The Blue Riband concept has been an immediate success at the Inglis Melbourne Premier yearling sale.
Inaugurated last year, the Blue Riband session is dedicated to yearlings whose pedigree and conformation suggests they should excel over Classic and Cup distances.
On Monday, the 38 lots averaged $135,000 which was an 18.4% increase on last year’s figures.
Woodside Park sold the top two lots led by an Encosta De Lago – Special Episode colt that made $360,000 to the bid of the Penang Turf Club. He is from a winning Redoute’s Choice daughter of G1 SAJC Australian Oaks winner Episode.
Next best was the Woodside colt by Fastnet Rock from True Seduction (Bellotto). He was sold for $310,000 to Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock acting on behalf of trainer Peter Morgan.
“We are delighted with the Blue Riband results,” Woodside’s Gerard Jones told ANZ Bloodstock. “We were quietly confident because we knew we had some cracking colts. The Encosta De Lago colt was a very attractive horse that everyone fell in love with as soon as he came out if box.
“We knew we had the right people on him when he went in the ring and he made what a colt of his quality deserves to make in the current market.
“The Fastnet Rock colt was also extremely popular during inspections, he has every quality you want to see in a good Fastnet and was deserving of his high price tag. The Blue Riband session is a great innovation from Inglis, it’s an added incentive to sell our yearlings in Melbourne.”
Buyers from Macau, New Zealand, South Africa, Malaysia, Singapore, China and all across Australia purchased one or more Blue Riband yearlings.
The top-priced 2013 Blue Riband graduate has been named The Spitfire. He realised $340,000 and is trained by David Hayes for a syndicate that includes Rupert Legh.
The Spitfire (2c Fastnet Rock – Arborea by Imperial Prince) finished midfield on debut in the LR Talindert Stakes at Flemington last month. He holds a Group 1 nomination for the ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes at Randwick in April.
BLUE RIBAND LEADER
Encosta de Lago colt from Woodside Park made $360,000 at the Melbourne Premier Sale