Cover image courtesy of Inglis
At A Glance
The average rose on Day 1 last year to $144,189 from $138,500 after Day 1 in 2020.
The daily aggregate surged to $27.8 million, a new daily record and well clear of the $23.3 million spent at the close of the opening day last year.
The median was slightly down at $110,000 compared to $120,000 on the opening day in 2020.
The clearance rate was 83 per cent, compared to 75 per cent last year.
Harron saw off stern competition from Coolmore for Lot 70, the Written Tycoon colt from the draft of Blue Gum Farm, to pay $1.1 million, the second highest price in the history of the Sale.
Matt Laurie spent $2.02 million across four yearlings in partnership with Bahen Bloodstock, including $700,000 for a colt by Shalaa.
Ciaron Maher Racing was the day's most prolific spender, acquiring 10 horses for a total of $2.16 million.
Blue Gum delight as Harron goes to $1.1 million
In 40 years of offering horses at Melbourne, Blue Gum Farm has achieved nearly everything a vendor could hope for, but until Sunday, it hadn't sold a million-dollar lot.
That all changed when James Harron saw off his rivals, including Coolmore and Ciaron Maher, to secure the much-desired Lot 70, the colt by Written Tycoon out of multiple Listed winner Gybe (Fastnet Rock), for $1.1 million.
In terms of the Premier Sale, that price was second only to the $1.4 million paid for Octane (I Am Invincible) at the 2017 edition, while it broke all records for Blue Gum, whose principal Philip Campbell was quite emotional after the result, especially for the colt's breeders, Robert and Sylvie Crabtree of Dorrington Farm.
Gallery: The Blue Gum Farm team celebrate their $1 million sale
"He's obviously the highest-priced yearling we have ever sold and we have been lucky enough to sell some high-priced ones over the years. We knew he was popular and I’d hate to think of how many inspections he has had. He has weathered the storm unbelievably well," Campbell said.
"The horse has got a constitution and that's going to stand him in great stead as a racehorse. He has got a page which hopefully beyond his racing days, will stand in in great stead as a stallion. James bought Capitalist, took him through the ranks, and have a look at what he is doing at stud."
Gybe has produced two winners already and is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Anabandana (Anabaa {USA}). Campbell said the Written Tycoon yearling colt had always stood out.
"He just had a quality look. He was correct, his x-rays were good and his scope was good. He was a very correct horse, but he just had quality. For me, these people have got to see yearlings come out of the box and fill their eye. That's what this bloke did, and not just for one person, he filled the eye of many. He had the physical prowess, he has got the page, he was by the right stallion at the right time and he was just the perfect storm," he said.
Lot 70 - Written Tycoon x Gybe (colt) | Image courtesy of Inglis
The colt will remain in Victoria and go to the stables of Anthony and Sam Freedman, with Harron saying that the price was what he expected to pay for a yearling of that quality.
“I thought he was a million-dollar horse from what we’ve seen so far this year. I thought he was going to command a lot of attention. It is very difficult to breed that kind of horse," he said.
“He is a top, top-quality colt, bred by one of the best breeders here in Victoria in Rob Crabtree. He is a very, very nice colt and he handled the Sale nicely.
“Obviously, his mother Gybe was very good. I remember her racing and winning a Gimcrack and she was very talented and this guy is by Written Tycoon who is doing an amazing job and now with Capitalist at stud he looks like being a real sire of sires.
"He has to do it on the track, obviously, but he is a beautiful individual. He was a very late October foal, so there’s still a bit of development and improving to do. He is a very classy colt and he would have stacked up very well at any sale this year in my opinion and I’m glad to get him."
James Harron | Image courtesy of Inglis
Shortly before, Harron also spent $340,000 on Lot 63 a colt by Capitalist out of Grand Gesture (Starspangledbanner) offered by Northmore Thoroughbreds. The dam is a half-sister to the dam of last season's champion New Zealand 2-year-old Cool Aza Beel (NZ) (Savabeel).
“We’ve got a few Capitalists and he is obviously doing an incredible job at stud and I think everybody’s quite excited about him. He’s got some of the best colts in the country competing against the whole stallion pool," Harron said.
“He was very forward, very strong and he had a really good mind on him.”
Local trainers dominate buyers' bench
While he spent $1.44 million across the two colts, Harron was not the day's leading spender, with the Victorian trainers to the fore, headed by Ciaron Maher Racing and Matt Laurie.
Laurie recently got his second career Group 1 when Portland Sky (Deep Field) dead-heated in the G1 Oakleigh Plate, and he stepped up with four purchases on Sunday totalling over $2 million.
His biggest purchase was Lot 226, a colt by Arrowfield shuttle stallion Shalaa (Ire), offered by Yulong and purchased for $700,000.
The colt is the first foal out of Miss Daisy (Commands), who hails from the family of Listen Here (Elusive Quality {USA}), the dam of Shooting To Win and Deep Field.
Lot 226 - Shalaa (Ire) x Miss Daisy (colt) | Image courtesy of Inglis
"It was hard to find a fault with him. He was a wonderful looking colt. Obviously, Shalaa is going really well. I'm all about type and he fitted everything, I'm just pleased to have got him," Laurie said.
"He just confirmed what we saw of him on the farm on the sales complex. He has a wonderful temperament and is just a faultless specimen. Physically he was just a great type. He's everything I look for.
"He is the style of horse that is just going to continue to furnish and progress. We've got a handful of Shalaas at home that we really like, and we are looking forward to getting them to the track, but I thought this was a special, special colt."
"He is the style of horse that is just going to continue to furnish and progress." - Matt Laurie
Yulong Chief Operating Officer Sam Fairgray said the colt had been very popular and he was rapt with the result and who was able to buy him.
"We’re really pleased for him to go in the ring and be sold to one of Victoria’s leading young trainers in Matt Laurie,” Fairgray said.
“Matt has some horses for us and he does a fantastic job with his attention to detail, and so forth, so it is great that a colt like this is going into his stable.
“Heading into the Sale, we probably thought he was high $200,000s, but we knew as the parade days went on there was lots of talk that he was one of the better colts here."
Unsurprisingly one of Deep Field's progeny also took Laurie's eye and he and Bahen Bloodstock paid $440,000 for one of his fillies, Lot 90, a pinhook for Suman Hedge, offered by Silverdale Farm.
"She was just an outstanding looking horse. She was a nice size, beautifully-balanced and everything about her really stood out. Obviously, we have had some nice Deep Fields through the stable and we really wanted her," he said.
The filly was out of Iceland Turf Belle (Duporth), the half-sister to Listed winner Vinland (Sebring) out of stakes-placed Viking Turf Belle (Elusive Quality {USA}). Laurie said the filly may require a bit of time.
"With the Deep Fields, they show enough as 2-year-olds, but I've found they can't cop the work fully to race as 2-year-olds. They are better as 3-year-olds. We will just treat her as such and there will be no rush or pressure on her. She'll tell us," he said.
Laurie also spent $460,000 on Lot 73, a colt by Lonhro out of Hanging' Tough (Exceed And Excel), the three-quarter sister to Group 1 winner Helmet, who was offered by Merricks Station, while he parted with $420,000 for a filly by Frosted (USA), offered by Springmount.
Lot 73 - Lonhro x Hanging' Tough (colt) | Image courtesy of Inglis
Inglis takes many positives out of opening day
Inglis General Manager Bloodstock Sales and Marketing, Sebastian Hutch said it was a very positive sign to see the likes of Laurie heavily involved in the Sale.
"Victorians get here and support the Sale with real enthusiasm which is conducive to a good set of outcomes," he said.
"It’s nice to see a guy like Matt Laurie who we all recognise as someone who will take a prominent rank in the leading trainers in this country for a long time, getting the support that a trainer like him deserves.
"He deserves to be training top-class horses and he has bought top-class yearlings today. I don’t suppose any of us will be surprised if we are feting the stock he has bought today as top-class race horses in the next 12 or 24 months."
"He (Matt Laurie) deserves to be training top-class horses and he has bought top-class yearlings today." - Sebastian Hutch
Hutch said the tone of the opening day was extremely positive, reflecting the pre-Sale expectation.
"Simon (Vivian - Victorian Bloodstock Manager) was particularly bullish about the quality of the stock in the catalogue he had seen. He, Will Stott and Mark Dodemaide had seen a lot of stock during the spring. We also knew that there were some nice horses to come from interstate," Hutch said.
"The enthusiasm for the horses has been really fantastic and it was an enjoyable day. It took a bit of time for the Sale to find its rhythm, but as the day progressed it seemed to get stronger and stronger. The appetite for nice horses that vetted well and were without fault was almost insatiable. It’s reasonable to think it should continue tomorrow."
Maher buys 10
Ciaron Maher Racing was the busiest buyer on the day with 10 purchases totalling $2.16 million.
His highest-priced purchase for the day was Lot 118, a colt by Written Tycoon out of La Haraka (Wicked Style {USA}), for $480,000 from Springmount.
The colt boasts an excellent page, with his dam a half-sister to stakes winner Nina Haraka (Fraar {USA}), who is the dam of stakes winner Extension Of Time (Dash For Cash). Group 1 winner Snitzerland (Snitzel) and Kitchwin Hills stallion Sooboog also features on the page.
Lot 118 - Written Tycoon x La Haraka (colt) | Image courtesy of Inglis
"I reckon we stole him actually. He is a ripper colt with a big pedigree. Written Tycoon is obviously flying and has our best 2-year-old in Enthaar. He's the horse you would buy to be a stallion of the future," Maher said.
"He has got the pedigree, he's got the physical strength and he's got the temperament. He ticked all the boxes for us. Temperament is something that can hold a 2-year-old back, as well as his physical attributes. Hopefully we can see him lining up in a Slipper as well."
Another Humma for McArdle
The highest-priced filly of the day was Lot 87, the Zoustar half-sister to stakes-winning fillies Tycoon Humma (Capitalist) and Humma Humma (Denman), offered by Flinders Park Stud.
It was no surprise, given John McArdle trains both of those fillies that it was the Mornington-based trainer's hand up when the hammer fell on Lot 87.
It was a great result for Flinders Park Stud, which has sold the progeny of Humma Mumma (Bel Esprit) to McArdle's Redgum Racing for $120,000, $80,000, $100,000 and $240,000 in the past four Premier Sales.
"John had seen the filly multiple times when the horse was at the weanling stage. I'm not sure whether he looked at all of them to be polite, because he certainly looks to target one family," Flinders Park Stud Manager, Michael Cumming, said.
"He (John McArdle) pretty much told me a couple of days ago that she (Lot 87) is going home with him." - Michael Cumming
"He pretty much told me a couple of days ago that she is going home with him. I said to him, you are going to have a bit of competition this time, Johnny, and he spent $240,000 on Tycoon Humma, and this one is the next level. He still wasn't fazed by what I said to him."
Lot 87 - Zoustar x Humma Mumma (filly) | Image courtesy of Inglis
Cumming said the increased value of the filly when compared to her sibling was not just a reflection of the increasing strength of the pedigree page of the family.
"She was more athletic, and with the same attitude as the mare. They can be pretty fiery when they race, they just love to race. That's what comes through them. She gives them a fair bit of attitude," he said.
"It was great, she was always very popular and she was out pretty much all day, every day. I knew she would make some money. She had a reasonably hefty reserve, but it was great where it ended up.
"For our farm, we are a petite farm, who do eight per year, we get plenty of winners, but to get a result like that, for the breeders especially, Darren and Brian Coyle, it was terrific."
Blue Gum Farm ended the day as the leading vendor on aggregate, at $3.04 million across 13 sales, while the leading vendor on average went to Glentree, who secured $990,000 for three yearlings.
Written Tycoon, who had six yearlings sell for an average of $405,000 and a total of $2.43 million he was the dominant stallion the opening day.
Top lots
| 70 | Written Tycoon | Gybe | Colt | Blue Gum Farm, Euroa | James Harron Bloodstock Pty Ltd NSW | $1,100,000 |
| 226 | Shalaa | Our Daisy | Colt | Yulong, Nagambie | Bahen Bloodstock Ltd / Matt Laurie Racing VIC | $700,000 |
| 87 | Zoustar | Humma Mumma | Filly | Flinders Park Stud, Flinders | Redgum Racing Pty Ltd VIC | $600,000 |
| 118 | Written Tycoon | La Haraka | Colt | Springmount, Romsey | Ciaron Maher Bloodstock VIC | $480,000 |
| 73 | Lonhro | Hangin' Tough | Colt | Merricks Station, Merricks | Bahen Bloodstock Ltd / Matt Laurie Racing VIC | $460,000 |
| 196 | Exceed And Excel | Mooinooi | Colt | Glentree Thoroughbreds, Modewarre | Adrian Bott & Gai Waterhouse Racing / Kestrel Thoroughbreds / Mt Hallowell Stud NSW | $460,000 |
| 259 | I Am Invincible | Provocative | Colt | Three Bridges Thoroughbreds, Eddington | O'Brien Thoroughbreds (Aust) Pty Ltd VIC | $450,000 |
| 90 | Deep Field | Iceland Turf Belle | Filly | Silverdale Farm, Avoca, NSW | Bahen Bloodstock Ltd / Matt Laurie Racing VIC | $440,000 |
| 190 | Frosted | Miss Steele | Filly | Springmount, Romsey | Bahen Bloodstock Ltd / Matt Laurie Racing VIC | $420,000 |
| 63 | Capitalist | Grand Gesture | Colt | Northmore Thoroughbreds, Murchison | James Harron Bloodstock Pty Ltd NSW | $340,000 |
Top buyers
| Ciaron Maher Bloodstock | VIC | 10 | $2,160,000 | $216,000 | $480,000 |
| Bahen Bloodstock Ltd / Matt Laurie Racing | VIC | 4 | $2,020,000 | $505,000 | $700,000 |
| James Harron Bloodstock Pty Ltd | NSW | 2 | $1,440,000 | $720,000 | $1,100,000 |
| Griffiths de Kock Racing / Peter Ford T'Breds / Heywood Bloodstock | VIC | 6 | $920,000 | $153,333 | $260,000 |
| McDonald Racing | VIC | 6 | $815,000 | $135,833 | $180,000 |
| O'Brien Thoroughbreds (Aust) Pty Ltd | VIC | 3 | $790,000 | $263,333 | $450,000 |
| Laming Racing | VIC | 4 | $600,000 | $150,000 | $260,000 |
| Redgum Racing Pty Ltd | VIC | 1 | $600,000 | $600,000 | $600,000 |
| Lindsay Park Racing | VIC | 4 | $590,000 | $147,500 | $200,000 |
| Astute Bloodstock / Ciaron Maher Racing | VIC | 2 | $530,000 | $265,000 | $320,000 |
Top vendors by aggregate
| Blue Gum Farm, Euroa | 13 | $3,040,000 | $233,846 | $1,100,000 |
| Maluka Thoroughbreds, Avenel | 12 | $1,347,000 | $112,250 | $240,000 |
| Springmount, Romsey | 6 | $1,265,000 | $210,833 | $480,000 |
| Yulong, Nagambie | 5 | $1,260,000 | $252,000 | $700,000 |
| Three Bridges Thoroughbreds, Eddington | 5 | $1,205,000 | $241,000 | $450,000 |
| Milburn Creek, Wildes Meadow, NSW | 5 | $1,110,000 | $222,000 | $300,000 |
| Glentree Thoroughbreds, Modewarre | 3 | $990,000 | $330,000 | $460,000 |
| Merricks Station, Merricks | 4 | $890,000 | $222,500 | $460,000 |
| Sledmere Stud, Scone, NSW | 8 | $845,000 | $105,625 | $170,000 |
| Yarraman Park Stud, Scone, NSW | 5 | $800,000 | $160,000 | $260,000 |
Top vendors by average (three or more sold)
| Glentree Thoroughbreds, Modewarre | 3 | $330,000 | $990,000 | $460,000 |
| Yulong, Nagambie | 5 | $252,000 | $1,260,000 | $700,000 |
| Three Bridges Thoroughbreds, Eddington | 5 | $241,000 | $1,205,000 | $450,000 |
| Blue Gum Farm, Euroa | 13 | $233,846 | $3,040,000 | $1,100,000 |
| Merricks Station, Merricks | 4 | $222,500 | $890,000 | $460,000 |
| Milburn Creek, Wildes Meadow, NSW | 5 | $222,000 | $1,110,000 | $300,000 |
| Springmount, Romsey | 6 | $210,833 | $1,265,000 | $480,000 |
| Mill Park Stud, Meningie, SA | 3 | $196,667 | $590,000 | $240,000 |
| Silverdale Farm, Avoca, NSW | 4 | $186,250 | $745,000 | $440,000 |
| Shadow Hill Thoroughbreds, Avenel | 4 | $162,500 | $650,000 | $240,000 |
Top sires by aggregate
| Written Tycoon | 6 | $2,430,000 | $405,000 | $1,100,000 |
| So You Think | 9 | $1,515,000 | $168,333 | $260,000 |
| Lonhro | 6 | $1,310,000 | $218,333 | $460,000 |
| Shalaa | 4 | $1,230,000 | $307,500 | $700,000 |
| Russian Revolution | 9 | $1,055,000 | $117,222 | $180,000 |
| Magnus | 6 | $1,050,000 | $175,000 | $320,000 |
| Zoustar | 4 | $1,020,000 | $255,000 | $600,000 |
| Deep Field | 5 | $1,010,000 | $202,000 | $440,000 |
| Impending | 9 | $1,007,000 | $111,889 | $240,000 |
| Capitalist | 5 | $975,000 | $195,000 | $340,000 |
Top sires by average (three or more sold)
| Written Tycoon | 6 | $405,000 | $2,430,000 | $1,100,000 |
| Shalaa | 4 | $307,500 | $1,230,000 | $700,000 |
| I Am Invincible | 3 | $258,333 | $775,000 | $450,000 |
| Zoustar | 4 | $255,000 | $1,020,000 | $600,000 |
| Lonhro | 6 | $218,333 | $1,310,000 | $460,000 |
| Frosted | 3 | $213,333 | $640,000 | $420,000 |
| Deep Field | 5 | $202,000 | $1,010,000 | $440,000 |
| Capitalist | 5 | $195,000 | $975,000 | $340,000 |
| Magnus | 6 | $175,000 | $1,050,000 | $320,000 |
| So You Think | 9 | $168,333 | $1,515,000 | $260,000 |
