Magic Millions to showcase first yearlings of five Group 1 winners

Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions

January’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale will feature progeny by no less than 31 Group 1-winning mares and for the five that we are profiling, their will be anticipation in the air, as it will be their first foal that goes through the sale ring.

The quintet of top-tier scorers making their debut are Levante (NZ) (Proisir), Graceful Girl (Nicconi), Snapdancer (Choisir), Inspirational Girl (NZ) (Reliable Man {GB}), and Instant Celebrity (Not A Single Doubt).

A Snitzel filly out of a Champion Kiwi sprinter/miler

Arrowfield Stud will offer a filly out of Levante as Lot 465. She is by Australia’s late Champion sire Snitzel.

Levante was a true New Zealand star. Trained by Ken and Bev Kelso at Matamata, the Proisir filly won 12 of her 23 starts, was crowned Champion Sprinter/Miler in New Zealand in the 2021–22 season, and earned just shy of NZ$1.25 million in prizemoney.

Her Group 1 victories included the Telegraph Handicap (twice), Waikato Sprint, and Otaki Māori WFA, alongside the G2 Westbury Classic and the Listed Counties Bowl (twice).

She also placed at the elite level on multiple occasions, finishing in the top three in the G1 Railway Stakes three times and also the G1 Waikato Sprint, while showcasing her class in Australia when running fourth in both the G1 Newmarket Handicap and the G1 Sprint Classic down the straight at Flemington.

Jon Freyer, Bloodstock Manager at Arrowfield Stud, commented that Levante’s first foal is a top-class filly.

“She looks a very good filly, a top class filly in the mould of all of the good Snitzel fillies.

“She has plenty of strength about her, and is overall very attractive.”

Levante is a half-sister to the six-time winner and Listed-placed Doyenne (NZ) (Kilimanjaro {GB}), who is the dam of G1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Maven Belle (NZ) (Burgundy {NZ}). Another half-sister is the Listed placed and five-time winner Miss Isle (NZ) (Bachelor Duke {USA}), the dam of the Listed-winning juvenile Sophmaze (NZ) (Derryn).

Freyer emphasised the quality of Levante’s racetrack performance.

“Levante won four Group 1 races in New Zealand. When you start thinking of mares that won four or more Group 1 races on the track, you can probably do it with one hand.

“She was brilliantly fast, and a perfect type of mare for Snitzel.”

Levante unfortunately missed to Snitzel in 2024, but she was served by The Autumn Sun in early September this year.

“She has been served by The Autumn Sun this spring, is in foal, and is due to have an August foal next year. The stallion is in great form, so that is very exciting.”

Widden Stud present a Zoustar filly out of Graceful Girl

Widden Stud are offering Lot 330, a beautifully bred daughter of their reigning Australian Champion sire Zoustar, out of Graceful Girl, a mare they purchased for $1.1 million at the 2023 Inglis Chairman’s Sale.

Graceful Girl was a six-time winner, including three consecutive victories in Western Australia. Her biggest success came in the G1 Winterbottom Stakes, and she was also first past the post in the Listed Raconteur Stakes.

Matt Comerford, Nominations, Sales and Client Relations at Widden Stud, commented on Graceful Girl and the stud’s determination to secure her as a broodmare.

“She (Graceful Girl) is a beautiful mare by Nicconi, a stallion we obviously know well. We were very keen to get her at Chairman’s, and her win in the Winterbottom when wearing Bob Peters’ colours was special.

“We are always on the lookout and have the intention of buying these top mares to go to Zoustar, and we liked the type of mare she was, her pedigree and her record.”

Graceful Girl is a full sister to State Solicitor (Nicconi), winner of the G3 Colonel Reeves Stakes, and a half-sister to G2 Western Australian Derby winner and three-time Listed winner Respondent (Haradasun), as well as the seven-time winner and Group 3-placed Long Beach (I Am Invincible).

The depth of the pedigree runs deep. Graceful Girl’s grandam Avenida Madero (Metal Storm {FR}) won 13 races, including the G2 Lee Steere Stakes, G3 Scahill Stakes, G3 Roma Cup, and the Listed Colonel Reeves Stakes.

When asked about the mare's Zoustar filly heading to the sales, Comerford added:

“She is a really nice, sharp style of Zoustar filly with a touch of Nicconi about her. She looks really sharp, has a strong hindquarter and a great walk on her.”

After producing a Snitzel filly this spring, Graceful Girl was revisited and has tested in foal again to Zoustar.

“There is a lot to like about her. The mare is back in foal to Zoustar after having a nice Snitzel filly, and going off the yearling it was very easy to go back to Zoustar.”

Snapdancer and Inspirational Girl out to make an instant impact for Yulong

Yulong Stud will present the first yearlings from both Snapdancer and Inspirational Girl, with both mares represented by progeny of Yulong’s resident stallions.

Lot 826 is a bay or brown filly by Diatonic (Jpn) out of Snapdancer, the dual Group 1 heroine of the Memsie Stakes and Robert Sangster Stakes, among her seven career wins.

Snapdancer was bred by Katom and is now owned by Yulong, who purchased the mare for a significant sum of $3.2 million from the Sullivan Bloodstock draft at the 2023 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.

Yulong’s Chief Operating Officer, Sam Fairgray, spoke highly of both mare and her yearling filly.

“She is a very strong first foal, and she is powerfully built in a similar way to the mare herself.

“She very much looks a sharp and fast filly, and should be an up-and-running type. She has great natural strength.”

The filly is by Diatonic, who is a son of Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) who shares the same sire as Yulong’s own Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Tagaloa. Bred on the same cross as Japanese superstar Almond Eye (Jpn), Diatonic is out of a mare by Sunday Silence (USA), sire of Deep Impact (Jpn), Heart’s Cry (Jpn) and Sunday Joy. Diatonic was a five-time Group winner in Japan and Group 1-placed over 1200 metres.

“We wanted to support Diatonic with quality mares, and Snapdancer was one of them. It’s a nice cross and this filly will be very well inspected.”

Snapdancer is out of the Galileo (Ire) mare Snapdragon (Ire) and is a three-quarter sister to Drago (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), who was Group 3 placed twice and ran fourth in both the G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes and G1 Champagne Stakes.

Since producing this Diatonic filly, Snapdancer has foaled an I Am Invincible filly this spring, and was served in October by Yulong’s exciting young stallion Growing Empire.

“The I Am Invincible filly she had this spring is very nice and she has been served by Growing Empire.”

Inspirational Girl’s colt set to shine

Lot 383 is the first foal of the classy Inspirational Girl, a bay colt by Alabama Express, also offered by Yulong at the Gold Coast.

Inspirational Girl was a 10-time winner from 1200 to 1600 metres, highlighted by her victory in the G1 Railway Stakes. She also captured the G2 Blamey Stakes at Flemington and the G3 Asian Beau Stakes, cementing her status as one of Western Australia’s finest modern mares.

The daughter of Reliable Man (GB) was purchased for $1.1 million by Chatsworth Farm at the 2023 Inglis Chairman’s Sale, through the Holbrook Thoroughbreds draft.

Inspirational Girl boasts a strong pedigree, being a full sister to Listed winner Ruettiger (NZ) (Duporth), and closely related to stakes winners Zingaling (Redoute’s Choice) and Rainbow Styling (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}).

“The Alabama Express colt is a very nice, athletic first foal. He has a bit of quality and is a very nice mover,” Fairgray said.

“Inspirational Girl is a big, rangy mare, and we went to Alabama Express to tidy her up a bit and it has worked nicely. We did the same thing with Panthalassa the next year and she has produced a quality filly this spring.”

That Panthalassa (Jpn) filly mentioned was highlighted by The Thoroughbred Report as part of its Foal Focus series.

‘Vinnie’ colt bred to be quick

Lot 385 is a bay colt by Champion sire I Am Invincible out of Instant Celebrity, winner of the G1 Robert Sangster Stakes, G2 Thousand Guineas Prelude, and the Listed Oaklands Plate. She also placed in the G1 Goodwood Handicap and the G1 Thousand Guineas.

Her colt will be presented at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale by Mill Park Stud.

It is a page full of class, with Instant Celebrity’s dam Celebrity Girl (Starcraft {NZ}) and grandam, Dashing Granada (Keltrice) both stakes winners who have each produced stakes winners also. Further depth is provided by classy Group winners further down the pedigree, including Generalife (Lonhro) and Leviathon – Healthy Happy (HK) (Zoustar).

Since producing the colt heading to Magic Millions, Instant Celebrity has foaled another I Am Invincible filly in August this year.