It’s been a phenomenal start to the year for Anthony and Kristen Evans and their ‘hands on’ approach at Hunter Valley nursery HP Thoroughbreds having bred and sold their first Group I winner Skybird and for good measure they also sold their highest priced yearling so far.
The year started on the right foot when HP Thoroughbreds sold a Pinatubo (IRE) colt they bred from Parraay to Magus Equine for $380,000, which was the highest priced yearling by a first season sire sold at that sale.
Interviewed after that sale by Maree McEwan, Anthony and Kristen were justifiably thrilled with the result.
Just five days after that sale and HP Thoroughbreds were enjoying the feeling of having bred their first Group I winner after talented mare Skybird surged late to win the Group I VRC Lightning stakes beating Stretan Angel, Benedetta and Switzerland, stamping herself as an elite sprinting mare.
She was a $110,000 Inglis Classic purchase for her trainer Mitch Freedman and with five wins from 12 starts has won more than $1.2million in prizemoney.
And so to Inglis Easter and HP Thoroughbreds are upping the ante with a draft of five that includes the only colt in the sale from the very last crop of now pensioned reigning Champion Hong Kong Sire Deep Field.
Lot 23 is a strongly built colt and is a cracking type as the first foal for five time metro winning I Am Invincible mare Lashes.
Given the huge popularity of the progeny of Deep Field in Hong Kong it seems hard not to see this youngster making irresistible appeal to that market.
Another obvious highlight in the draft is Lot 269, the full brother to Group I ATC Australian Derby winner Quick Thinker.
By So You Think from stakes-placed Al Maher mare Acouplamas, the colt is not only a full brother to $1.2million earner Quick Thinker, he is also a half-brother to Group III winner Seasons and Group III placed The August with his dam doing a super job with five winners from six to race.
Three more yearlings by leading young sires The Autumn Sun, Too Darn Hot (GB) and Blue Point (IRE) round out the draft.
Lot 188 Filly The Autumn Sun x Star Salute, by General Nediym
Half-sister to Group II ATC Villiers Stakes winner and $1million earner Brutality and stakes-placed General Salute from stakes-placed Star Salute, who has had four foals to race and all are winners. The Autumn Sun has proven to be a great sire of fillies and all six of his stakes-winners so far are fillies with his SW to runner strike rate for FILLIES sitting at 7.4% SW to runner.
Lot 232 Colt Blue Point (IRE) x True Faith, by Exosphere
Second foal of a placed half-sister to triple Group I winner and $4million earner Le Romain. From a prolific old Black Type family that was successful for Woodlands Stud and then for Darley producing Group I Caulfield Guineas winner Long John.
Lot 239 Colt Too Darn Hot (GB) x Under Lights, by Fastnet Rock
Full brother to lightly raced Kembla winner Stage Legend and is the second foal of unraced sister to Group III placed Condor from an international female family that has produced stakes-winners in North America, France and Japan.
