A superb few days at the Riverside Stables sales complex saw the progeny of eleven Darley stallions clear 100% and find new homes, going to buyers from six states in Australia, plus New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan.
Darley’s freshman sire Brazen Beau reigned supreme. The Champion Australian sprinter of his era provided the top-priced yearling of the sale, a colt (pictured below) from the Stakes-winning Written Tycoon mare Written Dash who sold for $480,000, an all-time record for the sale, to Hong Kong-based Orbis Bloodstock.
Orbis’ director of racing and breeding, Justin Bahen, who signed for the Brazen Beau colt, described him as a yearling with the “intelligence to match his looks”.
“I think Brazen Beau is a quality stallion on the way up,” Bahen said.
“This colt had such a strong hindquarter and a great brain, which I think is most important.
“He was a colt who was inspected more than most and he was coping as well at the end of the week as he was at the beginning.”
Brazen Beau finished the sale with the fifth-highest average overall at A$193,750 and was clearly the best among freshman stallions.
Speaking after the sale, Darley’s nominations manager Adam Brayshaw said, “It’s fantastic when loyal clients like Tyreel get a result such as this.”
“Not only those who have supported Brazen Beau, but all of the stallions represented at the Classic sale.
“There have been really strong results all round for the first crops of Shooting To Win and Hallowed Crown, while Sidestep also got his first real chance to show what he can do.”
Shooting To Win set the tone, siring the first lot to enter the ring on day one (pictured below). He didn’t disappoint, as his colt from Raheights sold for A$190,000 to Chinese buyer Yu Long Investments in partnership with Mick Price Racing.
Godolphin later went to A$200,000 for Lot 398 (pictured below), a Shooting To Win colt from Flitter Bye, from the family of high-class race mare and producer Flitter and G2-winning filly Jessy Belle.
Among other Godolphin purchases were Lot 373, a filly by Shooting To Win from the Charge Forward mare Electric Charge for A$200,000 and a filly by Exceed And Excel from the Shamardal mare Happy Hippy for A$250,000.
There was also strong support for young Darley stallions Dawn Approach and Epaulette, whose first Australian runners are making a good impression on the racetrack this season.
A Dawn Approach filly, Lot 154 out of the Snitzel mare Switmoa and from the Murulla Stud draft, went to Godolphin for A$180,000, while Lot 178 (pictured below), a filly from Tiwishkeni consigned by Widden Stud sold to up-and-coming Sydney trainer Mark Newnham for A$150,000.
The top-priced Epaulette yearling, Lot 131, a colt out of Special Test went to trainer Kurt Goldman for A$160,000. He was one of four by the sire to sell for A$100,000 or more.
Brayshaw indicated the Classic results laid a good foundation for further strong demand for Darley-sired yearlings at the next major sale of the Australian season, the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale in Melbourne beginning on Sunday, 4 March.
“Brazen Beau has 20 yearlings catalogued at the Premier sale and with this week’s results there should be a lot of momentum behind them,” he said.
