Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions
Vendors of Stretan Angel (Harry Angel {Ire}) at the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale, Raheen Stud is run by Basil Nolan Snr, his wife Dianne and their daughter-in-law Natalie, as well as the late Basil Jnr’s four children, Basil, Lily, James and William. The youngest Basil was the recipient of the 2025 Agrifutures Les Young Scholarship and is currently studying at The National Stud in England.
“He’s Basil the fourth, my father was also Basil,” laughed Nolan. “He’s loving being in England. I was talking to him on Friday, and he’d just come back from France (Arqana sales). I’m sure he’ll come back here and tell his grandfather what to do!”
Basil Nolan Snr | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
The decision to sell as weanlings
Queensland-based Raheen Stud only sells locally, frequenting the Magic Millions Gold Coast, March, and National sales with their stock. “We always sell 10 or so as weanlings every year, and it’s partly a staffing issue, but obviously it’s good to get them out to a range of different buyers,” said Nolan.
“You sell to a wider buying bench as they go everywhere, pinhookers and quite a few end users to race are buying weanlings, and for us, it provides a different avenue for the horses. We hope the pinhookers make a pretty penny from them going forward too.”
“You sell to a wider buying bench as they go everywhere, pinhookers and quite a few end users to race are buying weanlings, and for us, it provides a different avenue for the horses.” - Basil Nolan Snr
When asked about how Raheen Stud chooses which horses to sell as weanlings and which ones as yearlings, Nolan said, “There’s not an exact science to it. Some horses are more forward than others, and we try to take the more forward ones as weanlings. We’d try not to worry if they are colts or fillies, it’s on type, really.”
Top Ranked’s first crop
Raheen Stud are taking 11 weanlings to the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale next week, with eight of them from the first crop of their resident G1 Epsom Handicap winner Top Ranked (Ire). “They are very nice horses, and he’s thrown quite a few greys. They are very correct, good types who are upstanding, very athletic type of weanlings,” said Nolan.
“He was a very good racehorse, a Group 1 winner and we are extremely happy with what he’s left on the ground. He served over 100 mares in each of his first two seasons. He was a talented racehorse and that helps when they go to stud. Annabel said he was the best horse she trained in his four starts here and unfortunately injury curtailed his career.”
“Annabel (Archibald) said he (Top Ranked) was the best horse she trained in his four starts here and unfortunately injury curtailed his career.” - Basil Nolan Snr
Top Ranked served 109 mares in his first season, at $7700 inc GST, and has 81 foals on the ground, and served another 101 in 2024 at the same fee. Winner of his only start at two, Top Ranked was also unbeaten at three. At four he won the G3 Superior Mile, and at five, the Listed Doncaster Mile in England before heading to Australia where Annabel Neasham trained him to win the G1 Epsom Handicap and the G3 Bill Ritchie Stakes.
Top Ranked (Ire) (checkered cap) and Ellsberg (black cap) dead-heat in the G1 Epsom Stakes | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
“We’ve been happy with him. He’s by Dark Angel who won the UK Sires' Championship last year and was the first horse not at Coolmore, Darley or Juddmonte to do that in decades.”
Among the eight weanlings by Top Ranked are led by Lot 351, a half-sister to Listed winner Sylpheed (Real Saga). Lot 36 is a filly from House Of Hingis (NZ) (Swiss Ace) who was fourth in the G3 SAJC Breeders’ Stakes and Lot 184 who is from Snitzel mare Roundelay from the Samantha Miss (Redoute’s Choice) family.
As well as the eight by Top Ranked, the draft includes a Spirit Of Boom filly, Lot 320, who is the first foal of a Sebring mare from the family of American Group 1 winner Furlough (USA) (Easy Goer {USA}). Lot 61 is a Zousain filly from King’s Lady (Not A Single Doubt) who was a winner of 870 metres, and Lot 364 is a North Pacific colt from winning mare Expel (Shamardal {USA}) who is a half-sister to G3 Up & Coming Stakes winner Blackball (Canny Lad).
Gallery: Some of Raheen Stud's weanlings on offer at the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale, images courtesy of Magic Millions
Jenni's relative leads Raheen’s yearling draft
The farm are also taking 10 yearlings to the National Sale including Lot 1204, a Bivouac half-sister to Raheen Stud sold Listed winner Jenni’s Meadow (Brutal {NZ}), out of winning Redoute’s Choice mare Meadow, who has also produced stakes-placed Flower In The Wind (Sebring).
“We are taking some yearlings as well. There are a couple in there who had an issue prior to the Gold Coast sale in January. Horses mature so much between January and May that you are selling boys then and men now. The January sale only suits some horses.
“Horses mature so much between January and May that you are selling boys then and men now.” - Basil Nolan Snr
“It’s a good sale and always gets good results because they are often quite well-bred horses who weren’t ready for January or Easter. There’s been some very good horses out of the National Yearlings, and of course Zoustar and Pierro went through the weanling sale too.”
Raheen Stud also have a few fillies in work including three-race winner Banana Slide (Sebring) who ran second on Saturday. “We’ve got a couple in our racing team who will hopefully get black type. It’s very difficult at the moment because everyone's here (for the carnival). You’ve just got to go with the best and hope for the best.”
