Written by Lydia Symonds
Cover image courtesy of Racing Photos
Group 1 winner Media Award (Shamus Award) is the headline act catalogued among the 195 entries for Wednesday’s Inglis Digital October (Late) Online Sale, which is now live for bidding.
The daughter of Shamus Award landed three of her 11 starts, headed by her victory in the last year’s Australasian Oaks, a race she beat a classy field including the G1 VRC Oaks winner Personal (Fastnet Rock) in the process.
“When she won the Australasian Oaks, Media Award not only defeated the-then reigning VRC Oaks winner Personal but also stakes winners such as Sirileo Miss, Steinem, Flying Mascot, Tyche Goddess and Chica Fuerte. It was a vintage edition of the race,” Inglis’ Victorian Bloodstock Manager James Price said.
“She is a rare offering in that you can buy a Group 1-winning mare who can race on for you and potentially win more races at the top level, enhancing her value ever further before heading to stud next season or even later if that’s what a buyer is after.
“Opportunities like this don’t come around very often, mares like Media Award generally don’t find themselves on the open market so I would suggest that she should be of interest to any racing or breeding operation.’’
“She (Media Award) is a rare offering in that you can buy a Group 1-winning mare who can race on for you and potentially win more races at the top level, enhancing her value ever further before heading to stud...’’ - James Price
A winner of $352,200 in career prizemoney, Media Award was purchased by Aintree Park for a bargain price of $5000 at the Inglis Gold Yearling Sale in 2019 and she is out of the winning More Than Ready (USA) mare Music Media and she is herself a daughter of Listed winner Harley Ma (Shovhog).
“What initially attracted me to her as a yearling was the fact she had the Shamus Award/More Than Ready cross which at that stage had a three out of three success rate,’’ Aintree Park’s Mark Arrowsmith said.
“When she was a 2-year-old I did a lot of testing of heart rates and blood lactates and things like that and her heart rate was always three-quarters of what every other horse on the property was and I never understood why but we soon discovered why – it was because she was just different, she was special.
Media Award as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
“She’s got a good attitude, she knows she’s good and that’s what you want in these top-level horses.
"She’s also got all the characteristics you want to see in a successful broodmare; she can look after herself, she’s quite dominant in the paddocks with other horses but she’s also very kind, very well natured and if she passes those traits on to her foals, she’s going to produce some stunning ones.
“She’s in rare air in that she’s one of only three Group 1-winning daughters of Shamus Award and that in itself should be appealing to every major breeding operation around the world.’’
“She’s (Media Award) in rare air in that she’s one of only three Group 1-winning daughters of Shamus Award and that in itself should be appealing to every major breeding operation around the world.’’ - Mark Arrowsmith
The sale also features 131 racehorses (47 race fillies), 32 broodmares, 15 racehorse shares, 13 yearlings and four uneducated racing stock.
The final countdown of bidding for the October (Late) Online Sale begins from midday on Wednesday.
