$1.1 Million for Sunlight Brother at Inglis Easter Online

The Inglis Easter Yearling Sale online produced a new benchmark for champion sire Zoustar with the full brother to Champion 3YO Filly Sunlight selling for $1.1million on Tuesday to be the equal highest priced offering of the session.

It has often been lamented that Sunlight was not a colt and today we saw just what sort of worth would be placed on a male version of the superstar filly.

An exceptional individual, he was bought by Hawkes Racing, who have been very active at the sale securing five cracking colts with this fellow the standout.

For Team Hawkes, a weekend of inspections by John and Michael Hawkes led them to their purchase.

“Michael rang me and said ‘we’ve found the colt’,’’ Wayne Hawkes said.

“He just said he’s an absolute A, a perfect A in dad’s opinion and John Hawkes does not hand out many As at a sale in any year.

“Plus the cross works, Sunlight is an iron horse and this bloke only needs to be half as good as her and it would be great if he could go and stand at Widden Stud one day.’’

Widden’s Antony Thompson always knew the colt was a seven-figure colt but given the circumstances of the sale, was anxious in the lead-up.

“We hoped for $1m for that colt from the moment he was born, throughout his life as he grew up you became more and more confident but the past couple of weeks obviously it was a bit of a rollercoaster,’’ Thompson said.

“For him to make $1.1m in these circumstances is a stunning result so we’re thrilled.

“It’s been a turbulent time where things have changed so much so often but to piece the sale together the way they have is a real credit to the whole team at Inglis. To all the buyers who have got behind the sale from all around the world and around Australia, well done to them too, a huge effort.’’

Bred by Widden Stud in partnership, he is the seventh foal of Group III winner Solar Charged, who has done a great job producing not only $6.5million earner Sunlight, but also Group III winner Sisstar and stakes-placed Sheikha.

Solar Charged has no weanling, but is now back in foal to Zoustar.