A Fastnet Rock colt topped a superb weanling session selling to Belmont Bloodstock for $450,000 on the opening day of the streamlined 2014 Inglis Australian Broodmare and Weanling Sale.

Offered by Coolmore Stud as Lot 150 the outstanding colt (pictured) from two-year-old stakes winner Delta Girl is the most expensive weanling sold in Sydney since 2008.

“Weanling vendors who threw their support behind this new sale date have been well rewarded with an 84% clearance rate and some great individual results,” said Inglis Bloodstock Director Jonathan D’Arcy.

123 Select Session Weanlings were sold today at an average of $34,963 – a figure 50% up on the Sydney weanling sale in June last year. The median and turnover recorded is also the highest in six years.

“Buyers got their first look at weanlings by a strong line-up of first season sires here in Sydney and we are very pleased with how many of them have been received in the marketplace,” added D’Arcy.
Weanlings from the first crop of dual hemisphere champion racehorse So You Think were in high demand headed by Lot 119, Lustre Lodge’s colt half-brother to Thousand Guineas winner Irish Lights, which sold to Coolmore Australia for $290,000. Other weanlings by So You Think sold for $130,000 and $80,000.

Other first season sires represented included Uncle Mo (sold up to $120,000), Smart Missile (up to $80,000), Canford Cliffs (up to $65,000), Master Of Design (up to $52,000) and Foxwedge (up to $50,000).

New Zealand pinhookers were busy snapping up quality Australian bred weanlings. Lyndhurst Farm went to $190,000 to buy Lot 163, a filly by Northern Meteor from Golden Pedigree that was sold by Lustre Lodge.

Michael Wallace went to $155,000 to secure Lot 76 the High Chaparral half-brother to yesterday’s South Australian Derby runner-up Scratchy Bottom from the Reavill Farm dispersal offerings. The weanling’s dam Silk Veil will be offered as Lot 597 on the third and final day of this week’s sale on Tuesday.

Well respected Australian thoroughbred nurseries Musk Creek Farm and Newgate Farm both went to $150,000 to purchase fillies by Snitzel – Lot 24 and 68 respectively.

Weanlings that passed-in from both the Select and General Weanling Sessions today are made available by the Inglis Make-An-Offer Service.

Make-An-Offer and Online Bidding will be available to buyers during the Select and General Broodmare Sessions of the streamlined sale tomorrow and Tuesday.

A number of mares to be sold have received considerable pedigree updates since the catalogue went to print including Lot 324 Star Mystic, the half-sister to Gr.3 Hawkesbury Darley Crown winner Aerobatics. The mare is one of 23 high quality entries in the Tyreel Stud unreserved dispersal tomorrow.

Day Two and Three of the 2014 Inglis Australian Broodmare and Weanling Sale kick off at 10:00am both days.