| You couldn't wipe the smile
of Reg Inglis' face after what turned out to be successful end to the Inglis Premier Sale
in Melbourne today. When the final lot was sold
at 7.20pm tonight the average for Victoria's best sale had climbed about $3,000 on last
year's figure.
Inglis said that he was very pleased with the end result as
the current Australasian market had been unsteady in recent months.
"Before the sale started I was just hoping we could hold
the figures we got last year, but to exceed if comfortably was a great result,"
Inglis said.
While conceding the catalogue was "considerably
better" than last year, Inglis said the drop in figures on the Gold Coast and Sydney
in the past month had him a touch worried.
"The previous yearling sales held earlier this year had
all experience a drop," he said.
"But you couldn't take much out of the slip in New
Zealand as their catalogued was far inferior than the year before."
At the end of today's second session at Oaklands Junction
some 311 horses of the 407 catalogued were sold.
The two sessions grossed a total of $11,460,500, giving an
average price of $36,850 (up from $33,900 last year).
Inglis will be hoping the strong performance of the Melbourne
Sale can continue at his company's next sale - the country's headliner - in Sydney at
Easter.
"Catalogues will be coming out this week and I'm sure
everyone will be very excited about what is there," Inglis concluded.
The race for the sales topping position appeared at first to
be a dead heat! However, a private sale of a previously passed in lot eclipse the pair of
$170,000 purchases.
The grey filly by Desert Sun offered by Eliza Park (lot 190)
was sold to Sydney based buyer Frank Tagg for $175,000. The filly is a half sister to the
stakes winners Scandinavia, Midnight Sun, Frosty the Snowman and Russian Tea Room.
Encosta de Lago, who was the subject of strong support over
the past two days, looked set to grab the honour after John Morrisey paid $170,000 for his
Aerate filly.
Morrisey, commonly referred to as the "king of
Canberra," said his purchase was an attractive purchase.
"She's a lovely bodied filly. We came to buy a nice
filly with a pedigree and she's the one we really liked," he said.
"As well she's the first Encosta de Lago I've
bought," he added.
The vendor of the filly, Len Rhodes of the Corowa based
Riverside Side, was delighted with the sale.
"We had a reserve of $100,000 on her, so we're really
happy, this is just great," a beaming Rhodes declared.
Later in the afternoon the Collingrove Stud Danehill colt,
from the stakes winning mare Captiva, realised the same price of $170,000, thus becoming
the top priced colt of the auction. He was knocked down to Sydney based trainer Gary
Portelli.
Portelli seemed a little stuck for words after buying the
colt for what was the highest price he'd ever paid for a yearling.
"I'm shaking so much I'm having trouble signing my
name," Portelli said moments after securing the colt.
"All I have to do now is find some owners for him,"
he added with a smile.
Portelli said he was impressed with both the pedigree and
appearance of the colt.
"He's a typical Danehill type, but not too big, and I
like that," he said.
"I think he's a real racehorse, hopefully we'll be back
for the Premier race next year."
"As well as being a lovely type he's got a nice
pedigree, being from a stakes-winning Sir Tristram mare and if he can win a stakes race,
then he's a sire prospect as well," Portelli added.
Other highlights for the day included a chestnut filly by the
evergreen Rory's Jester which was sold for $160,000. Leading Warwick Farm based trainer
Clarry Conners was the winning buyer.
"She's a lovely athletic type," the leading trainer
of juveniles said.
"Just the sort of horse to suit our Melbourne stable and
she'll be perfect for the race next year," Conners added.
Another highlight of the day came earlier when a chestnut
colt by the former brilliant speedster General Nediym was knocked down to the Chefs on the
Run Syndicate for $135,000.
The colt's trainer-to-be Robbie Griffiths said he was taken
with the crop of General Nediym yearlings.
"We looked at all three of the General Nediyms and they
were lovely horses, but this bloke was from a great winning family and I just think he's
the ideal type for the Premier race next year," Griffiths said.
Saturday's Premier race winning trainer Bede Murray was back
into the swing of things at this year's sale. One of his purchases was an attractive colt
by the former brilliant international galloper King of Kings.
Like Recruiting, who was a $15,000 purchase in the same ring
last year, Murray was able to grab the youngster for what looked an attractive price of
$45,000.
"I've got a King of Kings at home that goes pretty good
and this colt is a lovely horse," a relaxed Murray said.
Meanwhile, he also added his Melbourne star from Saturday,
Recruiting was likely to race again this preparation.
"We're going to zip him back to Sydney and set him for
the ($1 million) Heroic Championship," Murray added.
While the top priced horses took all of the attention many of
the cheaper horses purchased are bound to make a name for themselves on the track.
A number of horses were picked up for less than $10,000, the
cheapest of which, an Ashkalani colt (lot 386) from Chatswood Stud, was sold for $6,000 to
locally based Australasian Bloodstock. |
