One of Australia's most respected and highest-profile yearling buyers has helped the Inglis Melbourne Premier achieve a seven-figure milestone for just the second time in the sale's history after a colt by remarkable stallion Written Tycoon sold during a record day's trade Feb. 28.
James Harron, with a good deal of confidence, alluded to the fact his prominent syndicate would be active on the colt by delaying a media interview until after the star attraction went through the Oaklands Junction ring about two hours into the opening session.
And he came true on his promise, securing the colt over Coolmore, when the price moved from AU$1.05 million to AU$1.1 million (US$846,791).
The market was expected to follow on from the other record Australian yearling sales held so far this year and, despite a tempered start to proceedings, the action heated up in the early afternoon as a series of high-caliber yearlings were sold, highlighted by the Harron-purchased colt from the draft of leading vendor Blue Gum Farm.
"He is a top-quality colt, bred by one of the best breeders here in Victoria in Rob Crabtree. He is a very, very nice colt and he handled the sale nicely," Harron said.
"His mother Gybe was very good. I remember her racing and winning a Gimcrack and she was very talented and this guy is by Written Tycoon who is doing an amazing job. Now with Capitalist at stud, he looks like being a real sire of sires."
The model employed by Harron and his partners is to buy colts who have the pedigree and credentials to go on and become stallions as Capitalist and Pariah have already done and King's Legacy will do this season.
"He is a horse who ticks a lot of the boxes for stallions going forward. He has to do it on the track, obviously, but he is a beautiful individual," he said.
"He was a very late October foal, so there's still a bit of development and improving to do. He is a very classy colt and he would have stacked up very well at any sale this year in my opinion and I'm glad to get him."
Harron added: "I thought he was a million dollar horse from what we've seen so far this year. I thought he was going to command a lot of attention. It is very difficult to breed that kind of horse."
The fourth million dollar lot ever sold by Written Tycoon, and the second most expensive colt, he is the fourth living foal out of Gybe, an ATC Keeneland Gimcrack Stakes winner.
The million-dollar milestone moment was not lost on Blue Gum's Philip Campbell with the colt becoming the farm's first seven-figure yearling in 40 years of selling horses. He was offered on behalf of Dorrington Farm.
Fittingly, the retiring Simon Vivian was on the podium conducting the auction when the seven-figure colt was sold.
"Simon Vivian and I wanted to take the horse to Melbourne Premier, because we honestly believed we would be able to achieve a result not dissimilar to what he has," Campbell said.
"First of all, I am rapt for Rob and Sylvie (Crabtree), as well as Fiona, who is back at Dorrington, she has done a wonderful job.
"To the guys at our farm who have prepped the horse, it's just amazing, I can't wait to get back down there and celebrate. It is a real team effort and we are so lucky at our farm that we have such wonderful clients.
"Last year, we topped the sale for Neville and Susan Duncan, and this year, to be topping it so far for Rob and Sylvie is a big thrill. It's a dream result, which hasn't quite sunk in."
Campbell, whose operation sold 13 yearlings yesterday for AU$3.04 million, revealed the colt had impressed all the major top-end colts buyers during numerous inspections and the horse handled the sales experience with aplomb.
"For me, these people have got to see yearlings come out of the box and fill their eye," he said.
"That's what this bloke did, and not just for one person, he filled the eye of many. He had the physical prowess, he has got the page, he was by the right stallion at the right time and he was just the perfect storm."
The colt will head to Kolora Lodge in Queensland to be broken in before returning to Melbourne to be trained by Anthony and Sam Freedman.
The most expensive yearling sold at the Premier sale was an I Am Invincible colt, later named Octane, who made AU$1.4 million ($1,074,080) at the 2017 sale.
Record Premier Trade as Victorians Dominate the Market
It was a record individual day's trade for a Premier sale, with 233 yearlings changing hands for a combined AU$23.27 million ($17,913,500), up 20% year-on-year, at an average of AU$144,105 ($110,933) (up 4%) and a median of AU$110,000 ($84,679), which was down from AU$120,000 ($92,377) on the same day in 2020. The clearance rate was a healthy 83%.
"Simon (Vivian) was very bullish about the quality of the catalog. He and Mark Dodemaide had seen the majority of it in the spring and we knew there were some more nice horses from interstate, but the enthusiasm for the horses here has really been fantastic," Inglis general manager of bloodstock sales and marketing Sebastian Hutch said last night.
"It was a really enjoyable day, but the sale took a little bit of time to find its rhythm.
"There were some really good prices early on, it didn't really quite flow in the manner you would like it to, but it just seemed to get stronger and stronger.
"The appetite for nice horses who vetted well was without fault almost insatiable and we reasonably expect it to continue."
Eighteen yearlings made AU$300,000 ($230,943) or more at last year's Premier sale, but 15 have already made that mark with two sessions to go. The sale was also a demonstration of the strength of the Victorian market, with all but two of those expected to be trained in the state.
"Obviously, it's a sale that they (Victorians) target very effectively on their home turf," Hutch said.
"We've worked hard to put provisions in place to allow for people to be entertained and Victorians get here and they support the sale with great enthusiasm, as they do with any sporting or racing pursuit."
