Where Are the Queens of 2017?

[Wandering Eyes]

Last year proved a memorable one for blockbuster sales of mares at the major breeding stock sales on both sides of the Atlantic. Marsha (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) set the standard in Europe with a 6-million gns pricetag-the highest ever for a horse purchased out of the Tattersalls ring-and her buyer, MV Magnier, had also shelled out a combined $14 million for Tepin (Bernstein) and Stellar Wind (Curlin) in Kentucky just a month earlier.

With the latest renewal of the Tattersalls December Mare Sale upon us, we look back on the queens that provided the headlines 12 months ago, what they produced this year (if applicable) and who they visited subsequently.

Galileo’s Gals

In an unsurprising turn of events, Galileo was a popular choice for the market’s top mares last year, and the two Group 1-winning sprinters purchased by MV Magnier for seven figures at Tattersalls-Marsha (6 million gns) and Quiet Reflection (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) (2.1 million gns) both visited Coolmore’s champion sire for their first cover. The aforementioned Tepin and Stellar Wind were also both covered by Galileo this year; the G1 Queen Anne S. winner Tepin after producing a filly by Curlin, and the six-time Grade I winner Stellar Wind for her maiden cover.

Ballylinch Stud spent 1 million gns on the well-related American listed winner Modernstone (GB) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}) in foal to Galileo, and she produced a colt this spring before visiting Ballylinch’s flagship sire Lope de Vega.

Lope de Vega himself was the covering sire of Birdwood (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), who drew a final bid of 1.1 million gns from vendor Newsells Park Stud to buy out its partners David Redvers and Peter Winkworth. Those two certainly cashed in, as the unraced mare was bought for 150,000gns from the Juddmonte draft at the same sale just the year before, but when your half-sister, who happens to be called Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), goes out and wins five Group 1s including the King George and the Arc within the next year, that’s the kind of inflation that will occur. Birdwood foaled a Lope de Vega filly for Newsells Park this year before visiting another former Juddmonte luminary, Frankel (GB).

Dubawi’s Dates

Dubawi was the beneficiary of four seven-figure mares from Tattersalls last year. Tops of those by price was the GI Man O’War S. winner Zhukova (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), a daughter of the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas winner and excellent producer Nightime (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) who brought a final bid of 3.7 million gns from Godolphin. Zhukova was offered by John Murrell and Chantal Regalado-Gonzalez, who also sold the G1 Moyglare Stud S. winner Intricately (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) to John and Jake Warren for 1.7 million gns. She, too, is out of a Galileo mare and visited Dubawi.

The third mare offered by Murrell and Regalado-Gonzalez was the G3 Lacken S. winner Only Mine (Ire) (Pour Moi {Ire}), who was bought by Flaxman Stables for 925,000gns and sent to Galileo.

Wekeela (Fr) (Hurricane Run {Ire}), a Group 3 winner in both France and the U.S. and from the family of Monsun (Ger) and last year’s G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains winner Brametot (Ire) (Rajsaman {Fr}), was bought by David Redvers on behalf of Sheikh Fahad for 1.8 million gns, and the now 6-year-old also visited Dubawi for her first covering.

The other seven-figure mare to visit Dubawi was Justlookdontouch (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who was bought by White Birch Farm barren after a Sea The Stars (Ire) cover for 1.2 million gns. The 10-year-old Justlookdontouch is an unraced three-quarter-sister to champion Islington (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) and was sold as part of the Ballymacoll Dispersal.

Greg Goodman’s Mt. Brilliant Farm in the U.S. bought two daughters of Justlookdontouch from the Ballymacoll dispersal through agent Marette Farrell: The then-4-year-old multiple listed winner Abingdon (Street Cry {Ire}) for 1.05 million gns, and the winning 3-year-old Superioritycomplex (Ire) (Hard Spun) for 400,000gns. Abingdon was bred to Speightstown this year and will visit War Front in 2019 after producing that foal, while Superioritycomplex has continued to race. She has won a pair of allowance races in the U.S. for trainer Mike Stidham, including one at Fair Grounds just last week, and was fourth in a listed race in September. She is being aimed for a stakes race again in late December. Farrell said that should Superioritycomplex be bred next year, she will visit Speightstown.

A couple of other high-profile mares from the Tattersalls ring last year have raced on: Different League (Fr) (Dabirsim {Fr}), bought by MV Magnier and White Birch Farm for 1.5 million gns, has gone winless in nine starts this campaign for Aidan O’Brien but was beaten only 2 1/4 lengths when sixth in the G1 Prix de l’Abbaye.

Aim Of Artemis (Ire) (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}), another daughter of Justlookdontouch, has raced on for Godolphin at three this year after being bought for 1 million gns. She won a novice race at Newmarket in June for John Gosden before being well beaten in the G1 Coronation S. and Ascot’s Listed October S.

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