The Inglis HTBA May Yearling Sale is being held today at Riverside Stables and Extreme Choice put some spark into proceedings when his only entry sold for $300,000 to top the sale.
Consigned by Bell River Thoroughbreds, who bred and sold her sire, the much admired filly from Dashie Diva proved a hot commodity with Michael Freedman Racing securing the half-sister to stakes-winner East Indiaman.
She is the ninth and final foal from Dashie Diva, who died last year, leaving an impressive record with seven foals to race and all of them winners.
“She’s always been a lovely filly. We had her set to go to Classic but she had a tiny chip in the hind fetlock which I was never going to remove until a couple of prominent and well-known vets told me that it needed to be removed as it was in an awkward spot, so we did and she ended up here but as it’s turned out, it hasn’t deterred the result that we were going to get for her,’’ said a delighted Andrew Ferguson of Bell river Thoroughbreds.
“There were quite a few big names on her and for someone like Michael Freedman to pick her up, it’s pretty exciting.’’
Freedman, who has enjoyed significant success with progeny of the sire already having trained Stay Inside and Tiger of Malay, was thrilled to secure the filly.
“She’s a good physical, she’s athletic, I’m really glad to get her,’’ Freedman said.
“There’s some clients at the stable who have missed out on getting a horse by the stallion earlier in the year so there’s definitely an appetite to get involved in a filly or colt by him and this is probably the last time this year to do so.
“She’s a mid-October foal so she might just be one you’d have a look at in the spring but probably more like doing something more serious with her in the autumn.’’
Extreme Choice will stand this season at Newgate Farm for $275,000 inc GST making him the most expensive sire in the country in 2022.
From his first two small crops of foals, Extreme Choice has had 29 winners from 35 starters and they include five stakes-winners headed by Group I winning juveniles Stay Inside and She’s Extreme.
His near enough to 18% SW to runner strike rate is what has made him one of the most desirable stallions in the land with three of his sons headed to stud this spring in Stay Inside (Newgate), Tiger of Malay (Newgate) and Extreme Warrior(Rosemont Stud).
