Henry Field pays $2 million for dual Group 1 winner
On paper dual Group 1 winner In Her Time (Time Thief) looked one of the standout lots catalogued for Friday’s Inglis Chairman’s Sale and she certainly did not disappoint, selling to Henry Field for a colossal $2 million - the most expensive mare sold during the virtual boutique sale.
Catalogued as Lot 42 and offered by Yarraman Park, In Her Time was owned by Orbis Bloodstock and Peter Brown and with the latter describing it as an ‘amazing result’.
“You’ve heard all the stories about how mares can behave when you get a good one and she had all of those attributes,” said Brown. “You had to be very careful saddling her, you had to be very careful brushing her. She was a real handful early but when she came on side, she was damn good. I’m really glad she’s gone to Henry Field.’’
The daughter of Time Thief (Redoute’s Choice) was among the top echelon of sprinters in Australia, winning nine of her 31 career starts which saw her earn over $3.7 million. Her career on the track was headlined by victories in the Galaxy Handicap (Gr 1, 1100m) and the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (Gr 1, 1000m), gaining a Timeform rating of 121 in the Galaxy.
In Her Time was a model of consistency throughout her career and her record also includes a further six-placings at elite level in the Stradbroke Handicap (Gr 1, 1350m) (2nd, 2017), Manikato Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) (2nd, 2017), Tattersalls Tiara (Gr 1, 1350m) (3rd, 2017), TJ Smith Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) (3rd, 2018), and twice in the VRC Sprint Classic (Gr 1, 1200m) (2nd, 2018 and 3rd, 2019), while she also landed another four stakes races.
During an illustrious racetrack career the mare beat a whole host of top-class sprinters including the likes of Santa Ana Lane (Lope De Vega), Pierata (Pierro), Redzel (Snitzel), Trapeze Artist (Snitzel), Brave Smash (Tosen Phantom), Alizee (Sepoy), Sunlight (Zoustar), Kementari (Lonhro), Shoals (Fastnet Rock), Global Glamour (Star Witness), English (Encosta De Lago), Booker (Written Tycoon), Redkirk Warrior (Notnowcato), Houtzen (I Am Invincible), Osborne Bulls (Street Cry) and Written By (Written Tycoon) among other stars of the track.
Yarraman Park’s Arthur Mitchell said that, while he rated her high-class mare, the $2 million exceeded what he thought the mare would make on Friday.
“She was a very good mare,” said Mitchell. “We thought she would make around $1.5 million - $1.6 million, so $2 million exceeded our expectations. She really was lovely. She was medium sized and she didn’t look to have any wear and tear, even though she is a seven-year-old rising eight - she is very sound. She has a beautiful nature, with a lovely head and is a beautifully balanced mare who moves well.”
In Her Time was one of eight mares purchased by Henry Field’s Newgate Bloodstock at Friday’s auction, which saw the operation finish the sale as leading buyers spending $4,355,000 in total and many of them were purchased to support the new stallions on their roster for 2020, including New Zealand Group 1 winner Volpe Veloce (Foxwedge) for $675,000, who will be covered by Brutal (O’Reilly). Other mares purchased as partners for the Group 1-winning son of O’Reilly (Last Tycoon), were dual stakes winning daughter of Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) Sprightly Lass - who was purchased for $400,000 in foal to Coolmore Stud sire Pierro (Lonhro).
Meanwhile, Group 3 winner Royal Fashion (Snitzel) - who was offered in foal to Coolmore Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof The Nile) and Decorah (Pins), in foal to Newgate’s resident sire Russian Revolution (Snitzel) will also visit Brutal after being snapped up for $320,00 and $210,000 respectively.
Tassort’s (Brazen Beau) first book of mares also received a boost when the New South Wales-based operation paid $300,000 for Snitzel mare Diddles, while Cosmic Force (Deep Field) will cover Centafaith (Keep The Faith) and Windradyne (Sepoy) in his first year, after they were picked up for $250,000 and $200,000 respectively.
