Yarraman Park’s hot young sire I Am Invincible set a new Inglis Classic Sale record when his colt from English mare Quirina made $410,000 on Sunday.
It bettered the previous record of $350,000 set by a Street Cry colt in 2007.
Wexford Stables trainer Lance O’Sullivan won a fierce bidding duel with Yulong Investments to buy the record-breaker. He will stay in Australia initially to be trained by Mike Moroney at Flemington.
After two sessions, the Inglis Classic is on track to deliver the greatest growth of any yearling sale in 2016, with the clearance rate, average, median and top prices to never before seen levels.
A total of 43 lots have been sold for $100,000 exceeding the 27 for last year’s entire sale. The depth of buying has driven the average price up 33% to $58,820 and the median price has jumped a remarkable 37% to $48,000.
A total of 45 vendors have recorded 100% clearance rates and Davali Thoroughbreds Alison Hush manager reported they hadn’t had time to sit down all week. “That’s exactly how we want it,” she said. “It’s what we come here for and we’ve also noticed quite a few new faces.”
The sale’s leading buyer after two says is Kurt Goldman, whose 2014 Inglis Classic purchase Hellbent won the recent Inglis Dash at Flemington. Four lots were knocked down to the up-and-coming Goulburn trainer on Sunday including a Per Incanto – Ornate colt from Sledmere Stud that made $185,000.
“You’ve only got to go through the records to see the good horses that come out of the Classic Sale,” Goldman said. “It’s all about the type and the Per Incanto colt ticked all those boxes.”
Grant Morgan who purchased Brazen Beau from the first crop of I Am Invincible four years ago is looking to his $130,000 Excelebration – Miss Coolumn colt to repeat that success.
“Excelebration is a sire I’m quite keen on,” Morgan explained. “There are similarities to I Am Invincible at the same stage a few years ago. Classic has always great value and I think it’s good for stallions like him that are looking for a foothold in the marketplace.”