Willow Grove Stud owner Ralph Satchell picked the right time and the right yearlings for his first consignment to the Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale this week.

A successful vendor for many years at the Adelaide Magic Millions, Satchell decided a stronger buying bench in Melbourne would increase the value of a horse like his Ole Kirk – Kibibi colt (Lot 332) on Monday.

“He was our flagship colt here,” Satchell said.  “His older half-brother by Harry Angel (Ire) topped the Adelaide Magic Millions Sale last year and this colt is similar although a bit bigger with more scope.”

The top-priced Day 1 yearling by Vinery sire Ole Kirk sold for $360,000 at Oaklands Junction and that was surpassed on Day 2 when Willow Grove’s Ole Kirk colt made $400,000 to the bid of B&J Racing.  “He looks a readymade runner but I think he will develop into a very good horse at three,” Satchel predicted.  “There are similarities between this colt and his sire.”

His dam Kibibi was a $130,000 buy from Godolphin at the 2021 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.  “She was in foal to Harry Angel and I thought she was a bargain,” Satchell recalled.  “She’s by Exceed And Excel and I was glad to get one of his daughters at that price.”

The Harry Angel is a 2yo colt named Dapper Don who is trained by Lloyd Kennewell and Lucy Yeomans for a syndicate managed by agent John Moore.  Satchell sent Kibibi back to Harry Angel in September.

Vinery sold an Exceedance – Beechal colt to agent Satomi Oka for $220,000 on Sunday and Griffiths de Kock Racing paid the same price for the Stud’s colt from Meikas (Lot 382) on Monday.  Henry Dwyer also weighed in with $150,000 for Rosemont Stud’s Exceedance colt from Kylix (Lot 340).

“He’s a smashing colt and a similar specimen to Exceedance,” Dwyer said.  “He’s strong with a lovely loose action and I can see him developing into a lovely 3yo up to 1600m.”

Ole Kirk was the leading first-season sire for turnover during the Premier sessions with 11 sold for $1.27million.  His Day 1 Ole Kirk filly also topped a Vinery Stud draft that finished Top 10 for turnover at $1.38million.  There are two colts and two fillies by Ole Kirk among the 19 yearlings being prepared by Vinery for the Australian Easter Yearling Sale on April 7 and 8.