Cover image courtesy of Magic Millions
Saturday’s Group 1 sprint for fillies and mares at Morphettville, the G1 Robert Sangster Stakes, demonstrates the breadth of the industry and has become a battle of the mare sales with six of the runners heading the two major broodmare sales in coming months.
The Inglis Chairman’s Sale boasts Group 1 winner Benedetta (Hellbent), Royal Ascot bound Generosity (Divine Prophet), and Ahha Ahha (Starspangledbanner).
The Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale will offer Super Smink (Super One), Stretan Angel (Harry Angel {Ire}) and the scratched runner Aviatress (Smart Missile).
A small select group and a changing marketplace
The broodmare market has changed significantly in the past five years with Inglis announcing this year that their Sydney based Australian Broodmare Sale would be no longer. The rise of the digital marketplace has eaten into the size of the physical mare sales, but at the top end, both the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale and Inglis Chairman’s Sale compete to offer the best mares to the marketplace.
“Come breeding stock sale time, one the most popular features are the race fillies, but it’s very circumstantial as to what fillies come on the market. In terms of our catalogue and what is slated to sell elsewhere, the pool of fillies is smaller than last year, but the quality is a desirable group,” said Inglis CEO Sebastian Hutch.
Sebastian Hutch | Image courtesy of Inglis
“Seven or eight years ago, people had little in the way of alternatives (to Magic Millions National) for selling a nice mare with 95% of the best stock going there. That’s changed dramatically in the last six years as Chairman’s has gathered momentum. Now the split is around 50/50 and we are very much in the position where vendors have two genuinely credible options to sell their horses.
“Add in the digital boom on top of that, and it’s been a significant evolution (for fillies and mare sales) over this decade.”
One of the benefits of the timing of these two sales is that buyers can race horses through to the rest of the season.
“It’s always exciting to see these outstanding Group 1 level fillies performing. Our sale is timed well for the owners of these horses to run before the sale, like in Saturday’s Sangster, and then give the buyer an opportunity to race on after the sale,” said Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch.
Barry Bowditch | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“We’ve had plenty who’ve come through the sale and then race on in Queensland. Everyone loves racing a horse in their own colours so buying one and heading back to the races at the highest level immediately bodes well for buyers.”
Group 1 winner Benedetta is a headline act
Whatever happens on Saturday, Ciaron Maher-trained Benedetta heads to the sale ring as a Group 1 winner, having won the 2024 G1 Goodwood Handicap. That year, she ran third in the G1 Robert Sangster Stakes, but last year, she skipped South Australia to head to Queensland instead.
“Benedetta is a Premier sale graduate that we at Inglis are very proud of. Hopefully, she can head to the sale on a winning note. She’s been very patiently managed, and we feel that if a buyer wanted to race her on, there’s plenty more racing in her,” said Hutch.
Benedetta | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
This year, she comes into the race with three runs this autumn, all in Group 1 company. She resumes with a third behind recently retired dual Group 1 winner Tentyris, before mid-field efforts in the G1 Newmarket Handicap and G1 William Reid Stakes. In her career, 16 of her 28 starts have been in Group 1 company for a win and four placings at the elite level.
Before she stepped up to that level, she won six of her first ten starts including the G3 WW Cockram Stakes. She has eight wins in total and earnings over $2.4 million.
“Benedetta has been racing in very good company, she's only been beaten a few small margins,” Ciaron Maher’s assistant trainer Jack Turnbull said earlier in the week.
“Benedetta has been racing in very good company, she's only been beaten a few small margins.” - Jack Turnbull
“Getting her back to mare's grade (Saturday), at a track we know she's effective at – she's had a nice short period in-between. We've kept her fresh and it's been the main aim this whole preparation to focus on that race and try to get her back to the winner's stall.”
From the first crop of Hellbent, who has 11 stakes winners and two Group 1 winners as a sire and is too young to have winners as a damsire yet, Benedetta has a nice pedigree to back up her performance.
Jack Turnbull | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Her three-race winning dam Whatalovelyday (Domesday) ran third in the G2 BRC The Roses, and has produced two other stakes horses G2 Moonee Valley Fillies Classic-placed Whatafox (Foxwedge) and multiple Listed placed Sunset Dreaming (Impending).
Super Smink in form
Western Australian-trained Super Smink comes into the G1 Robert Sangster in winning form, having collected the G3 RN Irwin Stakes at the same venue for trainer Dan Morton two weeks ago.
“She was outstanding coming was well off them last start to solidify the fact that she’s a mare of immense quality. She’s already a stakes winner on countless occasions and she’s Group 1 performed. We look forward to her adding to her CV on Saturday,” said Bowditch.
“She was outstanding coming was well off them last start to solidify the fact that she’s a mare of immense quality.” - Barry Bowditch
“She’s well bred with a big pedigree, she was an early 2-year-old who has trained on. It’s a credit to Dan Morton and his team who have kept her up at that level for that length of time.”
A brilliant juvenile, who won three of her five starts at that age and placed in the other two, Super Smink won the R.Listed Magic Millions Perth 2YO Classic at her second start, adding the time-honoured G2 Karrakatta Plate and G3 WA Sires’ Produce Stakes. At three, she added the Listed Belgravia Stakes, and as an older mare she’s won three more group races.
Super Smink | Image courtesy of Western Racepix
She placed in the G1 Railway Stakes behind Port Lockroy (Better Than Ready) in 2024 at her first attempt at Group 1 level. All up, she has seven wins from 26 starts and over $1.6 million in earnings.
Super Smink is one of three stakes winners for her sire who is a son of I Am Invincible, and is out of Snitzel mare Sminky Shorts. Sminky Shorts is a half-sister to stakes placed Miss Rockjoy (Awesome Rock).
Group 1-placed Stretan Angel
Third to Super Smink in the G3 RN Irwin Stakes last start, Stretan Angel will have her second start for this campaign in the G1 Robert Sangster Stakes for trainer Phillip Stokes.
“She’s always oozed class since the day when she came back from the breakers,” assistant trainer Tommy Stokes said.
“We knew she had a good brain on her. As you can see from her time as a 2-year-old, we contested great races from straight away with her. She showed right from the start she was a high class racehorse.”
Tommy Stokes | Image courtesy of Phillip Stokes Racing
This is a family filled with juvenile form, as Stretan Angel’s half-brother Stretan Ruler (Wild Ruler) demonstrated when winning this autumn’s G2 Silver Slipper Stakes for the same stable.
“She’s a very exciting fast mare. Phillip Stokes has done an unbelievable job with her, and she’s placed at Group 1 level. From a pedigree perspective, she’s also exciting as she’s a half to Stretan Ruler,” said Bowditch.
“These mares who have racing upside with the speed and CV of Stretan Angel will highly sought after.”
“She’s a very exciting fast mare. Phillip Stokes has done an unbelievable job with her, and she’s placed at Group 1 level.” - Barry Bowditch
The 5-year-old mare won the Listed Dequettville Stakes at two, adding the G2 Danehill Stakes at three at just her fourth start. She ran mid-field in this race in 2024 before running second to Benedetta in the G1 Goodwood Handicap at her next start. Back in 2025, she was mid-field again but had come off placings in both the G1 Lightning Stakes and G1 Newmarket Handicap. This year, she comes into the G1 Robert Sangster off only one run, which is different to the past two years form line.
Stretan Angel | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Stretan Angel has three wins and nine placings from 25 starts with earnings over $1.3 million.
Also heading to the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale is Aviatress who was scratched from Saturday’s G1 Robert Sangster after drawing out wide.
“She’s been a fast mare and consistent at group level. She’s got an outstanding pedigree going back to Dancing Show and is another strong prospect to race on through Queensland. She fits the mould for so many farms here and abroad.”
Generosity for Royal Ascot or sale
G2 Challenge Stakes winner Generosity is entered into the Inglis Chairman’s Sale but is also slated to be heading to Royal Ascot as a travelling companion for stablemate Chris Waller-trained Joliestar (Zoustar).
“Dad and I had been discussing it for a little while and when we presented it to Chris (Waller) he loved the idea,” Surace Jnr said.
“Looking at her and the form she is in, we believe she can be really dynamic up the straight at the 1000 metres with her racing style. She's absolutely flying so there will be no better opportunity and another positive is we know she handles the travel side of it really well having come over from WA. It's really exciting.”
She will be ridden on Saturday by James McDonald, which is another feather in her cap.
“Generosity is a candidate for Royal Ascot and if she goes there instead of Chairman’s we wish the Surace family all the best, and would welcome her back for next year’s sale instead.” - Sebastian Hutch
“Generosity is a candidate for Royal Ascot and if she goes there instead of Chairman’s we wish the Surace family all the best, and would welcome her back for next year’s sale instead,” said Hutch. “We are excited to see her either way.”
Generosity has well out-run her $9000 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale price, where she was purchased by Simon Miller Racing from Glastonbury Farms, with five wins from 27 starts and earnings over $1.2 million.
Generosity | Image courtesy of Western Racepix
Originally trained in WA by Simon A Miller, Generosity won four times including the Listed Sheila Gwynne Classic and placing in the 2025 The Quokka. She came east to run fifth in the 2025 G1 Goodwood Handicap before transferring to Chris Waller after being purchased privately by B2B Thoroughbreds. In five runs this season for Waller, she placed in the G2 Shorts behind Joliestar, and two starts ago, won the G2 Challenge Stakes.
A half-sister to Listed winner Midnight In Tokyo (Kobayashi), her dam Orabelle (Casino Prince) is a daughter of Group 1 winner Bel Mer (Bel Esprit). This makes Orabelle a winning half-sister to G3 Gimcrack Stakes winner Bel Merci (Extreme Choice) and Listed winner All Too Royal (All Too Hard).
In form Ahha Ahha to upgrade her resume
Last start G3 Matron Stakes winner Ahha Ahha drops back in trip from a mile to 1200 metres for the G1 Robert Sangster Stakes.
“I understand that Clinton McDonald hadn’t planned to run her, but she was going so well that it is an opportunity to enhance her reputation even further,” said Hutch.
“I understand that Clinton McDonald hadn’t planned to run her, but she was going so well that it is an opportunity to enhance her reputation even further.” - Sebastian Hutch
Her last start win was her first black type victory and Ahha Ahha has four wins from 18 starts with earnings over $390,000.
“Starspangledbanner is putting together an exciting reputation as a broodmare sire, and her second dam is by Pivot who is one of the most influential broodmare sires on the planet.”
Ahha Ahha | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Ahha Ahha is one of six winners for imported mare Tragic Moment (USA) (Pivotal {GB}) who has also produced juvenile winner and Listed Golden Horseshoe-placed Rocket Star (Star Witness). The unraced mare was purchased at the 2013 Tattersalls December Mare Sale for 68,000 gns (AU$135,000) and is a full sister to dual Listed winner Il Warrd (Ire) and a half-sister to Listed winner Coy (Ire) (Danehill {USA}).
