Release

A diverse buying bench from all over Australia and around the world helped spark a final day surge at the Classic Session of the Australian Easter Yearling Sale today.

In all, 143 yearlings were traded at an average of $37,483 today, lifting the total sale gross to $12,642,136 at a healthy average of $32,087, with the overall median lifting to $25,000.

The big buying bench helped lift the overall Classic Session clearance to 82.1%.

Coolmore’s first season stallion Fastnet Rock was the star on the final day, with the two highest lots, including a new sale topper.

For the second year in a row, the team of Gary Moore and John Hutchinson signed for the top priced lot of the sale, this year their bid was on behalf of Macau based owner Dr Stanley Ho.

The Fastnet Rock-Star Of Alexis (Risen Star) colt was offered by Widden Stud and sold for $190,000.

“We are keen to upgrade the quality of horses coming into Macau and Dr Ho has decided to lead the way,” Moore said.

“With this type of horse going to Macau, hopefully it will give other owners the confidence to bring in horses of similar quality, which will inevitably upgrade the standard of horses in Macau.”

Yearlings were knocked down to buyers from every state and territory in Australia, in addition to other successful purchasers from New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Macau and Ireland.

In all, 19 horses sold for $100,000 or more during the three day sale, including 12 during today’s final session.

Among the leading buyers were Paul Moroney (15), Vin Cox (11) and the Alice Springs Turf Club, which secured 13 yearlings.

“We have never seen a buying bench as diverse as that at Classic previously,” William Inglis Managing Director Mark Webster said.

“It was great to see buyers from all parts of the world competing for these yearlings over the past three days.

“It re-affirms our belief that this sale offers one of the best value for money catalogues available, which continues to be borne out in the success of graduates from this sale.”

Online buyers were very active throughout the Classic session with 37 lots receiving an online bid from 13 unique bidders located around Australia and Asia. In all, 9 lots were sold to 8 unique online buyers during the Classic session with Dean Watt from Dynamic Syndications claiming honours for the top seller online, lot 486, an Exceed and Excel colt for $115,000. In all, 10 unique buyers have purchased a yearling online since April 20, with 12 lots sold for gross receipts of $977,000.

Inglis Managing Director Mark Webster commented, “I am thrilled with the contribution from online bidders during our first major yearling sale. We’ve sold horses to buyers all over Australia in addition to Hong Kong and Singapore. The service works extremely well. If you can’t make it to Sydney for the upcoming broodmare sale, register now to bid online. Our staff are available to inspect mares and can arrange vet checks.”

Over the course of the Easter Yearling Sales (Select Part I & II and Classic Sessions) $166million of yearlings were traded at an excellent clearance rate of 81.14% from 1230 catalogued horses. The sale has been deemed as a great success, especially given that this is the first time a sale of this magnitude has ever been held in Sydney.

Attention now turns to the William Inglis Australian Easter Broodmare Sale, which begins this Sunday, May 4, from 10.30am.

Statistics Classic Sale

www.inglis.com.au