Cover image courtesy of Racing SA
Bloodstock agent Sheamus Mills purchased Charm Stone (I Am Invincible) from Emirates Park’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft for $1.55 million, and the now 4-year-old mare gave her resume the ultimate boost with a Group 1 victory on Saturday. It was her third run in Group 1 company.
Exceptional training performance
Mills touted Charm Stone's trainers, Mick Price and Michael Kent (Jnr) as being the key to getting his mare to Group 1 level. “She’s obviously an expensive horse and has always been a lovely type. You can see her quality.
“I’ve always thought she was a superior 6-furlong horse, with Group 1 ability, so when you start to sort that out in terms of what races are around, especially for a first go at Group 1 level (this campaign), keeping her to the fillies and mares option (of the Robert Sangster) was an obvious choice for a long range plan. I really just spoke to Mick and Junior and said, ‘it’s a blank canvas on how we get there’.”
Charm Stone hadn’t raced since January, and her career has involved one long injury break.
“The original idea, after a year off, was to target the Magic Millions mares race, but we ended up in the 1400-metre race instead. She ran second which gave us some heart that she was getting back to her best. It took her a prep (spring) to dust off the cobwebs.”
Mick Price, Sheamus Mill and Michael Kent Jnr | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Charm Stone was away from the track for 13 months between the G1 Golden Rose in 2023 and this spring. She had three runs in the spring, running third in the G3 Rising Fast Stakes, then the aforementioned second in January before Saturday’s win.
“It’s a long time from the end of January to the end of April. We had 12 weeks to get her from Queensland to Adelaide and did that gradually with her staying at the Cranbourne stable the whole time. The run was perfectly executed, although it was awkward timing too.
“There’s that tight rope between being fresh but still having enough ping in her legs given how long she’d been in work. On the day, she was exceptionally well turned out.
“In terms of a training performance, it was exceptional. I have never seen her better. She was lovely and hard fit, but certainly not over the top. Mick and Junior had her ready for that assignment with a little bit to come in the Goodwood.”
Charm Stone returns to scale victorious in the G1 Robert Sangster Stakes | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Always deserved a Group 1
Charm Stone showed immediate ability, first sighted as an October 2-year-old when third on debut in the Listed Maribyrnong Trial Stakes and then won the G3 Ottawa Stakes at her next start to justify her yearling price.
“We will take her to the Goodwood, then give her a break. The plan is to give her a light spring, being mindful that she’s a big filly and she had that operation which cost her a year, but also we don’t want to look back and say that we didn’t give her every chance.
“There are so many options. We could go to the Gold Coast again for another Magic Millions run in January, or perhaps to The Quokka. She’s not effective on a wet track, so we likely will miss Sydney’s autumn.”
“She’s not effective on a wet track, so we likely will miss Sydney’s autumn.” - Sheamus Mills
As an autumn 2-year-old, Charm Stone was an early favourite for the G1 Blue Diamond, and then ran sixth in the G1 Blue Diamond Prelude (f).
“She was favourite for the Blue Diamond, then when she failed in the Prelude, she got pharyngitis and missed the Blue Diamond.”
Back as a spring 3-year-old, Charm Stone won the G3 Quezette Stakes and Listed Atlantic Jewel Stakes at her first two runs back, then headed to the G1 Golden Rose.
“She chipped a knee in the Golden Rose when beaten a length and a half without any luck. She was the Coolmore favourite at the time. It’s why winning on Saturday was so satisfying.
“You think you’re a chance to win those (Group 1) races and then you miss, and it tests the resolve of all the owners. Group 1s are tough to win and it’s satisfying to do it.”
Charm Stone didn’t race after the G1 Golden Rose for 13 months, recovering from the knee injury to return as a spring 4-year-old. With Saturday’s G1 Robert Sangster Stakes win, she has four wins from 11 starts and earnings over $1.34 million.
“My immediate reaction was relief rather than joy. It is so difficult to find horses of her ability. We’ve had some expensive purchases with ability that were unable to fulfil that promise due to injury, and she could’ve been another, so this win was a culmination of all that.
“We had two expensive fillies whose careers were ended by throat issues, another two who had feet problems, and three of those four were probably group horses but unfulfilled.”
“My immediate reaction was relief rather than joy. It is so difficult to find horses of her ability.” - Sheamus Mills
An outstanding pedigree
As a general rule, a yearling doesn’t make seven figures unless they have an outstanding pedigree to back up a strong physical type, and Charm Stone is by Champion Sire I Am Invincible out of G3 Hawkesbury Guineas winner Najoom (Northern Meteor) who won five of her seven starts. Najoom has previously produced dual Listed winner Najmaty, a full sister to Charm Stone.
“People have been working out the I Am Invincible horses, the more time you give them, the more they repay you. With Charm Stone, we are not afraid to take our time and pick off the right races. She’s very effective when fresh, and doesn’t need a gruelling campaign.”
Charm Stone as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Najoom is out of unraced Arena mare Charlety Star, a half-sister to three Listed winners Bhutane Dane (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), Gaze On (Intergaze) and Upon This Rock (Fastnet Rock) who is the dam of this season’s G2 Levin Classic-placed 3-year-old colt Tardelli (I Am Invincible). Charlety Star is out of a full sister to G3 Research Stakes winner Mica’s Pride (Bite The Bullet {USA}) who is the dam of Group 1 winners Criterion and Comin’ Through (Fastnet Rock) and two other stakes winners.
“The family has been well held by Emirates Park. They are such good breeders. It’s nice to buy into a family that you know is going to be well looked after, and they’ve certainly done that.”
Emirates Park quinella
The quinella of the G1 Robert Sangster Stakes was bred by Emirates Park with second-placed Ameena (Tassort) being retained by the farm for their racing team.
“Charm Stone deserved a good one. We were second actually, with an Emirates-bred one-two,” said Emirates Park’s Bryan Carlson.
“Ameena will head to Brisbane now. She was first up and I expected her to be in the top four, and (the win) nearly came off! I would’ve loved the quinella to be the other way, but if you have to be beaten, I’m happy for it to be one of ours.
“Charm Stone was a lovely filly (as a yearling) and we sold her very well at the sale. She deserved a Group 1.”
Emirates Park are selling Charm Stone’s 2-year-old half-sister at the upcoming Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale at the end of May. Catalogued as Lot 450, Nazwah (Capitalist) was a recent trial winner. “She won a trial last week and looks like a nice racing proposition going forward.”
When asked about the reason to sell, Carlson was pragmatic. “It’s a business decision to sell. We have a big racing team with plenty of fillies coming through. Najoom has had five or six fillies now, so we have lots of the family at the farm already. She’s in foal to Tassort and has a nice Tassort filly in our racing team.”
Najoom’s only colt, her first foal, was still born, and since then she has had six fillies. Charm Stone’s stakes winning full sister Najmaty is in the Emirates Park broodmare band and her first foal is colt foal by Russian Revolution. Emirates Park also have Najoom’s first live foal, Najmah (Snitzel) who won her first two starts, and her first foal, Listed Cinderella Stakes-placed 2-year-old filly Naifah (I Am Invincible) is in the Emirates Park racing team.
Bryan Carlson | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Najoom’s 3-year-old filly Manaajem (Tassort) is the filly Carlson referred to and she won on debut for trainer Peter Snowden in December. Najoom’s other fillies are Charm Stone, Nazwah, and a yearling filly by I Am Invincible.
Opportunities to buy into family
There are five opportunities to buy into this family at the upcoming weanling sale. At next week’s Inglis Australian Weanling Sale, Segenhoe Stud will present a Capitalist colt, Lot 318, out of Charlety Star, making him a half-brother to Najoom.
"He's a lovely colt who is bigger and stronger than the full brother that we sold as a yearling. Charlety Star is retired now and will live out her days at the farm. The client has another mare from the same family, Princess Joy Joy, who is continuing to breed with," said Segenhoe Stud's Peter O'Brien. The full brother sold at Inglis Premier Yearling Sale for $90,000 and was bought by DSB Thoroughbreds.
Princess Joy Joy (Sebring) is a half-sister to Charlety Star and her first foal, 3-year-old gelding Enter The Dragon (Capitalist) has won four of his six starts.
Two others in the Inglis sale who are distantly related are Lot 50, a Tiger Of Malay filly being offered by Kingstar Farm, whose third dam is Mica’s Pride.
Willaroon Thoroughbreds’ colt, Lot 343, by first season sire State Of Rest is more distantly related being the first foal of Written Tycoon mare De La Fayette, whose third dam is stakes-placed Money Begets Money, a full sister to Mica’s Pride and to Joleur, the dam of Charlety Star.
At the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale at the end of May are two other weanlings from this family. Bell River Thoroughbreds will present a Spirit Of Boom filly, Lot 157, who is a full sister to Gin Spirit who won the Listed Cinderella Stakes recently, beating Emirates Park owned Naifah from this same family. Gin Spirit’s dam Premeditated (Commands) has Money Begets Money as her third dam.
Kenmore Lodge are selling Lot 187, a colt by Tassort who is the first foal of Royal Rift (Deep Field), and he is another with Money Begets Money as his third dam.
