Seven horses sold for $100,000 or more at the 2024 Nutrien Equine Melbourne Yearling Sale at Inglis Oaklands Junction on Sunday.

Following on from the successful Sydney sale, the Melbourne auction saw quality lots attract plenty of interest.

The top price paid was $220,000 for a cracking colt by Bettor’s Delight from the draft of Benstud Standardbreds, purchased by prominent Melbourne owner Jean Feiss.

A member of the family of Changeover, One Change and Chokin, the colt catalogued as lot number 258 is the second foal from the royally bred Well Said mare Ah La Vitesse NZ.

 “He was just a lovely colt. I liked his pedigree, his type, everything about him,” Feiss said. “He is NZ Sires Stakes eligible was a big factor.”

The colt will be trained by Mark Purdon’s All Stars stable in Christchurch.

Second on the best seller’s list was the Bettor’s Delight-Beninjurd colt, who was purchased by Bacchus Marsh bulk grain transport company director Joel Watson. The colt is a half-brother to three Group 1 winners in Tough Tilly, Centenario and Lightning Dan and was bred and offered by Benstud Standardbreds.

Watson was one of the most active buyers at the sale, spending $290,000 for three yearlings.

The highest priced filly was the Bettor’s Delight miss out of the multiple Group 1 placegetter Perfect Sense who was purchased by Ballarat horsewoman Emma Stewart for $150,000. The filly was consigned by Bruce and Vicki Edwards’ Durham Park Standardbreds.

The two leading trotting yearlings were both sired by the first crop stallion Classic Connection and were both offered by Pat Driscoll’s Yabby Dam Farms. A half-sister to Courmayeur was knocked down to Rod O’Kane for $75,000, while a colt from a daughter of Just Believe’s sire Orlando Vici fetched $60,000 on the bid of Crown Lodge.

The sale grossed $4,094,500 for 126 lots sold for an average of $32,496, up slightly on last year’s average. The clearance rate was just shy of 70 percent.

A total of 83 pacing bred yearlings averaged out at $38,054, while 43 trotters changed hands at $21,767 apiece.

Nutrien Equine standardbred manager Mark Barton said: “Overall it was a pleasing result with sale averages similar to last year with a clearance now nearing 70 percent.

“There was a good crowd in attendance with buyers from every Australian State as well as New Zealand.

“The vendors who presented their yearlings in tip-top order were well supported.

“We’re now looking forward to the finals of our third race series at Melton on Saturday night and to seeing this year’s sales graduates appearing on the tracks next season.”

Bettor’s Delight, who sired four of the seven highest priced yearlings, topped the stallion averages with seven head selling at $126,428.

Tall Dark Stranger was second on the list with $62,500 for four lots, followed by Captaintreacherous ($55,500 - 5), Bettor’s Wish ($48,333 – 3), Art Major ($39,714 – 7) and Sweet Lou ($33,333 – 3).

The biggest buyer on the day was prominent Leeton (NSW) owner Mick Boots, who snapped up 10 yearlings at a total cost of $310,000. Dean Shannon’s Ladbroke’s Racing Club spent $170,000 for a pair of Tall Dark Stranger colts.

Sky Channel presenter Brittany Graham purchased a trotting colt by the all-American bred Elite Stride out of the Kadabra mare Glenferrie Dash which she will race in partnership with champion New Jersey horsewoman Nancy Takter, the 2020 USA Trainer of the Year and who brought out Tall Dark Stranger and Captain Crunch.

“I showed Nancy a video of the colt and she was impressed,” Brittany said.

Graham plans to train the youngster herself.

Ballarat breeder Pat Driscoll has received Harness Breeders Victoria’s Ian Daff Memorial Award for the 2023 Victorian Breeder of the Year in recognition of his long-term service to the overall Victorian breeding industry.

Benstud Standardbreds won both the best presented pacing and trotting colt awards at the Nutrien Equine yearling parade. The pacing colt was Lot 258, by Bettor’s Delight from Ah La Vitesse, and the trotting colt was Lot 296, by Timoko from Our Sunny Rose

Three-year-old Byrneside Boom, a most impressive winner at Cobram, is the ninth winner from the Grinfromeartoear mare Kateeshar. The Sportswriter gelding was bred by Melbourne businessman and hobby breeder Kevin Clark