Written Tycoon and Toronado lead the way at Premier Sale

Reigning Australian Sires Premiership winner Written Tycoon and Swettenham Stud’s Toronado were the dominant Victorian stallions at the recent Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.  

Both featured in the top 10 lots at the prestigious sale, with Lot 251 – a striking chestnut colt – fetching the second highest price after the Team Hawkes training team paid $675,000 for the son of Written Tycoon.     

Sold by Rick Jamieson’s famed Gilgai Farm in Nagambie, the Super VOBIS-nominated and VOBIS Sires-eligible colt is out of Soorena, whose progeny include the 2016 Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) winner The Quarterback.  

A short drive from Gilgai Farm down Mullers Road takes you to Adam Sangster’s Swettenham Stud, where resident stallion Toronado continues to produce quality VOBIS-nominated yearlings which invariably outsell their sire’s $49,500 service fee.  

Lot 240, a flashy chestnut colt with one white ‘sock’ on his rear hind leg, became Toronado’s highest-selling yearling of the sale when he was purchased by the Queensland-based TFI operation for $460,000. 

Another colt by Toronado, Lot 403, was knocked down to Scott Cameron Racing for $360,000 – the same price fetched by Lot 29, a beautiful brown filly produced by Written Tycoon.  

Mick Price won the bidding war on the daughter of La Paris, whose previous foal by Written Tycoon (Hightail) went on to win the Group 3 Gold Coast Guineas (1200m) for Peter and Paul Snowden. 

Price was the former trainer of Grunt, who now stands at Yulong Stud alongside Written Tycoon. Whilst he is only just starting out on his journey and has some way to go to match the deeds of his near neighbour, Grunt is going great guns as Yulong’s foundation stallion with his progeny already in high demand. 

Grunt’s highest-selling lot (56) – a black colt out of Indian Dreamer – was snapped up for $300,000 by Griffiths de Kock Racing.  

The Robbie Griffiths and Mike de Kock training team also paid the same price for another Super VOBIS-nominated and VOBIS Sires-eligible colt by Lean Mean Machine. Sold by the Euroa-based Blue Gum Farm, the bay colt is out of Innocent I Am.