'It is a wonderful price' - Group 1 winner Mariamia brings A$1.8 million at Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale

From the time Mariamia was a yearling, everyone closely involved in the Group 1-winning sprinter’s career has won.

On Wednesday, Newhaven Park’s John Kelly cashed in again when he sold The Galaxy winner for A$1.8 million (£937,000/€1.1m) to Zhijun Zhao, an associate of Australia’s largest breeder Yulong, late in the second session of the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.

She was the highest-priced of three seven-figure mares traded on Wednesday, taking the tally to 12 after two days of breeding stock offering on the Gold Coast.

There were nine seven-figure lots on day one’s race fillies and mares session, headed by the record-breaking A$6.6m for ten-time Group 1 winner Imperatriz, A$3.5m filly Platinum Jubilee and TJ Smith Stakes winner Chain Of Lightning, who fetched A$2.5m.

Mariamia was sold in-foal to I Am Invincible – the champion stallion’s three mares in foal sold averaging A$1,316,667 – and Kelly had no regrets about selling the daughter of Toronado.

He said: “We got lucky. We bought her to go to Xtravagant and when we put her in work to race, she proved to be a lot better than that and she improved into the autumn and won a Group 1.

“It is a wonderful price and has probably exceeded our expectations. When you get up to that level, how do you know what horses are worth? It is a matter of who wants to win.

“It is a great result.”

Kelly bought Mariamia in March 2022 through Inglis Digital for A$335,000 as a then Group 3 placegetter out of the stable of Victorian trainer Shane Stockdale, whose clients had paid only A$18,000 for her at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale four years earlier.

Transferred to Sydney trainer Joe Pride, Mariamia was a revelation, winning four races including a career-defining performance in The Galaxy in March 2023.

She also landed the 2023 edition of the Expressway Stakes and ran third in the Bletchingly Stakes to bank a touch over A$1m during the Kellys’ ownership.

They sent Mariamia, who is out of the Encosta De Lago mare Quinta Lago, to Yarraman Park’s twice reigning champion sire I Am Invincible with a September 3 service date last year as her maiden mating.

“Those mares, you’ve got to keep fronting up every year to a stallion with the quality of I Am Invincible and Zoustar and we’d probably like three or four different mares to have three or four different chances,” said Kelly.

“Our objective is to bring quality to the ring. Whether it is a yearling or whether it was a mare, she was quality and we thought it was a good time to sell her.

“We’re always buying mares, yearlings and racing horses. You try and have a win and we had a win today.”

Imperatriz and Chain Of Lightning were also bought by Zhang Yuesheng’s friend Zhijun Zhao and at the close of trade on Wednesday he had purchased eight lots for receipts totalling A$13,125,000.  

Another mare in foal to I Am Invincible, the SAJC Sires’ Produce winner and VRC Oaks-placed Biscayne Bay, also realised a seven-figure price on Wednesday.

The Yarraman Park-consigned mare was bought by Victoria’s Panthalassa Syndicate for A$1.2m.

Buyer representative Troy Stephens said: “We thought she was really well brought. She’s a gorgeous mare, a Sebring mare who is carrying a beautiful pregnancy. She’s already inbred to Danehill, but she’d really suit one of our young sires like Pierata.”

Biscayne Bay was initially trained by Lindsay Park for Sun Bloodstock, but she was sold after her two-year-old season to a syndicate which included Australian Bloodstock, Ciaron Maher Racing, Will Bourne, Noel Greenhalgh and Yarraman Park.

Yarraman Park’s Matt Scown said: “She was a fantastic racehorse – Group 1-placed, a stakes-winning two-year-old. She was very versatile and we thought she was a really good mating to ‘the big horse’ [I Am Invincible] and she’ll have every chance at stud, so I’m really excited going forward with her.

“She has a magnificent attitude, so no doubt she’ll pass that on to her progeny.”

Reisling Stakes winner Glistening also carried the desirable cover to I Am Invincible and she found a new home at the Hunter Valley’s Kia Ora Stud after they shelled out A$950,000 for the mare.

Glistening, whose first foal by Written Tycoon died, is part of the Rowsthorn family’s Morningside reduction sale which has featured weanlings and a batch of quality mares.

Kia Ora Stud’s Shane Wright believes Glistening represented good value considering the Rowsthorns paid A$775,000 for her in 2022.

“I think when you look at the results that were coming in the race fillies section, we tried to bid on a couple and we were beaten on a couple, and when you look at this mare who is a Group 2 winner in a proper two-year-old race in the Reisling,” said Wright.

“By Zoustar and in foal to Vinnie, to get her at that price we are actually quite happy with it.” 

The leading commercial stallions such as Snitzel or a return to I Am Invincible will be under consideration for the daughter of Zoustar’s next mating, while they may also send her to Kia Ora’s resident Golden Slipper-winning stallion Farnan.

The Rowsthorns’ Group 2 winner Rubisaki, who is in foal to Snitzel, will be sold on Thursday as lot 935.

‘He doesn’t want to buy green bananas anymore’

For Victorian breeder Robert McClure, this year’s Magic Millions sale is about chasing ultimate success, be it on the racetrack or in the sales ring. 

Morning Rise Stud’s McClure, who co-bred this season’s Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Storm Boy, has had a long and successful career in the breeding and racing game and he’s craving more, and in order to chase that next adrenaline rush he’s stumping up his money.

On Wednesday, he and agent James Bester paid A$1.2m for Grande Dame, a European Listed winner and Group 1-placed mare, who was trained by John and Thady Gosden for Mrs Tabor, Mrs MV Magnier, Mrs Shanahan, and was offered in foal to champion European stallion Frankel on an early September cover.

Grande Dame: high-class performer was also among the seven-figure sales at Magic MillionsCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

They also teamed up with Coolmore to buy Rosemont’s A$1.4m stakes-winning filly Legacies, who will race on for another season with trainers Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman.

Bester said of McClure’s ramped up investment: “He doesn’t want to buy green bananas any more. This is a very all-or-nothing market and if you’re not playing at the top level you might as well not be playing.

“The thought of having a Frankel out of such a good mare and such a good type of mare was very enticing.”

The influence of Juddmonte’s superstar Frankel in the southern hemisphere could gather pace given the amount of progeny by the stallion bred to southern hemisphere time over the past few years.

Bester said: “Frankel from his southern hemisphere progeny alone has 15 per cent Group winners – most world-class stallions have ten per cent stakes winners.

“So, Frankel’s record in the southern hemisphere is outstanding and there are more coming through.

“He is the world’s best stallion, if Justify isn’t, so to me it’s the high-end play with a lot of safety nets underneath it.”

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