Invermein Stud owner Greg White is pleased potential buyers took a set against fillies at the 2012 Inglis Classic yearling sale.
White catalogued three yearlings for the Newmarket Sale including a filly by More Than Ready’s first-season sire Ready’s Image. When bidding came up short of a $25,000 reserve for the filly, he retained her and then named her Akoonah.
“You couldn’t give any of the fillies away,” White recalled. “Being on the small size didn’t help although she did look a readymade racehorse.”
White and good mate Simon Robertson cut her out among their families and she hasn’t put a foot wrong with up-front victories at Queanbeyan and Canberra before making it three on end in the John McGrath Auto Group Hcp (1080m) back at Canberra on Friday.
“She has plenty of ability and plenty of ticker,” he said. “And she’s got a personality all her own.”
Akoonah (2f Ready’s Image – Cathead by Catbird) is trained locally by Nick Olive and she lowered Canberra’s old 1080 metre record on June 7 and lowered it again on Friday clocking 61.61 seconds. “Depending on how she pulls up, we will have to take her to town now,” White added. “When fillies are running hot – keep them going.
“We’ve been on More Than Ready from the outset and we’ve supported Ready’s Image every year,” White explained. “He’s one of the better stallions in the sub $10,000 bracket and we will be sending mares again this year.”
Ready’s Image (USA) shuttles from Walmac Farm in Kentucky to Lincoln Farm in the Hunter Valley. And, despite the set against fillies, his overall average has topped $50,000 at the last two Classic Sales.
There have been 15 individual winners from his first USA crop and flying filly Sara Bay began the second with a five length victory at Monmouth Park on June 1.
The momentum continued last week when a Ready Image colt made $77,000 at the Ocala 2YO Sale in Florida on Wednesday. Ready’s Image colt Slewpy’s Image followed up with a maiden win on turf at Lone Star Park on Thursday.
Lincoln Farm owner Nick Posa will stand Ready’s Image (More Than Ready) and Arlington (Red Ransom) for $5,500 (inc gst) service fees this year.
– Karl Patterson