American investor John Stewart and breeder-come-$10-million-filly-owner Debbie Kepitis were the buyers who created the headlines at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, but the complete lack of investment from the biggest player at the sale last year did not go unnoticed.
Yuesheng Zhang, the billionaire owner of the burgeoning Yulong outfit, spent close to $12 million at Easter last year across 24 yearlings, but was nowhere to be seen at the Riverside Stables this week.
Zhang, whose investments in racing and bloodstock interests under various banners have topped $300 million over the past five years, was present at the recent Inglis Classic and Premier Sales, but when it came to the most elite yearling sale in the country, not only was he not to be seen, he also didn’t spend.
If there was any doubt that Yulong was entering a consolidation phase after its extraordinary pace of expansion over the past few years, then it was erased as the Yulong table, headed by general manager Vin Cox, kept its bidding hand down, reserving its participation to its role as a vendor.
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