Lot 25: Colt by Teofilo x Andes
The former shuttlers Teofilo and Medaglia d’Oro boldly led the way as the Darley stallions provided two of the top three, and five of the top 10 Lots sold at Sunday’s opening session of the Inglis Premier yearling sale in Melbourne.
And as the proven performers set the standard, Darley’s first-crop stallion Territories weighed in with a trio of six-figure results.
Teofilo established his presence early in the opening session with his colt from the Street Cry mare Andes making $460,000.
Consigned by Yulong, the colt was knocked down to Melbourne trainer Ciaron Maher who described him as an “absolute natural”.
The colt has a page full of strong European staying influence stemming from his third dam the G1 winner High Hawk who six wins on the track preceded 10 winners from her 13 foals to race.
The family also includes the local Godolphin-owned Stakes winner Aramayo (Poet’s Voice) and the G1 Australian Derby runner-up Tupac Amaru (Street Cry).
Lot 45: Colt by Medaglia d'Oro x Base Paradise
Medaglia d’Oro’s sole entrant in the sale, a colt from the unraced Choisir mare Base Paradise also made $460,000, going to the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
A half-brother to six winners including the South African G2 performer Brazuca (Teofilo) and the Australian Stakes winner Mr Utopia (Elusive Quality), the colt was offered by Vinery Stud.
The HKJC also came out on top in a spirited bidding duel for Lot 4, signing at $330,000 for the colt by Teofilo from the unraced Zabeel mare Zanova, a half-sister to the champion New Zealand sprinter Sacred Star.
While the proven performers met with strong market support, the enthusiastic pursuit by Australian buyers of the first crop of Territories proved equally satisfying.
All three yearlings by the son of Invincible Spirit made six figures at Sunday’s opening session with Lot 232, a filly from the Stakes-winning Canny Lad mare Kaniana topping the list at $350,000.
Lot 232: Filly by Territories x Kaniana
Offered by Millford Thoroughbreds, the filly went to the bid of leading syndicator Denise Martin of Star Thoroughbreds.
The filly is the sixth, six-figure yearling from Territories’ first crop to be sold at auction in the southern hemisphere this year and follows a string of similar results in Europe.
Earlier in the session Ciaron Maher went to $210,000 to secure Lot 204, a filly by Territories from Heaven, an unraced Medaglia d’Oro mare whose only two foals, the Godolphin-owned Destination and Devachan, are both winners.
“It’s hard not to be impressed by a horse with the record and the pedigree of Territories. There’s a lot to like about his yearlings and I think this filly has everything going for her,” Maher said.
“And it was impossible to fault the Teofilo colt we picked up earlier in the day. He’s an absolute natural.”
Maher also stopped the bidding at $250,000 for Lot 115 a Street Boss colt consigned by Newhaven Park and from the Fastnet Rock mare Cupid, a half-sister to the G1 VRC Oaks winner Arapaho Miss.
The third of the Territories yearlings to go through the ring on Sunday was a half-brother to the G2 Sydney winner Colada from the US Stakes winner Clearly Foxy from the Flinders Park draft who went to a Hong Kong buyer for $
