Acknowledgment: ‘The Australian Bloodhorse’ by Douglas M Barrie; Angus & Robertson 1956

The featured image shows the Sydney Easter Yearling Sale at ‘Newmarket’, Randwick in 1954. Mr Reg Inglis watches carefully as his son John Inglis extracts bids from buyers. The sales ring remained essentially the same for probably 100 years. It featured a magnificent Fig Tree which legend claimed was the most persistent bidder at all sales.

The yearling in the ring is the brown colt by Delville Wood (Imp) from Best Wishes. It brought top price of 6500 guineas. Delville Wood stood at Kia Ora Stud and was champion sire for five (5) consecutive seasons in the 1950s.