It was Gosford's turn for the state's stand-alone city meet, with its highlight $250,000 Buterin L'Estrange Gosford Gold Cup-LR going to the Matt Smith-trained outsider Esti Feny on Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access to all our agricultural news
across the nation
or signup to continue reading
His first win since arriving in Australia in mid-2019, the Hungarian foaled Esti Feny is raced by a large group, including well-known Christine and Frank Cook and Lyn and Chris Lawlor of Kurmond.
Ridden by Jay Ford, Esti Feny defeated the favourite Navajo Peak (by Territories) and the GB-bred Bois D'Argent (by Toronado) third.
The race prior - the $500,000 feature The Coast, was won by Palmetto (by Ghibellines), which Esti Feny finished unplaced to at his previous start at Hawkesbury.
The Joe Pride trained So You Think gelding, Think About It, took the De Bortoli Takeover Target Sprint-LR, a race named after the globe-trotting Australian bred and trained galloper, giving jockey Jay Ford much success.
While Scone conditioner Scott Singleton was at the Dubbo meeting with four runners, his wife Lucy was attending to Remlaps Commander, which won the $120,000 TAB Highway Handicap, a hotly contested city race restricted to country-trained gallopers.
"Scott said he would go to Dubbo, and me go to Gosford, therefore, I can easily go down the road to Sydney, as I am going to the Tina Turner Musical tonight," Lucy said following the horse's win.
It was the third win from five starts for Remlaps Commander - a three-year-old Extreme Choice colt, who was a $70,000 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale purchase for his trainer, selling via Neil and Denise Osborne's Mane Lodge, Sutton.
Singleton took four runners to Dubbo for a fourth, a second, and two winners - Dollar Magic, which won the feature Queen Of The West, and Aquarter, which is raced by a group including the Pluck gelding's local breeders Colleen and Peter Dwyer.
Scone Race Club's stand-alone metropolitan Saturday meeting will be held on May 13.
Record results at chairman's sale
Two lots of $3 million or more set record results at Inglis' The Chairman's Sale, an exclusive live auction for elite breeding prospects at its Riverside Stables, Warwick Farm, last week.
The David Payne trained $2.9 million earner Montefilia fetched $3.4 million, selling to big-spender Yulong, which was consigned by Newgate Farm, Aberdeen, while a record top of $3.6 million was reached for ATC Queen Of The Turf-G1 winner Nimalee.
By So You Think, Nimalee sold via Brett and Rachael Howard's Glenesk Thoroughbreds at Mount Vincent also responsible for selling last year's record top of $2.7 million for Shout The Bar.
A total of 79 lots sold from 109 offered for a $44.38 million gross and an average of $561,772.
Nine horses fetched $1 million or more, including two from Julie Harris' Holbrook Thoroughbreds (Graceful Girl and Inspirational Girl), which consigned a group belonging to the Western Australian-based Peters Investments.
Its unreserved broodmare reduction continued the next day when topping the Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale, with Candyland selling for $440,000 (going to John Chalmers Bloodstock).
"We had too many horses," Perth's Bob Peters said before the sales. "It is run as a business and we have to make it pay, so we have to sell sometimes."
Capitalist colt tops weanling sale
Meanwhile, a colt by Newgate Farm's Capitalist fetched $625,000 and became the equal highest-ever youngster to sell at the Inglis Australian Easter Weanling Sale also last week.
Part of Ashleigh Thoroughbreds' dispersal sale, the colt - a brother to group one winner and young sire Captivant, sold to a partnership of Newgate Farm, China Horse Club, Go Bloodstock and Trilogy Racing.
Back in 2008, a filly by now deceased champion sire, More Than Ready, from Milanova, fetched the same top in the Inglis sale ring.
The second day's top of $300,000 was a Deep Field colt which sold via Mike O'Donnell's Fairhill Farm, the Mulbring district property also being the leading vendor with total gross sales of $1.828 million.
Of 248 horses sold, 42 fetched $100,000 or more, which helped boost the gross to $12.961 million, for an average of $52,264.
This compares to similar gross sales, from 261 horses sold for an average of $49,500 at last year's edition.
