Harvey and Nolen among the big winners at ready-to-run sale.
Two astute Victorian traders are among the vendors celebrating amazing results at what was a record-breaking Inglis Ready2Race Sale in Sydney on Tuesday.
Dean Harvey's Baystone Farm now holds the distinction of selling the most expensive two-year-old at Inglis Ready2Race after their Dundeel colt sold for $750,000.
It came on the same day that Benalla's Tal Nolen, a 20-year veteran of the breeze-up circuit, sold a Deep Field colt for $550,000.
It was a career highlight for Nolen, who bought the colt – who is out of Alderney, a sister to Stakes winner Ballet Suite and half-sister to Listed winner Casquets – for $120,000 at this year's Inglis Premier Yearling Sale in Melbourne.
"I didn't expect that sort of money, that's for sure," Nolen said. "When the bidding started off I was a little nervous but once they kicked into it, it felt good.
"We bought him at Inglis Premier thanks to [Inglis Senior Bloodstock Consultant] Will Stott, he put me on to him so we've really got to give Will the credit for this one.
"We had a $200,000 reserve on the horse and hoped for $300,000. I never saw $550,000 coming, that's for sure.''
Nolen's colt entered sale day one of the high-profile lots, having breezed-up in a catalogue-fastest time of 10.10 seconds, and will end up in Hong Kong after being bought by Olly Koolman on behalf of Hong Kong horseman Francis Lui.
Baystone's Dundeel colt will remain in Australia, however, after being bought G1 Bloodstock and Ciaron Maher Racing.
It was a $540,000 return on investment for Harvey, who bought the colt for $210,000 on the Gold Coast.
"We knew we had a really good product, but we didn't come here expecting that sort of money,'' Harvey said.
"All the good judges had him on their list, he vetted really well and he's a stunning individual and we'd already produced him to win a trial down the straight.
"I think the market had full confidence in that and it showed in the ring."
The colt is from a sister to Beneteau who boasts a sister to champion filly Alinghi as a second dam ran 10.69secs at the breeze-ups but had impressed winning a Flemington jumpout ahead of the sale, which did not escape Maher's attention.
"He seems a ready-made horse, he trialled up really well and the form out of his trial is quite good already," Maher said.
"We knew we'd have to pay a fair bit for him but we probably had to go a couple bids more than I expected to but for a nice horse you normally do.
"He's got a lovely action, he's such a beautiful horse, he's been well educated, he's trialled, he's been down the [Flemington] straight and had a good look at Headquarters so hopefully he can go back there on race day.''
The Dundeel colt provided Baystone with two of the top four lots of the sale with their No Nay Never colt who is a half-brother to Marboosha selling for $460,000 just months after being bought by Koolman for $80,000.
All up, the sale grossed $15,646,500, which was well up on last year's $11,736,500, while the average of $107,907 was slightly down on 2021 ($113,947).
2022 INGLIS READY2RACE SALE (2021 stats in brackets)
Sold: 145 (103)
Clearace: 66% (82%)
Average: $107,907 ($113,947)
Median: $80,000 ($80,000)
Gross: $15,646,500 ($11,736,500)
