Five million-dollar yearlings open Arrowfield’s Easter Sale
Photo by Bronwen Healy - The Image is Everything
Last year Arrowfield sold five million-dollar yearlings within 62 lots on the final day of the last Inglis Easter Sale held at the Newmarket Stables in Sydney.
On Monday the Stud mirrored that achievement by selling five yearlings for seven-figure prices within the first two hours of the first Inglis Easter Sale held at the magnificent new Riverside Stables.
The multi-million-dollar run began with Lot 11, the Deep Impact filly out of Group 1-winning sprinter Alverta (by Flying Spur), bought by Guy Mulcaster & Waller Racing for $1.1 million. Ten lots later, Domeland secured the Frankel-Aqua Bella colt for the same price.
Lot 25, the Snitzel-Asterix filly, a half-sister to Japanese Group 1 winner Aerolithe, was knocked down for $1.05 million to Damion Flower’s Jadeskye Racing, trainer Brad Widdup and agent Andrew Williams.
Next into the ring for Arrowfield was Lot 32, the $1.3 million session-topper, Snitzel’s daughter out of Azmiyna (by Galileo), also purchased by the Mulcaster & Waller partnership.
The filly was bred by Arrowfield’s partnership with HH The Aga Khan and she is the highest-priced yearling ever sold by the Aga Khan Studs. The partnership has also bred South African Group 1 winner Whisky Baron and 2YO stakeswinner Azazel.
Georges Rimaud, Manager of the Aga Khan French Studs said, “She’s a beautiful moving filly and the team at Arrowfield has done a great job with her. We’re very happy and wish her new owners every success with the filly.”
Lot 70, the Stud’s second Deep Impact filly, out of Charming Estelle (sister to Horse of the Year Lankan Rupee) completed the million-dollar quintet when she was sold to Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum for $1 million.
Two other yearlings broke the million-dollar mark and all-conquering Champion Sire Snitzel appears in both pedigrees. The Snitzel-Asscher colt from the great Eight Carat family sold for $1.2 million to Gai Waterhouse, Blue Sky Bloodstock and Kerri Radcliffe. He was offered by Mike & Kate Fleming’s Bhima Thoroughbreds on behalf of Victorian farm Glentree Thoroughbreds, also the breeder of the Frankel-Aqua Bella colt.
The Waterhouse & Blue Sky team was joined by Adrian Bott to pay $1.05 million for Lot 120, Fairview Park Stud’s I Am Invincible half-brother to Golden Slipper winner Mossfun, out of Eye For Fun, one of the first Snitzel mares to go to stud.
Arrowfield’s spectacular day in the ring included a new top price for an Australian-bred yearling by Animal Kingdom. That was the $350,000 paid by Grahame Begg for the son of Double Ranga, already dam of Group 2 winner Scarlet Rain.
DGR Thoroughbreds went to $600,000 to buy Lot 103, the Redoute’s Choice-Dream Date filly, a three-quarter sister to leading sire Not A Single Doubt.
Agent John Foote and champion trainer Darren Weir paid $550,000 for the colt by Champion Japanese First Season Sire Lord Kanaloa out of Bariloche (by Deep Impact). Lord Kanaloa posted his first Group 1 winner on Sunday when his daughter Almond Eye won the Hanshin Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) in race record time.
After the Sale’s first 86 lots sold in the opening session, Arrowfield is the leading vendor by both aggregate ($7,150,000) and average ($794,444).
Tuesday’s session begins at 11 am and includes 6 colts and five fillies from Arrowfield’s consignment.
