By Black Type Horse Racing, 8 May 2024
The top weanling on Day 2 at Riverside in Sydney was a Toronado x Atomic Pulse colt from Lustre Lodge which realised $320,000, to the extreme delight of Lustre’s Paige Churcher. “He’s a colt we brought here thinking we could get $100,000, maybe $120,000 for because he’s a beautiful moving colt by a sire that’s really on fire so we’re absolutely rapt,’’ Churcher said. “Honestly, I was just hoping I could get reserve back on him, we’re just ecstatic. He’s gone ahead in leaps and bounds and hopefully the purchaser gets a great result as well. He was very well found here all week, he did over 200 inspections and he just handled it all like a true professional. Toronado is standing the 2024 breeding season at Swettenham Stud for $88,000. Tuesday’s second-top lot was a Home Affairs x Extra Olives colt from Coolmore, which realised $260,000 to the bid of Fernrigg Farm. The colt became the highest-priced progeny of a first season sire at the sale, being by exciting young stallion and Inglis Easter Yearling Sale graduate Home Affairs. “We’re very excited with what the stallion is going to do leading into his first yearling crop,’’ Coolmore’s John Kennedy said. “He’s been full every season since he’s been to stud, we’ve heavily supported him with some of our best mares… we have very high aspirations for him and he really looks like he’s well on his way to reaching those heights.