Inglis Sydney sale ends with business increases

In opposition to the economic woes felt by many of the world's leading

auction houses, Inglis concluded its 2010 edition of the Sydney Classic

Yearling Sale with numbers showing marked increases over its 2009 figures. Over

two sessions, this year's sale -- which offered 85 fewer lots than 2009 --

closed with a gross of A$12,671,500, representing a 20 percent increase over

last year. Average rose from A$26,598 to A$32,913 this year, while the median

increased 25 percent to A$25,000.

"We worked hard to get buyers here and it was great to see the sale buck the

trend with the average up 24 percent and the median up 25 percent," Inglis

Managing Director Mark Webster said. "In saying that, we made a conscious

decision to be more selective when recruiting yearlings and we were prepared to

offer slightly fewer horses over two days instead of three."

Topping Monday's second session was a colt by Fastnet Rock, who brought a

A$250,000 final bid from Kieren Moore. Consigned by Widden Stud, Lot No. 272 is

out of Sea Folly (Octagonal), who is a half-sister to CF Orr S. (Aus-G1) hero

Special Dane (Danehill).

"The top price of $250,000 shows you can bring yearlings to this sale by the

best stallions and get them sold for the right money," Webster added. "The

buying bench that we had here and the excellent results will give vendors added

confidence to bring better quality yearlings next year."

The Classic Sale also provided a platform to launch the Racing Rewards Club,

an initiative of Racing NSW for racehorse industry participants.

"We had a great response to the program with many buyers taking up the option

to double or triple their points by nominating to the Inglis Race Series and

taking up Inglis Insurance," Webster said.