Raheen Stud

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Four generation Queensland farm Raheen Stud continues to produce brilliant racehorses with Magic Millions graduates highlighted by Gr1 winner Seasons Bloom, Gr2 winner Oak Door, Listed winner Sylpheed, and the recently retired Sweet Dolly, who Raheen Stud sold as a weanling for only $1,500, and went on to win four of her five starts including the Listed Calaway Gal Stakes at two. The Raheen Stud graduates are good value buying with most of them winning races, with lists of city winners being churned out at every draft.

“We always look forward to this sale. It’s the pinnacle of our business,” said Raheen Stud’s Basil Nolan. “We’ve had a wonderful season. The farm looks enormous at the moment, especially when you look back at 2019 and the drought. I believe that a farm is only as good as your last winner, and we hope to breed many more like Sweet Dolly, who was unbeaten as a two year-old.”

Raheen Stud’s 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast draft has begun with a bang with graduate Miss Coota (Spirit
of Boom) being unbeaten in two starts at two this spring. The 2023 Raheen Stud draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale consists of 20 yearlings with seven by their resident Gr1 winning sire Heroic Valour.
Hot young sire Zoustar has five Gr1 winners among his 33 stakes winners, and his yearling colt, Lot 553, is the second foal of winning Snitzel mare Wisdom Tree, herself a half-sister to group winner Missrock, and Listed winner Passive Aggressive, with both being out of group winner Miss Judgement, one of four stakes winners for her dam. “He’s going to end up a big strong colt. A nice horse, well put together, and extremely well bred. A good blend of Zoustar and Snitzel, bigger than Snitzel but with his athleticism.”

Raheen Stud will also offer two yearlings by Zoustar’s first season sire Zousain; Lot 895 is a filly out of stakes placed winner Germayne Lass, who has already left three winners, and is a half-sister to Listed winner Throssell; while Lot 1141 is a Zousain colt who is the first foal of winning mare King’s Lady (Not A Single Doubt). “The King’s Lady is quite a well grown foal for a first foal, with a running pedigree.”

Queensland’s Spirit of Boom has been a revelation – a tough racehorse who has thrived at stud leaving
18 stakes winners to date, and his colt, Lot 1091, is out of winning Redoute’s Choice mare Exquisite Art, who has left four winners, and is out of Champion 2YO Filly Victory Vein, whose granddaughter Gr3 winner Sookie recently left dual Gr1 winner Shadow Hero.

Gr3 Quezette Stakes winner Kiss A Rose’s half-brother by Better Than Ready, Lot 945, is out of stakes placed winner Hurl, with second dam being Listed winner Quarante Love, and tracing back to Gr1 winner Accomplice.

A full sister to Listed winner Too Good To Refuse (Rothesay) is Lot 1008. Too Good To Refuse won five races and was multiple times group and listed placed with earnings over $500,000. Both Too Good To Refuse and this yearling filly are out of winning mare Alyssa Jean, who is a half-sister to Listed winners Royal Delight, who ran third in the Gr1 Hong Kong Sprint, and Conquered Dream.

Two yearlings by Nature Strip’s sire Nicconi include a half-sister to Listed winner Sylpheed, Lot 1077, has five siblings who have won races. Sylpheed has three wins, while Golden Dice won thirteen races, including eight in succession. Their dam, Domitilla was a winner, and is a half-sister to Gr2 Champagne Classic winner Free Wheeling. Lot 302, a colt, is a half-brother to Raheen Stud’s current unbeaten two year-old graduate Miss Coota, out of Fastnet Rock mare Rock Garden, who is from the family of Gr1 winner Furlough. “The Rock Garden is a typical Nicconi with a lot of Fastnet Rock about him too. A lovely horse who should run like his sister Miss Coota.”

A Brutal half-sister to stakes placed winner Flower in the Wind (Sebring) is Lot 102, and this filly is out of winning mare Meadow (Redoute’s Choice) who is out of Listed winner Strawberry Field, who also left group placed winner Superare, and the dam of Gr3 winner Mimi’s Award.

“A lovely walking filly with a great attitude and perhaps the nicest filly in our draft.”

A filly by first season sire Pierata, Lot 720, is out of Chickletta, a young Redoute’s Choice half-sister to group winner Oak Door, and this filly’s second dam is Listed winner of five races, Beyonce’s Star who has a Heroic Valour filly in this draft. “A nice black filly who is a real up and run type.”

A Gr1 winner at two in New Zealand, Heroic Valour (Fastnet Rock) had eight winners of eleven races with his first crop last season when they were two, and now as early three year-olds, he has expanded his record to 13 winners of 19 races.

“Heroic Valour has started his career very well. He’s great value and throws a good type of horse. He gets a lot of city winners for the price he stands at, and trainers tell us that they are sound horses to work with.”
A half-sister to Gr2 Autumn Stakes winner Oak Door is Lot 1029, and this Heroic Valour filly is out of stakes winner Beyonce’s Star. “One of the stand-outs in the draft. She is a very nice horse.”

The second foal, a colt, of winning mare Heart of a Rebel, Lot 1116, is out of a half-sister to Gr2 winner Sharks Bay and to the dam of Gr1 HKJC Stewards’ Cup winner Seasons Bloom. “An outstanding colt and from the family of Seasons Bloom who is probably one of the best horses we’ve sold recently.”

Lot 1236, a filly out of winning mare Sandrelli (Street Cry) is a half-sister to two winners; Never Sober has won three races, including a city race in Perth two starts ago in October 2022 and Michelotti won twice as a two year-old last season. “She’s a real two year-old type like her brother.”

Lot 1071 is a half-brother to stakes placed winner of ten races, Grey Missile, being from a full sister to Gr1 winner Lovely Jubly (dam of Chautauqua and group winner London Lolly). A colt, Lot 1159, is a half-brother to ten race winner Cabalo Escuro, and three other winners, and is out of a winning half-sister to Champion 3YO Filly and dual Gr1 winner Heavenly Glow. A full sister to two year-old winner Heroic Angel, Lot 1255, is out of winning mare Sonador Angel, who is a half-sister to Sweet Dolly.

Other sires represented in the Raheen Stud draft are All Too Hard (996), Puissance de Lune (1206), and
Written By (1003).

Do you still get butterflies as your yearling enters the ring?
Of course I do. I’ve been doing this for a long time but still love it. You aren’t trying hard enough if you don’t
get butterflies!

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