Melbourne Premier Sale well underway

Melbourne Premier inspections are well underway and Barn F at Oaklands Junction has been a hive of activity where Swettenham Stud has housed a sale-high 50 yearlings.

Swettenham bred and sold Group 1 star Trust In A Gust at Oaklands and among this year’s draft is his half-brother by Master Of Design catalogued as Lot 546.

“Brian Gorman and the team have done a remarkable job in preparation for Melbourne Premier,” Swettenham owner Adam Sangster said. “We have 10 very special first-crop yearlings by Master of Design and the half-brother to Trust In A Gust is a stand-out.”

The first Master Of Design to parade on Sunday is the colt out of Anna Danna (Lot 18). His dam was a Kentucky stakes performer and is related to champion sires Street Cry and Shamardal. Her first foals to race – Our Kaboom and Our Kapow – both won as two year-olds.

The quality continues right through to the final Master Of Design from his home base in Premier I. His filly from The Loan Express (Lot 566) is a half-sister to Fast Cash who was stakes placed at Moonee Valley in August prior to winning the $180,000 VOBIS Gold Carat there last month.

Swettenham has also catalogued an exciting draft of yearlings by outside stallions starting with a Bel Esprit - Amoroso filly (Lot 14). Bel Esprit’s world-champion Black Caviar was a Swettenham graduate from the 2008 Melbourne Premier.

His Amoroso filly is a half-sister to Group 2 winner Arinosa. She was rated Australia’s most improved mare in 2012-13 after stepping up from a Benchmark 75 win at Canterbury to Group 2 victories in the Premiere Stakes and Sapphire Stakes at Randwick.

Amoroso is also the dam of Team Hawkes flyer Onerous. He is a homebred for Steve Lester and cruised to a three-length victory first-up at Seymour last month.

Swettenham’s Toorak Toff – Aunty Betty colt (Lot 31) is one of four yearlings being prepped for Melbourne breeder Dyson Hore-Lacy. Aunty Betty won the G3 Birthday Card Stakes in Sydney and she is the dam of Wonzzee who swept 4 of her first 5 starts leading up to the G3 Bow Mistress Stakes earlier this month.

Snitzel has a marvellous record at Oaklands Junction with graduates the calibre of Group 1 winner Snitzerland and Group 2 winners Flying Snitzel, Hot Snitzel & Honorine.

His Melbourne Premier yearlings this year include Swettenham’s colt from Chauson Dore (Lot 75). The Irish bred mare was a juvenile winner at Saint-Cloud and was a stakes placed at Chantilly. Her first foal Prix d’Or was a Melbourne winner for Robbie Griffiths.

Swettenham sells two beautifully bred yearlings by Northern Meteor and Choisir back-to-back on Tuesday.

The Northern Meteor – Reine filly (Lot 472) is a half-sister to recent Canterbury winner Queen Of Sheba. Her dam is an unraced half-sister to Group 1 winners Nadeem (Blue Diamond Stakes) and Billion Win (HK Stewards Cup).

Choisir’s colt from Ribbon (Lot 473) is a half-brother to the Colin Little trained Blue Ribbon who won last year’s LR Centaurea Stakes in Adelaide.

Swettenham has two fillies nominated for the Blue Ribbon Session on Monday starting with the Fastnet Rock youngster from G1 NZ Oaks winner Bramble Rose (Lot 224). The mare has already foaled Randwick stakes winner Maules Creek by Fastnet Rock’s sire Redoute’s Choice.

Her latest winner is the Bob Peters owned Evening Rose and she could provide the Fastnet Rock filly with another black-type update in the LR Ascot 1000 Guineas this Saturday.

The other Blue Ribbon filly from Swettenham is the Artie Schiller half-sister to in-form galloper Varboss (Lot 271) who completed a Melbourne hat-trick at Sandown on Wednesday. Their dam Varevees was a Group 3 winner and Group 1 placegetter at Longchamp.