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New South Wales-based operation finish the day as leading vendors.
Vinery Stud enjoyed one of their most memorable days in a sales ring when they sold eight yearlings for an aggregate of $6,530,000 at an average of $816,250 which saw them finish day one as the leading vendors by average (with three or more lots sold) at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale on Tuesday.
Vinery's Peter Orton hailed the day as one of the best days for the farm and was happy to see all the yearlings heading to some of the best stables in the country.
"It has truly been one of the best days for Vinery ever," he told Racing & Sports Bloodstock. "We knew we had a good group of horses and they paraded well and were really popular all the way through.
"I think it is really important you bring the right horses to Easter and the farm itself is going really well, it has produced the Blue Diamond winner, Golden Slipper winner and Magic Millions winner in the last three years.
"Hopefully people can buy with confidence with us knowing that the horses have had the best start and we similarly have great pride in the horses we bring to the sale. Everything came together today and it was fantastic."
The headline acts of their lucrative day were a pair of colts Exceed And Excel (Danehill), who realised $2,100,000 and $1,050,000, while they also sold a colt by Snitzel (Redoute's Choice) for $1,150,000.
The first of their colts by Darley's Exceed And Excel was the fourth lot through the ring on day one of the Sydney sale and Shane McGrath, who was working on behalf of Tony Fung, came out on top of a furious bidding battle to secure the youngster.
Catalogued as Lot 5,the colt is the second foal out of seven time-winning Bernardini (A.P. Indy) mare Peace Force, whose best win came in the 2015 edition of the Glenlogan Park Stakes (Gr 3, 1300m).
Peace Force was purchased by Vinery Stud for $520,000 at the 2016 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale in 2016 and she is a half-sister to multiple Group 1-winning champion Eremein (Timber Country) and the Listed winner Gliding (Flying Spur).
Orton admitted to feeling slightly anxious given how early on in the sale the colt was catalogued, but his worries were proved to be unfounded.
"He was obviously a very good looking horse," said Orton. "He was a stunning good-looking well developed colt all the way through. He was a lovely horse to deal with and to kick off early in the sale, which historically can be difficult.
"But he stood his own ground and created that sort of interest and kicked off the sale on the right foot. He was a special horse and to be recognised with a special result like that was wonderful. There is so much substance to him and I think he will really do the right thing and I'm pretty sure he's the sort of horse who will stack up for them."
It was no surprise to see Tony Fung's operation breaking the seven-figure barrier for two colts from the New South Wales-based nursery, having enjoyed success with a graduate of the farm with last year's Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Farnan (Not A Single Doubt), who they purchased off Vinery, with Phoenix Thoroughbreds, for $550,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2019.
McGrath, bloodstock consultant to Tony Fung, said he rated him as one of the best colts he had seen all year.
"It really is a wonderful nursery and Vinery was the first place I worked when I came to Australia 25 years ago," said McGrath. "It is a remarkable farm and they produce wonderful yearlings and he was no exception.
"He was right up there with one of the best colts I have seen anywhere this year. We knew he was going to make plenty of money, but when you want to secure these future stallion prospects you have to pay the money and hopefully he is lucky for us.
"I'm sure it was a great thrill for the farm and I spoke to Peter Orton on a couple of occasions and he knew that I was really taken with him and how he handled the whole sales process - he was very professional. We will kick on nice and early."
McGrath also purchased the farm's other seven-figure Exceed And Excel colt, paying $1,050,000 for the youngster.
Catalogued as Lot 63, the colt is out of winning Lonhro (Octagonal) mare Sanity, who was herself purchased by Laceby Lodge Stud for $800,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale, when carrying this colt in utero.
Sanity herself is a daughter of Group 3 winner Firm (Night Shift), making her a sister to Group 3 winner Trim - the dam of fellow Group 3 scorer Manicure (Exceed And Excel), while she is also a sister to Stubborn, who in turn produced Group 1 winner Gatting (Hard Spun).
Orton said the colt's price-tag dramatically exceeded the farm's expectations.
"He is from a tough family," he explained. "He is a different colt to the other Exceed And Excel - he is a little bit earlier and a little sharper and well put together. He obviously fitted a lot of people's criteria and there were a lot of people on him.
"He went for a little bit more money than we expected. We thought he was one of those nice respectable colts that would have been well found at a level, but a few people got on him and it was a wonderful result for the client."
McGrath said he didn't think there was a massive difference between the two colts by Exceed And Excel.
"He is obviously a colt by a champion sire with a massive pedigree behind him and he was light on his feet and a good mover with a lovely temperament," he said.
"I didn't think there was a massive difference between the two of them. I just think it depends on who is bidding and who isn't because the market is so buoyant here at the moment."
Both colts will head into training with Annabel Neasham, who secured her first Group 1 winner for the Fung Family when Mo'unga (Savabeel) landed the Rosehill Guineas (Gr 1, 2000m) ten days ago.
Exceed And Excel finished day one as the leading stallion by average (with three or more lots sold) with four of his yearlings selling for $4,420,000 at an average of $1,105,000.
Later on in the afternoon, Ciaron Maher secured Lot 139 from Vinery for $1,150,000 at the Inglis sale.
By Snitzel, the colt is the first living foal out of the 2017 Frances Tressady Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m) winner Turbo Miss (Sebring), a half-sister to dual Group 1 winner and now Newgate Farm-based sire Russian Revolution (Snitzel).
Turbo Miss is a half-sister to Miss Interiors (Flying Spur) - the dam of this year's Sliver Slipper Stakes (Gr 2, 1100m) winner Home Affairs (I Am Invincible) and Group 1-placed Aysar (Deep Field).
Further back this is the same pedigree as Group 2 winner Montelimar (Alleged) and Listed-winning duo Taletobetold (Tale Of The Cat) and L'Extra Honor (Hero's Honor) - the dam of Group 1 winner Majestic Roi (Street Cry).
"It's a family going places," said Maher. "He is by the right stallion and the farm has an amazing draft this year and they have done a super draft. He was a very obvious colt. Will Bourne saw him on the farm and I saw him here at the sale.
"We knew we had to bat up a little bit for him, but those colts with those sorts of pedigrees you always have to. We've still got a little bit there left to sell, but most of it has been sorted out and I would think by the end of the day it would be sorted out."
Orton said the son of Snitzel was one of his favourites in their draft and was delighted to see him join the Maher and David Eustace stable, who are well known to have great success with their juveniles.
"He is just electric," said Orton. "A lovely style of colt and a scopey horse and a real racehorse and one of my favourites in the draft.
"It was great to see him bought by Ciaron who does brilliantly with his two-year-olds and this horse will really push him on and he is ready to do anything. He really loves work and he will have a lot of fun with him."
