Buoyant market at Easter yearling sale

A brother to dual Group One winner Shoals has become the star of the show at the Easter Yearling Sale in Sydney, fetching $2.3 million.

The sale topper by Fastnet Rock out of The Broken Shore, was sold at the third session of the main book of the annual sale conducted by William Inglis & Son.

The colt was knocked down to Anthony Freedman, the trainer of Myer Classic and Surround Stakes winner Shoals.

“You have to pay for a colt like this. I thought he was the colt of the year,” Freedman said.

“He’s very like his sister, but stronger.

“It’s a lot of money but he’s from the best family in the country and probably the southern hemisphere.”

The colt was one of 22 yearlings sold for $1 million more over the three days, five more than last year.

Of the 22, seven were by champion sire Snitzel. The others sires were I Am Invincible (5), Fastnet Rock (4), Deep Impact (2), Redoute’s Choice, Frankel, Pierro and Not A Single Doubt (1).

Arrowfield Stud which stands Snitzel, Redoute’s Choice and Not A Single Doubt was the leading vendor ahead of Coolmore.

The gross for Book One was $116,057,500, behind only the 2008 Easter Yearling Sale.

Banner error, could not find casino id "william-hill-sport"

“We bought some really nice horses here to inaugurate the establishment of the new Riverside Stables,” Arrowfield boss John Messara said.

“The Broken Shore colt is a horse that had a lot less unknowns about him than almost any other colt in the sale because he was by a proven sire out of a multiple Group One-producing mare.

“It’s a risk-mitigation exercise if you want to go into the stallion business and this horse had a lot of the features you would seek.”

AUSTRALIAN EASTER YEARLING SALE: (2017 in brackets)

Lots Sold: 334 (308)

Clearance Rate: 84 per cent (87 per cent)

Average Price: $347,478 ($354,935)

Median Price: $250,000 ($260,000)

Top Price: $2,300,000 ($2,500,000)

Gross: $116,057,500 ($109,320,000)