Australian auction opens strongly

Seven horses fetched $1 million (Australian) or more Tuesday at the opening session of Australia's Inglis Easter yearling sale, boosting the auction's opening-day figures.

The select auction closed its first session with a Redoute's Choice colt the top price at $2 million, or about $1,475,500 U.S. Australian bloodstock agent Rob McAnulty bought the colt, a son of Urge to Merge. Arrowfield Stud sold the session-topper, a half-brother to Group 1 winner Suntagonal.

The session sold 166 yearlings for about $31,935,418 and an average price of about $192,330. In Australian dollars, gross rose 16 percent from last year, when 183 lots sold. The average was 28 percent above last year's.

The sale was to continue through Thursday.