A frenzied 10-minute period at Oaklands today saw two stunning colts realise $1m each as Day 1 action of the Premier Yearling Sale reached fever pitch.
It started with lot 197 – a Toronado x Hardly Surprising colt of Gilgai Farm – which sold to Andrew Williams Bloodstock and Hong Kong Bloodstock for $1m.
Moments later it was another dream seven-figure result when a Frankel x Heavenly Curlin colt of Rosemont Stud sold to American businessman John Stewart of Resolute Racing, in conjunction with Tony and Calvin McEvoy and Damon Gabbedy’s Belmont Bloodstock.
The duo became the fourth and fifth seven figure lots ever sold at the Premier Yearling Sale, while today was the first time in the sale’s history that two seven figure yearlings had sold on the same day.
Gilgai’s Stud Manager Kelly Skillecorn has long been a believer in Victorian breeders sending their best stock to the Premier Sale and supporting it, and he reiterated that after today’s spectacular result.
“I’ll tell you what, we have this whacky notion down here of taking our A-Grade stock up to the Gold Coast and try to sell them but year in year out, you front up with the right horses here [at Inglis Premier] and they make top money, a lot more than they can make up there,’’ Skillecorn said.
“For the Victorian guys to go up there every year, it’s just making it easier for us who stay here, to make the money. That’s the truth of it. You bring the good horses here, you get paid for them. You go up there with your A-Graders, you have to compete with all the Hunter Valley farms…and you don’t get paid. That’s the simple reality of it.
“We’ve had the busiest week, it’s been unbelievable foot traffic, it’s been some sale, I mean I know it’s not over yet but as I keep saying, if you bring a good horse, you’re going to get well rewarded here.’’
Williams described the Toronado colt (pictured) as “a bloody ripper’’.
“I’m very grateful to be able to buy a horse like this,’’ Williams said.
“We’d been waiting for this horse, we purposely didn’t buy at Magic Millions, we purposely didn’t buy in New Zealand, we waited for this horse here, [Inglis’ Victorian Bloodstock Manager] James Price told us to wait and when we saw him, we knew he was right.
“I’ve seen him every day since Tuesday and he’s got better and better. He’s just an unbelievably forward horse, a lot of strength about him, fantastic head, unbelievable temperament. They’re hard horses to buy.’’
Today’s other seven figure yearling – the Frankel x Heavenly Curlin colt - will be trained by Tony and Calvin McEvoy, who have been in contact with American powerhouse John Stewart for six months and were today finally able to buy the colt they had been waiting for together.
“John’s chosen to invest heavily into Australian racing and Calvin has been reaching out to John and communicating with him and we got together with John in this colt, told him he was the best colt for us in the sale and John liked him as well and we were able to pull it together. It’s very exciting,’’ Tony McEvoy said.
“He’s a beautiful Frankel colt with a fabulous pedigree. He ticked a lot of boxes for us but it appears that was the case for plenty of other hopeful buyers too because $1m is a heck of a lot of money.
“I’m not much of a mathematician but if he can win a Stakes race, you’d need a fair bit of ink in the pin to write what he’d be worth.’’
Rosemont’s Anthony Mithen described the result as “unbelievable’’.
“To achieve a result like this on your home deck…it feels pretty darn good,’’ Mithen said.
“I’m still shaking. It’s a lot of money. It takes a lot to get a horse here and you hold your breath on multiple occasions but we got there. It’s a sense of relief but a great sense of achievement too.
“He was a horse we really thought would be a headline act here in Melbourne. I’ve stated for a few years now that we really want to support our backyard, we’re proudly Victorian, we feel like we’re doing good things for the Victorian breeding and racing industries.
“You’ve got to put your best horses where your mouth is, it’s easy to say all those things and let the motor mouth run but you’ve got to back it up with the good stock and we were really keen to bring a much admired bunch of horses here.
“You never expect $1m. I thought he was a $500,000 horse…you’ve got to let the market tell you and we got told today in the most emphatic way.’’
At the conclusion of Day 1 the sale is averaging $146,240 with a median of $100,000 and gross of $26,177,000, very similar figures to the equivalent stage 12 months ago.
Inglis Bloodstock CEO Sebastian Hutch said: “There were some fantastic individual results today, not only at the top end but all the way through the catalogue and my personal opinion is that it has been a positive start to the sale, particularly in the context of the market so far this year.
“We have a particular mandate with this sale to give local breeders confidence that they can sell their best yearlings at their local sale in Melbourne and achieve world-class results, so the results for the likes of Rosemont and Gilgai are very pleasing.
“There is no disguising the fact that there are challenges in the market, particularly in terms of the selective approach from buyers who are proving to be more discerning this season, but we are confident that there will be a greater alignment of the expectations of vendor and buyers tomorrow and into Tuesday.
“Ultimately, there are a huge number of vendors in the catalogue who are willing to meet the market and who are motivated to sell, so for those buyers who are participant in the market, it is almost inevitable that there will be value to be found, either in those horses to be offered on Monday and Tuesday, or in the passed in lots from today’s session.”
To enquire about a passed in lot from today’s action, contact Britt Hussey from the Inglis Bloodstock team on 0409 333 823.
The remaining two days of the 2025 Premier Yearling Sale begin at 10am at Oaklands and will again be broadcast live on the Inglis website, X and Facebook pages via our Sale Day Live coverage from 9.30am both days.
To view the catalogue, CLICK HERE.
DAY 1 STATS (2024 in brackets)
Offered: 252 (252)
Sold: 179 (187)
Clearance: 71% (74%)
Average: $146,240 ($139,701)
Median: $100,000 ($105,000)
Gross: $26,177,000 ($26,124,000)
