The upcoming Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale will feature a major dispersal of stock from Ian Smith’s Edinburgh Park and their success was highlighted on Saturday when quality three year--old Merchant Navy filly Royal Merchant claimed her first Black Type win in the Group II SAJC Tobin Bronze Stakes (1200m).
Trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, Royal Merchant had been very competitive in stakes races right through the autumn and got a deserved win on the board when beating race favourite She Dances to win by a neck.
Bred and sold by Edinburgh Park, Royal Merchant was bought by Ciaron Maher for $160,000 at Magic Millions and has the overall record of three wins and four placings from 11 starts with prizemoney topping $300,000.
She is the second stakes-winner for Merchant Navy, whose other stakes-winner Steel City is also trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, probably no coincidence as Maher was the original trainer for Merchant Navy when he won his first four starts.
Merchant Navy has relocated this spring and will stand at Kooringal Stud at a fee of $13,200.
Royal Merchant is the first winner for Seventhchic, a metro winning half-sister to stakes-placed Alburq tracing in tail female line to blue hen Eau D’Etoile, the dam of Group I winners Bint Marscay, Filante and Kenny’s Best Pal.
Edinburgh Park sold a yearling colt from Seventhchic by The Autumn Sun at Magic Millions this year for $170,000 and she has a filly to follow by Graff and was covered by Palace Pier (GB) last spring.
Click to see what mares are in the Edinburgh Park unreserved dispersal.
