By means of Tim Rowe

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Registrations open for Inglis’ 2025 sales season

The willingness of breeders to offer yearlings at selected auctions and the competition for places at Australasia’s top thoroughbred auctions next year will be fiercer than ever, according to to Sebastian Hutch, CEO of Inglis’ Bloodstock.

His initial assessment of the 2025 yearling market comes as Inglis officially opens entries for next year’s auction series, notably the Sydney Classic in February, Melbourne Premier and the prestigious Easter Yearling Sale next April.

“The yearlings people are selling in 2025 are the product of matings that were considered in 2022 so I don’t expect any significant change in the volume of stock offered for sale and, as ever, it will be hugely competitive for people to try and find places in sales across Australia and New Zealand,” Hutch told ANZ Bloodstock News.

“I think each of the big three sales companies in Australasia are working hard to help as many people as possible and achieve as many positive outcomes for as many people as possible.

“I truly believe that sellers in this part of the world are very well served by the auction houses. We feel we are at the forefront of that and plan to remain so in 2025.”

The 2025 sales series begins with the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in January, before attention turns to The New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale in Karaka and This is followed by Inglis’ Classic offering at Riverside Stables in Sydney.

Hutch predicts that buyer demand at the Australian yearling auction market next year will not be much different to the way the 2023 auctions went, with sellers having to “work harder to sell their stock”, he says.

“The annual figures compare very favourably with 2023 and I see 2022 as a record year, certainly one that is unlikely to be surpassed anytime soon in terms of turnover at Thoroughbred auctions, but the amount traded via Thoroughbred in 2024 is very similar to the amount traded in 2023,” he said.

“While the adjustment in the numbers was greater for some sales than others, the vast majority of people ultimately had a fair chance to sell their shares through 2024.

“If you start with a singular goal, you want to make sure that everyone has a fair chance to sell their shares. I think that was the case in 2024.”

The level of international investment in the Australian market was also a key aspect of 2024 and Hutch says Inglis will refocus on this segment next year.

“There was some concern about the depth and strength of the domestic market and, as it turned out, it held up well, but we really worked hard to identify international investors for our sales series and it paid off,” he said.

“Whether it was people looking to invest from New Zealand, they’ve been fantastic all year and the expectation is that it’s going to be a part of that market that will continue to strengthen.

“Our sales, particularly Classic and Premier, seem to be a favorite with investors from (Asia) as well. They’ve had success with those sales and they support it accordingly and then you get a sale like Easter that attracts people from across the thoroughbred spectrum.”

Inglis of course set a new $10 million record for a yearling sold at auction when Debbie Kepitis’ Woppitt Bloodstock purchased the only foal by Winx (Street Cry) to date at the Easter sale.

It was a foreign investor, the relatively new American player in the sector, John Stewart, who was the lowest bidder.

“There were major investors from Hong Kong, Europe, the Middle East, South Africa and the US,” Hutch said.

“That’s something we want to develop and grow. The Australian racing product basically appeals to people all over the world. It’s just a matter of trying to materialise the conditions so that they experience it themselves.

“People who come to Australia to experience the top class racing in Sydney and Melbourne … never leave with anything other than an improved opinion of it.”

Entries for the Inglis Yearling Auction close on August 16th.