Marabi joins Arrowfield for A$2.4 million with Virtual Sale topping price

If at first you don’t succeed try again and for Arrowfield Stud it was third time lucky in securing Group 1 Oakleigh Plate winner Marabi for A$2.4 million (£1.23m/€1.49m) at Tuesday’s first edition of the August Magic Millions Virtual Sale.

Having come up short at least twice this year in an attempt to land a high-profile mare, the leading Hunter Valley nursery purchased the eight-year-old, who is close to delivering her first mating, a foal by Zoustar, to strengthen its broodmare band.

Marabi, the flagship lot of Magic Millions’ maiden breeding season-eve virtual sale, won her first seven starts for Ciaron Maher and his then training partner David Eustace, including Caulfield’s premier Group 1 sprint, was the sole seven-figure offering to be sold on Tuesday. Nine more lots sold for A$100,000 or more during a short and sharp sale where buyers were selective and reserved in their budgets.

Arrowfield, however, was able to win the nine-bid battle for Marabi, who was catalogued as Lot 34.

“She is a beautiful mare, she was very fast, by a great sire, a champion sire and she’s from a great family that goes back to one that Percy Sykes developed and then John Muir and then Greg,” said Arrowfield bloodstock manager Jon Freyer.

“Look, we were delighted to be able to get her and we rated her very highly.”

Marabi is a daughter of Group 2 Sunline Stakes winner Nakaaya and a half-sister to Group 1 VRC Oaks winner Aristia, who was also placed in the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes and Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes. 

Marabi’s breeder Greg Perry, who recently dissolved his interest in Vinery Stud, where his mares remain, retains ownership of Aristia, but he made the decision to part with her three-time stakes-winning half-sister.

“I have sold out of Vinery and I have cut back my commitment to breeding to some degree, but I still have a number of mares at home that I am mating this season including her half-sister,” Perry told ANZ Bloodstock News.

Arrowfield, meanwhile, had demonstrated its intent earlier this year when just missing out on securing record-breaking A$6.6m mare Imperatriz at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale and, less than a month ago, the John Messara-led stud also signalled it had lost none of its appetite to acquire a high-class mare, having been the underbidder on Group 1 Coolmore Classic winner Espiona. 

The Star Thoroughbreds-owned mare was sold for A$4.15m to Yulong associate Zhijun Zhao at a standalone Magic Millions Virtual Sale on July 31.

In 2021, Arrowfield also paid A$3.2m for three-time Group 1-winning mare Arcadia Queen from owner-breeder Bob Peters, whose first yearling, the now two-year-old named Federalist, sold for A$1m at the Gold Coast in January.

“We have always been good buyers of high-quality mares . . . and we have probably been in the market for those mares for some time, but we haven’t been able [to buy them],” said Freyer. 

“We’ve been outbid, mostly by Yulong, but there comes a time when you need to refresh your broodmare band.

“We’ve been the leading yearling vendor for some time, but time marches on and when you get an opportunity to get these sorts of mares that can into your broodmare band, they’re ones that you’ll keep and get daughters out of, you’ve got to take those opportunities.”

Arrowfield will await the birth of Marabi’s Zoustar foal before deciding on her second mating.

Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch said buyer interest had been strong leading into the sale but admitted to his disappointment about the fact that 18 of the 45 horses offered did not find new homes. The clearance rate was 60 per cent. 

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