Vinery Classic Stars – Find Your Own Sepals

Sponsored Content - by Tara Madgwick - Sunday Feb 1

Hunter Valley nursery Vinery Stud has an impressive track record for success with past graduates such as Golden Slipper winner Farnan and Blue Diamond hero Artorius, but their draft for Inglis Classic can also deliver a big result such as Sepals.

In 2023, Vinery offered an unassuming colt by Calyx (GB) that caught the eye of astute trainer Cliff Brown, who was able to take him home with a bid of $80,000.

Sepals won three of his first four starts and returned last spring as a four year-old to win the Group I MRC Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes before producing a gallant second to freakish mare Autumn Glow in the $10million ATC Golden Eagle.

Sepals is another G! winner branded with Vinery V - image Grant Courtney

Sepals has won $2.7million and with five wins from nine starts is still a comparatively untapped talent.

Sixties has G1 goals on the radar - image Bradley Photos

The Vinery brand was in the winners circle again at Rosehill on Saturday where exciting three year-old Sixties resumed from a spell with a powerful win prompting his trainer Chris Waller to declare the Group I VRC Australian Guineas as his target race. Read more about him here.

Lara Antipova is a star on the rise in NZ - Race Images

Another star graduate this season for Vinery Stud has been exciting Kiwi trained 2YO filly Lara Antipova, who has had two starts for two wins including a facile victory in the Group II Wakefield Challenge Stakes.

Her three-quarter brother will be a head turner in the Classic draft this year given his striking resemblance to his first season sire In The Congo.

Lot 641 - three-quarter brother to Lara Antipova.

Offered as Lot 641, the colt is also half-brother to three more winners and is from Artistic Lass, a metro winning half-sister to Group winners Sistine Angel and Sistine Demon.

Click here to see the full draft of 31 Vinery yearlings for Classic with highlights below:

Lot 175 Filly All Too Hard x Medovina, by Exceed and Excel

By top class proven G1 sire All Too Hard and is fourth foal of a metro winning half-sister to G3 winner Brave Mead, SW Solemn and to the dam of G3 winner Raf Attack. Bred on the same all Too Hard x Exceed and Excel cross as SW Unfair Dismissal.

Her half-brother by Snitzel is a 2YO colt purchased by James Harron and Tony Fung Colts Partnership from the 2025 Magic Millions Sale for $850,000, he has since been named Dominator and is in training with Michael Freedman.

Lot 292 Colt Ole Kirk x Peace Force, by Bernardini (USA)

Half-brother to stakes-placed Nobel from G3 winner Peace Force, a half-sister to five time G1 winner Eremein, SW Gliding and to the dam of G3 winner Gangsta Granny.

With only two dams on the page, this colt has a serious pedigree and is by Ole Kirk, who runs at over 7% SW to runner with his oldest progeny just 3YOs.

Lot 373 Colt Russian Revolution x Runway Star, by Northern Meteor

Half-brother to very smart sprinter Brave One, who has been stakes-placed since the catalogue went to print and is from G3 winner Runway Star, a half-sister to SW What You Need from the family of G1 winners Wrap Around and Fashions Afield.

Bred on the same Russian Revolution x Northern Meteor cross as G1 Randwick Guineas winner Communist.

Lot 437 Colt Star Turn x Slightly Sweet, by Charge Forward

Half-brother to a winner and is third foal of dual G3 winner Slightly Sweet, who won over $500,000 with multiple Group placings and she traces back to an international Black Type family.

By Star Turn, who has a growing reputation in Hong Kong, where he has sired 10 winners.

Lot 635 Filly Exceedance x Arctic Success, by Big Brown (USA)

Half-sister to four winners headed by dual G2 winner and $1million earner Roots, who was bought from the Vinery draft at Inglis Classic in 2020 for just $52,000.

Dam is a half-sister to Golden Slipper winner Polar Success from a prolific Black Type family and sire Exceedance has had Group winning fillies Dance to the Boom and Pure Excess this season.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Magic Millions Vendors 2027 – That Widden Feeling!
The release of the 2027 Magic Millions Yearling Sale has seen a change in the ranking of vendors by representation with Widden Stud taking over from Yulong as the biggest vendor at this sale.
Doing Time Wins $100,000 Sprinters Challenge at Riccarton
Lee Callaway shared many jockeys’ rooms with Chris Johnson throughout his riding career, so it was only fitting that the Waikouaiti trainer took out the inaugural running of the Chris Johnson Three-Year-Old Sprinters Challenge (1200m) at Riccarton on Wednesday with Doing Time.
Unraced First Season Sires Trial Report
It’s been a pretty steady start to spring in terms of 2YO races and we are still waiting to see a first season sire post a winner, but there has been action aplenty at the trials which would indicate the pre-Christmas period is set to ignite.
Remembering Sunline – The Queen of the Cox Plate Before Winx
From our vantage point in 2026, we can look back at modern Cox Plate history and marvel at how quickly the years are passing.
Darley Announce 2027 European Fees -Night of Thunder Soars to €450,000
It will be Dubawi central at Darley in 2027 with the legendary 24YO sire priced at £350,000, but the roster is topped by his champion son Night of Thunder at €450,000 and there are three more G1 winning sons or grand-sons of Dubawi also added to a power packed roster.
Magic Millions 2027 – The Sire Break Up
The Magic Millions Yearling Sale (Book 1 &2) in January features 1280 entries (up slightly on 1221 last year) and the break up of stallions is always interesting as it reflects the thinking of the sales company back at the start of spring when inspections were undertaken and entries being judged and finalized.
Unraced Brother to G2 Winner Hope in Your Heart Tops MM Digital
Unraced three-year-old Dundeel gelding Putcee (Lot 4) topped the Magic Millions Digital (6-11 Nov) Sale which concluded this afternoon, selling for $30,000 to Liam Ruddy after 38 bids.
2027 MM Gold Coast Yearling Sale Spectacular Catalogue - NOW ONLINE
The next generation of racetrack superstars will kick away 2027 in style with a spectacular catalogue today unveiled for January's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale
Golden Year for Magic Graduates Highlight MM 2027
Some of the richest and most influential age specific races for horses in Australia come in Sydney and this year Magic Millions graduates –four of them colts- have won the $5million Group I Golden Slipper (1200m 2YO’s), the $1million Group I ATC Golden Rose (1400m 3YOs ), the $10million Group I ATC Golden Eagle (1500m 4YOs) and the $2m Group III ATC Five Diamonds (1800m 5YOs).
Remembering Northerly – The Greatest Caulfield Cup Winner This Century
It's Caulfield Cup week, and what better moment to revisit the life and times of one of the greatest - if not the greatest - Caulfield Cup winner of the modern era.