THE $NZ10,000 yearling purchase by agent Paul Willetts at the recent New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sales at Karaka now looks a cheap buy following the win of the youngster’s full-sister, Frolic, easy winner of the $250,000 Inglis Classic race at Randwick last week.
Ridden by Tommy Berry, Frolic easily swept past the favourite and second placegetter Sweet Deal in the straight to win by one and a quarter lengths.
The race is rstricted to graduates of last year’s Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, with Frolic being a $100,000 yearling knocked down to Blue Sky Bloodstock. The juvenile is raced by the Kelly family of Suffolk Vale near Boorowa, and Tom Kelly was trackside to receive the trophy.
Frolic brings a new feature win to the sire record of Argentinean bred Husson, a prolific winner-getting sire who stands at Vinery Stud, Scone.
It was a filly trifecta in the Inglis Classic, with second finisher Sweet Deal being by another Vinery Stud based sire Casino Prince, while third was the Kris Lees-trained Lets Get Nauti Gal, an Australian-bred first crop daughter of Harbour Watch.
On the same program, the much celebrated TAB Highway Handicap, reversed for country-trained gallopers, was won by Bills A Goodie, prepared by Darryl Roberts at Fairhall Park near East Maitland.
It was a big win for the Roberts family, as Darryl’s son Blane was the strapper, and the gelding being a home-bred horse. It was the third win (and three placings) from 11 starts for Bills A Goodie, who is by US-bred sire Ad Valorem, who stands at Jock Mackay’s Dungog property, Cangon.
Meanwhile Inglis posted its best results on record for its recent Classic Yearling Sale which with the Randwick-based auctioneers revealing that 47 vendors finished the sale with a 100 per cent clearance rate.
The average rose a massive 25pc in average to $71,593, for the 498 yearlings sold with an 88pc clearance, for a $35.65 million gross.
The leading stallion by average was Vinery Stud’s US-bred champion More Than Ready (for three or more) at $176,667, and 27 youngsters by Yarraman Park’s star sire I Am Invincible sold for the leading sire by aggregate at a total of just over $4m.
While yearlings fetching $100,000 or more is nothing new at this sale, this year 106 youngsters made the $100,000 mark.
Former brilliant two-year-old galloper by ill-fated Northern Meteor, Fighting Sun was among the popular first season sire list. Standing at Sun Stud, Kerrie, in Victoria, Fighting Sun had four of his youngsters sell for a $92,500 average.
Arrowfield Stud’s Dundeel had seven youngsters average $83,214; Coolmore’s US-bred Declaration Of War also had seven yearlings averaging $66,571; and Godolphin’s Epaulette had 24 yearlings sell for an average $65,438, including a filly for $170,000.
Huge crows turns out for Winx and Hugh Bowman
IT is amazing what one horse can do. I was among a meagre crowd that was trackside at Randwick last Monday week prior to race one, for the postponed meet from the previous sweltering Saturday.
The meeting contained highlights including Frolic impressively taking the Inglis Classic, and Bills A Goodie winning the country feature for a small country trainer, but by late afternoon there was no doubt who the crowd came to see.
Cleverly, the Australian Turf Club officials put the Apollo Stakes-G2 back to late afternoon giving some enthusiasts a chance to get to the track to witness mighty mare Winx in action.
The crowd swelled noticeably around the Theatre Of The Horse when the current world pin-up horse stepped into the pre-post walking ring. By deceased former shuttle sire Street Cry, Winx raced away from her rivals to notch up her 14th straight victory and appears she will continue on her winning ways. Winx to date has had 24 starts for 18 wins and three seconds and almost $9.5 million.
