A Shinzo filly took center stage at the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale May 5, making AU$600,000 (US$430,920, AU$1=US$0.72) to the bid of SP Bloodstock principal Stefan Pardi.
Cataloged as Lot 43 for Noorilim Park, she was described as a 'belter' by the vendor, and the buying bench agreed, racing past her reserve during the first hour of trade.
"She had over 190 inspections, 18 X-rays, and quite a few vet inspections," Noorilim Park owner Peter Carrick revealed.
"Her dam Special Lover has never let us down. We've broken a few records now, and I did expect a strong result today. Hopefully, she holds out at the top of the sale.
"We put her on the market at AU$500,000, and I was taking her home to race if we didn't get that, so AU$600,000 was a really good result. She was very busy presale, and I think that encouraged me to think we were going to do well.
The AU$600,000 filly was a positive sale-ring start for Coolmore Stud sire Shinzo, who has 13 first-crop foals cataloged at Riverside Stables. The 2023 Golden Slipper Stakes (G1) winner was an ideal cross over Special Lover, who descends from New Zealand icon Eight Carat.
Her first filly, Miss Roseiano, won the 2022 MRC Blue Diamond Preview (G3) and was subsequently purchased by Tom Magnier for AU$1.27 million at an Inglis Digital Sale.
Pardi has raced numerous winners with Ciaron Maher, and the champion trainer followed up with AU$260,000 for an Anamoe colt (Lot 103) from Cannon Hayes Stud. His dam Vaayala is a half sister to Dundeel, and she has already thrown the Snitzel stakes performers Valalie and Rockland.
SP Bloodstock was also active in the afternoon, paying AU$400,000 to Coolmore Stud for a Frankel colt (Lot 167) in association with Tasmanian-based Grenville Stud owners Graeme and Bart McCulloch.
"He will come back here for the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale next year," Pardi said. "Frankel was a world-beater as a racehorse and he's doing just as well at stud."
The colt is from Irish-bred mare Awhile (War Front ), who was a Fairyhouse winner for Aidan O'Brien. She is a full sister to Ruby Stakes winner So Wonderful, and her first foal Wooten Warrior won over 1,100 meters (about 5 1/2 furlongs) earlier this year in New Orleans.
Fairhill Farm continued its successful association with Darley shuttler Harry Angel Monday, selling his half brother to Blue Diamond Stakes (G1) heroine Hayasugi for AU$360,000.
The well-built youngster was purchased by Shane McGrath Bloodstock and Melbourne trainer Clinton McDonald.
Coolmore's immediate stud success Home Affairs had five colts make the Top 10 leaderboard Day 1, led by a Parsons Creek graduate (Lot 68) that was knocked down for AU$290,000 to Tasman Bloodstock.
"First and foremost, he's by Home Affairs and what he's doing now is just the tip of the iceberg," Coolmore Stud's Tom Moore said in an accurate assessment of their gun freshman.
At the conclusion of Day 1, the sale had grossed AU$10,599,000 (US$7,610,188), at an average of AU$73,604 (US$52,461) and a median of AU$50,000 (US$35,901), figures that are up 13%, 37%, and 67% respectively on Day 1 last year.
Inglis Bloodstock CEO Sebastian Hutch said it was pleasing to see the Day 1 statistics. "A higher profile cross section of vendors meant the caliber of the catalog encouraged the buying bench to bid with conviction..
"The uncertainty earlier this year due to outside circumstances was less prevalent. The local and international buying bench is now more pragmatic, and we felt that momentum leading up to the Weanling Sale."
