Instant Attraction and Plenty of Hard Work Pay Dividends

Tara Madgwick - Monday February 20

Progressive filly Wollombi became the ninth stakes-winner for her scintillating young sire Extreme Choice when winning the Group III VRC The Vanity last Saturday and her ownership group includes Jimmy Unwala of Avesta Bloodstock.

Wollombi wins the G3 Vanity - image Grant Courtney

With four wins and five placings from 11 starts, Wollombi has already banked over $260,000 in prizemoney, but the worth of her first Black Type win last weekend is far more valuable than the cash she has collected.

Avesta has a growing portfolio of bloodstock investments taking in breeding stock, stallion shares and racehorses with the decision to buy into Wollombi not one that really fit with Jimmy Unwala’s established business model.

“I generally takes share in colts as I’m trying to get stallion prospects and have those shares in my portfolio to use for our band of mares if they perform well and end up at stud like Profiteer last year and Artorious most likely this year,” Unwala explained.

“Taking shares in colts works perfectly for this exercise, but when it comes to fillies, I generally buy them outright as I am actually looking for a broodmare prospect eventually and you need controlling interest of those to make it work.”

Wollombi was offered by Kingstar Farm at Magic Millions and was knocked down to Snowden Racing for $200,000, but her pedigree proved irresistible to Unwala.

“In the case of Wollombi, I made the exception and took a small share in her,” he said.

“When I saw her pedigree in the catalogue, I was instantly attracted to it - she had double Rory's Jester, Snippets and Danehill in the first four generations. When I looked at her physically, I just knew I wanted to be involved in her so approached the Snowden’s to take a share.

“I am sure it would have been a good split of opinion amongst the buying bench on the mating pattern but as the cliche goes - winners are grinners.

“Sometimes I keep a share in a filly I have bred and sold, as a good will gesture for the buyer, but Wollombi was the only filly I actually took a share in that year, and rest is history.”

Yearlings by Extreme Choice have been in keen demand this year and Unwala has high hopes for his yearling colt by the Newgate powerhouse that will be offered at Inglis Easter as Lot 126.

He is one of only two colts by Extreme Choice in the sale and is the third foal of well related import Fadetta (USA), who was a savvy purchase for Avesta Bloodstock, snapped up for $150,000 at the 2021 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.

“I bought Fadetta in foal to Extreme Choice a few years ago, and all going well it will be the first Easter yearling to sell for Avesta. Fadetta is out of a G1 winner and is also half-sister to a G1 winner, so he has a serious colt’s pedigree,” Unwala enthused.

“Her first foal by Divine Prophet has won three on the trot, and her second foal (a 2YO by Menari) sold for $350,000 at the Magic Millions last year and is in training with Price and Kent Jr, who have a good opinion about him.

“This colt has been raised and grazed at Newgate Farm, and they will be consigning him on our behalf, and we all know how good Henry's systems are and how many black-type performers have come from that property.”

Advertisement

Jimmy Unwala of Avesta Bloodstock.

Seeking out value at the broodmare sales is a large part of the Avesta business, laying the foundations for future success and it requires a lot of groundwork, man hours and much research.

“Sometimes people may just see you rock up at the sales and put your hand up to buy horses, but not many would realize what goes on behind the scenes,” Unwala revealed.

“I try and see as many yearlings and weanlings as I can, not just at the sales, but also when I visit farms and breeders as it gives me a great insight into what different families produce and how to breed my own stock. The more e you see the more you learn, and your instincts become stronger.”

As a commercial breeder, Unwala has to produce a product fit for the sale ring.

“It is very important to understand what the market wants - as it can be completely different to what you believe in - and you need to find a good balance to make it work commercially,” he said.

“We have our commercial mares and I also have a small band of mares that I breed purely on genetics, and for those mares the stallion I am using can be a non-commercial $5,000 entity, but if I believe in the mating and what my system tells me it is the right fit for that mares family, then so be it. This is my way of hopefully making a $20,000 mare into a $2 Million mare someday by making her progeny do the talking or in this case running!”

Avesta Bloodstock mare purchases include several that have had important pedigree updates heading towards the Blue Diamond and Golden Slipper.

Talented I Am Invincible filly Blanc de Blanc was a game second to Learning to Fly in the $2million Ingis Millennium and is entered for the Group II ATC Sweet Embrace Stakes this Saturday as a stepping stone towards the Golden Slipper.

Her dam Another Sunday was purchased last year at the Inglis Broodmare Sale for $50,000 in foal to Hellbent and at the same sale Rolling Cloud (in foal to Brazen Beau) was acquired for $25,000 in partnership with Rathmore Bloodstock and she’s now a half-sister to stakes-winner Little Brose, who heads to the Blue Diamond as a leading fancy.

Little Brose won the Listed Merson Cooper Stakes and was a close second to Barber in G2 Blue Diamond Prelude - image Grant Courtney

Colosimo is shaping as another good investment, snaffled for $20,000 at the 2021 Inglis Broodmare Sale and now the dam of this season’s promising stakes-placed two year-old Gangitano trained by Amy and Ash Yargi.

Unwala has developed a computerized breeding system for his mares that he credits for helping identify and polish diamonds in the rough.

“I am not saying it can rival what's in the market currently, but it works for me - and that's why I have had very good success from older and exposed mares that I have bought for little or no money at all,” Unwala concludes.

“For a portfolio like mine which is just in its nascent stage, to have purchased these sort of mares for not much cash, and to have horses out of them hopefully heading to the Slipper and Blue Diamond, I cannot ask for much more, I just keep my head down and continue to do what I love.”

Advertisment
More Reading...
Hi Yo Sass Bomb Wins G3 on Sunday
Kim Reid bypassed a Group One in favour of Sunday’s Gr.3 Gee and Hickton Funeral Directors Thompson Handicap (1600m) at Trentham with Hi Yo Sass Bomb, a decision that paid dividends when the mare led from the outset to claim her third stakes success.
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.
Transatlantic Takes $1million Five Diamonds Prelude
Transatlantic’s lucrative spring carnival continued at Randwick with an arrogant victory in the $1m Five Diamonds Prelude.
Pedigree Watch - Powerhouse Godolphin 3YOs Dominate
The current crop of three year-olds running for Godolphin lay claim to being the best they have ever produced in Australia and three of those colts won Group races in Australia on Saturday so let’s take a look at those pedigrees.
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.
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.
A Century of NZB National Yearling Sales Success: Cox Plate
Moonee Valley’s A$6m Group One WS Cox Plate (2040m) is known as the weight-for-age championship of Australasia and has been won by many of Australia and New Zealand’s greatest thoroughbreds.
Good News Week for Geisel Park
Geisel Park’s black-type mare Laced Up Heels is in foal off a maiden cover to Champion Australian Sire Zoustar and an orphan foal has found a new mum.
Wootton Bassett Colt Leads Coolmore G1 Trifecta
The last British Group I race of the flat season was run overnight at Doncaster with Aidan O’Brien producing a trifecta of two year-old colts led by a son of the late Wootton Bassett (GB) in Hawk Mountain, who was too good for a pair of Frankel colts.
Doubtland 2YO All On Red Smashes Them Again at Ascot
Widden Stud's Doubtland has a potential 2YO topliner in Perth in the shape of exciting WA colt All On Red, who remains undefeated from two starts after another comprehensive Ascot Saturday win.