Another Inglis Classic Yearling Sale has come to a close and it has been a particularly productive one for the combination of McEvoy Mitchell Racing and Belmont Bloodstock (FBAA), who purchased nine yearlings for a total spend of $1.96 million. Their average spend ($218,056) doesn’t lag far behind their Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale average, where the partnership took home 12 lots that averaged at $261,667.
“We certainly didn't plan on spending $2 million,” said Calvin McEvoy, who trains in partnership with father Tony. “But it's a sale we've got confidence in because we've had success out of it.”
“I thought they had a lot of good quality horses on offer (this year),” said Damon Gabbedy, managing director of Belmont Bloodstock. “I think the sale has held up remarkably well. You go into the sales ring and they're still hard to buy even when the market's off a bit!”
The Classic sale has been a popular hunting ground for the father-son duo for several years, and has turned out several of their stable stars, including G1 George Ryder Stakes winner Veight (Grunt {NZ}), G1 South Australian Derby victress Coco Sun (The Autumn Sun), and exciting multiple Group-placed Rue De Royale (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}).
Tony and Calvin McEvoy | Image courtesy of Inglis
“We're confident in the catalogue and the fact that you can get a very nice racehorse there,” McEvoy said. “We were pleased with the horses that were presented to the sale. We did all the work between Tony, myself, and Damon Gabbedy, we looked at about 800 horses and singled it right down.
“Then we put a value on those particular horses and we thought we were pretty disciplined. We were so happy with what we've come home with.”
Not shy to invest in young sires
The McEvoy team bought a mix of yearlings by different stallions, with five being by first or second season sires. From the Sledmere draft, they purchased Lot 329, a strapping colt by Kia Ora Stud’s Prague, and Lot 566, a racy filly by Newgate Farm’s Stay Inside, whose first yearlings have been well received across the sales circuit so far.
“They were just lovely running horses, and well put together,” McEvoy said of the pair. “Royston and Treen (Murphy) do an excellent job.”
McEvoy is not afraid of taking a punt on a young sire, providing the horse otherwise ticks all the same boxes; the team has had significant success in the past with first crop foals.
Gallery: The lots that were purchased by McEvoy Mitchell Racing Team, images courtesy of Inglis
“We've had a fair bit of luck with first season sires,” he continued. “It's quite funny looking back at the first season sires that we've managed to produce their first stakes winners.”
It is an illustrious list of first crop foals that the McEvoys have steered to stakes glory over the past few years, led by Sunlight (Zoustar), who delivered Zoustar his first piece of blacktype as a sire when winning the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic in 2018, at the start of a career that would amass three Group 1 victories. Veight was another, winning the 2023 G2 Sires’ Produce Stakes for the McEvoys at his second start and catapulting Grunt (NZ) into the spotlight.
Stable stars Coco Sun and Arabian Summer (Too Darn Hot {GB}) were both early stakes performers for their sires, and Dublin Down’s (Exceedance) G3 Pago Pago Stakes win was the first blacktype success for Exceedance, amongst others.
Calvin McEvvoy and Damon Gabbedy | Image courtesy of Inglis
“So we're not shy to invest in a first season sire,” McEvoy said. “Obviously the type is most important, but we're not scared to have a go.”
“You have got to look at all the first season sires and treat them on a level playing field because any one of them could be good,” Gabbedy said. “Obviously we bought a few by proven ones as well, because you have to have your stable balance.”
“So we're not shy to invest in a first season sire, obviously the type is most important, but we're not scared to have a go.” - Calvin McEvoy
To Gabbedy, the science of selection is “a bit of a jigsaw puzzle”.
“You are trying to put all the pieces together,” he said. Lot 513, a daughter of Coolmore’s Home Affairs out of dual Group 3 winner Pedrena (Mossman) which the team took home for $200,000, is emblematic of the team’s process. “You've got the first season sire balanced out with the talented racemare. That's where you're putting the jigsaw puzzle together. We're paying a bit of attention to these kinds of mares.”
The team also paid the top price for progeny of Newgate’s North Pacific at the sale, when securing Lot 709 for $250,000 from the Cannon Hayes Stud draft.
“You've got the first season sire balanced out with the talented racemare. That's where you're putting the jigsaw puzzle together.” - Damon Gabbedy
Incredible things from incredible sires
The most the team outlaid at the Classic sale was for Lot 183, a second season son of Wootton Bassett (GB), who cost $400,000 to secure from Willow Park Stud’s draft. It was also the top price paid for offspring of the successful shuttler across the sale.
“He's doing incredible things, isn't he?,” McEvoy said of Wootton Bassett. “They're very hard to buy and this particular colt, I thought he was the colt of the sale. We had to be strong to buy him, but he could have showed up at any of the premium sales in Australia and made a lot of money.
“The yearlings (have) all arrived back to Ballarat and I got to look at him this morning in the stable before they head off to the breakers, and that Wootton Bassett colt is all quality.”
Gallery: The lots that were purchased by McEvoy and Belmont Bloodstock team, images courtesy of Inglis
Established sires made up the rest of their purchases, and the McEvoy and Belmont Bloodstock team shelled out $360,000 to secure Lot 114, a daughter of I Am Invincible offered by the stallion’s home of Yarraman Park. The filly is a full sister to I Choose You, who has placed at Group level three times for Te Akau Racing.
“(These stallions) just keep turning out good horses year after year, don't they?,” McEvoy said. “I Am Invincible fillies, they're very hard to buy and she was the only one at this sale. We really liked her, she is a sharp running filly. I thought she was good value in that sale for what she was.”
The Autumn Sun | Standing at Arrowfield Stud
Gabbedy was most taken by Lot 144, a filly by The Autumn Sun out of the well-related Dawned (NZ) (One Cool Cat {USA}), who has already produced the G2 Guy Walter Stakes winner Dawn Dawn (All Too Hard).
“I really was excited by the filly by The Autumn Sun, he's doing a sensational job with his fillies and we had great success with Coco Sun,” he said. “I thought she was really fantastic. She was just such a loose, athletic, relaxed walker, and she's got a bit of residual value already.
“I thought she was a ripper. We have bought her off a great farm in Arrowfield Stud, and it's always good to buy off of proven breeders.”
“She was just such a loose, athletic, relaxed walker, and she's got a bit of residual value already. I thought she was a ripper.” - Damon Gabbedy
Exciting prospects on the track
The McEvoy stable has two juveniles running this weekend, with hopes being pinned on the exciting filly Hiatus (Snitzel) to perform in the Listed Talindert Stakes. Already a winner at her first and only start, Hiatus has a deep pedigree that has had significant updates since her purchase at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $350,000 just over 12 months ago. At that point in time, she was the fifth foal from Albanilla (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), who had had only one winner on the track from four foals of racing age.
Hiatus as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
While Albanilla comes from a good family - that features European Champion 3YO Stayer Elder Eldarov (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and four-time Group 1 winner Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}) - her offspring did not really get rolling until last year, particularly when Hiatus’s full sister Snitzanova (Snitzel) burst on the scene in the spring. Untrialled before September, Snitznova strung three wins together over the spring carnival, culminating in a gritty win in the G2 Sandown Guineas.
“She's (Hiatus) had a big pedigree increase,” McEvoy is appreciative of the residual value in his stable. “She's a winner at her only start and we're obviously chasing blacktype for her owners, who are Wayne Mitchell and Arrowfield Stud’s John Messara. If she can get some blacktype of her own, she's an extremely valuable filly.”
“She's (Hiatus) had a big pedigree increase. She's a winner at her only start and we're obviously chasing blacktype for her owners. If she can get some blacktype of her own, she's an extremely valuable filly.” - Calvin McEvoy
“We're thrilled to bits with that pedigree upgrade,” Gabbedy said. “One thing that attracted us to her was, besides being by a proven stallion, being out of a Galileo mare. They're unbelievably good. The owner's thrilled to bits. You've got your insurance policy there.”
Hiatus was a convincing winner of a $65,000 contest over 900 metres back in October, and was put away to mature. Her two public jump-outs last month leading in to Saturday has given McEvoy confidence.
“She's been going well,” he said. “We decided to put a set of blinkers on her. It’s obviously an important task, and we just felt that she will concentrate a little bit better with a set of blinkers on, but she's been going nicely at home.”
“It would be good if she could sneak into the placings,” Gabbedy added. “Or win, better still.”
Sunlit Serenade as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Right on Hiatus’s heels in her most recent trial was the McEvoys’ other juvenile chance for the weekend; Sunlit Serenade (The Autumn Sun) will head to Bendigo for her first start, where she is nominated for a maiden event over 1300 metres.
“She's a quality filly by The Autumn Sun, and everything about her says that she's going to be much better next time in, but she's handled all of her preparation with a lot of ease and looks like an extremely nice filly,” McEvoy said. “So we would expect her to be very hard to beat and she may be more of Sires’ type of filly.”
Sunlit Serenade was a graduate of last year’s Classic sale, where the McEvoys and Belmont Bloodstock secured her for $110,000 from Sullivan Bloodstock’s draft. She was one of six yearlings the partnership purchased for a total spend of $790,000. They patronised four first season sires among that six, securing fillies by North Pacific and Kitchwin Hills’ Graff, and colts by Widden Stud’s Anders and Doubtland.
“She's (Sunlit Serenade) a quality filly by The Autumn Sun, and everything about her says that she's going to be much better next time in.” - Calvin McEvoy
“We're going to this race more for the distance,” McEvoy said. “I think the 1300 metres is exactly what she wants.”
Currently McEvoy doubts the stable will have a runner for the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes - Hiatus is nominated for both that and the G1 Golden Slipper Stakes - but isn’t closing the door on the race entirely. Should the well related filly win the Talindert, it might just come round a little quick.
