Records tumble on Day 2 of Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.
It's not surprising Sebastian Hutch was in a buoyant mood after Day 2 of this year's Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.
The second half of the 2022 offering put an exclamation mark on what Inglis has described as the most successful Easter Yearling Sale ever.
After a $369,251 average on Day 1, that figure jumped to $446,585 on Day 2 for an overall sale average of $407,500.
The gross of $151,325,000 bettered the 2008 mark of $150,159,000 despite more horses being offered 14 years ago.
Last year's sale, which had 32 fewer horses, grossed $134,665,000 at an average of $368,945.
Hutch, Inglis's general manager of bloodstock, said it was an 'unprecedented' result.
"I had a look at what the record at Easter was and it was back in 2008 when there were 630-odd horses in the sale and they turned over 150 million-and-a-bit (dollars) and you think, 'that's impossible, we can never beat that'," Hutch said.
"So, to sit here today to be in a position to have horses good enough to allow us to beat it and have bidders that were brave enough and committed enough to want to go and buy horses to the extent they have is just really hard to comprehend."
The $3 million Zoustar colt who sold to Coolmore's Tom Magnier was the equal-third most expensive yearling ever sold in Australia was the headline lot of a day that produced the six highest-priced lots of the sale.
Snitzel had a $2.25m colt who is a brother to Estijaab and a $2.2m filly from Group 1 winner Silent Sedition, while the other $2 million lot of the sale was the I Am Invincible filly who is a half-sister to Classique Legend who sold for exactly $2 million.
"Nobody anticipated the day being as good as it's been," Hutch said of Day 2.
"The momentum that the sale developed through the day was overwhelming at times, it was just fantastic to be a part of it.
"It was really enjoyable. It's very rare that you can say that about a sale, that it was enjoyable, but today was really enjoyable."
Magnier ended the sale leading buyer by both gross and average, spending $10.3m across six yearlings at an average of $1,716,667, while Ciaron Maher Racing and Gai Waterhouse/Adrian Bott bought more yearlings than anyone else with 11 each.
Arrowfield Stud had around 15 percent of the catalogue and grossed $30,175,000 from their 58 yearlings sold, while leading vendor by average was Torryburn Stud, who sold all six yearlings they brought to Warwick Farm for a total of $4,050,000 at an average of $675,000.
Inglis Easter Yearling Sale – Top Lots
$3,000,000 – Lot 434: Zoustar x Solar Charged colt
$2,250,000 – Lot 374: Snitzel x Response colt
$2,200,000 – Lot 424: Snitzel x Silent Sedition filly
$2,000,000 – Lot 348: I Am Invincible x Pinocchio filly
$1,700,000 – Lot 393: I Am Invincible x Ruud Awakening filly
$1,700,000 – Lot 448: Dundeel x Stay With Me filly
$1,500,000 – Lot 144: I Am Invincible x Egyptian Symbol colt