Sydney, April 21 – The Mitchell family of Yarraman Park are no stranger to the limelight at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale and took centre stage on Monday when their full brother to champion filly Alinghi made $2.2 million to the bid of leading Randwick trainer Anthony Cummings.
A powerful colt, very much in the style of his sister Alinghi and also this season’s star two year-old Von Costa de Hero, Lot 277 was regarded as one of the colts of the sale and did not disappoint.
“I thought he was the pick of the colts,” said Cummings.
“His type and pedigree – it just works and he’s a lot in the mould of Alinghi.”
The colt was bought on behalf of a syndicate that seems likely to include Patinack Farm’s Nathan Tinkler.
The session topping colt is the sixth foal of stakes-placed Oceanfast, a stellar producer that has been an absolute gem for Yarraman Park since being acquired privately in 2003 when in foal to King Charlemagne (USA), that colt, the smart winner Musaytir fetched $525,000 at the 2005 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale with subsequent fillies by Encosta de Lago fetching $2.6 million (still a record for a filly at Easter) and $1.4 million.
Oceanfast had a change of pace in 2006 and her foal for next year’s sale is a colt by Redoute’s Choice.
Yarraman Park also kicked a goal on Monday with the Flying Spur three-quarter brother to Cinque Cento that made $750,000 to the bid of Norma Ingham when offered as Lot 204 on behalf of the Grocott family.
Part-owner Keith Grocott was ecstatic with the result achieved from their prized broodmare Laydown Misere, purchased by the family for $600 at an Inglis Mixed Sale in 1999.
The colt was conceived on a $33,000 service to Flying Spur after the Grocotts sought the advice of Willow Park’s Glenn Burrows so is it any wonder there were some excited people at Newmarket when the hammer went down!
