Extreme Choice Filly Tops Inglis Classic Day 1, Sells for AU$425,000

Lot 233, an Extreme Choice filly consigned by Newgate Farm in partnership with Gooree, topped Day 1 of the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale at Riverside when Denise Martin’s Star Thoroughbreds and agent Vin Cox secured her for AU$425,000. The chestnut filly - the fourth foal out of Nais Ko - drew a late, decisive bid that encapsulated the market’s appetite for limited Extreme Choice bloodlines.

Bidding built through a competitive ring before Star and Cox “succeeded with a single bid - A$425,000,” and Cox later reflected on the filly’s appeal. “She’s a glorious filly. I don’t think it was any secret that we liked her, we saw her four times here. She’s a strong, precocious looking type of filly, she’s got a good head on her in that she’s sensible and she looks like one that’s up and ready to roll,” Cox said. He added a commercial rationale for the investment: “With Extreme Choice it’s just a case of you’ve got to get one. They’re rare commodities, they have that scarcity value and when you see a nice one, you’ve got to dig deep and put the seatbelt on and get in.” BloodHorse converted the purchase price to US$298,095 using AU$1 = US$0.70.

Pedigree and physicality were central to the sale narrative. The filly is by Extreme Choice (Not A Single Doubt) out of the Exceed And Excel mare Nais Ko. Sources differ on Nais Ko’s exact relation to Group 1 winner and sire Your Song - Breednet describes her as a “winning three-quarter sister to Group I winning sprinter and sire Your Song,” while RacingPost calls her a “winning half-sister to Group 1 victor Your Song.” TTR also reported that Nais Ko had produced Group 1 Galaxy Handicap winner Private Harry - a detail that appears in only that excerpt and should be checked against official produce records.

Newgate stud manager Jim Carey praised the result: “It’s a fantastic result and she was a lovely filly. We’ve always had success here at Classic in the past and she’s a sharp, mature filly and we just thought it would be a good sale for her and it’s turned out that way.” Star’s purchase will race in the stable’s purple silks with white stars and is expected to go into training with Chris Waller.

The headline sale sat within a Day 1 that showed healthy momentum but mixed metrics. ANZ Bloodstock News reported catalogued 270, offered 246, sold 198 (80%), aggregate A$19,041,000 (+7.6%), average A$96,167 (-3.7%), median A$75,000 (-6.25%), top lot A$425,000. RacingPost noted Extreme Choice’s scarcity - “one of just 44 live foals for the 2024 crop” - and there were three Extreme Choice yearlings catalogued at the sale. The A$425,000 top lot led ahead of a A$400,000 Hellbent colt bought by BK Racing’s Benny Vassallo, who will send the colt to trainer Gary Portelli.

Market voices reflected both confidence and caution. Breednet observed, “But I don't think there's any disguising that in the sub-100 grand bracket, it feels very much like a buyer's market.” For buyers chasing proven sire lines and two-year-old potential, the Classic’s first day reinforced a two-tier market: aggressive spending for rare, commercial pedigrees and selective opportunities further down the catalogue.

For owners and trainers, the filly’s purchase is a strategic play on scarcity and early ability; for the broader market, Day 1 underlined how limited supply from subfertile stallions like Extreme Choice can amplify prices and focus attention on a small pool of high-value yearlings as the sale continues.