Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
A few hours before My Gladiola won Saturday’s G1 AJ Moir Stakes, a racegoer found her asleep in her tie-up stall. John McArdle was unsurprised.
“She always is,” the trainer told him.
The mare switched on when required, breaking through at her sixth Group 1 start and taking her earnings beyond $1.5 million. For McArdle and breeder Kia Ora Stud, it vindicated the deal that allowed him to secure her for $550,000 at the 2024 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
It also delivered the best result of the late Villa Verde’s breeding career, with My Gladiola her seventh foal and first Group 1 winner.
With a Group 1 win and two Group 1 placings among her six Group 1 runs, My Gladiola is now one of the most valuable mares in Australia.
“It's amazing how one day can change everything,” Kia Ora Stud’s Shane Wright said.
Wright hinted at some big plans for the future of My Gladiola, despite the team being tight-lipped about her next targets at this stage.
“A big credit goes out to John McArdle, his team and Jamie Mott as well, they pulled it off exceptionally. Now we need to make sure there's a team of 50 tailors trying to get a hat big enough to fit John’s head for Royal Ascot.”
It’s all about temperament
Whether she gets to Royal Ascot next June or not, both Wright and trainer John McArdle know she has the temperament to deal with anything that happens on the journey.
“She's pulled up great, lovely and bright and happy this morning. She’s out in her yard and it’s all her usual standard procedure,” McArdle said.
“She's a genuine pro. She's got a great temperament. She’s bomb proof, basically.
“She does get a bit keen into the races, but if you've seen her going around the track in the morning, she's like an old stock horse. No one would believe that she's a Group 1 -winning sprinter. She’s very relaxed. She's great around the stable.”
John McArdle | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Wright recalled that her temperament was a big factor in her favour as a yearling too. Kia Ora Stud put her through their Inglis Easter Yearling Sale draft where she made $550,000 to McArdle’s Redgum Racing.
“She was just an exceptional yearling. She was a favourite of most of the staff because of her temperament. She was so straightforward, easy to do anything with and now the staff are all having a great time following her,” Wright said.
“She was tremendous yesterday. I think she's the most deserving winner of a Group 1 in the last 18 months. She's had 13 starts, never ran outside black type company, and never dodged the best horses in the country. She was very unlucky in a couple of Group 1s behind Tentyris and her day was coming and yesterday was it.
“If you look back at her very first start, she won that Preview in very dominant fashion. We knew we had a good one on our hands then.”
“If you look back at her (My Gladiola) very first start, she won that Preview in very dominant fashion. We knew we had a good one on our hands then.” - Shane Wright
My Gladiola | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
My Gladiola won the G3 Blue Diamond Preview on debut and has raced exclusively in stakes company. Before Saturday’s breakthrough, she had twice finished second at Group 1 level to Tentyris, in the Coolmore Stud Stakes and Lightning Stakes.
The filly McArdle wanted
Kia Ora Stud took nine yearlings to the 2024 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale and My Gladiola, obviously, leads the way as the best racehorse of them. They also sold G2 BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes-placed Farnicle (Farnan) in that draft, and he is set to resume for the season soon having trialled recently for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.
“John McArdle came down and on first inspections, he pulled me aside and he says, I absolutely love this filly but I'm worried I won't be able to afford her. I said, Stick with us. We'll see what we can do before the end of the week, and it all came together, and happily we were able to retain a small share in her with John and the rest of the owners, including Paul Johnson, who is in a couple of mares with us now since then,” Wright said.
Shane Wright | Image courtesy of Inglis
“She was a pretty typical Vinnie, as in, she had those good looks. She had the quality. She had the temperament. Dare I say it, she looked a bit stronger and more forward (than expected).”
“She (My Gladiola) was a pretty typical Vinnie, as in, she had those good looks. She had the quality... She looked a bit stronger and more forward.” - Shane Wright
Champion Sire I Am Invincible had 75 yearlings through the sales in 2024, with stakes-placed Ernaux the most expensive at $3 million. His yearlings averaged $581,000 that year, and had a median price of $500,000, putting My Gladiola firmly in the middle for her sire’s output that season.
“If you've ever seen her in the flesh, you can see that she's all power. She has a great shoulder, great hip, great hindquarter. She's a lovely mover. She looks exactly like what she is, a Group 1-winning sprinter,” McArdle said.
My Gladiola as yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Villa Verde’s seventh foal
My Gladiola is the seventh of nine foals for Villa Verde (Not A Single Doubt) who died in March 2026. Villa Verde won her first two starts, the Listed Debutante Stakes and Listed Ottawa Stakes. She placed in the G2 Reisling before running in the G1 Golden Slipper and G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes.
At three, she was fourth in Zoustar’s G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes in the spring before winning the G2 Challenge Stakes in the autumn. That campaign, she also placed in the G1 Galaxy Handicap and was fourth in the G1 Robert Sangster Stakes.
“It’s a good cross with Not A Single Doubt bringing a little more forwardness to Vinnie. The mare, Villa Verde, was an exceptionally good mare herself and so I think it all just came together,” Wright said.
“Villa Verde, was an exceptionally good mare herself and so I think it all just came together.” - Shane Wright
“The mare has been a good producing mare. Nearly all of her foals are winners and we all knew that a big one was coming. It's probably fair to say it took her a little while to get there, but she's got there now.”
Villa Verde | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Villa Verde, a $1.1 million broodmare purchase, has produced five winners from her first seven foals with My Gladiola clearly the best of them. Shivani (Sebring) won her maiden in Sydney, while Daksha (Deep Field) won three times. Blue Special (I Am Invincible) was a $1 million yearling and so far, he’s won five races and is still in work with trainer Garret Lynch after being sold twice on Inglis Digital.
“Sadly, we lost the mare this year. She was just getting to that age and she had some feet problems. She's left us with a very nice Ole Kirk colt that will head to the yearling sales next year,” Wright said without committing to which sale he would go through yet. Surely, after yesterday, all the sales companies will be courting him.
Villa Verde also has unraced 3-year-old filly Bella Lavita (Pierro) to come through for her. Owned by Riverstone Farm who paid $180,000 for her at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, Bella Lavita is trained by John McArdle.
“The whole team at Kia Ora believed in the mare, so not only do we have a share in My Gladiola, but we’ve got two sisters on the farm as well. Wassa is over in New Zealand getting covered by Return to Conquer this year. He's a stallion we have in partnership with Waikato, and we’ve got Pujita who is in foal to Sword Of State and is booked Tropicus, our new boy on the block who is standing at Vinery this season.”
Wassa | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
Wassa (More Than Ready {USA}) won her maiden at the Sunshine Coast. She has a Pierata yearling colt and is due to foal to Hawaii Five Oh. Return To Conquer, an unbeaten Group 1-winning son of Snitzel, was a $1.3 million yearling and stands his first season at Waikato Stud for NZ$15,000 plus GST.
Pujita (Pierro) didn’t trouble the judge in three starts and Kia Ora Stud sent her to New Zealand for her first covering to Cambridge Stud sire Sword Of State. Kia Ora Stud raced Tropicus, a Group 1-winning son of Too Darn Hot (GB), who stands his first season at Vinery Stud this year for $27,500 inc GST.
“And, random fact, her first foal Daksha is at Kia Ora. He's retired here and one of the girls has taken a shine to him so he gets ridden most days at Kia Ora. He's got a forever home and he's made a best friend for life,” Wright said.
Villa Verde has been a good mare for Kia Ora Stud, and her legacy continues for them through her three daughters, but it’s the land and the people who make a farm strong.
“I want to acknowledge the work that goes in with my team at home on the farm. Not only did they breed her, but the spelling team goes amazingly as well. We only spell our own horses, but the statistics for our horses from that part of the farm that win a Group race first-up is actually huge at the minute, with My Gladiola and before her Pembrey,” Wright said.
“I want to acknowledge the work that goes in with my team at home on the farm. Not only did they breed her, but the spelling team goes amazingly as well.” - Shane Wright
Kia Ora Stud bred and race Pembrey (Prague) who resumed with victory in the G2 Silver Shadow at the end of August. She ran mid-field in Saturday’s G2 Furious Stakes.
“Good grass, magic grass that's what they call it. And the people, I'm quite lucky. I have got the best people I could possibly have surrounding me,” Wright said.
Pembrey | Image courtesy of Trackside Photography
The combination of a good team, wonderful producing land, and having faith in a top quality racemare has led Kia Ora Stud to another Group 1 winner to add to the long history of the property. And given the way that My Gladiola won on Saturday, it wouldn't be a surprise to see her continue to add to her already stellar record.
