A DIVERSE buying bench purchased 81 lots for A$5,890,500 (UKPND3,860,000/EUR4,740,000) during the new Sunday session that opened the 2013 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale at Oaklands in Australia. "It was solid start to the sale with a similar average, median and clearance rate recorded to day one last year," said Inglis managing director Mark Webster. The average price on Sunday was A$73,133 (UKPND47,900/EUR58,900), median A$60,000 and the clearance rate was 74 per cent. Victorian trainer Mick Kent secured the top priced lot of the day when paying A$250,000 (UKPND164,000/EUR201,200) for Tyreel Stud's Teofilo colt out of San Cristobel. Offered as Lot 43 the colt is a half-brother to recent Melbourne-winning juvenile Donna Madeira. Peter Moody famously purchased Black Caviar from the Melbourne Premier sale for A$210,000. The Caulfield-based trainer had to go to A$220,000 on Sunday to secure the day's second highest priced lot, a Written Tycoon colt who was bred at Gilgai Farm, just like his undefeated champion mare. Brad Spicer is another who has had great success buying from this sale, having purchased dual champion Starspangledbanner from the sale for A$120,000. Spicer Thoroughbreds signed for Lot 35 today for A$190,000 from the draft of Yallambee Stud. Local trainers had plenty of competition throughout the afternoon from interstate and overseas buyers from South Africa, Hong Kong and New Zealand. Ricky Yiu, who bought his great sprinter Sacred Kingdom from the Oaklands ring as a yearling, finished Sunday as the leading buyer after spending A$345,000 to secure colts by Thorn Park, Starcraft and Not A Single Doubt. Tyreel Stud finished the day as leading vendor by aggregate and average, selling three for A$520,000. "There are plenty of attractive yearlings to be offered and we look forward to the next three days of the sale, including the new Blue Riband session on Monday," said Webster. Horses not sold during Sunday's session are available for sale via the Inglis Make An Offer Service.