Some fifteen youngsters at the National 2yo Sale, held August 13-15, fetched 250k or more – with not a single filly among them.
An rather unusual state of affairs, and without foundation in historical sales data.
Perhaps we’ll look back at this in a year or so, and reflect how sweet a filly’s revenge can be.
The disinterest by highflyers in the weaker sex made the average price for colts at this sale much higher than fillies: 93k vs. 55k – this against figures of 84k vs. 72k for colts and fillies last year. The 93k average for colts was a National 2yo Sale record, beating the 90k average achieved in 2007.
Look a bit deeper, though, and the figures will show that wasn’t much difference at all between the sexes, and that the 93k record average is highly deceptive. The median price for colts comes out at a mere 45k (vs 60k last year, and 50k in 2008), against a median price for for fillies of 40k (vs 55k last year and 50k in 2008), and an overall median of 40k (vs 55k last year, and 50k in 2008).
This seems to suggest that at least half of the consignors must have lost money, given the ‘production’ cost of a 2yo for this sale.
Dynasty proved to be the sire of the moment, not surprisingly following the crowning of his first-crop son Irish Flame as 2010 Horse of the Year the night before the 2yo sale. Dynasty ended up with three of the top-ten by price, including the R1 million sale topper, Jackson. Consigned by Highlands out of a one-time winning American mare from a sire-producing Canadian family, the colt was signed for by the Equine Group on behalf of Ian Longmore.
Marlon Aronstam’s Anfield Sports signed for four of the seven highest priced lots. They included a full brother by Toreador to Equus champion 2yo Link Man (at 610k, consigned by Riverton Stud) and a Western Winter colt out of Equus Champion 3yo filly Promisefrommyheart (950k, from Varsfontein).
Highest priced filly at the sale (sixteenth highest overall) was a Jet Master out of SA Oaks placed Argentinian mare Pinturina, consigned by Ascot Stud.
