A$3.4 million She’s Extreme tops Chairman's Sale as Coolmore splash the cash for three seven-figure mares

Rare filly She’s Extreme sold for A$3.4 million (£1.8m/€2.1m) at the Chairman’s Sale on Thursday as Coolmore continued their large-scale investment in elite breeding stock.

Some of the world’s biggest thoroughbred buyers clashed at Inglis’ night of nights, with Coolmore’s Tom Magnier signing for three seven-figure mares in less than four hours.

He added C’Est Magique (A$1.7m) and Autumn Ballet (A$1.6m) to his acquisition of She’s Extreme, before coming off second-best against big-spending American John Stewart for Tutta La Vita.

The Resolute Racing principal, who underbid Winx’s A$10m Pierro daughter four weeks ago at the Inglis Australian Easter sale, paid A$3.2m for three-time Group 1-placed Tutta La Vita.

In total, nine fillies and mares sold for A$1m or more to six different parties during the select 88-lot sale at Riverside Stables in Sydney.

She’s Extreme, the ATC Champagne Stakes and VRC Oaks winner, has been earmarked for one of Coolmore’s suite of stallions, which include first-season Golden Slipper winner Shinzo, third-season stallion Home Affairs and the operation’s star shuttler Wootton Bassett.. 

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 and She Will Reign, was the underbidder for the daughter of Extreme Choice.

She's Extreme: bought by Coolmore for A$3.4 million at the Chairman’s Sale Credit: Inglis

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 the same mould as the farm’s past Chairman’s buys Samaready, Maastricht and Booker.

 “It’s not often a filly can win a Group 1 at two and train on and win an Oaks,” said Moore. 

“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 is the type of mare 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 A$275,000 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale purchase in 2021, having been pinhooked by One Plus Investments for A$32,500 via an Inglis Digital Sale in June 2020. 

She’s Extreme was on the market from the opening bid of A$800,000.

Crabtree said: “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.

“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 make 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 as a three-year-old, was spelled after her last-start fourth in the Sapphire Stakes 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.

Coolmore’s Colm Santry said: “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. 

“She’s got good race performances left in her and maybe at Group 1 level.”

C'Est Magique: "She is a great race mare, she has form in the Coolmore, which is a very important race for us obviously"Credit: Inglis

Shinzo, Home Affairs and Wootton Bassett are also in the mix for C’Est Magique. 

Santry said: “There are a load of options for her, being by Zoustar, and she could go overseas to Justify later on.”

Black Opal Stakes and Silver Shadow Stakes 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, Flight Stakes and Surround Stakes, the filly has stayed in training after her Australian Oaks run last month.

She now is likely to run in the ANZ Bloodstock News Doomben Roses on May 25, a fortnight out from the Queensland Oaks.

Tutta La Vita: multiple Group 1-placed sold to John Stewart for A$3.2 million at the Chairman’s SaleCredit: Inglis

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.

Stewart told ANZ Bloodstock News: “Tom texted me as soon as I bought her and I didn’t know I was going head-to-head with him. 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.

“It makes me feel good about the horse, the fact that they were the underbidders, because I view them as very good judges of this calibre of horse.”

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 perspective she lines up more with our programme.”

Waller described the sale of Tutta La Vita “as a great result for everybody” and was pleased that Resolute Racing was keeping the filly in his stable.

“They’re very passionate about racing around the world, in particular Australia," he said. "They’re making their presence felt here and having a horse like Tutta La Vita fits the bill.

“They’ve been buying horses ready to race in America and doing very well.”

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