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Hutch expecting to huge demand at first foal sale of the year

The first foal sale of the year - Inglis Australian Weanling Sale - gets underway on Thursday and following a hugely successful yearling sale series, the auction houses’ general manager bloodstock sales and marketing Sebastian Hutch told Racing & Sports Bloodstock that he is expecting the demand for quality weanlings to be extremely high. 

The yearling sale series in Australia this year was booming, with increases recorded across the board and those pinkookers who took the plunge to invest in weanlings during the uncertain economic landscape amidst the global pandemic were richly rewarded when those foals were offered as yearlings earlier this year. 

However, Hutch is expecting the enthusiasm from pinhookers, coupled with a host of vendors happy to put their faith once again in the yearling sales and keep their foals for a few more months, the 268 lots catalogued at the one-day sale may not meet the huge appetite of the buyers which have been on the grounds inspecting stock this week.    

“The inspections for the weanling sale have been fantastic and intense over the last few days,” said Hutch. “It has been very encouraging, but unfortunately the issue we face as an auction house is that there is at the moment an excess of demand which will probably exceed the supply in terms of good quality foals.

“We are obviously very grateful for the support we have had from the vendors who have supported the sale with good quality stock, but I think the demand for good quality stock will go far beyond what is available through the catalogue and those good foals that are in the sale, that meet the veterinary criteria and so forth will be pursued with great vigor.”

Last year the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale was a two-day sale comprising 385 lots and Hutch has said it is very clear breeders are riding the crest of a very buoyant yearling sale series and therefore the weanling entries at public auctions have been somewhat depleted. 

“Very evidently with the two weanling sale catalogues that have been released this year the number of weanlings available at public auction in 2021 will be down significantly on previous years, with vendors taking an optimistic view of next year's yearling market and using different platforms for sale,” he said. “But public auction still remains the best option to get the best result for vendors. 

“We just felt the timing of our sale, with the first crack at the money with pinhookers so enthusiastic and the strong contingent from New Zealand here, who haven’t been able to travel for the best part of 12 months, and we just felt it was a good opportunity to have more good foals here and it just hasn’t materialised in the manner that we would like, but it is to the advantage of the people that have brought foals here and I think they are going to sell very well.”

The weanling sales are always an exciting time, with buyers catching their first glimpse of the first-crop of new exciting stallions and this year is no different, with multiple Group 1 winner Trapeze Artist (Snitzel), Group 1-winning Darley shuttler Blue Point (Shamardal) and Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Written By (Written Tycoon) all set to be represented by their first weanlings 

Meanwhile, Coolmore’s unbeaten Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy) will also have his first southern hemisphere bred on the market as will his barnmate Saxon Warrior (Deep Impact) and former shuttler Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy). 

Aquis Farm’s three stallions Brave Smash (Tosen Phantom), Performer (Exceed And Excel) and Lean Mean Machine (Zoustar) will all be represented by their first weanlings, while Darley shuttler Harry Angel (Dark Angel) has six lots catalogued at the sale. 

Other first-season sires with weanlings catalogued for the sale are Eureka Stud’s Encryption (Lonhro) and Prized Icon (More Than Ready), who stands at Kooringal Stud.   

“We have had a very exciting regeneration of the stallion ranks in Australia in recent years and that is starting to bear fruit on the racecourse and consequently the demand for progeny of some of those stallions is going to be heated,” said Hutch. 

“We have also got the first crop of some exciting new stallions, with the likes of Trapeze Artist, Justify, Written By and we have very good Saxon Warrior foals in the sale.”

Click here to view the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale catalogue.

The weanling sale will be directly followed by The Chairman’s Sale, which will take place at Riverside Stables on Friday evening and Hutch believes the 66 mares they have assembled are among some of the best the auction has ever offered. 

“It is the strongest catalogue of mares as any of my colleagues can remember and for a sale at Inglis it is a really fantastic group of mares,” said Hutch. “Whether they are well-related, well-performed, well-covered or proven producers there is something for everyone at a range of prices, so everyone can be involved at all levels.”

The catalogue is headlined by high-class Group 1-winning mare In Her Time (Time Thief), Pippie (Written Tycoon) and Celebrity Queen (Redoute’s Choice) as well as Courchevel - a Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) half-sister to multiple Group 1-winning champion Winx (Street Cry) and she will be offered in foal to Newgate’s first-season sire sensation Capitalist (Written Tycoon).  

“I think being able to offer mares of the quality of In Her Time, Pippie and Celebrity Queen as a trio is a very special privilege for us,” said Hutch. “These are really exceptional mares with unique credentials in any market place. But to offer mares of that calibre in an environment that is synonymous with producing top-class speed horses and to be able to have performed to the elite level like they have I think it will make for a very fun night on Friday. 

“They are also complemented by some very unique prospects; to think that we have a Snitzel half-sister to Winx in-foal to sire of the moment Capitalist - those opportunities are arguably once in a lifetime opportunities. 

“Winx won 25 Group 1s and the filly is sister to top-class racehorse in El Divino, so she is the arguably the best bred filly that is going to come on to the market this year.”

Click here to view the Inglis Chairman’s Sale catalogue. 

The Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale will take place on Sunday, wtth 237 lots set to go under the hammer at Riverside Stables.