Wednesday, 11 April 2018: A brother to dual Group One winner Shoals has topped the last day of the Australian Easter Yearling Sale at $2.3 million.

The colt is by Fastnet Rock from the Hussonet mare The Broken Shore and was purchased by Victorian trainer Anthony Freedman.
Freedman trains the colt’s sister Shoals, who won the G1 Myer Classic at Flemington last spring and the recent G1 Surround Stakes at Randwick, and also has another sister Tides.
Their dam The Broken Shore is one of the most valuable mares in the Stud Book, being a half-sister to champion sire Redoute’s Choice. The colt was offered by Arrowfield Stud.
“I think knowing the family and training Shoals, I had that intel. That gave me a bit more confidence,’’ Freedman said.
“I think he’s the right type of Fastnet Rock colt, he’s not too big, and I think he’s just a bigger version of Shoals.
“He was the colt of the year. Knowing the family as well as I do I was very confident he was the right type.
“He gave me the confidence to go to the price.’’
After three days the sale closed with the following benchmarks:-
* Book 1 grossed $116,057,500, behind only the 2008 Easter Yearling Sale.
* 22 yearlings sold for $1 million or more, up from 17 in 2017
* The 22 seven figure lots were sired by eight different stallions - Snitzel (7), I Am Invincible (5), Fastnet Rock (4), Deep Impact (2), Redoute’s Choice, Frankel, Pierro and Not A Single Doubt (1). They were purchased by 18 different individual buyers
* 71 Lots sold for $500,000 or more, up from 64 in 2017
* Arrowfield Stud was again leading vendor ahead of Coolmore Stud.
* Yarraman Park, Kia Ora Stud, Highgrove Stud, Tyreel Stud and Fairview Park all enjoyed 100% clearance rates. Their drafts averaged more than the overall sale average.
At the sale’s conclusion, the Book 1 average was $347,478 at a clearance rate of 84% and median of $250,000.
The leading vendor was Arrowfield by both aggregate ($18,265,000) and average ($589,194) while Arrowfield’s stallion Snitzel was leading sire by aggregate ($21,685,000).
Coolmore Stud’s Fastnet Rock was leading sire by average ($554,167) in a close decision over I Am Invincible who averaged $553,030 and Snitzel who averaged $528,902.
Shadwell was leading buyer, spending $6,140,000, ahead of the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
Arrowfield’s John Messara was thrilled with the three days of sales.
“It’s been a good week,’’ Messara said. “We bought some really nice horses, we expected to do well and I’m very pleased with the results.
“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 1-producing mare. He just had everything really.
“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.’’
2018 AUSTRALIAN EASTER YEARLING SALE STATISTICS
(2017 stats in brackets)
SESSION 1
Lots Sold: 334 (308)
Clearance Rate: 84% (87%)
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)
SESSION 2
Lots Sold: 51 (51)
Clearance Rate: 76% (77%)
Average Price: $115,490 ($119,216)
Median Price: $100,000 ($90,000)
Top Price: $330,000 ($640,000)
Gross: $5,890,000 ($6,080,000)