Cover image courtesy of Inglis
Lot 158 - Home Affairs x Shout The Bar (Not A Single Doubt) (colt) - $3,000,000
Adrian Bott, Gai Waterhouse and Kestrel Thoroughbreds stepped up in a big way on Day 1 of the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, opening the wallet to secure the first foal of Coolmore Stud’s dual Group 1 winner Shout The Bar (Not A Single Doubt) for $3 million—the highest price of the sale so far.
There was plenty of anticipation surrounding the Home Affairs colt, particularly given his dam was a $2.7 million purchase by Tom Magnier at the 2022 Inglis Chairman’s Sale. Sent to exciting first-season sire Home Affairs for her maiden mating, Shout The Bar has produced a headline act from the outset.
Shout The Bar was a top-class mare in her own right, winning both the G1 Vinery Stud Stakes and the G1 Empire Rose Stakes. She hails from the same family as dual Group 1 winner Rangirangdoo (NZ) (Pentire {GB}) and the classy New Zealand 3-year-old filly Satinka (NZ) (Stravinsky {USA}).
Lot 158 - Home Affairs x Shout The Bar (colt) | Image courtesy of Inglis
Adrian Bott was full of praise for the colt and they are very familiar with the family:
“We knew the dam well, Shout The Bar— we trained her. She was an immense talent, incredibly tough horse, had a great constitution and a great mindset for racing.
“He looked very much in that mould, carried all those good qualities. Home Affairs was a star as well. As an individual himself, he was a lovely type.”
“We knew the dam well, Shout The Bar— we trained her. She was an immense talent, incredibly tough horse, had a great constitution and a great mindset for racing. He (Lot 158) looked very much in that mould, carried all those good qualities.” - Adrian Bott
When asked about the colt’s temperament and how he paraded through the sale week, Bott was equally impressed.
“That really attracted us to him. We want to see him featuring early in the 2-year-old races. He looks like he has plenty of scope and class to keep carrying on throughout his career.
“Obviously he was always a well-credentialled lot and was always going to be well sought after. He was on our radar for a long time.”
Ownership is already taking shape, with a familiar face leading the charge. Bott commented:
Adrian Bott, Gai Waterhouse and Brian McGuire | Image courtesy of Inglis
“Singo (John Singleton) has been keen to be involved in this colt. He inspected him on the complex as well. He’s putting together the ownership group and hopefully it comes together relatively quickly after the sale.”
On navigating the strength of the market, Bott added, “We expected it to be very strong—as has been the theme throughout the day. We have been beaten a couple of times and there’s just one or two horses in the sale that we’ve got the asterisk on them where we are not wanting to get beat—and that was certainly one of them.”
Since producing this headline-making colt, Shout The Bar in 2023 missed to Justify (USA) and I Am Invincible, but was most recently covered by Justify again last year—this time to Southern Hemisphere time in America.
Lot 76 - Snitzel x Ms Bad Behavior (Can) (Blame {USA}) (colt) - $2,700,000
It was a long and spirited bidding duel with interest from all corners, but Coolmore Stud’s Tom Magnier proved too strong, securing the standout Snitzel full brother to Switzerland for $2.7 million. Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott were the underbidders.
The colt was one of two horses on Sunday to surpass the $2 million mark. Consigned by Arrowfield Stud, Lot 76 is out of the Canadian-bred mare Ms Bad Behavior (Can), a daughter of Blame (USA) who was imported to Australia by Arrowfield almost five years ago.
She has quickly established herself as an elite broodmare, with her first foal being Switzerland —a $1.5 million graduate of this sale in 2023. He’s since become a star on the track, headlined by a career-defining victory in the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes, alongside multiple G2 wins, and is now set to join the Coolmore roster later this year.
Lot 76 - Snitzel x Ms Bad Behavior (Can) (colt) | Image courtesy of Inglis
It’s an impressive pedigree. Ms Bad Behavior was a dual stakes winner in America, claiming the G3 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Stakes and the Listed China Doll Stakes at Santa Anita. She was also multiple times Group and stakes-placed, and finished fourth in the G1 Del Mar Oaks.
The second dam, Cumulonimble (Stormy Atlantic {USA}), was a stakes winner in her own right, while Ms Bad Behavior is a half-sister to American stakes winners Blessed Truly (Souper Speedy {USA}) and One Bad Boy (Twirling Candy {USA}).
“We have had a lot of luck buying horses at this sale from Arrowfield,” Magnier said.
“They have done a great job with their horses again and they’re smart breeders.
Tom Magnier | Image courtesy of Inglis
“We’re obviously very excited that Switzerland will be going to stud this year. A lot of people have been enquiring about him going to stud at the moment.
"He was a lovely type as I said, those Messaras—they know how to do it, so we have to go where you find oil drilled before.
“He is very much like his brother, he has a lot of quality, hopefully he can win a couple of races and he will be a very exciting horse.
“He (Lot 76) is very much like his brother, he has a lot of quality, hopefully he can win a couple of races and he will be a very exciting horse.” - Tom Magnier
“When there’s a nice horse, all the good people are on them, it sometimes gives you the confidence to kick on as well. We are delighted the horse will go to Chris and we will go from there.”
When asked about comparisons to his brother, Magnier added, “Very similar, loads of quality, good mover and he’s got a page, that’s how we found Switzerland. Chris really liked the horse as did the whole team.”
Ms Bad Behavior has visited Snitzel every year since retiring to stud. Following this colt, she has produced another full brother and was served again by him last spring.
Lot 16 - Snitzel x La Mexicana (I Am Invincible)(colt) - $1,700,000
It didn’t take long for the first million-dollar yearling of the sale, with Lot 16, a strong Snitzel colt was knocked down for $1.7 million to James Harron Bloodstock Colt Partnership, Tony Fung Colts, and Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott Racing.
Lot 16 - Snitzel x La Mexicana (colt) | Image courtesy of Inglis
Offered by Segenhoe Stud, the colt is the first foal out of the talented race filly La Mexicana, a daughter of I Am Invincible who was a six-time winner on the track, including victories in the G3 Kevin Hayes Stakes and the Listed William Crockett Stakes. La Mexicana is out of Cailin Miss (Domesday), herself a winner of the Listed Oaklands Plate as a juvenile. She has produced four foals to race—all of them winners.
“Lovely colt, the whole team just loved him, one of the picks of the whole sale for us,” James Harron said.
“Lovely colt (Lot 16), the whole team just loved him, one of the picks of the whole sale for us.” - James Harron
“The TFI crew and Adrian and Gai loved him as well, thrilled to get him, a very forward horse and comes off one of the best nurseries in Segenhoe. He just paraded like a really good, forward willing horse all week which really drew us all in.
“She (La Mexicana) was really talented, I think she was probably even better than her record suggests, she was a really good mare.
“Snitzel needs no introductory, he just keeps doing it and doing it, he's broken all the records and sired the Slipper winner a few weeks ago.”
James Harron | Image courtesy of Inglis
La Mexicana has had an annual date with Snitzel, and has since produced a weanling full sister to this colt. She was served again by the Champion stallion last spring in October.
Lot 155 - Extreme Choice x Shadow (Medaglia D'Oro {USA}) (colt) - $1,700,000
Following the continued success of Extreme Choice, it came as no surprise that Lot 155 would be hotly contested. The striking and attractive grey colt, offered by Coolmore Stud, ultimately went the way of B2B Thoroughbreds after they were able secure him for $1.7 million.
This colt is the third foal out of the unraced Medaglia D’Oro (USA) mare Shadow, a full sister to stakes placed Geist (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}). His third dam is none other than the brilliant sprinter Virage De Fortune (Anabaa {USA}), a dual Group 1 winner and the Champion 3-year-old filly of the 2005/06 season.
Lot 155 - Extreme Choice x Shadow (colt) | Image courtesy of Inglis
It capped off a memorable day for B2B Thoroughbreds, who earlier sold Lot 16 through Segenhoe Stud—a Snitzel colt out of La Mexicana—for the same price of $1.7 million to a powerful alliance comprising James Harron Bloodstock Colts Partnership, Tony Fung Colts, and Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott.
Riccardo Surace Jnr reflected on the day, “It was a very long day, after selling one for big money early, we bought four horses including the Extreme Choice colt who was a standout.”
On Lot 155 specifically, Surace Jnr said, “The B2B team thought that he was the best yearling we have seen in the last 10 years, we were stoked to get him.
“He was lovely, had great quality, he's a grey and he's pretty and whatever, but he was a real athlete and moved so freely.
“He (Lot 155) was lovely, had great quality, he's a grey and he's pretty and whatever, but he was a real athlete and moved so freely.” - Ricky Surace Jr
“Hopefully he can become a future stallion, hopefully we can produce one, it is a low chance, but we hope it can happen.”
When asked about the sire Extreme Choice and the plans for this exciting colt, Surace added:
Sebastian Hutch and Ricky Surace Jr | Image courtesy of Inglis
“He can produce a Golden Slipper winner or a Melbourne Cup winner; he's versatile.
“Chris Waller will train, he will get broken in straight away and then later this year he will enter the Chris Waller system.”
Shadow has not produced a weanling since this colt, but was most recently served by Pierro last spring.
Lot 108 - I Am Invincible x Pippie (Wrtten Tycoon) (filly) - $1,400,000
Lot 108, a striking I Am Invincible filly out of the brilliant sprinter Pippie (Written Tycoon), drew a wave of interest before being secured for $1.4 million by Champions Farm and Satomi Oka Bloodstock (FBAA). The sale marked the first seven-figure result of the week for boutique vendor Cressfield.
A dual Group 1-winning mare, Pippie was renowned for her electric speed, capturing both the G1 Moir Stakes and G1 Oakleigh Plate in a stellar six-win career that amassed just over $1.2 million in prizemoney.
This filly is Pippie’s second foal, with her first—Samudra, a Snitzel filly—selling to David Ellis for $775,000 at last year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Lot 108 - I Am Invincible x Pippie (filly) | Image courtesy of Inglis
The latest addition to the Champions Farm team will head to Japan to be trained by Yuki Uehara, who was on hand to comment.
“She’s a very beautiful filly and we are very interested in buying horses by I Am Invincible. We are very happy,” Uehara said.
“She is very desirable and we really wanted fillies by I Am Invincible. She will head to Japan soon and be set for grass miles.”
“She (Lot 108) is very desirable and we really wanted fillies by I Am Invincible. She will head to Japan soon and be set for grass miles.” - Yuki Uehara
Trainer Uehara also noted that Champions Farm is enjoying success at home, “The owner of Champions Farm, Dr Mieko Ishibe, has a good horse headed to a Guineas next month.”
She is called Piko Chan Black (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) who has won two of her four starts including the G2 Nakayama Fuji TV Sho Spring Stakes last start. She was bred by Champions Farm.
Tragically, Pippie died late last year, but not before delivering a colt by I Am Invincible, a full brother to this high-priced Easter filly.
Lot 156- Maurice (Jpn) x Shoals (Fastnet Rock) (filly) - $1,400,000
Lot 156 was one of four fillies to sell for over a million dollars during Day 1, when she was purchased by Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock for $1.4 million. The beautifully bred Maurice (Jpn) filly was offered by Arrowfield Stud and is the fourth foal from champion race mare Shoals, a daughter of Fastnet Rock who was a triple Group 1 winner during a brilliant career.
The first foal out of Shoals is Isthmus (I Am Invincible), who wasn’t offered as a yearling but has gone on to win five races, including the G3 Begonia Belle Stakes, racing for a partnership of her breeders Arrowfield and Pinecliff Racing.
This filly has an outstanding pedigree. Her granddam is the great Shantha’s Choice, dam of the legendary Redoute’s Choice, as well as Manhattan Rain, Platinum Scissors, and Sliding Cube (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}).
Lot 156 - Maurice (Jpn) x Shoals (filly) | Image courtesy of Inglis
Dean Hawthorne commented, “Knowing the family, we weren’t going to let her go, knowing what Shoals has got coming and what she’s got.
“Isthmus was nearly going to Royal Ascot and she will be back, so we weren’t going to be letting her go. Trainer is yet to be decided.”
When asked if they had bought out Arrowfield, Hawthorne confirmed, “Yes, the two parties thought it was fairest that she went through the ring and the market valued her. That’s the best way to get things done in partnerships and we are very happy to have her back in the red and whites.”
Since producing this stunning filly, Shoals has left an I Am Invincible filly and was served by Zoustar last spring.
