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Sledmere Catriona Murphy RENEE GEELEN
One good horse can change your address, or so they say. Sledmere might say it the other way – one good address can create those horses. Politeness (Myer Classic-Gr.1) is just one good horse among many from this lovely property. Among Sledmere’s recent Magic Millions graduates is Invincibella (by I Am Invincible) who sold at the 2015 sale for $185,000 and has won two of her nine starts. Stakes placed as a two year-old, Invincibella has been twice stakes placed this season at three, including on Cup day in the Lexus Hybrid Plate-Listed. Other stakes winners bred at Sledmere recently include Gr.3 winners Ready to Attack and Pane in the Glass, as well as South African stakes winner Buckinghamshire. Another performer in South Africa is Gr.1 placed Anjaal. Bluebloods spoke to Catriona Murphy about their Magic Millions draft for 2017. What hobbies do you have outside of racing? Myself and husband, Roy play a lot of polo. We have 12 polo ponies in work, and compete in many local events. Recently retired home-bred Mystic Puzzle (winner of two races) is currently learning the ropes into this new sport. It can take up to two years to re-train as a polo pony. My brother is a professional polo player, and it’s nice to have a sport that we can play as a family and spend time together. Last year, I was selected for the Australian ladies team, and earlier this year I represented NSW. The games were played at the most prestigious polo establishment in the world ‘Ellerston’; and we won. How would you summarise your draft this year? This is easily our strongest Magic Millions draft. We are proud to bring 28 lovely yearlings to this sale, on behalf of Sledmere and our clients, in particular Waikato Stud who have entrusted us with several quality horses. The
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draft is nicely balanced, with 14 fillies and 14 colts who are all solid types.. Several exceptional proven sires are represented, as well as exciting first season horse Sizzling. I can’t really split out any individual; at this stage they are all progressing well and look the part. This is a draft full of the progeny of Champion Sires, beginning with seven lots from NZ’s dual Champion sire Savabeel. The colt, Lot 51, from Listed winner Glam Slam has a fabulous pedigree. Glam Slam is one of four stakes horses for her dam Gio, including Singapore Lion City CupGr.1 winner Arenti. Others in this family are Glamour Puss, Rare Insight, Vision and Power, Steps in Time. Lot 63, a colt, is the third foal from winning Montjeu mare Gracie Rose, who is a half-sister to Gr.1 winner I Do, and stakes winner Iggy Pop (by Savabeel). A beautifully bred filly, Lot 134, is from a young winning mare, Kashmir, who is a halfsister to Gr.1 winner Sharvasti, and Gr.3 winners Shastri and Bhandara. A three-quarter-sister to Gr.3 winner Strike the Stars is Lot 198, from the family of Starcent. The first foal, a colt, out of Posy, a winning full sister to triple Gr.1 winner Daffodil, is Lot 326. Lot 437 is another from a top producing family, out of Serenade, a half sister to three stakes winners including Gr.1 winner Marju Snip. Lot 712 is out of Gr.3 placed Chandelier who is a full sister to Gr.2 winner Irlanda. Fastnet Rock needs no introduction. He has Lot 525, a filly from There’s Only One who is a Gr.3 winner of nine races. Champion Sire Exceed and Excel’s filly, Lot 113, is out of Intendment, a half-sister to Gr.1 winner Appearance, and stakes winner Mascareri. Lot 94 is a colt by NZ’s Champion Sire O’Reilly from Hollywood, a city winning daughter of dual Gr.1 winning sprinter Glamour Puss which also makes her a half-sister to two stakes horses. Golden Slipper sire Medaglia d’Oro has two lots in this draft. Lot 197 is a filly from Maidel, a city winning half-sister to stakes winner Meidung from the family of Pinwheel. Lot 432 is a half-brother to stakes winner Buckinghampshire, and stakes placed Cautious; all from stakes placed city winner of five races, Seeking Attention, who is from the Joie Denise family. I Am Invincible is a sire on the rise, and his two lots here are both fillies. Lot 373 is from Resetgold, a stakes placed mare from a strong USA family that includes local Gr.2 winner Royal Code. Lot 507 is from winning mare Tabliope, a half-sister to Gr.3 placed Northern Glory from the family of Clothilde. Hinchinbrook has clocked up seven stakes winners in his first two crops, including Press Statement, and has two yearlings in this draft. A filly from Isola (Lot 118) is the second live foal for a city winning mare from the family of uber-tough Tie the Knot (21 wins, 13 at Gr.1 level including the Chipping Norton Stakes four years in succession). His dam, Gr.1 winner Whisked also left two other stakes winners. Rounding out this draft are yearlings by Choisir (Lot 649), Declaration of War (Lot 527), Eurozone (Lot 312), Not a Single Doubt (Lot 304), Ocean Park (Lot 731), Per Incanto (Lot 812), Pierro (Lot 379), Shamus Award (Lot 331), Sizzling (Lot 146), Smart Missile (Lot 257, 317), and Zoustar (Lot 398).
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