The full brother to champion filly Sunlight was sold for a decade-high AU$3 million (US$2,278,545) at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale April 6, completing a remarkable second session that saw 14 million- dollar lots change hands and put the 2022 edition on a pedestal of its own.
Of the 20 million-dollar lots sold at Riverside Stables across two days, the six highest-priced yearlings were all sold April 6, as colts syndicates and buyers of high-end fillies, owners, and trainers all jostled in an attempt to secure some of the best-credentialed yearlings offered to market in Australasia this year.
After the enormous surge in trade on Day 2, which hit AU$81.925 million ($62,223,266) in a single day spent, the Easter aggregate eclipsed the 2008 Easter sale aggregate of AU$150.159 million ($114,048,013), a mark longtime auction house staff said would never be bettered following an extraordinary buying spree by Darley and the Ingham family who had just sold its Woodlands empire to Sheikh Mohammed.
The 2022 Easter aggregate closed Wednesday evening at AU$151.325 million ($114,933,607) last night, a jump of 15%, while the average shot to a remarkable AU$406,788 ($308,962), also up 10% and the median was at AU$300,000 ($227,855), up from AU$260,000 ($197,474) at the close of the 2021 Easter sale. They are the highest markers on record in Inglis' 117-year history.
Inglis Bloodstock chief executive Sebastian Hutch was almost lost for words when asked to describe what had transpired at the Easter sale this week.
"It is unprecedented, genuinely unprecedented. We have been in the fortunate position whereby circumstance has meant that we set new records at the Classic yearling sale, the Premier yearling sale, the Ready 2 Race Sale, so inevitably the mind wonders, 'What is the record at Easter?'" he said.
"So, I looked back and it was back in 2008 when there were 630-odd horses in the sale and they turned over AU$150 million and a bit, so you think, 'That's impossible, you can never beat that."
"To sit here today and to be in a position to have horses good enough to allow us to beat it and to have bidders who were committed enough and brave enough to want to go and buy horses to the extent they have is hard to comprehend."
The day, though, belonged to Widden Stud, the 155-year-old Thoroughbred farm, who sold the Zoustar brother to Sunlight to the colt's partnership led by Coolmore's Tom Magnier, who was the Easter sale's leading spender.
The Zoustar colt (Lot 434) was the equal third highest-priced yearling ever sold at a southern hemisphere yearling sale after the Redoute's Choice half brother (Lot 131) to Black Caviar, later to be known as "Jimmy" who made AU$5 million ($5,206,500) at the 2013 Easter sale, and an AU$4 million ($4,165,200) Fastnet Rock colt (Lot 295) sold at the same auction.
Two colts, by Redoute's Choice and Rock of Gibraltar, were also sold for AU$3 million each at the 2006 and 2007 Easter sales, respectively.
Standing out the back of the Riverside Stables ring, BK Racing and Breeding's Ben Vassallo, flanked by Hawkesbury trainer Brad Widdup, held the call at AU$2.8 million before Magnier and his Coolmore cohorts, standing on the opposite side of the back parade ring, gave the go-ahead for the price to hit AU$3 million.
The underbidders were left shaking their heads in disbelief at missing out on the star colt as auctioneer Brett Gilding brought down the gavel.
Widden Stud principal Antony Thompson was stunned after witnessing the sale from the best seat in the house.
"I can't believe it. Words can't describe the rollercoaster being behind the auctioneer there and seeing that horse make AU$3 million, it is just overwhelming," said Thompson as tears of joy welled up. "It is stunning work from the team, the guys, our partners in him. I'm blown away."
"You go into the ring and you're hoping they sell well, but you never know late in the sale. You're worried if they (buyers) have done their budgets and all those things. We knew we had a very special horse, but wow, that is a very special horse. We are just flabbergasted. To top any sale, but to top an Easter Yearling Sale is pretty awesome."
With a powerful consortium of backers, which includes Sir Peter Vela and the syndicate's trainer Chris Waller, Magnier said it was important the group was united in its approach to sourcing potential stallion prospects.
"Obviously, we bought Sunlight, and the foal at home by Justify is our best foal at home, so it's a family that we know well. When you are trying to make stallions you need to have horses like this. He was probably the best type in the sale," Magnier said. "When you go and fund colts like this, you have to have everybody agreeing that this is a colt that ticks every box for the whole team."
"We will obviously need a bit of luck, and they can't all be good, but you are doing the right thing if you are trying to buy the good pedigrees and the good types."
Solar Charged, a sister to listed winner Causeway Queen, was bought for AU$650,000 ($605,215) at the 2014 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in foal to Sebring by Thompson and Qatar Racing to support then high-profile recruit Zoustar, an investment that paid off with the stallion being crowned leading first season sire through the deeds, among others, of Sunlight.
With Sheikh Fahad's support, alongside Tweenhills' David Redvers and Hannah Wall as well as Telemon Thoroughbreds' Dan and Rae Fletcher, Widden Stud has sent Solar Charged to Zoustar five times in six years. She had a colt by Sebring, who was born in 2017.
From that, the six yearlings to head to a yearling sale have realized AU$5.7 million ($4,329,236). They also retained a share in Sunlight, the three-time group 1 winner who put Zoustar on the map via her Magic Millions 2YO Classic victory, before selling her to Coolmore at the 2020 Gold Coast broodmare sale for a Magic Millions record of AU$4.2 million ($2,979,431).
Thompson admitted to a few sleepless nights as anticipation built about the prospects of the remarkable colt, but even he dared not to dream that the horse could make AU$3 million.
"I always thought he was a million-dollars plus, but you don't know once you get past that where they are going to go, but we did have every serious colts syndicate and major player around the ground admiring him and commenting on him," he said.
"A lot of people wanted to tell us he was the best colt in the sale. Talk's cheap at an auction and everything else is expensive when putting your hand up at an auction. You just try to keep an open mind and remain grounded about it all. We put him on the market at AU$1 million as I knew he was always going to make more than that and there was no way I was going to sell him for anything less."
Widden rounded out its Easter sale by parting with a Fastnet Rock filly (Lot 460) for AU$1 million ($759,515), which pushed the stud's aggregate to AU$10,345,000 ($7,857,183) from 21 lots sold at an average of AU$492,619 ($374,152).
Magnier Follows Path Well-Trodden
With studs in Ireland, America, and, of course, the Hunter Valley, Coolmore has succeeded in part, Magnier said, by following proven sire lines and the addition of the AU$2.25 million ($1,708,909) Snitzel brother to 2018 Longines Golden Slipper (G1) winner Estijaab follows that well-worn model.
The highest-priced of seven million-dollar yearlings sold by leading Easter vendor Arrowfield, which cracked the AU$30 million ($22,785,450) mark after selling 58 yearlings across the two days, the colt is the seventh foal out of group 1-winning mare Response, who like Solar Charge is also by Charge Forward, making him a sibling to not only Estijaab but also the stakes-placed Remarque, while he is a half brother to Alter Call, who is also stakes-placed.
Japan's Northern Farm was underbidder on the colt, who was cataloged as Lot 374.
"Snitzel is a four-time champion sire and everybody is looking for the next Snitzel, the next Fastnet Rock, and hopefully we've already got the next I Am Invincible (in Home Affairs) and they're the boxes you need to tick when you're looking for these stallions pedigrees," Magnier said.
"The Messaras produce great horses and they have done a great job with Snitzel. The Danehills, through the Fastnet Rocks, the Sadler's Wells through the Galileo's, you've got to try and follow those lines, and who knows where it's going to come from, but if you're buying progeny by the top stallions you're in with some chance."
Coolmore also bought a Zoustar colt (Lot 415) out of group 3-winning mare Sexy Eyes from Milburn Creek later in the day for AU$1.25 million ($949,394) to go with $1.4 million colts by Snitzel (Lot 90) and Written Tycoon (Lot 198) and an AU$1 million son (Lot 91) of I Am Invincible on Day 1.
In total, the Coolmore syndicate spent AU$10.3 million ($7,823,005).
