Broodmare sale graduates shine
14 Feb 2022
As we begin to see the racetrack stars return for their Autumn campaigns, the progeny of a number of Willow Park sourced broodmares had pleasing results in stakes races over the weekend.
Perhaps the standout for us was the super impressive win of Argentia in the Group 3 Kevin Hayes Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday. The filly by the immortal Frankel came from nowhere to nab her rivals by a nose on the line at just her third start. Argentia is a daughter of the wonderful four time Group 1 winner Princess Coup (pictured (Encosta de Lago)), the most expensive horse ever sold by Willow Park!
A $3 million mare when sold off the track through our 2009 Magic Millions Broodmare Sale draft to Evergreen Stud, Princess Coup has already produced a stakes winner in Thewizardofoz (Redoute's Choice), a Gr3 winner and Champion Griffin in Hong Kong, but Argentia looks to be something very special! Having won two of her three starts to date, up to 1200m, she has untapped potential when she steps up in distance, being by Frankel out of a New Zealand Champion Stayer!
Argentia's campaign is of particular interest, as we will offer the stakes placed mare Key (Exceed and Excel) at the MM Broodmare Sale in May. In foal to Argentia's sire Frankel in her first season at stud, Key is out of Vanilla Princess, a dual winning daughter of Princess Coup by Lonhro.
A second stakes winner produced by a Willow Park sold mare came in the form of More Than Exceed (More Than Ready) in Sunday's Listed Thomas Lyons Stakes at Hobart. The six year old has been near the mark of black type a few times over his career and a trip to Tasmania paid off for Phillip Stokes this weekend.
More Than Exceed is the second living foal from Exceedingly Regal (Exceed and Excel), a stakes placed two year old that was sold through our 2013 MM Broodmare Sale draft to Guy Mulcaster Bloodstock for $160,000.
The fillies edition of the Gr2 Blue Diamond Prelude provided two more interesting runners, with speedy filly Miss Roseiano (Exceed and Excel) running second and English Riviera (Deep Field) filling the placings in third. While we only played a very small part in the Miss Roseiano story, being the seasonal home to her dam Special Lover (Pins) when she visited Exceed and Excel, it's fantastic to see the beautifully bred Special Lover doing her bit to keep the Eight Carat dynasty alive!
English Riviera was having just her second start on Saturday, following a second on debut behind subsequent Blue Diamond Prelude (C & G) winner Lofty Strike (Snitzel) a month earlier. This filly is the third foal of two year old Listed winner Second Time Lucky (Any Suggestion), who was sold to Alan Bell for $200,000 from our 2017 MM Broodmare Sale draft.
Yearling sale season may be in full swing, but stallion service fees will be released in just a few weeks and before we know it, we'll be back at the breeding stock sales! Results such as these highlight the quality of mares that we continually produce at the broodmare sales and we look forward to following the above runners closely as they continue their campaigns!