Spring is one of the most exciting times on the racing calendar with the build up to key meetings such as the Melbourne Cup carnival and the ever-growing Everest raceday. This year that same energy is also being felt away from the track.
Just two days before the best sprinters in the land line up in the Group 1 Everest, the next crop of two-year-olds go through the ring at the Inglis Ready2Race sale. It is fast becoming one of the must attend sales in the country with last season’s Group 1 JJ Atkins winner Tron Bolt leading the charge of their top performing graduates.
It’s not just the Inglis Ready2Race sale that has gained traction of the past couple of years, but the entire breeze up market as a whole, from the well-established NZB Ready To Run sale to Magic Millions Horses In Training Sale.
These sales have produced some elite talent in recent years. Along with Tron Bolt, we saw the Hong Kong Derby winner Invincible Ibis star last season after graduating from the NZB’s Ready to Run Sale. We’ve had the consistent Group 1 performers Ceolwulf, Mr Brightside and Gringotts all further enhancing the success from the breeze ups and expect we’ll see more progressive types such as Hard Kick, Welcometotheshow and Clarke Bloodstock’s very own Perfumist and Rachini add to the list.
Colts and geldings tend to draw the most attention from the international buying bench, but there are certainly plenty of quality fillies to still be found in these drafts. I’m fortunate to have two classy fillies stepping out this Spring Carnival that are both progressing remarkably well. Rachini, a graduate of last year’s Inglis Ready2Race Sale, established herself as a top-line two-year-old with an emphatic win at Wyong before running a gallant fourth in the Group 1 Sires Produce Stakes. She’s come back in terrific order for Bjorn Baker and connections and is set to resume this weekend in the Group 2 Furious Stakes.
The other is Perfumist, a filly we purchased with OTI at the 2023 NZB Ready to Run Sale who is also in Bjorn Baker’s stable. The daughter of El Roca holds a metropolitan win over future Group 1 winner Idle Flyer and ran second to the same filly in the Group 3 Angst Stakes last spring. A winner of more than $700,000, she has trialled exceptionally well heading into this Spring Carnival, where she again has some lofty ambitions.
The continued success that these sales are having is gradually being reflected in the sale ring. Average prices have risen steadily across the board over the past few years. At Inglis, from $106,247 in 2023 to $150,583 last year; at Magic Millions, from $60,926 to $72,316; and at NZB, from $150,708 to$152,691.
As the market gravitates towards proven success, it wouldn’t be a surprise to also see the overall quality continue to lift. It’s especially telling when new names are drawn to the format. This year Newgate, one of the country’s leading consignors, will present their first purpose-prepared draft at a breeze up sale. It’s a clear sign of what’s to come when one of the best producers and consignors in the country are enthusiastically stepping into a new market.
A welcome change this year will also be the first time that buyers can pay up eligible two-year-olds for the lucrative Magic Millions Race Series through purchases at the Magic Millions breeze ups. A terrific added incentive on the prizemoney front.
Between The Everest, the Spring Carnival and a continually developing breeze up sphere, it’s shaping up as one of the busier and more interesting stretches of the year on the track and in the ring.
