Ridgmont Farm, Boutique Thoroughbreds, Clarke Bloodstock team up for Sebring mare
Ridgemont Farm’s Andrew Dunemann said the $1 million he paid for Group 3 winner Shoko (Sebring) was slightly more than he had anticipated but he was happy to secure the daughter of Sebring (More Than Ready) from the Yarraman Park Stud draft, who was offered in foal to their resident superstar stallion I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit).
Dunemaan - who purchased the mare in conjunction with Boutique Thoroughbreds and Clarke Bloodstock - said the mare would likely go to I Am Invincible again or Newgate Farm’s Capitalist (Written Tycoon) next season.
“Yarraman is always a great farm to buy off and we probably paid a little bit more than we really expected, but we really wanted her,” said Dunemann.
“I think she will either go back to Vinnie or Capitalist, but we will weigh that up at a later date. We have got some nice nominations so we will see. We have already had good success out of this sale and we look for mares carrying their first foals, that’s our philosophy. A million is a lot of money, but she is a beautiful Sebring mares - but we got her thank god.”
Catalogued as Lot 54, the mare was successful in three of her 11 starts, including taking out the Tesio Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m) in 2018 and she is out of the winner God Love It (St Covet), making her a half-sister to Group 2 winner Mimi Lebrock (Show A Heart) and Group 3 winner Barbaric (I Am Invincible),
Earlier on in the evening, Dunemann and Clarke teamed-up to purchase British-bred mare Mia Diva (Exceed And Excel) for $300,000 from the Twin Hills Stud draft.
Catalogued as Lot 37, the mare won once over five furlongs in the UK and was offered in foal to former Darley shuttler Night Of Thunder (Dubawi).
Mia Diva herself was purchased by Kern/Lillingston Association for 28,000gns at the Tattersalls July Sale in 2020 and she is a sister to Group 3 winner Queen Of Bermuda and Crazyland (Kodiac), who announced herself as an exciting filly when breaking her maiden at Windsor on April with trainer Clive Cox now eyeing a tilt at Royal Ascot riches with her.
Earlier in the evening, Courchevel, the unraced Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) half-sister to superstar Winx (Street Cry) and sister to Group 3 winner El Divino, was purchased by Arrowfield Stud for $900,000 and will be covered by their resident sire Dundeel (High Chaparral) this coming spring.
Catalogued as Lot 15 and offered by Segenhoe Stud, the mare was offered by Newgate Farm’s Group 1-producing first-season sire Capitalist (Written Tycoon).
“Very few have been sold out of this family and she’s by our champion stallion and is a half-sister to the best horses we’ve seen in decades. It’s a great opportunity and the rest is up to us," said John Messara.
“We have to mate her correctly and she’s carrying a very commercial mating to Capitalist, so I can see that we could recoup part of our outlay from the first foal, all being equal, and the rest is up to us.
“There’s no reason why a Snitzel filly out of that family, so close to the champion, is not going to make it."
