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Half-sister to In The Congo ensures late fireworks at Inglis Easter.
A half-sister to Golden Rose winner In The Congo stepped up late on the second day to claim honours as the top lot of this year's successful Inglis Easter Yearling Sale in Sydney.
The daughter of The Autumn Sun was offered around 30 minutes before the sale closed, but set the Riverside sale complex alight when knocked down for $1.8 million.
The filly from the former star South African mare Via Africa, a daughter of Var, was bought by Arrowfield Stud, which houses The Autumn Sun, in partnership with Hermitage Thoroughbreds, which raced the Chris Waller-trained five-time Group 1 winner.
It was a fairytale result for Silverdale Farm and Shrone Bloodstock, who paid $600,000 for the filly at last year's Magic Millions National Weanling Sale.
She was one of 12 seven-figure yearlings sold on Day 2, to go with 14 on Day 1, which was the second most behind the 28 from the famed 2008 Easter offering.
Day 2 contributed another $68,400,000 to the sale gross, which ended at $136,870,000, which was down on last year's $153,085,000, partly due to the drop in clearance rate from 87 percent last year to 82 percent in 2023 but also due to 16 fewer horses being offered.
The average of $393,305 was slightly down on last year's $399,700, with the median at $280,000 compared with $300,000 a year earlier.
Below is a list of Day 2's other $1m-plus lots:
$1,600,000 – Lot 427 (Snitzel x Ultimate Fever colt): The third highest-priced lot of the sale, after The Autumn Sun filly and the Pierro filly who topped Day 1, the most expensive colt of the sale, who is a brother to Stratosphere, Sprightly Lass and Le Cordon Bleu, was bought by Coolmore's Tom Magnier.
$1,500,000 – Lot 254 (Snitzel x Ms Bad Behaviour colt): Son of Snitzel – sire of Coolmore's Golden Slipper winner Shinzo – who is out of a Group 3-winning daughter of star American sire Blame who also went to Magnier.
$1,400,000 – Lot 310 (Snitzel x Response colt): Brother to Golden Slipper winner Estijaab, and last year's $2.25m colt who was the second highest-priced lot of that sale, who was bought in partnership by Kia Ora Stud and TFI.
$1,300,000 – Lot 277 (I Am Invincible x Octavia colt): The powerful China Horse Club, Newgate Farm, Go Racing and Trilogy syndicate was active on Day 1 and followed up on the second day by going hard for the brother to King Of Sparta.
$1,300,000 – Lot 297 (I Am Invincible x Prompt Response filly): The second foal from the Group 1 Tatt's Tiara winner became Lance O'Sullivan's most expensive Australian purchase.
$1,200,000 – Lot 284 (I Am Invincible x Overstep colt): The brother to Bews became the second seven-figure lot in a row after Magnier won a spirited bidding duel.
$1,100,000 – Lot 283 (Russian Revolution x Our Libretto colt): The lot before Magnier's second $1m buy of the day, Mick Wallace and Ghandarvi Racing went hard for a colt out of a Pinker Pinker Plate-winning daughter of O'Reilly.
$1,000,000 – Lot 271 (I Am Invincible x Noondie filly): Australian Bloodstock has increased its presence on the yearling sale circuit this year and now have themselves a filly who is a half-sister to Oakleigh Plate winner Booker.
$1,000,000 – Lot 349 (Zoustar x Sexy Eyes filly): Katsumi Yoshida snapped up the filly out of Group 3 Belle Of The Turf-winning daughter of Written Tycoon.
$1,000,000 – Lot 357 (Written Tycoon x Shoals colt): Member of one of the great families in the studbook – one that includes Redoute's Choice and the buyers of the three-time Group 1 winner's first foal will be hoping he also gets to stud. Aramco Racing bought in partnership with Yulong, which stands Written Tycoon, and Michael Kent Jnr.
$1,000,000 – Lot 406 (Snitzel x Tavarnelle colt): Another son of Snitzel who will race in the Coolmore navy with Tom Magnier stumping up for the half-brother to Group 2 WA Derby winner Tuscan Queen.
