Celebrity Babies Part 3: Who are the star mares in foal to?

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In Part 3 of ‘Celebrity Babies,’ The Thoroughbred Report previews further star mares who may be due to foal soon.

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Last year, John Singleton made the surprising decision to sell his property, Strawberry Hill Farm, and his prized broodmare band in a standalone auction through Magic Millions.

Among the star mares were More Joyous (NZ) (More Than Ready {USA}), Dear Demi (Dehere {USA}), Samantha Miss (Redoute’s Choice) and her talented daughter Miss Fabulass (Frankel {GB}), and Karuta Queen (Not A Single Doubt).

More Joyous was a standout on the racetrack, winning nine Group 1 contests, including the G1 Doncaster H., the G1 Queen Elizabeth S., and the G1 Toorak H. She also claimed the G2 Tea Rose S. and G2 Light Finger S. In total, the daughter of More Than Ready (USA) won 21 races. Highway Farm purchased her for $450,000. More Joyous has a 2-year-old by So You Think (NZ) and was served by Yulong’s G1 Blue Diamond S. winner Tagaloa.

More Joyous’ daughter, Woman (Frankel {GB}), showed talent before a premature retirement and was also purchased by Highway Farm for $575,000. Woman has a 2-year-old filly by Fastnet Rock and foaled a filly by Home Affairs last season before being served by Alabama Express.

Highway Farm signed over $700,000 for Dear Demi, a victor of seven races, including the G1 VRC Oaks and the G2 Furious S. Dear Demi missed to Pierata after foaling a filly by Zoustar in the spring. She has a 2-year-old colt by Zoustar named Precise Star.

Champion Samantha Miss achieved $320,000 from Highway Farm. She has a 2-year-old filly by Pierro and was served by Diatonic (Jpn) last spring. Samantha Miss’ Group 2-winning and Group 1-placed daughter, Miss Fabulass, joined her dam on the Highway Farm buying list, being purchased for $1.85 million. She has a 2-year-old colt by I Am Invincible and, like her dam, was served by Diatonic (Jpn).

Karuta Queen, who won the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic and the G3 Australia S. alongside several elite-level placings, is the dam of the stakes winner Eawase (Sebring). The daughter of Not A Single Doubt was purchased for $600,000 by Highway Farm. Karuta Queen has a 2-year-old colt by Spirit Of Boom, named Poker, and foaled a filly by Zoustar before visiting Pierata in the spring.

No Romance for Rising

Rising Romance (NZ) (Ekraar {USA}) won the G1 Australian Oaks and was placed in a host of Group 1 events, including the G1 Caulfield Cup and the G1 New Zealand Derby. She made the perfect start to her broodmare career, producing Yearning (Snitzel), a victress of the G1 Thousand Guineas and the G2 Edward Manifold.

Her second foal, Magic (Snitzel) was a $2.5 million purchase by Hawkes Racing at the 2021 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, and was placed in the G2 Silver Slipper S. He was followed by the $1.4 million yearling Casablanca (Snitzel).

Rising Romance’s most recent foal, a colt by Snitzel, was deceased after birth. Fortune has not favoured her since 2021, with a series of misses. Her daughter, Yearning, was served by Maurice (Jpn) last spring, and all being well is expecting her first foal.

Fastnet Rock mare Amicus, also won the G1 Thousand Guineas. She was sent to Europe early in her breeding career, with her first union with Galileo (Ire) producing Okita Soushi (Ire), a victor of the Duke of Edinburgh H. at Royal Ascot, alongside a third in the G3 Irish St Leger Trial. Sent to Galileo a fourth time, Amicus produced Chief Little Rock (Ire), who won the G3 Gallinule S. and was placed in the G2 Beresford S.

She has a colt by Galileo named Medallion (Ire), who is unraced. Sent to Frankel (GB) and returned to Australia, that resulting colt was sold for $500,000 to Cunningham Thoroughbreds, Clarke Bloodstock (FBAA) and Bjorn Baker at this year’s Magic Millions National Weanling Sale.

Amicus was served by Coolmore’s St Mark’s Basilica (Fr) last October. The G1 Coolmore Stud S. winner Nechita (Fastnet Rock) is also carrying to St Mark’s Basilica after producing a filly by Home Affairs in September.

Another mare in foal to St Mark’s Basilica is the G1 Robert Sangster S. winner Rostova (Testa Rossa). She is already the dam of the 11-time winner Farooq (Frankel {GB}), also a victor of the Listed Premier’s Plate, alongside the G2 Percy Sykes S. winner Anaheed (Fastnet Rock). Rostova is also the granddam of the stakes-placed Intrepidacious (Shooting To Win).

Rostova’s latest foal, a filly by Wootton Bassett (GB) was sold to Meramie Ventures for $140,000 at this year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. Her daughter Anaheed has an unraced 3-year-old named Suerluminal (I Am Invincible) and a 2-year-old colt by the sire. Anaheed is in foal to Anamoe.

Willowy and Hope expecting first foals

Godolphin’s G1 VRC Oaks victress, Willowy (Kermadec {NZ}), is expecting her first foal by Juddmonte Farm-based Kingman (GB), who is also the sire of another VRC Oaks winner, Zardozi, for Godolphin.

Another Oaks winner, Glint Of Hope (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who claimed the G1 Schweppes Oaks in South Australia, was served by Newgate Farm’s Russian Revolution last spring.

G1 JJ Atkins S. victress, Sheeza Belter (Gold Standard), was a $1.35 million purchase by Highway Farm from a standalone Magic Millions Virtual Sale. Sheeza Belter was served by the Yulong-based Alabama Express in November.

Dixie Blossoms (Street Cry {Ire}), a winner of the G1 Coolmore Classic, is in foal to I Am Invincible and produced a filly by Exceed And Excel in 2022. Her first two foals by Exceed And Excel are the lightly raced Crepe Myrtle and Al Flores.

Also, a winner of the G1 Coolmore Classic, Daysee Doom (Domesday), is in foal to Widden Stud’s Zoustar. She has a 2-year-old colt by Wootton Bassett.

International stars

Champion European 2-Year-Old Filly Tiggy Wiggy (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) won six races, including the G1 Cheveley Park S. at Newmarket, the G2 Lowther S., and the Listed National S. As a 3-year-old, she was placed in the G1 1000 Guineas. Her first foal, Year Of The Tiger (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), was placed in the G1 Futurity Trophy and finished fourth in the G1 Dewhurst S. Tiggy Wiggy was imported to Australia, where she foaled a colt by Frankel (GB) before being served by St Mark’s Basilica.

Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never {USA}) didn’t quite live up to expectations when imported to Australia after BBA Ireland purchased her for 5,400,000gns (AU$11,200,300) at the 2022 Tattersalls December Mares Sale. Racing in the colours of Yulong Stud in Australia, Alcohol Free arrived as a winner of the G1 Sussex S., the G1 July Cup, the G1 Cheveley Park S., and the G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot. Her best effort in Australia was a fourth in the G2 Premiere S. She was retired and returned to the Northern Hemisphere, where it was announced she will be served by Frankel.

Con Te Partiro (USA) (Scat Daddy {USA}) was a success story when she joined the Australian stables of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott. She arrived in Australia as a stakes winner and Group 1 performer in North America and a Listed winner at Royal Ascot. She left Australia as a dual Group 1 winner, having claimed the G1 Coolmore Classic and the G1 Queen of the Turf, in addition to the G3 Dark Jewel Classic. Con Te Partiro has not yet produced a foal, was served by Zoustar but missed and was covered by Siyouni (Fr) this year in April.

Notable mentions

Imposingly (Zabeel {NZ}) is the dam of six individual stakes winners, including the triple Group 1 winner Bonneval (NZ) (Makfi {GB}). The daughter of Zabeel (NZ) was among the mares served by St Mark’s Basilica, after foaling a filly by Maurice in October.

Her daughter Bonneval, who won the G1 Australian Oaks, G1 Underwood S., and the G1 New Zealand Oaks, has not yet had a foal to race. Bonneval’s first foal, named Cassadee (I Am Invincible), is unraced, as is her filly by Savabeel named Bonny (NZ). Bonneval also has an unraced filly by Super Seth named Mary Eliza (NZ) and foaled a colt by Noverre (NZ) last spring before returning to Super Seth.

Daisies (Sebring) won the G2 WH Stocks S., the G3 Ethereal S., and the G3 Alexandra S. Purchased by Sheamus Mills Bloodstock (FBAA) at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $250,000, Daisies was offered in the 2023 Inglis Digital June Sale, where Yulong Stud signed for $920,000. She was served by their Champion Sire Written Tycoon in September.

Smart Missile’s daughter I’ll Have A Bit won the G2 Euclase S. and the G2 National S., with a career that included placings in the G1 Goodwood H. and the G2 Moonee Valley Fillies Classic. She is the dam of four foals and was served by St Mark’s Basilica last spring. I’ll Have A Bit’s first foal, Just A Bit More (Justify {USA}), was retired after three starts. Her second foal is an unraced 2-year-old filly by Pierro named Have Trust.

I’ll Have A Bit’s filly by Wootton Bassett was purchased by Suman Hedge Bloodstock (FBAA) from this year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale for $450,000 and has been named Asilah. Last spring, she foaled a colt by So You Think, who was bought by Michael Kirwan from the 2024 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale for $70,000.

Table: Star runners and producers expecting foals this spring