Newhaven Park secures top lot at Inglis Digital

Written by Jessica Owers

Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan

The Inglis Digital March (Early) Online Sale wrapped up on Wednesday evening with the headline act, the OTI Racing star Quick Thinker (So You Think {NZ}), passing in at $320,000.

The G1 Australian Derby winner, who was consistent enough to also scoop the G2 Tulloch S. and G2 Chairman’s Quality through his five-time winning career, was offered as a stallion proposition and, while there was plenty of online interest, he failed to meet his reserve.

In his wake, the Sale was topped by the Toronado (Ire) mare Mariamia, who sold to Newhaven Park, via her trainer Shane Stockdale, for $335,000. The 5-year-old mare is a winner of four races across Moe, Flemington and Moonee Valley, and she’s won close to $250,000 in 28 lifetime starts.

Mumma Mia?

In February, Mariamia was third in a blanket finish of the G3 Bellmaine S. at Caulfield, a race narrowly won by Probabeel (NZ) (Savabeel) with Flying Mascot (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) finishing runner-up.

As such, the mare was offered as either a racing or breeding prospect this week, with Newhaven Park studmaster John Kelly confirming he hadn’t decided which road to take with her just yet.

“We think she’s a very nice mare and we bought her principally to go to Xtravagant,” he said. “We think he’s doing a really good job and she’s a very nice mating for him. Obviously she’s by Toronado, who’s doing everything right as a stallion at the moment, and his progeny keep stepping up to the next level all the time.”

Mariamia is closely related to the G1 Victoria Derby winner Warning (Declaration Of War {USA}), the pair sharing a grandam in Flying Spice (Flying Spur).

The 5-year-old mare is the third foal from her own dam Quinta Lago (Encosta De Lago), and this is the family that has produced the Scenic (Ire) gelding Chattanooga, who was second in both the G1 Futurity S. and G2 Sandown Guineas, plus the G3 Maribyrnong Plate winner Real Stolle (Elusive Quality {USA}). The latter is the dam of the Listed Maribyrnong Trial S. winner Nomothaj (Snitzel).

Despite this progressive pedigree, Mariamia was cheaply bought as a yearling at the 2018 Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale. Consigned by Swettenham Stud, she cost just $18,000 when selling to Gasper Stellato, who raced her consistently through her career.

After her sale to Newhaven Park, Stellato was notably excited.

“This is the best result I’ve ever had, I’ll tell you that,” he said. “I love this mare. She’s very special to me, but I just wanted to give her every chance in the breeding barn and she’ll get that now with Newhaven Park. I just couldn’t pay for the good stallions that she deserves for the rest of her life.”

Stellato was expecting around $225,000 to $250,000 for Mariamia, so her $335,000 price tag was not only welcome, but something of a shock.

“I’m the little bloke buying them for $2000 or $3000 out the back at the weanling sales or showcase sessions, so you never expect a result like this,” he said.

Winter Violet next best

Out of the 383-horse catalogue this week, the only other six-figure sale was Lot 209, the 3-year-old grey filly Winter Violet (Not A Single Doubt). Trained by Kacy Fogden in Queensland, she went to Bell View Park Stud for $115,000.

Winter Violet is a three-quarter sister to Khan (Exceed And Excel), who won the 2016 ATC Breeders’ Plate as a juvenile. She was a $450,000 purchase at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2020, selling to Aquis Farm from the draft of Glenlogan Park.

Her dam, Mandawara (Fr) (Daylami {Ire}), is a half-sister to the excellently performed Manighar (Fr) (Linamix {Fr}) and his French, Group 3-winning full-sister Minatyla (Fr).

Winter Violet has won two races in 11 starts to date, and she has placed in a further three. Bell View Park’s Adam Mackrell said the filly came at them with all the right credentials.

“She’s a winner and city-placed, and she’s from a good family but, most importantly for us, she’s a really nice type and a well-above average physical,” he said. “She made plenty as a yearling and, from all the feedback we got in videos and photos off the Inglis website, we were really happy with her.

“She’ll go to a nice, high-profile stallion later this year, and we’ll sit down and work out which one once we get her to the farm. But she’ll hold good residual value too, being a half-sister to a 2-year-old stakes winner.”

Early facts and figures

Among the remaining catalogue, Lot 234 was a 10 per cent share in the Bjorn Baker-trained 4-year-old Malkovich (Choisir), which sold for $50,000 to Hotel Thoroughbreds.

Malkovich was a last-start winner of the Listed Bob Hoysted H., leading home Brooklyn Hustle (Starspangledbanner) narrowly. Before that, he was fourth in the G1 Oakleigh Plate behind Marabi (I Am Invincible).

In total, the Sale offered 26 shares in various horses, the best-selling of them being Malkovich, while the 7-year-old mare Waimea Bay (All Too Hard) was the highest-selling of the 98 broodmares offered when going to James Bester (consigned by Coolmore) for $70,000.

The Sale closed with 301 lots sold of the 383 offered this week. The clearance rate was 81 per cent with a gross of $3,397,750.

Inglis Digital has continued to boast a very strong result-resumé lately, with last weekend alone producing 52 race wins for horses sold off the platform. They collected $726,856 in prizemoney.

The obvious highlight was She’s Extreme (Extreme Choice), who won the G3 Magic Night S. and takes her place for trainer Anthony Cummings in Saturday’s G1 Golden Slipper. The filly was a $32,500 bargain buy as a weanling from the 2020 Inglis Digital June (Late) Online Sale.

Entries for the Inglis Digital March (Late) Sale are now open until midnight, March 23.