HERE is some more exciting news from last week’s Inglis Easter Sale in Sydney, Australia, where Mike de Kock and Jehan Malherbe were active in the auction ring along with their associate Angus Gold of Sheikh Hamdan’s Shadwell Racing Operation. (See Mdk gets colt from National Colour at Ingles, elsewhere on site).

While Shadwell will be sending nine purchases to Mike’s yard (report to follow), Form Bloodstock went solo to acquire one unnamed filly by High Chaparral (IRE), from Zarinia, by Intikhab – a half-sister to the stable’s recently retired star mare, Igugu, the daughter of Galileo who won the SA Triple Tiara and the J&B Met and was crowned South Africa’s Horse of the Year in 2011/12!

Malherbe secured this well-made brown filly (Lot 290), for $AUS150,000, which could prove to be a true bargain. This filly is Zarinia’s sixth foal. Three of her previous foals were runners (the fifth is an unraced two-year-old), and all of them have won. Igugu’s half-brother Honorius (by Holy Roman Emperor), won four races up to 2000m including a Gr 3, and he was Gr1 placed, while her half-sister by the same stallion won over 2150m.

All of Zarinia’s winners were stoutly sired, but they showed pace in addition to their inheritance of good stamina – promising good things to come for this produce, the mating of Zarinia with Epsom Derby winner High Chapparal, who has thrown plenty of stayers but also high quality classic horses like Gr1 Sussex Stakes winner Toronado and the versatile multiple Gr1 winning champion So You Think, a star performer in his native Australia and the UK.

Mike is chuffed with this buy and said on Monday: “This young filly is a good prospect, we like her. Comparing them purely on physical appearance, I’d say she is perhaps a better looking specimen than Igugu. We’ll hold thumbs she can go all the way to the top like her close sibling.”

-A wrap-up of all 2014 Ingles purchase to follow. 

On the photo (left), is Igugu’s unnamed half-sister, pictured recently, a yearling. On the right is Igugu, two years old, at Summerhill Stud. One man’s racehorse is another man’s mule, but the youngster does look  a touch more athletic than her robust, famous older sibling. What is your opinion? Of course only time will tell if the High Chaparral filly’s racetrack ability will match her good looks and her half-sister’s talent.