Confidence high in Ready 2 Race Sale as entries open for October auction
Inglis general manager of bloodstock sales Sebastian Hutch believes the Inglis Ready 2 Race Sale can go from strength to strength as entries open for the two-year-old sale today.
Last year the sale delivered astonishing metrics, with gross figures the highest-ever for a two-year-old sale in Australia at $11,642,000, while the average of $97,017 was also a record and the top lot of $610,000 was the largest sum paid for a two-year-old at an Australian sale in more than a decade.
The results seen at last year’s 226-lot catalogued sale acted as the precursor to phenomenal results at the subsequent yearling, weanling and breeding stock sales in 2021. Yet, despite that making it harder for pinhookers to source stock to trade on at the two-year-old sale, Hutch believes the quality of the prospects on offer will remain high and demand strong.
Prominent consignor Matt Vella, who sold a $550,000 Capitalist (Written Tycoon) gelding last year, has purchased yearlings for up to $100,000 at this year’s yearling sales, including colts by Russian Revolution (Snitzel) and Deep Field (Northern Meteor), while Blake Ryan went to $160,000 for a colt by Pariah (Redoute’s Choice).
“There’s no disputing the fact that the yearling market being so strong has made it more difficult for traders to source stock, but I think the professionals and the huge number of participants involved has meant they have been continuously scouring the market for appropriate stock and no doubt it will accumulate in sufficient numbers of quality horses to target to towards the sale,” said Hutch.
“I think, fundamentally, the demand in the market is driven by a demand for quality stock and I think that’s consistently been the case. The lengths to which people are prepared to go to identify and purchase quality stock appears to know no bounds.”
A notable feature of the 2020 sale was the increased participation of the domestic market, with high-profile buyers such as bloodstock agents James Harron, Guy Mulcaster and Bevan Smith, along with trainers Mick Price, Bjorn Baker, Gerald Ryan and Annabel Neasham, with 61 per cent of the buying bench from a domestic source.
This increase was due, in part, to the barriers to participation of the traditionally strong Asian market, however Hutch sees it as a trait set to continue as the success of the sale becomes ever more apparent.
“We saw it at the Ready 2 Race sale last year where there was incredible domestic participation and I think we are confident that can continue to be the case. There is no reason for that to change,” said Hutch.
“People want to race good horses … graduates of our sale have done exceptionally well in the last 24 months. There are a number of high class two-year-olds out of last year’s sale already, so I think buyers are going to be confident that they are acquiring stock that’s been well managed, well developed and the people that are preparing this stock are performing to extremely high levels.”
Last year’s sale has unearthed juvenile stakes winners Lightsaber (Zoustar) and See You In Spring (Siyouni), while recent graduates include Nettoyer (Sebring) and Hong Kong star Wishful Thinking (I Am Invincible).
The prospect of the increased return of Asian buyers is expected to make the buying bench stronger still and Hutch believes the prospective quality on offer at this year’s sale could unearth yet another star graduate.
“We’re going to have a broad cross section of people involved. It’s a sale we’re absolutely committed to and have put a hell of a lot of work into. And it’s a format that can evolve,” said Hutch.
“We could be talking about another high-class horse emerging from the sale in years to come.”
The auction will take place at Inglis’s Riverside Complex on Tuesday, October 12, with Breeze Ups at Seymour, Eagle Farm, Warwick Farm and Cambridge ahead of the sale.
Entries close on Friday, August 6, at 5pm.
Fri Aug 6 – Inglis Ready2Race entries close
Fri Sept 10 – Vic Breeze Up (Seymour Synthetic)
Tues Sept 14 – Qld Breeze Up (Eagle Farm Dirt)
Fri Sept 17 – NSW Breeze Up (Warwick Farm Synthetic)
Mon Sept 20 – NZ Breeze Up (Cambridge Synthetic)
Fri Oct 8 – Alternate Breeze Up (Warwick Farm Synthetic)
Tues Oct 12 – Inglis Ready2Race Sale, Riverside Stables