Inglis Premier Book 2 wraps up “somewhat extraordinary’’ week at Oaklands

Lot-702-Ghaiyyath-(IRE)-x-No-Time-Like-Now-C | Just Horse Racing

The 2025 Premier Yearling Sale today concluded with Book 2 action, wrapping up a “somewhat extraordinary’’ week of trade at Oaklands.

At the conclusion of the third and final day, the sale’s gross sits at $60,073,500 – a 3.5% year-on-year increase.

The Book 1 average is currently $136,557 (a 5% increase) while the clearance rate has jumped to 80%.

Inglis Bloodstock CEO Sebastian Hutch was ecstatic with how the three-day sale had unfolded.

“At the end of the day, the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale is the first yearling sale anywhere in Australia in 2025 that has seen an increase in turnover and improved metrics,’’ Hutch said.

“We are very conscious of our responsibility to facilitate the best market that we possibly can for our vendors who work tirelessly to produce quality stock for this sale.

“The support of this sale by the leading Victorian breeders with quality stock is crucial to it’s success and I think the results here should give breeders confidence that they can bring their best yearlings to this sale and achieve optimum results.

“To have the clearance rate at 80% and climbing for Book 1 is a positive reflection on the depth of a buying bench which has seen incredible local and international participation.

“We are very grateful to the support of this sale by vendors and buyers, it’s not something that we take for granted, so it’s very pleasing to see lots of people leaving the sale smiling after what has been a good few days.”

It was all ends of the market at Premier that enjoyed fiscal gains.

The top end – this year’s renewal provided just the fourth and fifth seven-figure lots to ever sell at Premier and the first time ever that two millionaires have sold on the same day – was at times ferocious.

There were also gains in the yearlings to sell for $100,000+ (232 in 2025 compared with 216 in 2024), $200,000+ (97 compared with 80) and $300,000+ (36 compared with 33).

Today’s Book 2 action was topped by a Ghaiyyath x No Time Like Now colt of Shadow Hill Thoroughbreds (on behalf of breeder Paul King), which sold to Mongolian buyer Ganbaatar Dagvadorj.

The colt will remain in Victoria to be trained by Danny O’Brien.

“Mr Dagvadorj is a new client of ours, he and his team have sent a couple of their horse people over from Mongolia to look at [Inglis Premier] and they were impressed with what they saw at Oaklands,’’ O’Brien said.

“They wanted to be strong on this colt and they were.

“He’s a beautiful colt, he was well found by most people who’d looked hard at the Book 2 horses and he was the one that stood right out to us.’’

Shadow Hill’s Kim Alderton described the result as “absolutely super’’.

“I’m over the moon,’’ Alderton said.

“I was really confident he was going to sell well and he doubled his reserve. There was plenty of Asian and domestic interest in him during inspections, he’d had plenty of X-Ray hits and scopes so we were pretty confident he’d go well and he certainly did.

“The week has been really good for us, the colts in particular were very well received, plenty of Hong Kong interest, overall it’s been really good, I’m really happy.’’

Today’s other significant seller was a Yarran Thoroughbreds-offered Lucky Vega x Merva colt, which sold to Warwick Farm trainer Joe Pride for $250,000.

It capped off a great sale for Yarran, which cleared 100% of its stock.

“It’s been a really strong sale for us,’’ Yarran’s Chris Stokeld said.

“I’ve been running Yarran for two years now so this is my second [yearling sales] prep, it’s unbelievable. We’ll keep striving to be better and better.

“He’s been really popular this colt, he’s been run off his feet all week and had lots of X-Ray hits, it’s just unreal.’’

To enquire about a passed in lot from the 2025 Premier Yearling Sale, contact Britt Hussey on 0409 333 823.

Focus now switches to the digital world, with entries for the Inglis Digital March (Early) Online Sale closing at midnight tomorrow.

The sale will open for bidding at 3pm Friday, with the final countdown of bidding set to begin from 10am next Wednesday, March 12.

To enter CLICK HERE.

It’s then all about the ‘Best of the Best’ at the Easter Yearling Sale, which will be held at Riverside Stables on April 6 and 7.

Inspections will begin in Sydney on Tuesday April 1.

To view the Easter catalogue CLICK HERE.

2025 PREMIER YEARLING SALE STATISTICS – BOOK 1 (2024 stats in brackets)

Lots catalogued: 565 (560)

Lots Sold: 393 (401)

Clearance Rate: 80% (79%)