Star mare In Her Time joins Inglis’ Chairman’s Sale catalogue
Riverside Stables beckons for dual Group 1 winner following tussle between auction powerhouses
The battle between Inglis and Magic Millions to attract high-profile breeding stock and race-fillies to their respective broodmare sales has taken another twist with dual Group 1 winner In Her Time (Time Thief) the latest star attraction announced for Inglis’ The Chairman’s Sale in May.
Inglis has stepped up their efforts to attract the best fillies and mares through their sales ring, offering up a legitimate competitor to the traditional gold standard of broodmare sales, the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale. The addition of In Her Time to the catalogue ensures even more interest in this year’s The Chairman’s Sale.
“It’s a great feather in our cap to be able to offer a mare of such high quality,” said Sebastian Hutch, Inglis general manager for bloodstock sales and marketing. “It’s a very competitive area of the market in trying to secure these types of mares, it’s not easy, and we’re delighted that In Her Time will return to an Inglis sales ring after all these years.
“She’s a mare that we’ve admired for a long time and it’s not just us, either; she’s won the respect of the racing and breeding population in Australia. She’s been a high-class filly and mare over many seasons, she’s a multiple Group 1 winner and, really, sprinting racemares don’t come much better than her.”
Bred by Peter Brown, In Her Time was offered for sale at the 2014 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale but only reached $38,000 on a reserve of $40,000. She has since earned more than $3.7 million in prize-money and has six stakes wins to her name, including two Group 1 triumphs in The Galaxy (1100m) and the Lightning Stakes (1000m).
In Her Time’s career represents a prime example of improvement upon preparation, having gone to a new level at each campaign. Trained at first by Ben Smith before joining Kris Lees in September 2018, the mare is now renowned as one of Australia’s most consistent sprinters, finding her way into the finish of a Group 1 at every campaign since the winter of 2017.
Orbis Bloodstock joined the ownership group in May last year, just before In Her Time was announced as the Inglis representative for the third running of The Everest (1200m). She finished ninth behind Yes Yes Yes (Rubick), having finished seventh to Redzel (Snitzel) the year before when representing Tabcorp, and will race in their colours when she aims to add a second Galaxy to the mantelpiece on March 21.
“She’s a world-class sprinter and she’s proven that by competing against and defeating some of the highest-rated sprinters on the planet the past two to three years,’’ Orbis’ Paul King said.
“We took her to Hong Kong late last year and were confident that she was ready to produce a career best, but unfortunately she had to be withdrawn the day before due to a minor setback, from which she has made a full recovery and proved that with a brilliant trial earlier this week.
“Races like The Galaxy, the TJ Smith and the Robert Sangster in Adelaide are on the agenda for the autumn all going well, while there are plenty of races for her in Brisbane subsequent to the sale date.’’
Brown, who has had a long-held association with In Her Time’s family through his partnership with the late Denise and John Cobcroft, added: “She is a marvellous mare and as good as any sprinter in the country at her best, as her form shows.
“She is the best runner from a family that has been producing quality speed horses for generations and the pedigree seems to get better every year, as seen with her close relative Yes Yes Yes coming into the page this year.’’
In Her Time will be joining a stellar list of breeding prospects already announced for The Chairman’s Sale, including Australian Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Unforgotten (Fastnet Rock), Shannon Stakes (Gr 2, 1500m) victor Noire (Foxwedge), Group 1-placed pair Arabian Gold (Dubawi) and Volks Lightning (Volksraad) and six-time stakes winner Celebrity Dream (Thorn Park), in foal to US Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy).
“We’ve been relatively guarded so far, but I can say that – at the moment – the nature of our commitments is terrific, I’d almost go so far as to say overwhelming,” Hutch said. “As always, when you take on stock of this quality, there is a degree of pressure. However, we learnt a lot in 2019 and I think we can only improve again in 2020.
“The Chairman’s Sale in 2019 gave us a chance to demonstrate that we were capable of putting together a market for elite breeding stock. We were able to sell three of the top four mares in Australia last year, as well as the most expensive pregnant mare in Maastricht, so I think we demonstrated to our stakeholders that we can offer some real quality and provide exemplary service, too.”
Last year’s top lot, Maastricht (Mastercraftsman), was sold for $2.25 million to Coolmore and James Bester Bloodstock. Her daughter, Loving Gaby (I Am Invincible), has since added a Group 1 win to her resume in the Manikato Stakes (1200m) and she will be aiming for further success in today’s Newmarket Handicap (Gr 1, 1200m).
Other mares to sell for seven figures last year included Group 1 winners Srikandi (Dubawi) for $2 million to Tom Magnier, Norzita (Thorn Park) for $1.7 million to Freyer Bloodstock and Aloisia (Azamour) for $1.2 million to Hilldene Farm and Peter Ford Thoroughbreds.