Leading vendor by average after first two days of selling.
The Ferguson Family's decision to re-enter the yearling market paid dividends at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale on Monday. Over the first two days of the sale Bell River Thoroughbreds have sold six yearlings for an aggregate of $1,165,000 at sale-leading average of $194,167 over, headlined by a colt by Not A Single Doubt (Redoute's Choice) who sold to Ciaron Maher for $300,000 on day two of the sale.
After selling their Wellington property Bell River in 2016, the Ferguson family signalled a return to the market when purchasing the new farm in Dungog in 2018 and Andrew Ferguson said they had worked hard to get the yearlings prepared for this sale.
"We are about three quarters of the way through developing the new property, we've still got work to do on the bottom end. It has been a rush to get here and get it done, but the boys [James and Jock] have worked extremely hard and it's paid off," said Ferguson.
"We were hoping that people would find those good colts and people have found them so it's great. We are at the top of this sale, whereas if you had gone to Easter you're not at the top there and I always like to present myself at the top end of a sale because then you've obviously got more buyers on those horses.
Ferguson said he was over the moon with the days trade and was also buoyed seeing some of the best judges in the industry making a play for their product.
"It's been a good day," said Ferguson. "To have people like Anthony Freedman, Godolphin and Mick Price as underbidders is very pleasing and it was just a great result.
"The ones we expected to sell well have gone well. The boys [James and Jock] wanted to come back with a bang and we've certainly done that.
"We've had a couple of disappointments, the bottom end has been difficult but that's the industry at the minute but when they want a quality horse they are prepared to pay for it and that's as breeders what we've got to produce. Extreme Choice himself has had a very good sale with plenty of good judges on him."
The Not A Single Doubt colt is out of She's Our Choice (Duporth) making him a three-quarters brother to Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) and AJ Moir Stakes (Gr 1, 1000m) winner Extreme Choice, who Bell River Thoroughbreds bred and sold to Mick Price for $100,000 at the 2015 renewal of the Classic Sale. The colt was catalogued as Lot 451.
Maher, who purchased two lots off the Glen William-based farm on Monday, said his confidence is always boosted when buying off the Fergusons and has had good success with their graduates.
"I was pretty taken with this horse. He has obviously got a stallion's pedigree and I love the Not A Single Doubts," said Maher.
"He is very much like the old man and he is from a good farm in Bell River. I have bought a lot from them in the past and I was glad to be able to get a quality colt like that from them again."
It was not the first time Maher put his faith in Bell River on Monday with the Victorian-based trainer pairing up with Astute Bloodstock's Louis Le Metayer to buy a colt by Extreme Choice for $210,000 early on in the day.
Le Metayer and Maher also partnered up at last month's New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Sale when purchasing a colt by former Haunui Farm shuttler Showcasing (Oasis Dream) for NZ$500,000 and they were happy to have purchased another colt in partnership.
"I bought this colt with Ciaron 50-50 and we just really like the fact he is by a very, very fast stallion and out of a mare that has already produced a Group 1 performer by Denman," said Le Metayer. "We think the mare has got a lot of ability as a broodmare and he was just a lovely strong physical who we both like.
"We paid slightly more than we would have liked but that's what you have to pay for the best ones, but delighted to pair up with Ciaron because we often clash on horses so I'm happy to be able to team up to buy this one.
"We have three or four together in training and we have bought well over the last three or four years together so we thought we would keep doing it. The stallion was so fast and he is well-bred unfortunately he is not very fertile but he was a horse with electrifying speed and that's what seems to make a stallion this side of the world."
Catalogued as Lot 276, the colt is the seventh foal out of the placed Viscount (Quest For Fame) mare Magic Zefta, making the yearling a half-brother to the Group 1-placed mare Denmagic (Denman). Magic Zefta is also the half-sister to Group 2 winner Go The Knuckle (Elvstroem) and the stakes-placed Hieroglyphics (Conatus).
Extreme Choice was trained to win a brace of Group 1s by Caulfield-based trainer Mick Price and Maher, who also has boxes at Caulfield, said he saw similar attributes in this colt that his sire possessed when in training.
"Extreme Choice was a very neat horse and very fast and really, really good mover and you look for that in his sons," said Maher. "He is a ripping type like his old man and as Louis says he's a great type."
Maher trains in partnership with David Eustace and the stable have been dominating the two-year-old races this year sending out 15 juvenile winners this season and trainer said the colt fitted the profile of the kind of types the stable target at the sales.
"He is just the type we've been buying over the past few years and thankfully we are seeing the fruits of that on the racetrack this year," said Maher.
Of the market Le Metayer commented: "The market is prepared to pay the money for the right physical. An athletic, big strong and healthy looking horse will sell really well. The Classic Sale is a great shopping ground for the middle market."
Meanwhile, Ferguson rated the colt he sold to Dream Thoroughbreds, Julian Blaxland's Blue Sky Bloodstock, Bluegrass Bloodstock and Anthony Freedman Racing for $280,000 as one of the best colts he has ever bred.
Catalogued as Lot 445, the colt is out of winning Reset (Zabeel) mare Set To Skelter, making colt a half-brother to Listed winner Prophet's Thumb (I Am Invincible), who is now trained by Freedman.
Set To Skelter has an unraced three-year-old by Smart Missile (Fastnet Rock), who Bell River has retained, and a two-year-old by Hinchinbrook (Fastnet Rock) and Ferguson believes the mare will prove herself to be a top producer.
"I think the set Set To Skelter colt is one of the very best colts I've ever bred and the mare could be very good," said Ferguson.
"David Pfieffer has got the Hinchinbrook and I've got the first two fillies. Prophet's Thumb holds the track record at Randwick and the Smart Missile filly is nearly is good, she hasn't had a start but she has had three trials but she has a enormous ability, so she could potentially have three stakes winners and I think that's the best foal she's bred."
