Redoute's Choice progeny highlight Inglis sale

Redoute's Choice continued to be the clear choice of bidders

with a record-smashing A$3 million son of the hot sire leading

the way at Wednesday's second session of the Inglis Easter

Yearling Sale.

South African trainer Charles Laird made the

historic final bid on the colt out of Deja Slew (Slew o' Gold),

passing the previous Australian record price set by another son

of Redoute's Choice at this sale last year. Redoute's Choice's

hot streak continued a little

under an hour later when Tim

Stakemire, bidding on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al

Maktoum, made a winning bid of A$2.3 million for a yearling out

of Exact (Marauding). Both seven-figure yearlings were

consigned by Yarraman Park.

After the two sales, an ecstatic

Arthur Mitchell of Yarraman said, "It's been a great sale. I had

no idea it would make that much. This just might be the best 24

hours of my life."

Laird, who warmed up for his record-breaking

purchase with a A$1-million

Giant's Causeway colt on Tuesday, was

prepared to go even higher today.

"We really wanted this one, we

knew this was the one," Laird said. "We have the best colt at the

sales; he's an attractive woman on the street you know, he talks

to you."

The sale topper will head to South Africa for Laird's

big owner Marcus Jooste. Through two days of selling, Redoute's

Choice's progeny are averaging A$881,750; they included five of the top 10 lots

during Wednesday's session.

Inglis sold 73 yearlings Wednesday for a total of A$25,380,000

and an average of A$347,671. The median was A$220,000. Through

two days, a total of 240 yearlings have brought A$68,710,000, for

an average of A$286,292 and a median of A$180,000. The cumulative

average is up 36.4 percent over a year ago, when 262

yearlings sold for

A$54,998,000 and an average of A$209,916.

"I didn't think the $2.5-million record would be broken," Inglis Managing Director Reg Inglis

admitted. "Although we were very

confident going into this sale, it has way surpassed our wildest

expectations. This is the greatest sale we've ever seen."

The

sale's final session gets underway Thursday morning. The Easter

Weanling sale begins Sunday.