The 2002 Premier Yearling catalogue went to print last week and buyers can look forward to receiving a bumper catalogue of 407 top class yearlings from the leading studs in Victoria. Once again, all yearlings sold will be eligible for the $500,000 Inglis Premier and $1million Heroic Championship.

"We've done an enormous amount of work to bring this sale back to it's best and we're thrilled with the final catalogue," said Peter Heagney, Associate Director, Melbourne.

"The standard has risen dramatically, with 42% of the catalogue either siblings to stakes performers, or out of stakes-performing mares. So the quality is definitely there for next year," he added.

"We've also had an amazing response to the 2002 Autumn Yearling Sale with a record number of entries set to push the sale into a two day format for the first time since 1995."

The cream of the Victorian crop have returned to Premier for 2002, with 46 yearlings from stakes-winning mares and siblings to nearly 90 stakes-winners including 17 Group One winners.

Highlights include: a half-brother to Sober Suit, winner of the VATC Toorak Handicap Gr 1, by Encosta de Lago; a half-sister to Rustic Dream, winner of the VATC Futurity Gr 1, by Rory's Jester; a half-sister to Phoenix Park, by Encosta de Lago; a half-sister to Group One winning sprinter Notoire, by Last Tycoon (IRE); a colt by Bubble Gum Fellow (Jap) from the Group Three winning Danehill (USA) mare Apple Danish; a half-sister to Caulfield Guineas Gr 1 winner Alfa, by Gilded Time (USA); and a colt by Danehill (USA) from the stakes-winning mare Captiva (NZ).

The sires on offer:
As you would expect of the number one yearling sale in Victoria, the locally based sires account for the lions share of yearlings on offer. The proven performers such as Desert Sun (GB), Encosta de Lago, Last Tycoon (IRE), Perugino (USA), Rory's Jester, Rubiton and Umatilla (NZ) are joined by exciting young Victorian sires such as Ali Royal (IRE), Ascot Knight (Can), Bubble Gum Fellow (Jap), General Nediym, Spartacus, etc.