Rare Mare Sierra Sue to be Offered on Inglis Digital

Dual group 1 winner Sierra Sue will be auctioned in a bespoke Inglis Digital Online Sale later this month after connections of the Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained mare chose to retire the high-class sprinter-miler. 

Victorious in last year's Neds Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (G1) and the Lamaros Hotel Futurity Stakes (G1) earlier this year, the New Zealand-bred Sierra Sue will be just the fourth group 1-winning race mare off the track to be sold at auction in Australia this year, joining Tofane who sold for AU$3.1 million (US$2,203,771) at the Magic Millions National Sale and Shout The Bar who fetched AU$2.7 million ($1,920,808) at the Chairman's Sale.

American-bred imported mare Lighthouse , who won the Coolmore Classic (G1) at Rosehill in March for trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, also sold for AU$1.7 million ($1,208,520) at the Magic Millions Gold Coast auction in late May.

Group 1 Bloodstock's Mathew Becker, who oversees the bloodstock interests of Sierra Sue's managing owner Ozzie Kheir, has little doubt that the rising 6-year-old deserves her place among an elite group of mares to be offered as a breeding and racing proposition this season.

"There's only a handful (of group 1 winners) in any given year and it's even rarer to have a mare who can beat the males at weight for age, so that's even a smaller pool, and that's what she's been able to do," Becker told ANZ Bloodstock News June 30.

"She will suit those high-end breeders who want to be breeding those high-caliber yearlings from the big stallions, the I Am Invincible s, and the like. 

"That's the sort of mare that she is and those people who want to breed that style of yearling, that's where she'll go."

By Darci Brahma  and out of the Centaine mare Centree, a winning half sister to the stakes-placed grade 1-producing mare Miss Puzzle, Sierra Sue was able to demonstrate her talent across multiple campaigns, winning the Lexus Rose Of Kingston Stakes (G2) at Flemington as a spring 4-year-old before landing the P.B. Lawrence Stakes (G2) last winter and then scoring her breakthrough group 1 in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes early last spring.

Earlier this year, she won the Futurity Stakes at Caulfield, the scene of her Sir Rupert Clarke and P.B. Lawrence successes, defeating dual group 1 winner Mo'unga and Tofane, herself a four-time group 1 winner.

"She is just brilliant at 1,400 meters—near unbeatable at her best—and her form backs that up," Kheir said.

"From my experience, she has so much in common with the best broodmares and I think she represents an incredible opportunity for discerning investors.''

Sierra Sue won a Te Aroha barrier trial in December 2019, prompting New Zealand agent Phill Cataldo to sell her to Trent and Natalie Young who syndicated her to owner Ozzie Kheir and his racing partners.

She had been purchased by her original trainer Peter Lock for just NZ$2,000 ($1,308) at the 2019 Karaka May Sale as an unraced 2-year-old. She went on to win nine races from 24 starts and AU$1.73 million ($1,253,615) in prize money.

"She has been a great mare to a lot of people, she's never let anybody down. Peter Lock, who sold her, was able to stay involved later in her career. His son and daughter have a small share, so they've enjoyed the ride as well," Becker said. 

"She's been great to them and fantastic to Trent and Natalie because when they needed a good horse, she was there for them. A dual group 1-winning mare for this group of owners is important because it feeds more business.

"She was great to them, Ozzie, John (O'Neill), Brae (Sokolski), and all those guys. These are the sorts of horses that they look for. It keeps their interest in the industry to keep reinvesting."

Sierra Sue was being aimed at the Queensland winter carnival but illness prevented her from getting to the races, prompting her slightly premature retirement. She has not raced since finishing unplaced in the All Aged Stakes (G1) at Randwick in April.

"We wanted to run her in the Tattersall's Tiara (G1) as her final race and then we would sell her, but she got a little bit sick, she picked up a bug, so we weren't able to run her and she was retired," Becker revealed. 

"Ozzie and I spoke about how best to sell her and we have a lot of faith in the online sales process and we have a lot of faith in Inglis and particularly Sebastian (Hutch, Inglis Bloodstock chief executive) and his team that they can get as good a price for her as in any other format.

"That gave us the opportunity to race her through to the Tatt's Tiara, which is beyond the (live) broodmare sales. We still felt we'd go down that path and we spoke to Sebastian early in the piece and he was very supportive of us doing that."

Inglis Digital's business manager Nick Melmeth was excited by the prospect of offering such a talented mare through the online platform.

"We are extremely grateful to the ownership group for entrusting us with Sierra Sue's sale; there's no hiding from the fact she is one of the best-performed mares we have seen in recent years and she promises to be a broodmare of the highest quality as well,'' Melmeth said.

"Having sold the likes of Funstar, Every Rose, Joyous Legend, Fasika, and Archanna through Inglis Digital, I'm proud that we have established the platform where sellers want to sell and buyers want to buy and Sierra Sue is thoroughly deserving of attracting similar attention from all the leading breeders and racing operations around the world.''

The Sierra Sue Sale will open for bidding at 9 a.m. Tuesday, July 19, with the final countdown of bidding beginning at 4 p.m. Wednesday, July 20.

Sierra Sue, who is currently spelling in the Hunter Valley, will be made available for inspection by appointment.