G1 Australian Oaks-winning filly Autumn Angel (The Autumn Sun) has sold for $1.225 million in a boutique Inglis Digital Online Sale.
The multiple Stakes winner – trained by Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman – was offered by Dalziel Bloodstock, following a career-ending tendon injury just seven days ago.
“It’s all happened very fast,” Wylie Dalziel said.
“The ownership group are rapt with the result, although understandably we didn’t envisage selling her so soon.
“This time last week we were disappointed and in shock when we received the news from the stable about her injury.
“But as the manager I had to move quickly, and I must thank Sebastian [Hutch], James [Price] and the team at Inglis for facilitating such a quick turnaround,” Dalziel said.
Out of G3-winning Hussonet mare Angel of Mercy, Autumn Angel was purchased by Wylie Dalziel and Peter Moody for $230,000 at the 2022 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale when offered by Arrowfield Stud.
In a career spanning just 11 starts, she won connections more than $1.18 million in prizemoney, with victory in the G1 Australian Oaks, G2 Kewney Stakes and G3 Ethereal Stakes.
“We’ve had a great run with Autumn Angel and we will never know what might have been on the racetrack, all the signs were there that the best was yet to come,” Dalziel said.
“The Autumn Sun is flying and everyone from the pre-trainer to [Peter] Moody and Katherine [Coleman] were excited about her Spring prospects and beyond.
“There are nine owners including some long-time clients and they all were quick to back the decision to offer her as a breeding prospect and she was put in front of all the right people with Inglis Digital,” Dalziel said.
Last September Dalziel Bloodstock sold G2 winner Boogie Dancer (Sooboog) – a $50,000 Inglis Premier yearling – for $560,000 on Inglis Digital.
“That’s a combined outlay of $280,000 on two fillies – who we had great fun with on the racetrack – for a return of $1.785 million through Inglis Digital.
“From limited selections, Moods and I have enjoyed great success buying future black-type fillies with Inglis.
“We hope that in three years time we can purchase a yearling from Autumn Angel at an Inglis sale.” Dalziel said.
Autumn Angel was purchased by Walnut Farm, who beat multiple parties in the closing minutes of the online auction.
Speaking on behalf of the winning bidder, Vin Cox said “Autumn Angel won an elite edition of the Australian Oaks.
“She has a great pedigree and by a stallion that is well on his way as a highly commercial stallion of the future.
“No plans as to her future at this early stage, we will get her home and into the system,” Cox said.
Autumn Angel is the 10th lot to sell for $1million or more on Inglis Digital since 2021 and the 92nd lot to realise $100,000 or more on the platform in 2024.
For Inglis Digital’s Nick Melmeth, the sale represented another example of the effectiveness of Inglis Digital.
“Wylie and his owners were obviously disappointed that Autumn Angel’s racing career was brought to a premature end, but it’s pleasing to have been able to help them find a sale solution in a short space of time,” said Melmeth.
“We learnt of her injury less than a week ago, so to be where we are today, with multiple major breeding operations having competed to buy her for a seven figure sum is a testament to the efficiency of the system.
“Ultimately we are grateful to Wylie and his owners for the opportunity to bring her to market and nothing makes us happier than to have them happy with the outcome at the end of the process,” said Melmeth.
Entries for the Inglis Digital October (Early) Online Sale close at midnight (AEST) this Wednesday, with the catalogue going live on Friday, October 4.
