Waterhouse and Bott made a statement on Day 1 of the 2025 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, going all-in to bring home the colt they had their hearts set on—Shout The Bar’s first foal by Home Affairs.

The powerful stable shelled out $3 million for the striking yearling, marking the most expensive purchase of the opening day and surpassing the $2.7 million price tag for Switzerland’s brother. The colt was offered as Lot 158 and drew heavy attention late in the session.

“We’ve been beaten a couple of times (today), but there’s just one or two horses in the sale we’ve got the asterisk next to them where we’re not wanting to get beaten and this was certainly one of them,” Bott said.

“It helped having John here and Gai was obviously very keen on this horse as well and we took all her strength into this lot.”

Shout The Bar has already proven her value on and off the track. After winning the Empire Rose Stakes and the Vinery Stud Stakes, she was purchased for $2.7 million by Coolmore at the 2022 Chairman’s Sale.

Her son has shown early signs of brilliance, with Bott optimistic about his future as a juvenile and beyond.

“We want to see him featuring early in the two-year-old races, but he looks like he’s got plenty of scope and class to keep carrying it on throughout his career,” he said.

“Obviously he was a well-credentialled lot and was always going to be well sought-after and he was on our radar for a long time.”

The late flurry of action included a $1.7 million Extreme Choice colt and a $1.4 million Maurice filly from Shoals, contributing to a final Day 1 gross of over $63 million and an average price significantly higher than 2024 despite fewer horses sold.