Written by Kit Gow
Cover image courtesy of Tyreel Stud
In this short series, TTR has asked various breeders their top three foals from the 2024 crop. If you would like your foals to be featured, reach out to Lucy at lucy@ttrausnz.com.au.
Tyreel Stud has long been highly regarded for the quality of their foal crop, with recent top level graduates including Everest champion Classique Legend (Not A Single Doubt), Group 1-winning Coco Sun (The Autumn Sun), and dual G1 Memsie S. victor Behemoth (All Too Hard). Owner Linda Monds spoke to us about her top three future stars from this year’s crop.
The whole package
“The Pierro colt ex Festival Miss has always been an eye-catching individual, with his dark coat, size, strength and bold personality,” said Monds. “It is hard to look past him!”
“The Pierro colt ex Festival Miss has always been an eye-catching individual, with his dark coat, size, strength and bold personality.” - Linda Monds
The five-time winner Festival Miss (Bernardini {USA}) was a striking dark brown mare herself, trained for the majority of her career by West Australian powerhouse Grant and Alana Williams. Bred and raced by Bob and Sandra Peters, she landed placings in the Listed Sir Ernest Lee-Steere Classic and Listed Placid Ark S. en route to collecting almost $300,000 of prizemoney. When taken through the Inglis Chairman’s Sale ring by Holbrook Thoroughbreds in 2021, she was purchased for $310,000 by Belmont Bloodstock (FBAA) and Tyreel Stud.
Festival Miss | Image courtesy of Inglis
“He is the whole package.” Such is to be expected of a foal from the family of Champion Female Sprinter Arcadia Queen (Pierro) and 10-time winner Regal Power (Power), winner of both the G1 Railway S. and the G1 Kingston Town Classic. Festival Miss shares her second dam, the famed Antique (Metal Storm {Fr}), with both.
“We have a very good Snitzel colt yearling out of Festival Miss who was heading to the Magic Millions but will now be looking forward to showcasing himself at Easter,” added Monds. “He is also the whole package.”
Festival Miss’s first foal, Ask Di (Snitzel), landed in the stable of Ryan and Alexiou Racing when purchased at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale this past January for $575,000. She has yet to trial in the white and blue of Strawberry Hills Stud. Festival Miss was covered by Wootton Bassett (GB) this spring.
“This mare has now proven she knows how to deliver a type with all three foals being standouts.”
Gallery: Pierro x Festival Miss (colt), images courtesy of Tyreel Stud
Absolute glamour
“The I Am Eloquent filly by Anamoe is an absolute glamour,” Monds enthused. “She has a beautiful frame with size, strength and a natural athleticism about her.”
The breeding world has eagerly awaited the first offspring of nine-time Group 1 winner Anamoe this spring, and they have not disappointed. It would be hard to get a poor result when he has been mated to mares like I Am Eloquent (I Am Invincible), winner of the Listed Jim Moloney S. among her three victories, as well as placings in the G2 Euclase S. and the G3 Tesio S., the former coming less than a length behind top flight performer Xilong (Deep Field). She was a $400,000 purchase at the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale for Belmont Bloodstock Agency (FBAA) in the same year as Festival Miss.
Anamoe | Standing at Darley New South Wales
I am Eloquent is the daughter of Listed Wenona Girl H. winner Choice Words (Choisir), from a family that reaches across the hemispheres to Southern Image (USA). Closer to home in her pedigree is the active stakes performer Elphinstone (Street Boss {USA}), second in the Listed Bendigo Guineas earlier this year before winning the $500,000 VOBIS Platinum Guineas at Caulfield.
“She (the foal) is very attractive, and has a gorgeous, willing and kind nature,” Monds added. Such is the strong of this foal that I Am Eloquent made a return visit to Anamoe in October.
“This is the third foal from I Am Eloquent, her yearling Stay Inside filly is heading to Inglis Classic sale and, like her younger sister, is a lovely filly.”
Exceloquent (Exceed And Excel), the mare’s first foal, also walked through the Gold Coast ring in January and was a $450,000 purchase for Gollan Racing, John Foote Bloodstock (FBAA), and Blacksoil Bloodstock. I Am Eloquent’s Stay Inside filly will head to Riverside in February as Lot 302 in the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale catalogue.
Gallery: Anamoe x I am Eloquent (filly) foal, images courtesy of Tyreel Stud
Quality and looks
“The Zoustar ex Miss Tycoon Rose filly is a flashy, athletic girl,” Monds said. “This is the second foal.”
Miss Tycoon Rose (Written Tycoon) recorded four wins on the track, but only narrowly missed out on getting her name in big letters in the sales catalogues, finishing second in the G1 New Zealand One Thousand Guineas, ahead of G3 Barneswood Farm S. winner Cornflower Blue (NZ) (Savabeel), and the Listed Timaru S.. Her dam Splat (More Than Ready {USA}) is a half-sister to the stakes performers African Rainbow (Foxwedge) and Imvula (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), as well as the dam of the consistent Mare of Mt Buller (Dundeel {NZ}) and G3 Vo Rogue Plate placegetter Light Up The Room (So You Think {NZ}).
Miss Tycoon Rose | Image courtesy of Tyreel Stud
“She is well put together, correct and just a lovely filly with plenty of bling and an inquisitive nature.”
The filly will no doubt excite when she heads through the sales ring, as she is bred on a very similar Encosta De Lago x More Than Ready (USA) cross as G2 Sheraco S. winner Shades Of Rose (Rubick). The exact cross has so far produced Ranting (Zoustar), who beat promising sires Hanseatic and Anders in the G3 Blue Sapphire S., after placing in the G2 Vain S. and the G3 Danehill S.. Written Tycoon continues to deliver as a broodmare sire, having sired the dams of six stakeswinners to date, led by G1 Australasian Oaks victress Vibrant Sun (The Autumn Sun).
“Miss Tycoon Rose has a lovely Exceed and Excel filly heading to Inglis Classic Sale, who is the first foal. This yearling is attractive, athletic, and will be a stand-out at the sale.”
Her Exceed And Excel filly will be Lot 439 at Riverside in February.
Gallery: Zoustar x Miss Tycoon Rose (filly) foal, images courtesy of Tyreel Stud
“Trying to pick our top three foals from this season is harder than it sounds,” admitted Monds. “We have been blessed with all our foals this year.” Foals that narrowly missed out on the top spots are sired by the likes of The Autumn Sun, Capitalist, Maurice (Jpn), and Trapeze Artist. It's a tough competition, but there can only be three!
