'It's been a remarkable journey for us' - John Warren on selling top-class broodmare Piping Hot at Magic Millions

John Warren has spoken about the difficult decision to offer Piping Hot, dam of the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained King's Stand Stakes favourite Coolangatta, at this month's Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. 

A wildcard at the Gold Coast presented by Milburn Creek on behalf of Warren's Highclere Australia, the nine-year-old daughter of the late More Than Ready is out of Danehill's Moonee Valley Oaks winner Ribe and regally bred as a half-sister to Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Reaan. 

Arguably the finest broodmare to be offered for sale in Australia in a decade, she is not only the young dam of a hugely talented dual Group 1 winner with the potential for more to come on the global stage, she is in foal to Yarraman Park's Australian champion sire I Am Invincible on an early cover.

Warren and his son Jake found the mare at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale for A$320,000 (approximately £254,000/€291,000) in 2015, before she won twice from four starts on the track. 

Recalling the story, Warren says: "It's mixed emotions really as it's been a remarkable journey for us. Jake and I went down to the yearling sales when we were helping Gai Waterhouse around eight years ago and we ended up really falling for Piping Hot. 

"We didn't have any particular plans to sell her, but Magic Millions said she's got big potential to be an international broodmare, and with Coolangatta the current favourite for the King's Stand Stakes, she opens up an interest for Europeans, Americans or Japanese. 

"Piping Hot's an unusual one to come on the market as it's a pedigree everyone all over the world knows, being by More Than Ready and out of a Danehill mare. She could be sent to any stallion in Europe, America or Japan, she's got that broad appeal, with the fundamental interest of her being the dam of a horse who is a major prospect for the royal meeting."

Alongside the obvious credentials of the Arrowfield-bred mare, who sells on May 23, are the possibility of more exciting updates in the future. A weanling full-sister to Coolangatta is impressing the team, while Piping Hot's first foal called Snitzonfire is a multiple Sydney winner. Her two-year-old daughter by Dundeel, named Paradise Point, is another showing significant promise in preparation for her career in the Lloyd Kennewell stable having been bought for A$300,000 at the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

Warren says: "The weanling has been regarded by everyone who has seen her as one of the best physicals you could ever wish to breed."

The countdown to Royal Ascot has also heightened anticipation for Warren and the Highclere team. There has been an enormous amount of pride at what the three-year-old Coolangatta has achieved already in her career, starting with two Group scores and victory in the A$2 million Magic Millions Classic at two.

He says: "We heard before Coolangatta ran that she was supposed to be catching pigeons and then she won her first race - a Group race - remarkably easily. Second time out she won her second Group contest and then the Magic Millions third time out.

Coolangatta on her way to victory in the Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning in FebruaryCredit: George Sal

"It was tragic that the heavens opened in Sydney for two months and they had that shocking flooding, and the trainers didn't want to run her on heavy ground, so she went for 60-odd days without a run before the Golden Slipper. It was a 'heavy 10' [surface] up to her hocks but she still finished third. 

"It's remarkable that she was favourite for that race for six months, so it was unfortunate she had to run in deep ground."

Coolangatta struck at the top level last September in the Moir Stakes at Moonee Valley and again at Flemington in February in the Black Caviar Lightning. Maher and Eustace have decided to follow the path taken by Chris Waller with last year's King's Stand winner Nature Strip by sending her to Lambourn for the royal meeting build-up, where she is to be stabled with Charlie Hills. 

Her final exercise in Australia is likely to be a trial down the straight at Flemington on May 29 alongside her Ascot-bound compatriots Artorius, trained by Anthony and Sam Freedman, and Peter and Paul Snowden's Cannonball.

Chalked up at around 4-1 in British and Irish firms' ante-post markets for Ascot's five-furlong Group 1 on the opening-day card on June 20, Coolangatta is reported to be in fine fettle for more big-race glory. Success at the meeting would evidently mean a huge amount to her breeders too, particularly with Warren's long connection as a racing adviser to the royal family.

"To win the two Group 1s this year at three has been such fun for us at Highclere," he says. "Being made favourite for the King's Stand and to have Ciaron so positive about her has been great."

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