Coolmore spends up on high-end mares at Chairman’s
She’s Extreme heads market at $3.4 million as nine million-dollar mares change hands
Rare filly She’s Extreme (Extreme Choice) sold for $3.4 million at the Chairman’s Sale after Coolmore continued its large-scale investment in elite breeding stock as some of the world’s biggest thoroughbred buyers clashed at Inglis’ night of nights.
Coolmore’s Tom Magnier signed for three seven-figure mares in less than four hours, adding to C’Est Magique (Zoustar) ($1.7 million) and Autumn Ballet (The Autumn Sun) ($1.6 million) to his acquisition of She’s Extreme – before coming off second best against big-spending American John Stewart for Tutta La Vita (The Autumn Sun).
The Resolute Racing principal, who underbid Winx’s (Street Cry) $10 million Pierro (Lonhro) daughter four weeks ago at the Inglis Australian Easter sale, paid $3.2 million for three-time Group 1-placed Tutta La Vita.
In total, nine fillies and mares sold for $1 million or more to six different parties during the select 88-lot sale at Riverside Stables in Sydney.
She’s Extreme, the ATC Champagne Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) and VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) winner, has been earmarked for one of Coolmore’s suite of stallions including first-season Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Shinzo (Snitzel), third season stallion Home Affairs (I Am Invincible) or the operation’s star shuttler Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj).
Northern Farm’s Katsumi Yoshida, the man to have bought the last two Australian fillies to have won Group 1s at both two and three in Yankee Rose (All American) and She Will Reign (Manhattan Rain), was the underbidder for the daughter of Extreme Choice (Not A Single Doubt).
Coolmore Australia’s Tom Moore said the stud’s high-end investment in broodmares in recent years had paid off and that the former Anthony Cummings-trained filly fits same mould as the farm’s past Chairman’s buys Samaready (More Than Ready), Maastricht (Mastercraftsman) and Booker (Written Tycoon).
“It’s not often a filly can win a Group 1 at two and train on and win an Oaks,” Moore said.
“She put herself in very rare company. She’s by a great stallion in Extreme Choice. She had everything that we look for in these elite mares and the type of mares that we come to the Chairman’s Sale to buy.”
Victorian owner-breeder Rob Crabtree of Dorrington Farm was part of the syndicate that raced She’s Extreme, a $275,000 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale purchase in 2021, having been pinhooked by One Plus Investments for $32,500 via an Inglis Digital Sale in June, 2020.
She’s Extreme was on the market from the opening bid of $800,000.
“It rarely works out like this. It’s interesting because Michael Kirwan and Colm Santry pinhooked her as a foal and we ended up buying her effectively through them and it’s been a wonderful association and a terrific journey. It’s great for racing, she’s a beautiful animal,” Crabtree said.
“I feel pretty good right now, we’re very happy. It’s a great night that Inglis has put on for the industry and it’s great to see a legitimate horse sold that way and made her money.”
Another of the Coolmore purchases, the Group 1-placed C’Est Magique, will race in the care of trainer Chris Waller for heavyweights John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith.
The rising five-year-old, who was runner-up in the Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) as a three-year-old, was spelled after her last-start fourth in the Sapphire Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) at Randwick in mid-April.
She was bred and raced by Hall Of Fame trainer Neville Begg who entrusted his son Grahame Begg to prepare her on his behalf for 13 starts.
“She is a great race mare, she has form in the Coolmore, which is a very important race for us obviously. It’s a big colts’ race, but she was placed in that,” Coolmore’s Colm Santry said.
“She’s got good race performances left in her and maybe at Group 1 level.”
Shinzo, Home Affairs and Wootton Bassett are also in line as possible matings for C’Est Magique.
Santry said: “There’s a load of horses for her, being by Zoustar, and she could go overseas to Justify later on.”
Black Opal Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) and Silver Shadow Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) winner Autumn Ballet, who was trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott and was offered on Thursday night as a racing and breeding proposition, will be immediately retired.
Meanwhile, brash American owner Stewart bid through Inglis’ Mark Webster over the phone to buy the Chris Waller Racing-consigned Tutta La Vita, the Chairman’s Sale second highest-price lot of the night.
Placed in the Vinery Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m), Flight Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) and Surround Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m), the filly has stayed in training after her Australian Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) run last month.
She now is likely to run in the ANZ Bloodstock News Doomben Roses (Gr 2, 2000m) on May 25, a fortnight out from the Queensland Oaks (Gr 1, 2200m).
Stewart zeroed in on Tutta La Vita, unaware that he was bidding against Coolmore for the prized filly who was being sold by Kevin and Vicky Payne.
“Tom texted me as soon as I bought her and I didn’t know I was going head-to-head with him and you don’t like to do that with people that you partner with, but it’s going to happen when you’re both going after good fillies,” Stewart told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“It makes me feel good about the horse, the fact that they were the under bidders because I view them as very good judges of the calibre of horses.”
Stewart, who met Waller earlier this year on a trip to Australia, heeded the endorsement of Tutta La Vita’s trainer.
He said: “There were probably some horses that on paper looked a little more accomplished on the track, but we think from a broodmare prospect that she lines up more with our programme.”
Waller described the sale of Tutta La Vita “as a great result for everybody” and he was pleased that Resolute Racing was keeping the filly in his stable.
“Obviously, they’re very passionate about racing around the world, in particular Australia. They’re making their presence felt here and obviously having a horse like Tutta La Vita fits the bill,” Waller said.
“They’ve been buying horses ready to race in America and doing very well.”