The strength of demand for the progeny of 1985 Golden Slipper winner Rory's Jester at this month's Magic Millions sale at the Gold Coast is likely to be maintained at the yearling sales set to be conducted in Melbourne and Adelaide during February.

He has seven lots booked into William Inglis & Son's Victorian Premier sale on February10 and 12 and twelve available at the Magic Millions series in Adelaide on February 18,19 and 20. In addition he has four lined up for the Sydney sale at Easter.

One of the most brilliant sources of excellence seen in Australia, Rory's Jester got off to a great start to his 2002 selling season with fifteen of his youngsters finding buyers at the sale at the Gold Coast, selling up to $180,000 and attaining a high average of $85,666.

His popularity among buyers is not surprising as he has a strike rate of at least 74% and has had over 460 winners (64 stakes horses) of nearly1300 races and in excess of $30millon. In each of the past six full racing years, taking in overseas runners as well as locals, his progeny earnings have exceeded $2million.

The Australian figures for 2000-01 were 87 winners of147 races and $2,763,195. There were14 stakes earners among them including six winners and the age groups ranged from two to ten years.

Few sires in Australian history have been more reliable for early maturing progeny than the showy chestnut Rory's Jester. Through to the end of last season, the now 20-year-old had had over 200 individual two-year-old winners of over 300 races, giving him an average of just under17 per crop.

Near ly 100 of his juveniles have won - 46 winners - or placed in stakes races and that is a very impressive achievement.

A third generation Australian sire, being by the very fast, classy two-year-old Crown Jester, a son of the Nasrullah male line Golden Slipper winner Baguette, Rory's Jester has spent his stud career on the Collingrove Studs, first at Sandy Hollow in the Hunter Valley and then at their operation at Nagambie in Victoria.

At the Victorian Stud, one owned by a partnership of Robert Sangster's Swettenham Stud and the Hayes family of Lindsay Park, Rory's Jester looked after a restricted book of 52 mares last season and 45 have came up positive.