Imagine it

Horse-racing is driven by the boldest imaginations and nowhere in Australia are they more active than at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.

But in 2024 they are tempered by the hard-nosed focus of a new generation of buyers, who have more information than ever available to them, and base their decisions as much on data and physical measures as on instinct & eye.

This is meat and drink to Arrowfield, founded almost 40 years ago by visionary stockbroker-turned-horse breeder John Messara, famous for balancing his passion for the sport with a keen analytical mind and a constant quest for elite performance.

Leading vendor of stakeswinners, stallion prospects & star fillies

It’s easy to imagine success with an Arrowfield yearling when the Stud heads Breeding & Racing’s Australian Vendors Premiership across the last 4 seasons with 828 points earned on 43 stakes victories and 107 black type placings.

Those victories include last weekend’s stunning Group race treble by Celestial Legend (Randwick Guineas G1), Autumn Angel (Kewney S. G2) and Switzerland (Todman S. G2).

And it’s not hard to work out why purchasing from Arrowfield at the Easter Sale over the past decade has been such a smart strategy, securing Group 1 winners at 3 times the rate achieved elsewhere across the Sale, and boosting the chance of landing a stakeswinner by 43%.

Arrowfield’s 39 stakes-winning Easter graduates since 2014 include 10 colts whose value as stallion prospects far exceeded their yearling sale prices. Five of them have already sired Group winners or better and two are represented in this year’s Easter catalogue: The Autumn Sun (22 lots) & Super Seth (3 lots).

Champion 2YO Estijaab and Classic winners Abbey Marie & Yearning head Arrowfield’s star Easter fillies since 2014. The worth of Arrowfield pedigrees is also evident in gems such as Piping Hot, whose yearlings have fetched $1.8 million. As the dam of brilliant sprinter Coolangatta, she was re-sold in 2023 for $3 million.

15 Easter graduate Stakes Performers so far this season

The current season has already thrown up an abundance of talent from Arrowfield’s last three Easter consignments.

Graduates of the Stud’s 2023 Inglis Easter draft include Group 2 winner & leading Golden Slipper contender Switzerland, Group 2-placed pair Duvana & Love Poem, and Melbourne winner Little Stirrer, targeting the Percy Sykes S. G2 at The Championships. 

Dual Group winners Autumn Angel & Autumn Ballet, Group 3 & $1 million Inglis Sprint winner Estriella, Group 1-placed Tutta La Vita & Cap Ferrat, Group-placed Makarena and progressive city winners Catahoula, Fukubana, Kealoha and Galano have all emerged from Arrowfield’s Easter Class of 2022. Their Autumn targets include races such as the Australian Oaks & Derby, Randwick & Rosehill Guineas, Storm Queen Stakes, T.J. Smith Stakes, Doncaster Mile and the Arrowfield 3YO Sprint.

Melbourne Spring racing showcased the talents of Muramasa, purchased from Arrowfield’s 2021 Easter draft and now a two-time Group winner whose Autumn nominations include the $5 million Queen Elizabeth S. G1. 

And from the 2017 Easter Sale comes marvellous veteran Wild Planet, a multiple Group & Listed stakeswinner in the most rewarding phase of his six-season, $1.5 million career thanks to his victory in November’s $750,000 Rosehill Gold Cup.

Arrowfield’s Sales Manager Sally Gordon suggests 5 yearlings from the Stud’s Easter Class of 2024 for buyers’ shortlists:

Lot 144 – The Autumn Sun-Meraki Miss colt
“He’s super-athletic, with great bone, strong gaskin and forearm and a lot of quality. A real runner.”

Lot 158 – The Autumn Sun-Missybeel filly
“A very attractive filly with great depth and a strong hind-quarter. A lovely first foal from a Group 3-winning Savabeel mare, she’s the whole package.”

Lot 170 – Snitzel-Ms Bad Behavior colt
“Made in a very similar athletic mould to his brilliant full brother Switzerland, with a touch more scope, and he’s come on a treat through the prep.”

Lot 316 – I Am Invincible-Stay With Me filly
“A very athletic filly with an abundance of quality and a racy profile. She’s from a wonderful family, Stay With Me is a terrific producer and the filly’s half-brother Duvana looks a very exciting prospect.”

Lot 349 – Dundeel-Tides colt
“He’s always had a lovely, athletic profile, is well-balanced and a great mover. By major sire Dundeel, there is a lot to like.”