of Magic Millions putting forward its largest-ever offering at its recent Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Inglis has also opted for a bigger format, increasing the catalogue size by 43, or 9.4 per cent on 2023.
The last time the catalogue was above 500 was back in 2020, although that sale was split into two because of the onset of the pandemic. Prior to that, the last time an Easter catalogue was larger was in 2018, however, that 538-lot catalogue was offered in two books over three days.
The 2024 format sees 250 horses catalogued to sell each day, with the sale to begin at the Riverside Stables at Warwick Farm on Sunday April 7 at 10am. The sale concludes on Monday April 8.
The full catalogue is available here.
Champion sire I Am Invincible is the most represented sire with 44, four more than Snitzel (40), while Zoustar has 36 and Written Tycoon 31. Coolmore’s Wootton Bassett is the most represented first season sire with 27 yearlings.
Winx’s Pierro filly is catalogued as Lot 391 and is due to sell through the Coolmore Stud draft mid-afternoon on the Monday. As the daughter of a 25-time Group 1 winner, she is set to be the most anticipated yearling to be sold in Australia in many years.
Also on offer are the first foals of Group 1 winning fillies/mares Melody Belle (Lot 143), El Dorado Dreaming (Lot 3), Mizzy (Lot 159), Pippie (Lot 214) and Aristia (Lot 427), as well as 35 other progeny of Group 1-winning mares.
Bren O’Brien
In a typically rich Easter catalogue when it comes to black type, there are siblings to 175 stakes winners, including recent Group 1 winners Militarize, Ozzmosis, Private Eye and Nimalee.
While Magic Millions’ Gold Coast Yearling Sale has bridged the gap on the Easter Sale when to comes to percentage of quality graduates in recent years, Inglis Bloodstock CEO Sebastian Hutch said Easter’s record when it came to stakes winners to runners surpassed any other sale.
“Since 2018 buyers are 49 per cent more likely to find a Group winner at Easter than they are at the next best yearling sale in Australia,” Hutch said.
“The catalogue this year really is extraordinary.
“I think everybody respects the Winx/Pierro filly will garner most of the media’s attention – and understandably so – but from a strictly bloodstock perspective, she is surrounded by some of best credentialled yearlings that have ever been offered for sale in Australia.
“The interest in the sale is incredible and while the big-priced lots attract the headlines, I think the savvy investors know there is real value to be found at the sale, highlighted by the fact that there were over 120 yearlings that could have been bought at the sale for $200,000 or less last year.”
"She (the Winx filly) is surrounded by some of best credentialled yearlings that have ever been offered for sale in Australia."
Arrowfield Stud leads the vendor count for the 2024 catalogue with a 61-strong draft, while Widden Stud has 42, Coolmore 36 and emerging powerhouse Yulong, 33. There are 52 vendors represented in all.
There are 272 colts, 227 fillies and one gelding catalogued. That is the most fillies to be offered at an Easter sale since 2014.
