While facing a tough act to follow on the racetrack, the younger sibling of Switzerland has already shone brightly at auction, standing out as a top draw on Day 2 of the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.
The Snitzel colt from American mare Ms Bad Behavior commanded $2 million following intense competition, snapped up by a group featuring Coolmore, the owners who also stood the Coolmore Stud Stakes victor Switzerland.
That sum exceeded the price paid for Switzerland by $500,000, with the latter acquired at the identical sale three years prior.
James Harron teamed up with TFI and Coolmore to claim the colt, who is bound for Chris Waller, Switzerland’s handler. Waller also conditions Ms Bad Behavior’s third Snitzel colt, the untried two-year-old St Gotthard.
“Everyone came together and agreed on what a special horse he was,” Harron said.
“He’ll go to Chris Waller, who obviously has done wonders with Switzerland and I know they’ve got a great opinion of the full brother.
“The mare’s just doing a great job, she’s just not missing, so that makes it even more exciting.
“Aside from all that, on his own merits, he just to me was a standout type and now we’ve just got to keep dreaming that he can be the real one for us and hopefully lots of fun on the track.”
This $2 million purchase marks the third Snitzel offspring from Ms Bad Behavior to reach seven figures at Easter sales. In the previous year, St Gotthard went for $2.7 million, and sibling Decorum realised $550,000 before securing three victories from five outings with Michael Freedman.
A single yearling surpassed the price of Switzerland’s brother during Day 2, namely a Too Darn Hot colt from Enbihaar, related to Too Darn Lizzie, which fetched $2.2 million for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Watership Down, Johnny McKeever, and Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.
Yet another colt hit $2 million that day, the one out of US mare Giza Goddess, taken by Matt Laurie and Yulong.
Extreme Choice delivered the sale’s pinnacle offering, a $3 million colt from Pretty Brazen secured by Tom Magnier on Day 1. The sire also produced a $1.8 million filly and two $1.6 million colts, fuelling a strong showing.
The nine Extreme Choice yearlings averaged $1,561,111, over twice the $751,667 average for Too Darn Hot, the runner-up sire.
The 2026 edition recorded a modest decline in clearance to 75 percent from 88 percent the year before, with turnover slipping from more than $151 million to around $145 million.
Nevertheless, the average climbed to $464,473 up from $447,832, although the median fell marginally by $10,000 to $350,000.
Explore the top racing betting markets at leading Australian betting sites for future stars from this sale.
