It has been an outstanding sales season for The Chase - the China Horse Club's showpiece farm - their nine Gold Coast Magic Millions yearlings achieving an average of $308,000 with a top seller of $525,000, their four at the Inglis Classic averaging $180,000 and selling up to $320,000 whilst at the Inglis Melbourne Premier four were sold for up to $500,000 with an average of over $327,000.
These results come off the back of equally impressive results on the track with China Horse Club breds Ozzmosis (Zoustar) & Communist (Russian Revolution) saluting at Group 1 level in the 2023 Coolmore Stud S. and Randwick Guineas respectively in addition to Revolutionary Miss’s (Russian Revolution) relentless acquisition of black type with the addition of three Group 3 victories since December, adding to her two Group 2 wins and runner-up performances in the G1 Blue Diamond and G1 One Thousand Guineas.
A select group of five blue blooded yearlings offered by The Chase at Easter look set to further enhance the reputation of China Horse Club breds on the track in the fullness of time. All are out of stakes-performed mares at minimum with two of those being Group 1 winners and another being a Group 1 producer. So, without further ado, China Horse Club’s Michael Smith, delves into a look at the Chase’s Easter class of 2024.
Lot 29 - Snitzel x First Seal (bay filly)
“First Seal herself breathed rare air, besting Winx on a number of occasions including in her G1 Flight Stakes victory. Additionally, First Seal herself is a daughter of a G1 winner in Episode and this first filly for the mare is everything we could have hoped for as an heiress to a two generation G1 legacy.
A really lovely individual with her mother’s size and scope by a Champion sire in Snitzel, she’s genetic dynamite and bred to be a queen of the spring like mum.”
The first of two The Chase Easter progeny by the four-time Champion Sire, she is the first filly produced by First Seal (by broodmare sire of the moment Fastnet Rock) who memorably conquered Winx (Street Cry {Ire}) in the G1 Flight S.
Also, four times successful at Group 2 level, the daughter of the dual Group 1 winner Episode (Scenic {Ire}) is already the dam of two metropolitan winners whilst her 2-year-old $440,000 son Chief Of Staff (Zoustar) is a member of the Chris Waller stable.
In addition to Snitzel being a prolific sire of over 142 stakes winner, he is also the sire of Group 1 fillies such as Sweet Idea, Snitzerland, I Am Excited, Estijaab and Yearning and this filly in particular boasts crosses of the excellent mares Natalma (USA) (Native Dancer {USA}), Magic Symbol (Makarpura {GB}) and Grey Flight (USA) (Mahmoud {Fr}).
Lot 57 - I Am Invincible x Hasahalo (NZ) (bay filly)
“Picture perfect, she’s strong and square with tons of quality – everything you’d hope for from the first foal of a G1 winner by I Am Invincible. While her dam Hasahalo won her G1 at three in the New Zealand 1000 Guineas, she was a dynamic 2-year-old as a runner up in a Group 2 pre-Christmas, winner of a Group 3 on New Year’s Day and second in the Karaka Millions 2YO race behind Melody Belle who would go on to become a 14-time G1 winner.
She’s a foundation filly on pedigree and type and will run at two and train on at three.”
By the Champion Sire for the last two seasons who is again leading the way with around $9 million on his nearest rival, she is the first foal produced by the G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas winner whose dam is the outstanding producer Halloween (Encosta De Lago).
That daughter of the dual Listed winning juvenile La Lagune (Danehill {USA}) is also dam of the Group 3 winners Hasabro (NZ) (Savabeel), All Saints Eve (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}) and All Hallows Eve (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}).
With a pedigree that makes the most of her sire’s strengths - namely multiple strains of the prolific Chelandry (GB) (Goldfinch {GB}) and Marchetta (GB) (Marco {GB}) families - she hails from the family of one of New Zealand's best 2-year-olds of this season, the G2 Challenge S. winner Captured By Love (Written Tycoon).
Lot 93 - Extreme Choice x Just Zerene (chestnut filly)
“Speed on speed! She’s bred to be a flying machine and looks the part. Extreme Choice needs no introduction, but it is worth recalling that from 86 individual runners, he has already produced 17 stakes horses with three G1 winners among them… two of which are fillies.
Her dam Just Zerene was pound of pound one of the fastest fillies we have raced and was famously spruiked by Tony McEvoy as faster than the mighty mare Sunlight. She’s not to be missed and four Group 1 horses on her page indicate the class flowing through her veins.”
What amazing statistics her sire boasts, Extreme Choice despite his limited opportunities being represented by 63 winners from just 86 runners (73.3 per cent) with twelve (14 per cent) stakes winners inclusive of three Group 1 winners.
He has had only one runner line-bred to Redoute's Choice so far - the fast stakes winner Extremely Lucky - and this filly also boasts duplications of her own fourth dam, the wonderful mare Easy Date (Grand Chaudiere {Can}) and of Best In Show (USA) (Traffic Judge {USA})... two proven, high-class line-breeding forces.
From the family of Snippets and Not A Single Doubt, she is the second foal for a speedy stakes placed two-time winning half-sister to the dual Group 3 winner Sharnee Rose (Nadeem) - her first foal Blue Wings (Strasbourg) a $170,000 Phillip Stokes trained 2-year-old, who has jumped out nicely.
Lot 181 - Wootton Bassett (GB) x No More Tears (NZ) (brown colt)
“He’s a good colt, full of quality, and well made by one of the best young stallions in the world out of a young Group 1-producing mare from the prolific Hip’s Don’t Lie family. You couldn’t ask for any more as far as potential goes.
He reminds me of his half-brother Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes winner Ozzmosis as a yearling in that they are both neat, well-made types that are full of quality but at the same time you can see it's all ahead of them. He’s a colt that could be anything.”
With his 40 stakes winners including nine Group 1 winners, Coolmore Stud's Wootton Bassett is proving quite the upgrader, and the Group 3 and dual Listed winning No More Tears (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}) is already doing the job - producing as just her second foal last year’s G1 Coolmore Stud S. winner Ozzmosis (Zoustar).
This is a proven and in-form family, its members including the very classy 3-year-old Learning To Fly (Justify {USA}) and fellow speedy stakes winners Hips Don't Lie (NZ) (Stravinsky {USA}), Ennis Hill (Fastnet Rock), Lake Geneva (Fastnet Rock), Acrobat, Splintex, Weatherly (Beneteau) and Invictus Salute (Exceed And Excel).
Lot 478 - Exceed and Excel x Dame Giselle (bay filly)
“Think Overreach and Earthquake - if you are looking for a Golden Slipper/Blue Diamond filly by the immortal source of juvenile talent that is Exceed and Excel she’s it. She’s an excellent individual in her own right, strong and forward, with a great action and a great family to back it up being the first foal out of the four-time Group 2 winner Dame Giselle.
This is family that is just going to continue to grow with Dame Giselle having a top class Snitzel filly at foot and carrying a pregnancy to Extreme Choice.”
By Darley’s recently retired star stallion (216 stakes winners and counting!), she is the first foal for her high-class dam who won four Group races, running exceptionally well at Group 1 level on several occasions.
A $500,000 Easter yearling, Dame Giselle (I Am Invincible) is out of Ballet Society (NZ) (Stravinsky {USA}) who also has four Group races on her record, and she is the grandam of last year's G1 Sistema S. winner Ulanova (NZ) (Santos).
Also from this family is the dual Group 1 winner Cent Home (NZ) (Lord Ballina) and the triple Group winner Studebaker (NZ) (Lord Ballina). There are seven stakes winners amongst the first 62 winners combining Exceed And Excel and I Am Invincible.