A Blue Point colt from Supreme Thoroughbreds became the equal second-highest priced horse ever sold at an Inglis Gold Sale, topping today’s action at Oaklands.
Trainer John Leek Jr described the yearling as “the nicest horse I’ve seen in a long, long, long time, and I’ve been training for 40 years’’ so wasn’t perturbed to go to $200,000 to secure lot 119, a Blue Point x On The Loose colt.
The price matched the $200,000 that Robbie Griffiths, Mathew de Kock, Peter Ford and Heywood Bloodstock paid for a Headwater filly from Blue Gum Farm at the sale two years ago, with only an Extreme Choice filly which Bon Ho bought for $260,000 from Supreme Thoroughbreds at that same 2021 sale realising a higher price.
While Leek Jr was thrilled to take home the colt today, he was initially at Oaklands trying to purchase him for his son Mitchell, who has only been training in his own right for a couple of months.
“But Mitchell only had $100,000 and thought he might be able to get the horse for that price so when the price kept climbing, I was just so taken by the horse that I wanted to buy him to make sure he could stay in the family training circles,’’ Leek Jr said.
“I’ve had a lot of good horses over the years, some handy 2YOs that have been cheaper purchases and I’ve never paid anything like this for a horse.
“But that said, I’ve not seen a horse as nice as this for a long, long, long time, if ever. He’s got a lot going for him, he’s just an absolute standout.
“He’s totally magnificent, not only very well bred but just a phenomenal horse all round.
“I thought the $100,000 that Mitchell could afford was a fair price for him but what can I say? You’ve got to pay a premium for something if it’s worth it, and this colt is absolutely worth it.’’
Supreme’s Neil Shaw was as delighted as he was stunned by the result.
“To be honest, we had his service fee of $40,000 as the reserve and while we thought he would make a bit more than that, it’s really quite phenomenal that he’s sold for $200,000 today,’’ Shaw said.
“We were thinking he could make his $60,000-$80,000, we certainly didn’t anticipate him ending where he did, that’s for sure.
“I reckon there were eight or nine different bidders on him in the ring and we never try to pick the last bid when it comes to reserves, but we’re delighted.
“We brought six here and sold all six so we’re really happy.’’
The colt ensured Supreme ended the sale as leading vendor and – for the third consecutive year – saw them consign the top lot at the Gold Sale.
Inglis’ Victorian Bloodstock Manager James Price was grateful of the support of both buyers and vendors today.
“There were some excellent results through the day, the Blue Point colt in particular,’’ Price said.
“We have had over 90 individual listed buyers, with more looking to get involved on passed in lots, which has helped move the clearance rate past 72%.
“The market, as expected, was very selective and there wasn’t the urgency of demand amongst buyers outside of what were deemed to be the better horses which was disappointing, but just a reality of the market.
“The Inglis bloodstock team is available for consultation on any of the passed in lots and our expectation is that the clearance rate will continue to climb overnight and into tomorrow.’’
The next live Inglis auction is the Great Southern Sale which will be held at Oaklands on June 8 and 9.
Supplementary entries for the Inglis Great Southern Sale will close on May 31st – CLICK HERE to submit an entry.
