Could the Real Stars Be Under the Radar?

Tara Madgwick - Sunday July 19

The upcoming Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale has investors all over the country salivating over the smorgasboard of elite mares on offer, but are some of the real stars flying under the radar?

Our series of stories on Breednet detailing the performance of the most expensive mares in the country has generated plenty of interest, but as one reader pointed out Black Type mares are not the only ones producing Group I racehorses and expensive yearlings.

Stallions given a place at major commercial farms are required to have a certain level of Black Type performance to warrant that opportunity, but the performance bar for mares is set a lot lower with many minor winning, placed, unraced and even unplaced mares given a chance at stud.

Their lack of success on the racetrack can often be counterbalanced by some hidden genetic magic that can come to the fore with the right mating.


Of the 38 stallions standing in Australia this spring for a service fee of $25,000 or more, 16 of them, or 42%, were bred from mares with no Black Type and are listed below in alphabetical order.

Alabama Express, All Too Hard, American Pharoah (USA), Better Than Ready, Capitalist, Dundeel, Exceed and Excel, I Am Invincible, Pierro, Russian Revolution, The Autumn Sun, Toronado (IRE), Trapeze Artist, Written Tycoon, Yes Yes Yes and Zoustar.

Australia's most expensive sire I Am Invincible is from an unraced mare.

Among those stallions are I Am Invincible, Dundeel, All Too Hard and The Autumn Sun, whose dams were unraced, American Pharoah (USA), whose mother raced twice with no success, Trapeze Artist whose mother placed once from six starts and Golden Slipper winner Capitalist, whose mother won once from 15 starts.

Black cats might produce black kittens, but you don’t necessarily need a Black Type mare to produce a Black Type performer or indeed a champion sire.

You also don’t necessarily need a Black Type mare to produce an expensive yearling.

Of the ten yearlings that sold for $1million or more at the 2020 Magic Millions, five were from mares with no Black Type and one of them, a $1.1 million Redoute’s Choice colt, is the second foal from Gresset, who had three starts in country Victoria and never got close to placing.

There were also a further two seven figure yearlings sold at Inglis Easter from non-Black Type mares.

I guess the point of this story is to give hope to breeders with limited resources and to encourage more potential buyers to think outside the square and not be put off by a lack of Black Type.

Email us at media@breednet.com.au if you wish to share a story of a not so successful race mare that made amends at stud.


 

Advertisment
More Reading...
Transatlantic Takes $1million Five Diamonds Prelude
Transatlantic’s lucrative spring carnival continued at Randwick with an arrogant victory in the $1m Five Diamonds Prelude.
Sires With Winners - Sunday October 26
Here is the full list of 74 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Second Wootton Bassett Son Added to Coolmore Stallion Roster for 2026
Set to join Camille Pissarro as the second G1 winning son of Wootton Bassett on the stallion roster for Ireland in 2026 is Henri Matisse, who this time last year was about to claim his first G1 victory at the Breeders Cup meeting at Del Mar.
Wootton Bassett and Camelot 2YO Colts Win Final French Group Ones
The last French Group I races of their flat season were run on Sunday and Aidan O’Brien produced the winners of both the Group I Criterium International (1600m) and Group I Criterium de Saint Cloud (1800m).
Early Return Home for Cogburn
Group I winning Not This Time son Cogburn (USA) will return to WinStar Farm in Kentucky earlier than planned after disappointing fertility results during his first Australian covering season at Widden Stud.
Sires With Winners - Saturday October 25
Here is the full list of 136 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Cream Rises at Trentham
A half-sister by Hello Youmzain (Fr) to dual Group I winner Mustang Valley, exciting filly Cream Tart is set to line up in one of the major three-year-old races over New Zealand Cup Week following her impressive win in Sunday’s Upper Hutt Car Sales LTD Three-Year-Old (1400m) at Trentham.
Yes Yes Yes 3YO Shooting for G2 on Monday
Last year’s Gr.2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m) set Savaglee up for Group One glory in Christchurch, and Matamata trainer Pam Gerard is hoping to follow a similar blueprint in 2025 with her Yes Yes Yes 3YO Affirmative Action..
Sires With Winners - Friday October 24
Here is the full list of 60 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Sale Cup Winner Adds to Fastnet Rock Super Weekend
It’s been quite the weekend for the late great champion sire Fastnet Rock with a Cox Plate quinella on Saturday and then on Sunday he produced a new stakes-winner when seven year-old gelding El Rocko captured the $200,000 Listed Sale Cup (1600m).