Pizza eating fan favourite, G1 Doncaster winner Nettoyer and G1 Winx S winner Samadoubt were both sold at auction by Nick and Jas Hodges, Riversdale Farm, Scone. Situated in the heart of Australia’s Thoroughbred capital, Scone, Riversdale’s recent impressive list of Gr1 winning graduates highlights the quality of their pasture and their bloodstock.
“This is the best bunch of yearlings we’ve taken to the Classic Sale, and we are excited to get down to Sydney and show these young racehorses to buyers,” said Nick Hodges. With seventeen yearlings on offer in 2022 at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, the odds are that this Riversdale draft will produce another racehorse of the quality of Nettoyer or Samadoubt.
The recent Gr1 win by Portland Sky will have fans of Deep Field excited, and his colt, Lot 653, is out of a young winning Lonhro mare who is closely related to tough sprinter/miler Testashadow from the family of Zoustar. “A real standout colt is the Deep Field from Just Meille. He’s a straightforward, clean legged colt, very typical of his sire.” He’s a three-quarter brother to the brilliant Spaceboy, a stakes placed winner of 4 races and over $500K, from the family of Zoustar.
A pair of Capitalist colts will catch the eye of good judges and both are linebred 3×4 to the mighty Danehill, a cross that has excelled lately with over 300 stakes winners now linebred to Danehill within five generations. Gr1 winner Captivant (Capitalist) carries the identical Danehill cross to these two colts. Lot 186 is out of a winning Redoute’s Choice mare from the imported family of Workforce, Brian Boru, and Best Solution; while Lot 337 is out of We Can Dance, a winning half-sister to the dam of four time Gr1 winner Appearance. “The We Can Dance colt is a scopey lengthy type of horse, more in the vein of Captivant. He’s very nice style of a colt.”
“The best colt in the draft is the Scarlett Fox. He’s a fast, powerful, well built, racy type.” Lot 719, Hodges pick of the draft is by Ilovethiscity, the sire of Gr1 Sires’ Produce Stakes winner El Dorado Dreaming, and is the second foal of winning mare Scarlett Fox (Foxwedge). His third dam is Gr1 winner Whisked, dam of Tie The Knot, Hood, Dream Ballad, and the winning dam of Cherry Tortoni.
Everyone will want an Extreme Choice and there aren’t many to go around. Riversdale will present Lot 240, a filly, from Shippo (Zizou) a young mare who won four of her eight starts, and who has left a recent winner. Shippo is a half-sister to Gr3 winner Mecir (Lonhro), and their dam won six races and was multiple times group placed. Speaking of stallions with small crops, Menari’s first runner won the first two year-old race of this season, and his second crop colt, Lot 461, is out of Chiquada who won six races and is a daughter of Gr3 winner and Gr1 placed High Grove.
Maurice has had a Gr1 winner in both hemispheres with his first crop, and Riversdale will present a yearling filly of his, Lot 156, whose young dam is out of stakes placed winner Miss O’Brien (Fastnet Rock), from the family of Yvonne. Lot 390, a colt by Kermadec, is the third foal of winning mare Astral Miss, who is a half-sister to Happy Galaxy from the family of Gr1 winner Porto Roca, dam of Gr1 Dubai World Cup winner Monterosso and granddam of Gr1 William Reid Stakes winner Silent Sedition.
The first foal of a city winner, Lot 544 is a filly by Star Turn whose Listed winner Miss Hipstar looks the goods. The dam of this yearling filly is a half-sister to Gr3 winner Magic Chai from the Riverina Charm family that includes Neroli, Benfica, and Bandipur.
A Headwater colt, Lot 561, the third foal of winning mare Flambe, a half-sister to Listed winner of nine races Flamboyer (Clang) from a tough Queensland family. He is by the same sire and closely related to the brilliant G3 winner Wisdom Of Water, winner of the recent Wyong MM 3YO & 4YOS among his 4 wins and almost $500K in prizemoney.
A double star prospect is Lot 725 by Star Witness out of Star Player, and this yearling colt is the second foal for his winning dam, who is a half-sister to tough fourteen race winner (and dual Listed winner) River’s Lane.
A pair of Invader (Snitzel) fillies both have interesting pedigrees. Lot 99 is out of a young city winner from the family of Silent Sovereign, Silent Command, and Silent Surround; while Lot 326 is the third foal of Umbakumba (Umatilla) who is a full sister to Listed winner Umaquest, the dam of of Yattarna. “The Umbakumba is a lovely scopey filly with a great hindquarter. A beautiful moving horse with a lot of quality.”
Hellbent (I Am Invincible) got his stud career off to a great start with first crop two year-old Bohemian Daisy placing on debut in the Gr3 Ottawa Stakes, and his second crop yearling colt, Lot 646, is out of a young half-sister to Gr1 Robert Sangster Stakes winner Spright. This colt is also a close relative of group placed winning two year-old Mine Two (I Am Invincible). Another sire with his second crop yearlings at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale is Pariah (Redoute’s Choice) whose filly, Lot 297, is the second foal of a half-sister to Listed winner Instalment, from the family of Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Mirror Mirror (whose stakes winning daughter No Looking Back almost won the same race). English Two Thousand Guineas winner Churchill’s stock should improve as they turn three next season, so this yearling sale might be a good time to buy into upgrading stock.
His yearling colt, Lot 496, is a half-brother to nine winners of 31 races, including Off And Laughing who ran fourth in the Gr3 Bow Mistress Trophy. This is the family of Champion 2YO Ruud Awakening.
First season sire Showtime (Snitzel) is represented by a colt, Lot 615, who is the third foal of winning mare Highland Secrets, whose first foal is a winner. This is the family of Easy Rocking, Cosmic Endeavour, and Fairy King Prawn.
With a strong focus on broodmares and yearling preparation, Riversdale Farm excels at producing quality racehorses whoich will thrill owners and this 2022 Inglis Classic draft is certain to reveal a few gems. Whether any of them will like a slice of pizza remains to be seen.
