Harry Angel Colt Tops Day 2 of Inglis Classic Sale

New and highly structured entity, the Equine Growth Fund, may have to rethink some plans due to the price involved, but they were delighted to snare the top lot on Day 2 of the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale on a robust day of trade in Sydney, Australia. Little more than a year old, EGF stretched to AU$540,000 (US$382,663, AU$1=US$0.70) to buy the Harry Angel (IRE) (Lot 462) brother to triple stakes-winning mare Stretan Angel presented by his boutique Hunter Valley breeders Kirks Bridge Farm. The price represented the best result at Classic since 2024, and spearheaded a day of robust trading, with the clearance rate, average, and gross all up at the same point of the 2025 edition. EGF founder and managing director Stefan Pardi fought off fierce competition to secure the colt, consigning co-trainers Annabel and Rob Archibald to the role of underbidders. The purchase represented the latest splash by Pardi's group, which involves 15 investors and is now operating within its second fund, which, Pardi said, has AU$25 million to invest. "This colt is a stallion prospect, and this is what Equine Growth Fund is trying to do," Pardi said. "We're trying to buy these horses to make stallions, and he was my number one colt, my number one horse out of 800 at this sale." EGF first emerged as a major player when setting the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale record last year with the AU$775,000 purchase of a Too Darn Hot (GB) colt, and it operates through various investment operations, including pinhooking, trading, and racing. While the original intention for Monday's Harry Angel colt may have been trading, as the bidding surged, that became less of a profitable option. "I only had AU$450,000 on him, but I just didn't want to lose him," Pardi said. "At AU$450,000, he was definitely going to be a traded horse, but at the money I paid, I think it's a bit top-heavy to try to trade; it's a bit of a risk." Pardi explained EGF—which teamed up with the likes of Ciaron Maher and Chris Waller to buy seven yearlings, including two for AU$525,000, at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale last month—operated with well-organized strategies, which would help dictate plans for the Harry Angel colt. "I've got my money in the Equine Growth Fund too... so I align myself with my investors and have skin in the game," said Pardi, whose group plans to buy 100 racing and breeding propositions this year. "I've got to make sure I do the right thing by them (investors). Plus, I have a very stringent CIO (chief investment officer) and CEO who really bolt down on what things we buy. We have stringent criteria. "At this stage, I think we'll race him (the Harry Angel colt) under the Equine Growth Fund, and the strategy is to buy 20 or 25 racehorses, and the rest is breeding stock." Kirks Bridge Farm manager Brad McCarthy, who opted to take the Harry's Angel colt to Classic over Inglis Easter to "stand him out," was overjoyed with his farm's highest sale to date. "He was a quality colt," he said. "I've always had a massive opinion of him from day one. He was the nicest foal on the farm, (who) grew into the nicest weanling and then grew into the nicest yearling. "And to come down here and get the support that he got, and all the good judges liked him, fills me with a bit of confidence we're doing the right thing. The colt was way ahead of the pack on Session 2, a day which cheered a "very happy" Inglis bloodstock CEO, Sebastian Hutch. On Monday evening, the clearance rate stood at 84%, up from 77% at the same stage in 2025. The average was marginally up to AU$97,556 (US$69,132), from AU$97,153, year-on-year, while the median was unchanged at AU$80,000 (US$56,691). The gross was up 8.5% at AU$39,315,000 (US$27,859,985), albeit with 30 more lots sold (403 to 373). "To me it felt stronger today," Hutch said. "There's always a level of apprehension coming into Monday after Sunday because we get strong attendance on Sunday. "On Monday, a lot of people go back to work; it's a quieter day around the complex, but ultimately, everybody who was here was here to do business, and a lot of business got done today. Hutch added: "We ran what appears to be a very effective buyer canvas, and maybe just the market is a fraction more confident than it was 12 months ago." While conceding the lower end still represented a buyers' market, Hutch forecast the likelihood of a still stronger closing session on Tuesday.