Sales Details: $850,000, 2023 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale
Kitten’s History Tip of the Godolphin Iceberg
Tuesday, 10th March 2026
A return to Flemington brought with it another major milestone on Saturday, as Tom Kitten became the first horse to defend the All-Star Mile and in the process underlined both his own resurgence and the extraordinary success of Godolphin’s new public training model. Back at the scene of his narrow triumph 12 months earlier, the son of Harry Angel again proved strongest in the closing stages, taking the $2 million Group feature over Evaporate and the brave Pride Of Jenni. The performance suggested a horse restored to his best after a spring that never quite came together. Resuming in the Gr3 Kevin Heffernan Stakes at Caulfield in early February, Tom Kitten had already hinted that a return to top form was near, but this was the performance that confirmed it. Settled and produced at the right time, he found enough when it mattered to deliver Anthony and Sam Freedman another major victory and add a fresh chapter to his Flemington record. Sam Freedman said the 5YO had returned this campaign in a markedly different shape, both physically and mentally. “He’s a remarkable horse. He’s been to the top for a long time,” Freedman said. “We’ve been blessed to get him into the stable in the last eight or nine months. We were disappointed with the spring we had with him. We felt he was going well, but we were chasing our tail, but this prep, I don’t know what it is. I rang Dad this morning and said he’s a different horse. He looks amazing, he’s holding more condition, he’s racing heavier than he was in the spring.” That improvement, Freedman suggested, may have come from something as simple as routine. Mornington has suited the gelding, with the Pinecliff environment allowing him to settle into a pattern that has clearly worked. “Sometimes you are a victim when horses change yards,” he said. “They go onto a different feed pretty quickly, a few changes can happen pretty quickly, so now he’s in a nice routine at Pinecliff, gets out into a paddock during the day. For James [Cummings] and his team, that worked with the horse for such a long time, they should all be very proud as well as my team. He’s a remarkable horse and turns up every time.” As significant as Tom Kitten’s repeat triumph was, it also formed part of a broader Godolphin surge that has become one of the stories of the Australian season. Since 1 August 2025, the blue army has amassed at least 25 stakes wins, nine of them at Group 1 level, in its first campaign under a distributed public training structure following the departure of James Cummings. Amounting to over 20% of the Australian 44 Group 1 races run to date, that is highly significant. Among the headline acts have been Observer, winner of the Victoria Derby, Australian Guineas and Moonee Valley Vase; Tentyris, successful in both the Coolmore Stud Stakes and Black Caviar Lightning; Pericles, winner of the Futurity Stakes and Tramway Stakes; and Tom Kitten, whose All-Star Mile now sits alongside his Australian Cup. Tempted, Attica, Beiwacht, Medicinal and Options have also added to the haul, giving trainers such as the Freedmans, Ciaron Maher, Bjorn Baker, Chris Waller and Joe Pride a share in a remarkable run of elite success.
Brownes Looking to Repeat Showdown History
Tuesday, 10th March 2026
A key track gallop at Caulfield on Tuesday morning will determine whether Pakenham trainers Emma-Lee and David Browne take their chances in Saturday's $1 million Showdown with promising youngster Lomu. The stable already has fond memories of the lucrative Inglis Premier race after claiming last year's edition with McGaw, who later confirmed his quality by winning the Gr2 Danehill Stakes in the spring. That success has naturally drawn comparisons with the stable's latest hopeful, although Lomu would head into the race without having started in a race if connections elect to proceed. According to racenet.com.au, named after the late All Blacks rugby legend Jonah Lomu, the colt remains among the 21 entries for the Caulfield feature and will need to satisfy his trainers in a course gallop before a final decision is made. Victory on Saturday would represent a remarkable return on investment. Purchased for just $10,000 at last year's Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, the son of I Am Immortal cost even less than the $14,000 the Brownes paid for McGaw before that horse's Showdown triumph. The shared sire line also adds an interesting layer to the story, with both colts by the same stallion. Emma-Lee Browne said the gallop would provide the final piece of evidence before deciding whether the stable proceeds with the ambitious plan. "We're going to take him to Caulfield on Tuesday for a gallop to see how he handles it and make a decision after that," she said. "We just wanted to give him a gallop on Tuesday to make sure he copes with going to Caulfield and things like that before we make a firm decision." Early all-in betting has Lomu quoted at $26 for the race, though that market could shift significantly once acceptances are finalised, particularly with several leading contenders also holding nominations in Sydney. His preparation has included two jumpouts at Pakenham. The first ended quietly after he was slow from the gates, but the colt showed marked improvement at his most recent hit-out when finishing second and travelling far more comfortably throughout. "He's still very green. He's quite raw," Browne revealed. "In his first jumpout, he got left flat-footed in the gates and in his second jumpout, he got that bit under control but got a bit wayward out in front by himself. I thought his last jumpout was very good." Compared with McGaw, Browne noted the colt has a slightly different physical profile, describing him as a bigger and more solid type. If he handles Tuesday's gallop well, connections will then weigh up whether the as-yet unraced youngster is ready to take on one of Victoria's richest races for juveniles.
Beware The Invincible Surge That’s Underway
Tuesday, 10th March 2026
It’s not for nothing that Yarraman Park’s I Am Invincible sits at the very pointy end of the Australian Black Type Premiership across what will be six completed seasons in July. Over the weekend, the son of Invincible Spirit added to his potential additional title claims in 2025-26 – and he did it in a big way when Caballus defied all protagonists with a front-running display in the Gr1 Newmarket Handicap. Notably, that was no one-act affair, with I Am Invincible also the sire of 2YO Gr2 Reisling Stakes winner, Chayan, as well as Group 3-placed Scintillation and LR runner-up Inkaruna. Whilst there is still a reasonable buffer between reigning Champion Black Type Premiership sire Snitzel and I Am Invincible, there are several factors that suggest Vinnie is a big hope to reclaim a throne he has sat astride before, his most recent being in the 2023-24 season where he won by panels. Premiership history suggests that in order to earn the major stakes race prize, a stallion invariably needs a plethora of high class 3YOs. To date, for this season, the category leader is Darley’s Street Boss but Vinnie is right in his slipstream. It obviously doesn’t hurt to have precocious 2YOs flying the flag. The aggregation of juvenile stakes race performances by Chayan, Scintillation, I Am Aria and Invicto to date now sees the Yarraman stalwart holding a one point margin over Coolmore’s exciting young stallion Home Affairs. If nothing else, it suggests there will be some excellent 3YOs for I Am Invincible next seaso, too. Meanwhile, Yarraman Park is also in the fortunate position to be standing Hellbent, with the Group 1-winning son of I Am Invincible in seventh position, overall. Already the sire of twelve on the board Group 1 performances, including elite winners Benedetta and Magic Time, he almost added a third when Savvy Hallie was desperately unlucky not to win the recent Gr1 Surround Stakes – just touched off by Tempted (see below). There are 41 yearlings by I Am Invincible in the Easter catalogue, plus three by Hellbent. That trio is part of an 18-strong Yarraman Park draft.
Atzeni Experiences a Day to Remember
Tuesday, 10th March 2026
A memorable afternoon at Sha Tin ended with Andrea Atzeni celebrating a four-timer before racing off to meet an even bigger life moment, with the Hong Kong-based rider leaving the track to welcome the birth of his first child. The Sardinian jockey produced a superb day in the saddle, landing four winners across the card, highlighted by the determined victory of Endued in the Class Three Kowloon Tong Club Trophy (1600m). Although four-win hauls were nothing new during his European career, the performance marked the first time he had achieved the feat since relocating to Hong Kong, making the achievement particularly special as news filtered through late in the meeting that his fiancé Emma had gone into labour. Momentum began building early in the programme when Atzeni strung together three consecutive victories, ultimately completing the quartet when Endued claimed his second win of the season and first in Class Three company. “It was brilliant. I’m picking nice rides and the support is coming. You know what it’s like here – you can never look back; you have to keep looking forward,” Atzeni said. Drawn widest in barrier 14, he opted to remove luck from the equation by sending Endued forward to sit outside the leader Violet Star before assuming control in the straight and narrowly holding the late challenge of Smart Avenue to score by a head. “He was threatening to do that. He’s had no luck with draws and we took a chance today and went forward and, luckily, it worked out,” Atzeni added. The winning run began earlier aboard Tony Cruz’s outsider He Was Me in the Class Five Somerset Handicap (1400m), where the pair produced a gritty performance to edge out General Smart and The Concentration in a tight three-way finish after running down the leader Smart Engineer. Atzeni followed up in the very next race when Juicy Dragon impressed in the opening division of the Class Four Rutland Handicap (1200m) on the all-weather track, the son of Territories surging from midfield to defeat Ace Power comfortably. Trainer Manfred Man Ka-leung believed the surface played a crucial role. “The last two runs, he was a bit unfortunate. In my mind, he’s much better on the dirt than the grass and in this race he carried no weight which has helped. I think he can still improve but I don’t know how much, we will have to see,” Man said. Atzeni’s earlier success also included partnering Good Chap to victory in the second division of the Rutland Handicap for trainer David Hall, a win that justified the jockey’s decision to remain aboard the Deep Field gelding after declining another ride. Settled in midfield before sweeping wide in the straight, Good Chap surged clear to win by a length and a quarter and make it back-to-back successes on the all-weather surface. “I think he’s just one of those horses that’s really found his mark with the blinkers and also the all-weather track,” Hall said. The four-timer continued a strong run of form for Atzeni this season and saw him edge closer to Hugh Bowman in the jockeys’ championship standings, sitting on 35 wins to Bowman’s 39 after the Australian rider also saluted aboard Yee Cheong Glory later in the meeting.
Vinery Flexes Its Muscles Ahead of Easter
Tuesday, 10th March 2026
Success across two countries capped a standout stakes weekend for Vinery Stud graduates, highlighted by the unbeaten filly Lara Antipova maintaining her flawless record with victory in the Gr1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie. Prepared by the Te Akau team of Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, Lara Antipova (Russian Revolution continued her rapid rise through the juvenile ranks with a commanding performance against New Zealand’s best two-year-olds. The filly settled comfortably before asserting her superiority late in the contest, extending her record to four wins from as many starts. Purchased from Vinery Stud’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft for $100,000, she has quickly developed into one of the most exciting young fillies in the region and is now expected to return across the Tasman to tackle Australian targets. Another Vinery graduate saluted at Group level in Australia when Sass Appeal captured the Gr2 Kewney Stakes (1600m) at Flemington. The three-year-old filly, a daughter of So You Think delivered a strong performance down the famous straight to claim her second Group success after winning the Desirable Stakes over 1400m at the same venue last month.. Her victory further underlined the strength of Vinery’s yearling drafts and the farm’s ability to produce high-class athletes capable of competing at the highest level. The momentum continued into Sunday with Vinery resident stallions making their presence felt in feature races. All Too Hard was represented by the impressive Music Time, who captured the Gr2 Black Opal Stakes (1200m) at Canberra. The colt, by redoubtable sire All Too Hard, produced a decisive performance to stamp himself as one of the leading two-year-olds in the capital region and built on his sire’s influential record, one that was added to on Monday at Morphettvile when Arran Bay won the LR C S Hayes Memorial Cup. In the process of earning a hat trick, Music Time boosted his earnings to $180,000. That would have ensured a berth in the Gr1 Golden Slipper, however connections have decided to give him a spell. Fellow Vinery stallion Ole Kirk is one of the most in-demand sires in Australia, also featured on the Canberra programme through Aerodrome, who landed the Listed Canberra Guineas (1400m). The progressive three-year-old showed determination in the closing stages to secure the black-type victory. Vinery has 10 yearlings catalogued for Inglis Easter, among them five by Ole Kirk.
Ole Kirk has 13 yearlings catalogued for Easter (pic: Vinery Stud)
Vibrant Addition to Growing National Catalogue
Tuesday, 10th March 2026
Following another bumper weekend of stakes success for Magic Millions graduates, a Group 1-winning filly is set to head straight from the track to the Gold Coast, with Vibrant Sun confirmed for May’s Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale as a headline entry in Baystone Farm’s draft. Prepared by Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr, the daughter of The Autumn Sun raced only 10 times but banked more than $700,000, highlighted by her Australasian Oaks triumph at Morphettville and a Group 3 Alexandra Stakes win at Moonee Valley. She was purchased from Canning Downs Stud at the Gold Coast Yearling Sale by Sheamus Mills Bloodstock, and later catalogued for the 2024 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, where she was passed in when bidding fell short of a $350,000 reserve. Mills said the improvement was clear once she was asked to get over ground. “She got through her maiden grade very quickly and as we stretched her out in distance it was pretty evident that she was getting better and better,” he said. That rise continued through a dominant maiden win, a Thousand Guineas appearance at start four, and the Alexandra, when she ran down Grinzinger Belle over a mile at Moonee Valley. The pathway to the Oaks was far from ideal, however. Vibrant Sun missed a planned 1800m lead-up with a fetlock issue, trialled at Cranbourne over 1200m, and effectively jumped from a mile straight to 2000m on the biggest day. With Mark Zahra given freedom to ride his own race, she rolled to the front and kept finding. “Mark (Zahra) was given an open book in the Oaks and he elected to go to the front with her,” Mills said, adding she “stayed on really well regardless”. Injury ultimately curtailed the career, but Mills believes the mare brings both performance and presence to the sale ring. “She’s a beautifully balanced, mid sized mare,” he said. “She got to 2000 metres, but she is built like a miler.” He said the stable attempted a patient rehab and a return, and that she was going better than ever before chipping the fetlock again, prompting connections to retire her. Vibrant Sun is out of the Group 3-winning Written Tycoon mare Vibrant Rouge and will be offered through Baystone Farm, with Dean Harvey calling it “pretty special” to present a Group 1 winner of her quality at the National. Harvey said the National Sale “works so well” because it attracts a deep and diverse buying bench, and he expects another classy group of stakes-performed and well-related fillies and mares to sit alongside Vibrant Sun in the Baystone draft. One of those is Wangi Wangi, a young three-quarter sister to Calliope, the dam of Group 1 Surround Stakes winner Tempted, as well as the stakes-performed 2YO Express Yo’self. With entries for the 2026 National Sale now open, other previously announced highlights for the racefillies and mares section include last-start Group 1 winner Legarto and Magic Millions Classic winner O’ Ole.
The Elite Numbers Tally for Inglis Digital
Tuesday, 10th March 2026
A remarkable day for the Inglis Digital platform unfolded on Saturday as two of its graduates captured Group One races on opposite sides of the country, delivering what the company described as its most successful results day to date. At Flemington, the Bjorn Baker-trained Caballus (I Am Invincible) produced a brilliant front-running display to claim the Newmarket Handicap, while at Randwick the rapidly emerging filly Sheza Alibi (Saxon Warrior) defeated the colts and geldings with authority in the Randwick Guineas. For Darby Racing principal Scott Darby, the Newmarket triumph represented the vindication of a bold decision made two years earlier. Darby and his team stretched their budget to $315,000 to secure Caballus through the October (Early) Inglis Digital Sale in 2023, a purchase that at the time ranked among the syndicator’s largest online investments. That gamble has since been richly rewarded. Now a five-year-old, Caballus has raced 15 times for six victories and more than $2.1 million in prizemoney, with the Flemington success rubbee stamping his Group 1 credentials. Prior to appearing on Inglis Digital he had been purchased for $1 million by Coolmore from Bhima at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale on behalf of breeder Reg Ryan. Saturday’s Newmarket result also produced a striking statistic for the online marketplace, with Caballus leading home a First Four comprised entirely of Inglis Digital graduates, finishing ahead of Gallant Son, Angel Capital and Sepals. Reflecting on the purchase, Darby recalled the moment the decision was made to pursue the horse strongly. “It was a lot of money for us at the time but he’d come through a race where we had a runner that we had a big opinion of so we were happy to go hard on him and when he came up for sale we pounced,” he said. The victory carried extra significance for breeder Reg Ryan, who bought Caballus’s dam Calming Influence for $290,000 at the 2020 Inglis Chairman’s Sale while she was carrying the colt in utero. Watching from his property in Wodonga, Ryan admitted the achievement fulfilled a long-held ambition. “I always wanted a Group 1 winner and now I’ve got one,” he said. Meanwhile in Sydney, Sheza Alibi confirmed her reputation as one of the most exciting three-year-olds in training with an emphatic Randwick Guineas victory. Purchased by Queenslander Fred Noffke as a weanling for just $10,000 on Inglis Digital in June 2023, the Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman-trained filly has now earned more than $1.27 million. Coleman, on course to witness the performance, was thrilled by the manner of the win. “She’s just something special, this filly,” she said. “She’s put the writing on the wall previously but this has been her hardest test to date and to put a quality field away like that, wowee, I’m shaking.” With nine career starts producing five wins and multiple placings, Sheza Alibi is expected to head for a spell before a likely spring campaign aimed at the $10 million Golden Eagle. The dual elite victories took the tally of Inglis graduates to 117 Group 1 winners since 2018.
Caballus hugged the rail for a go to whoa Gr1 win (pic: Mark Gatt)
All Star Mile Philia Decision the Right Call
Tuesday, 10th March 2026
A decision to bypass the $2 million All-Star Mile and instead target the Group 3 Matron Stakes at Flemington has left Philia’s connections comfortable they chose the right path, despite a luckless run in the $300,000 contest. According to punters.com.au, trapped on the inside for much of the straight, the daughter of All Too Hard struggled to secure clear running before eventually finding daylight late. Under Jamie Mott she closed strongly once clear, finishing fourth and just over a length from the winner Ahha Ahha in a performance that hinted the result might have been different with better fortune. In an unusually frank admission of where she currently sits in the Black Type pecking order, part-owner Peter Harris said there were no second thoughts about avoiding the All-Star Mile and placing the valuable half-sister to Group 1 winner Duais where she was more likely to be competitive. “These Group 3 mares-type races are probably where she sits at the moment,” Harris said. “We obviously thought about having us throw at the stumps in that All-Star Mile and really it was more like if they're going to pay down to eighth and they give you 50 grand for it … she might well have picked up something. But it's better to get a chance to do the best she can in a class that she can be competitive in.” The All-Star Mile itself was taken out by Tom Kitten, while fellow Queensland galloper Antino, trained by Tony Gollan, endured a difficult afternoon and finished eighth of the nine runners. Reflecting on the race his mare sidestepped, Harris remained comfortable with the decision. “No, not at all. The horse that won (Tom Kitten) has now won two of them,” he said. “That was a good field and it might have been weakened a bit by two scratchings (Buckaroo and Treasurethe Moment). Maybe the $2 million (prizemoney) has found its level. It's still a quality race and they're not giving away ridiculous money.” Sunshine Coast trainer David Vandyke was also encouraged by Philia’s effort in the Matron Stakes, describing it as a performance that deserved another chance at the same trip. “She just couldn't get a run between the 350m and the 100m,” Vandyke said. “Once she saw daylight at the 100m she was very strong to the line. It was a good run, she just had no luck.” The mare is now likely to back up in the Group 2 Sunline Stakes (1600m) at Flemington in a fortnight, a race Vandyke believes offers another suitable opportunity. Beyond that, connections are considering a short break before targeting the Queensland Winter Carnival, where races such as the Hollindale Stakes and Doomben Cup could come into play depending on how she progresses through the autumn.
$10k Buy Gives Owner-Trainer a 5000% Return
Tuesday, 10th March 2026
Amid the star power and major stable presence on Champions Day at Ellerslie, one of the standout performances came from much humbler origins, as owner-trainer Ken Harrison celebrated a richly deserved feature success with bargain buy Moxie in Saturday’s $600,000 Gr2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Classic (1400m). Purchased for just $10,000 from Lyndhurst Farm’s draft at Karaka 2023, the daughter of Strasbourg has now returned almost 50 times that outlay. Her latest victory was the fifth of an 11-start career and lifted her earnings to $497,125, underlining the remarkable value she has become for her connections. Moxie had already hinted that another big result was close at hand. After winning four of her first seven starts, she was tested in stronger company over the summer and performed with credit against quality opposition. She finished fourth in the Stella Artois 1500 Championship Final (1500m), sixth in the Gr3 Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic (1600m) and third in the Listed Fulton Family Stakes (1500m), form that suggested she was ready to strike again with the right set-up. That opportunity came when she dropped back to 1400m on Saturday to meet a deep field of fillies and mares. Among them were Group 1 winner Quintessa, Group 1-placed Tomodachi and the Australian-trained pair Chica Mojito and Mare Of Mt Buller, ensuring there would be no shortage of class around her. As the field straightened, runners spread across the track in search of their chance, turning the race into a wide-open contest over the closing stages. For a few moments it appeared several could lay claim to victory, but Moxie quickly separated herself when asked for her effort. Producing a sharp finishing burst, she swept past her rivals and asserted with authority to score by a length over Chica Mojito, with Quintessa a head away in third. The performance capped an excellent rise through the grades and gave Harrison a deserved moment in the spotlight against some of the biggest names on the card. On a day dominated by elite races and established stars, Moxie’s victory carried its own appeal, reminding racegoers that big-race success can still come from modest beginnings when patience, placement and ability come together at the right time.
Bargain buy Moxie has made a mockery of her price (pic: Race Images Kenton Wright)
