The inaugural Inglis Australian Weanling and Breeding Stock Sale ended on a high note on Sunday with the sale of superstar mare Milanova for a Southern Hemisphere record price of $5million and aggregate turnover for the entire sale of $29,6 million.

Inglis achieved a major coup in attracting the Tyreel Reduction and Risdon Dispersal, those two vendors accounting for $19,595,000 of the total broodmare trade at this sale of $21,699,650, Tyreel selling 12 mares and two weanlings for $10,965,000, Risdon selling 31 mares for $8,630,000.

Even taking those vendors out of the equation it was still a strong market even down through the lower levels with 82% clearance on all mares consigned by other vendors.

There can be no doubt that Inglis have clawed back a significant part of the elite broodmare market from Magic Millions this year with a raft of new initiatives evening the playing field and the addition of the Inglis Australian Weanling and Breeding Stock Sale to compliment their primary broodmare sale held earlier in the year in conjunction with the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

The presence of Tyreel, Risdon, Swettenham and Kulani Park (including Paul Makin’s mares) at the Inglis broodmare sales tipped the scales well and truly in their favour this year and while no commission is charged by the sales companies on the bulk of these high profile sales, so very little actual profit is made on them, the value in publicity and perception cannot be underestimated.

The weanling market is still problematic for Inglis, although they have made headway this year with a jump of 55% in the aggregate turnover on select weanlings so are seen to be heading in the right direction.

The inaugural First Season Sire Showcase did not work as expected with many major farms failing to support the concept with quality weanlings and as a result the term ‘showcase’ did not really fit much of the product offered within.

The ‘make an offer’ facility on the Inglis website led to a significant number of post-ring sales on horses offered in the First Season Sire Showcase with the resulting clearance improving to 64% at the close of the entire weanling section on Friday, but it was still well short of the overall weanling clearance of 80%.

The concept obviously needs some rethinking and further consultation with the major farms if it is to continue in some form and flourish.
(Source: Breednet)