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First-crop of Coolmore’s Triple Crown-winning shuttler well received at Australian Weanling Sale
Coolmore's unbeaten Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy) is arguably one of the most exciting stallions to shuttle to Australia in the last few years and his first southern hemisphere crop of weanlings created a stir at the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale on Wednesday.
The son of Scat Daddy (Johannesburg) had four weanlings all sell for six figures, which saw the stallion's aggregate finish at $875,000, while he was leading stallion by average (with three or more lots sold) which finished at an impressive $218,750.
His quartet of weanlings sold at the sale included the first lot through the ring - a colt - who was snapped up by Newgate Farm and China Horse Club - who raced Justify throughout his career - for $280,000.
Consigned by Fairhill Farm and offered as Lot 1, the colt is out of the unraced Tale Of The Cat (Storm Cat) mare Tails Wins and she has produced two winners, headed by Group 3 winner and now Newgate Farm-based sire Super One (I Am Invincible) and was also a champion two-year-old in Singapore. The mare's other winner is Super Too, who was placed at Group 3 level.
Mike Smith of China Horse Club told Racing & Sports Bloodstock he had been very taken with the stallion's first Australian crop.
"I was very impressed with the Justifys overall and I thought the horse we bought was very similar to the stallion himself," said Smith. "He had a lot of depth, strength and a lovely action, but at the same time he had a slightly more precocious look, due to the good mare he is out of. Obviously the mare has already produced two good horses and we were delighted to get him.
"I do think Justify is stamping his stock - I think he is putting his leg and bone and quality into them. I haven't seen them in America and Europe in the flesh, but I've seen photos of them in America and Europe and I think he does seem to stamp them well."
Smith is said he thought competition had been strong throughout the day and the sale had followed in the same vein as the strong yearling sale series.
"I think the sale has followed on from the yearling sales. I think the Australian market seems to be going from strength to strength," he said. "After there was such strong demand for the yearlings it makes perfect sense there has been good demand for foals."
The Justify colt was part of a memorable day for Mike and Debbie O'Donnell of Fairhill Farm, who ended as clear leading vendors by aggregate, selling all 29 of their offerings for a gross of $2,209,000 at an average of $76,172. The farm was responsible for selling five of the top ten lots, while nine of their yearlings realised $100,000 or more.
At last year's edition of the sale the farm sold 24 weanlings for an aggregate of $870,000 at an average of $36,250 and Mike O'Donnell was overjoyed at the improvement in results and was quick to pay tribute to Inglis for their support in the lead up to the sale.
"We started well with Lot 1, getting $280,000 for a Justify foal, which was a marvellous start and then we sold three Capitalists for over $100,000 - which was fantastic," said O'Donnell. "We grossed over $2 million and it think the year before that we grossed over $800,000 - so we are very pleased. Inglis couldn't have done a better job for us and it is very much appreciated.
"This is fantastic, it's been so busy all week, the foot traffic has been immense and parade numbers were through the roof.
"It's a great time to be a vendor, we love breeding horses and selling them but you still need good results to fund that love and we sell all our weanlings through Inglis and they should again be commended for getting all the buyers here not only for inspection days but today's sale day, it's been a tremendous sale.''
