Redoute's Choice still rules the Easter Sale-ring

The battle for the King of the Ring title at the 2013 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale was decided today when champion sire Redoute’s Choice topped the final sire averages for the 9th consecutive year.

Twenty-six lots by Redoute’s Choice sold for an average price of $610,385 – a 42% increase on his 2012 figure. They include three seven-figure sales, headed by the all-time Australasian record yearling price of $5 million paid by BC3 Thoroughbreds for Gilgai Farm‘s colt from Helsinge.

Pictured: Easter Sale Lot 319, Eliza Park’s Redoute’s Choice colt from Black Caviar’s grand-dam Scandinavia, purchased by James Bester. ( PHOTO: Sportpix)

James Bester‘s bid of $1.2 million secured that colt’s close relative by Redoute’s Choice from Scandinavia, offered by Eliza Park, and John Warren paid $1 million for Cressfield‘s Redoute’s Choice-Star Satire filly.

They are among the 63 Redoute’s Choice yearlings that have sold for $1 million or more during the past decade.

Bester also bought Edinglassie Stud‘s filly from Angel in Disguise for $300,000, while Shadwell Stud Australia purchased four colts and a filly by Redoute’s Choice for a total of $2.98 million.

Today’s trading featured the $900,000 Vormista filly from the Kitchwin Hills draft, bought by James Harron who had earlier joined Gai Waterhouse in the purchase of the $600,000 Absolut Glam filly from Newgate Farm.

The contribution of Redoute’s Choice to the Easter Yearling Sale since 2003 now exceeds $214 million – more than 20% of the auction’s aggregate business in that period.

His significance as a sire of sires is highlighted this year by the appearance of his outstanding son Snitzel in third place on the Easter Sale sires’ list with 10 lots sold for an average price of $335,000 – more than 13 times his 2010 service fee. James Harron bought Snitzel’s first $1 million yearling, the colt from La Bamba, from the Arrowfield draft on Tuesday.