Dorrington Farm draft set to headline as entries open for Inglis Weanling Sales Series

Written by Kit Gow

Cover image courtesy of Dorrington Farm

After particularly lucratives editions of the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale and Inglis Great Southern Sale last year, the 2025 Inglis Weanling Sale Series opens for entries tonight. Dorrington Farm have committed their full 2023 crop of weanlings to the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale, which is sure to be of interest to many facets of the market once the catalogue goes to print.

The 2024 edition of the sale reported massive growth year on year, reporting over $28.4 million in turnover between the Australian Weanling Sale and the Inglis Great Southern Sale, a record 24 per cent increase from 2023. Of the 575 lots sold across the two catalogues, 14.6 per cent were sold for over $100,000, giving breeders a gratifying return for their investment, and 49 of that number were purchased from the Australian Weanling Sale.

Chart: Inglis Weanling Sales Series aggregate and average over the last five years. Note that the 2020 Inglis Great Southern Sale was held as part of the Inglis Digital August (Early) Online Auction that year.

Last year’s top lot in that catalogue was an I Am Invincible filly out of Group 3 winner Shoko (Sebring) who realised $575,000 for the Alma Vale Kitchwin Hills partnership, rewarding her breeders with a return of 2.1 times the service fee (calculated excluding GST) in the filly’s year of conception.

The second top lot, a Capitalist son of Knit ‘n’ Purl (More Than Ready {USA}) realised a similar result when selling for $370,000 from Macquarie Stud, providing a return on investment of 5.3 times the original service fee.

The Inglis Great Southern Sale had similar levels of success last year, with a top lot of $575,000 as well - Bell River Thoroughbreds sold a Snitzel son of Members Joy (Hussonet {USA}) to renowned judge Jim Carey, with a return on investment of 2.6 times the service fee. The colt will be presented at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale in April. The Southern sale realised a second lot for over half a million in Rosemont Stud’s daughter of Frankel (GB) out of stateside Group 3 winner Abby Hatcher (Ire) (Acclamation {Ire}).

Table: Return of investment versus service fee (ex GST) for top ten most expensive lots in the 2024 Australian Weanling Sale and Great Southern Sale. Frankel’s fee is shown in AUD, converted from his listed GDP 275,000 fee in 2023.

Great results happen at all levels of the sales series, which has turned out recent graduates such as G1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Hayasugi (Royal Meeting {Ire}), G1 Rupert Clarke Stakes winner Kimochi (Brave Smash {Jpn}), and G1 Manawatu Sires Produce Stakes winner On The Bubbles (Brazen Beau).

The series is popular for pinhooking; one of the highlights to come so far from last year’s series, Riverstone Lodge purchased a Too Darn Hot (GB) filly for $150,000 at the Australian Weanling Sale, and sold her at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in January for a profit of $270,000. Also at the Gold Coast, Willow Park Stud had similar success with Too Darn Hot progeny, realising $220,000 in profit from a colt purchased at the Great Southern Sale for $100,000.

This year’s catalogues will also provide an opportunity to purchase the first offspring of stallions such as nine-time Group 1 winner Anamoe, dual Derby champion Hitotsu, G1 Golden Rose winner In The Congo, and multiple Group winner Best Of Bordeaux. From limited offerings in 2024, Home Affairs, whose first yearlings have been well received this year, averaged 1.3 times his service fee across offspring that were sold in the Inglis weanling series, and Profiteer averaged 1.7 times his service fee from his first weanlings.

A highlight of the Australian Weanling Sale catalogue this year will be eight yearlings offered by Noorilim Park on behalf of Dorrington Farm, who have committed to selling all of their weanling stock through the sale.

A highlight of the Australian Weanling Sale catalogue this year will be eight yearlings offered by Noorilim Park on behalf of Dorrington Farm, who have committed to selling all of their weanling stock through the sale.

“I think it's the classiest sale,” Robert Crabtree, proprietor of Dorrington, shared why he and wife Sylvia have chosen the Sydney venue to sell their weanlings. “I think the pedigrees are very good at Sydney and also, let’s face it, it’s the first of the weanling sales, so you get first crack at the money.”

For Crabtree, every and every foal is a standout product of his meticulous mating process.

“There’s probably 15 or 16 different criteria,” he said. “The size of the mare, the type, race performance, pedigree - all sorts of things come into this equation. That’s the real advantage in using top quality stallions. We put a lot of work into these matings, and they don’t always work but 80 per cent of winners come off of the farm. We probably do substantially above the industry average.”

Among his eight foals are offspring of Blue Point (Ire), Stay Inside, Pinatubo (Ire), and Toronado (Ire), out of mares such as Blue Diamond winner Catchy (Fastnet Rock), Group 1-producing Blue Grass Music (USA) (Bluegrass Cat {USA}), stakes producer Sistonic (Bel Esprit), and Group 1 performer Belle De Nord (NZ) (Reliable Man {GB}). The operation is offering all of their homebreds in the catalogue, and have committed to doing so going forward.

“It is a real integrity component,” Crabtree said of his trust in Inglis as a market for his stock. “We are going to meet the market. That's all you’ve got to do. You have to present a quality product and have the courage to sell them unreserved, and that's what we're doing.”

The Inglis Australian Weanling Sale at Riverside will run May 5-6, and the Inglis Great Southern Sale will run June 12-13. Sales entries close on March 7.