Aeliana’s bold bid: Can she beat the boys in the Derby?

Cover image courtesy of Sportpix

After narrowly missing out on victory in the G1 Rosehill Guineas, Aeliana is back for another shot at the boys in Saturday’s G1 ATC Australian Derby. The Thoroughbred Report caught up with Denise Martin of Star Thoroughbreds to dive into the story behind this classy Castelvecchio filly, analyse some of the links to Star Thoroughbred stars in the Easter catalogue and the fillies rise through the ranks.

Can Aeliana become a record-breaker?

At her last start, Aeliana (NZ) (Castelvecchio) came within a whisker of rewriting history. She showed her intent to take on the record books, surging late in the G1 Rosehill Guineas, falling just 0.03l short of becoming the first filly in 36 years to claim the race. Her powerful finish almost reeled in glamour colt Broadsiding (Too Darn Hot {GB}) at Rosehill on March 22.

Now, the G1 ATC Australian Derby awaits, and Denise Martin from Star Thoroughbreds shared her thoughts on Aeliana’s historic opportunity.

“I’m sure I speak for all the other owners also. We are all extremely excited to compete for such a prestigious race,” Martin said.

Star Thoroughbreds has traditionally focused on speed and milers rather than classic stamina types, making Aeliana’s Derby bid even more significant.

“We have typically not bought stamina types. The market gravitates naturally towards speed and milers, and we target horses that people want,” Martin explained. “A Derby or Oaks type is not something that I actively chase, so we are very excited to be competing in a big staying event on Saturday.”

With a filly as talented, determined and versatile as Aeliana, history could be about to change.

The Star Thoroughbreds influence at Easter

Lot 417 - Snitzel x Invincibella (I Am Invincible) (filly)

This filly is sure to be looked at by everyone, she is the third foal from the outstanding mare, and the winner of over $3 million in Invincibella (I Am Invincible), she is being offered by Coolmore Stud.

Invincibella has made a promising start to her broodmare career, with her first foal being the winning Justify (USA) mare Mergeila, who has shown plenty of promise and looks to have plenty of scope

Invincibella won an incredible 12 races for Star Thoroughbreds including the G1 Tattersall's Stakes and she is a half-sister to two stakes winners in Secret Blaze (Sizzling) and Extreme Flight (Extreme Choice).

Lot 402 - Zoustar x Hidemi (Choisir) (colt)

This well-built colt offered by Sledmere Stud is a three-quarter-brother to the very talented Kiku (Zoustar), she was a six-time winner for Star Thoroughbreds, including three in succession. Her best wins were in the G2 Theo Marks Handicap and the G3 Carbine Club Stakes.

He is also a three-quarter-brother to the outstanding sprinter Zoutori (Zoustar) who won the G1 Newmarket Handicap, the G2 Gilgai Stakes and the G2 Bobbie Lewis Handicap twice.

This colt’s third dam is Park Heiress (Ire) (Sadler's Wells {USA}), she is very well-related being a three-quarter sister to the very talented stallion New Approach (Ire) and a half sister to Shinko Forest (Ire).

Fighting the boys every step of the way to the Derby

Aeliana has been mixing it with the boys all autumn, and trainer Chris Waller believes she’s more than earned her shot at the $2 million G1 ATC Australian Derby.

Rather than following a traditional path for fillies, Waller opted to launch her campaign in the G2 Hobartville Stakes—a decision influenced by her later spring finish and the need to separate his talented team of fillies. From there, she has stepped up at every challenge, proving her class against colts and geldings across three strong performances.

Aeliana first finished third behind Broadsiding in the G2 Hobartville Stakes, followed by a fourth placing in the G1 Randwick Guineas behind Linebacker (NZ) (Super Seth). She then came agonisingly close to history in the G1 Rosehill Guineas, charging home for a narrow second behind Broadsiding, confirming her status as a genuine Derby contender.

Waller is confident that tackling the colts is no longer an unknown factor for Aeliana.

“Because she’s raced against them, it’s not the unknown,’’ he said. “The only unknown is the distance, and it looks like, the way she’s racing, that 2400 metres might suit her.”

Fourteen years ago, Shamrocker proved it could be done—beating the boys in the Australian Guineas, running third in the Rosehill Guineas, and then justifying favouritism in the Australian Derby. Waller believes Aeliana is on a similar trajectory and sees the Derby as her best Group 1 target, given the dominance Treasurethe Moment (Alabama Express) has displayed over her fellow staying fillies.

“She’s got the right formlines, and she gets the 2kg off for being a filly,’’ Waller said. “She deserved a Group 1 win in the Thousand Guineas, and she just ran into bad luck.”

Star Thoroughbreds’ Denise Martin has complete trust in Waller’s management of Aeliana and holds no concerns about taking on the colts.

“She was a little bit unlucky in the Rosehill Guineas, and perhaps that small bit of interference cost her the win. She gave Broadsiding a big scare, and he is a fantastic colt,” Martin said.

As for the 2400 metres, Martin acknowledges it’s a step into the unknown, but she’s confident Aeliana has the right attributes to handle it.

“We don’t know until we try, but she is strong through the line, she relaxes, she is tractable, and she can run sectionals.”

Star Thoroughbreds and a good filly go hand in hand

Over the years, Star Thoroughbreds has become synonymous with exceptional fillies, with its famous purple silks adorned with white stars carried to success by some of the best. Names like Foxplay (Foxwedge), Espiona (Extreme Choice), Invincibella (I Am Invincible), Fiesta (I Am Invincible), Kiku (Zoustar), and Noire (Foxwedge) have all left their mark on the racetrack.

Despite this impressive record, Denise Martin insists that targeting fillies has never been a specific strategy for Star Thoroughbreds, rather, it’s been a case of quality rising to the top.

“We don’t naturally target fillies, but we have had a lot of success. We’ve also raced some very good colts and geldings as well, but Brett Howard from Randwick Bloodstock helps us with our selections, and we have done well,” Martin said.

One of the key advantages of racing top-class fillies, Martin explains, is that success on the track translates into financial reward off it. The combination of prizemoney and residual value makes a winning filly an incredibly valuable asset.

“To get prizemoney and then the residual value is great. We have sold Espiona for $4 million, Invincibella for $1.3 million, Fiesta for $1.35 million, and Kiku for $1.46 million.”

Beyond the financial aspect, Martin finds great satisfaction in seeing these champion mares move on to prestigious breeding careers.

“I also love the fact that these great mares go to very good homes, and that’s the point of it,” she said.

But there’s a slight downside to having so much success, seeing those familiar names pop up in pedigree pages often means they’re now priced out of reach.

“I do love seeing them in pedigree pages, although we are a bit of a victim of our own success, as they were so good they may now be a bit out of our price range!” she laughed.

Scouting a star: How Aeliana was found

Aeliana’s journey to Star Thoroughbreds began at the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sale, where she was secured for $180,000 from Rich Hill Stud’s draft. But unlike many other purchases for Star Thoroughbreds, this one came about in a slightly unconventional way.

Denise Martin recalls the moment she first heard about Aeliana, and that was from her trainer Chris Waller and Guy Mulcaster who had just inspected the filly.

“I actually got a call from Chris saying that he had just inspected a filly that was closely related to Invincibella, and he asked would she appeal to you?” Martin said.

Her response was swift and decisive.

“I very quickly replied and said, absolutely, just buy her. He did say she will be more of a miler type of horse. I did think Castelvecchio could leave a nice middle-distance horse, and we knew the Invincibella part well.”

When Aeliana finally arrived in Australia, she wasn’t quite the finished product, but Martin wasn’t concerned.

“She did arrive a bit light and took some time, but that was also to be expected with the stallion. We put her in the paddock and let her improve before looking to sell her.”

Despite needing time to furnish into herself, Aeliana still made a strong first impression.

“I did like her, though. She was a lovely type of filly, and we were always going to give her some time—which is exactly what she needed.”

The right place, the right time

By October, Denise Martin had organised a trip to Wild Oaks to check in on some of her Star Thoroughbreds 2-year-olds. Fresh off a sensational day at the races, where Chrysaor (Better Than Ready) claimed the $1 million Callander-Presnell Stakes, and Espiona (Extreme Choice) took out The Invitation 1400 metres for $2 million, she had every reason to be in high spirits.

Among the horses she planned to inspect that day was a filly she’d purchased earlier in the year at Karaka, and while Aeliana wasn’t the focus of the visit, Martin was keen to see how she had developed.

“While we were there to see some other horses, I wanted to just have a look and see how she had improved, so I got her paraded for myself basically.”

The progress was clear. “I was really happy with her, and she had started to develop well.”

Then, a bit of fate intervened.

One of the friends who had come along for the drive, Anne Howlett, had celebrated Chrysaor’s win the day before and had previously raced Driefontein (Fastnet Rock) with Star Thoroughbreds. As Aeliana walked into view, Howlett noticed her branding—the unmistakable RH of Rich Hill Stud.

“Anne(Howlett) said, ‘I better buy a share, she has the same branding as my husband (Rob Howlett). I’ll take 10 per cent.’”

Just as Martin was taking in this quirky twist of destiny, another long-time owner, Dianne Handley, jumped in.

“Dianne then said, ‘If you buy a share, I will too! My husband, Patrick’s, middle name is Rob, so that makes him R.H. as well.’ So she took 10 per cent. She was on a high after Espiona’s win the day before.”

Before Martin had a chance to process this spontaneous commitment, the last member of their group, Denise Dunphy, who runs Boeara Holdings, wasn’t about to miss out.

“She asked, ‘How much is left in that filly? I don’t want to miss out.’ So she took the remaining 20 per cent, and suddenly, she was fully sold and syndicated.”

Just like that, Aeliana had her racing family—owners who had already experienced big-race success and were now on board for another exciting journey.

“These owners have all had previous success with us, and it’s great that they are now having more success with this classy filly. Sometimes things work out in ways we wouldn’t have expected at the time.”

Martin summed it up perfectly.

“There is always a good story behind a good horse.”