3 minute read
First Southern Hemisphere Group 1 for Coolmore stallion.
Given what he is doing in Europe, it seemed only a matter of time before No Nay Never notched his first Australian Group 1 winner and Madame Pommery delivered at Caulfield on Wednesday.
The Chris Waller-trained filly, a $150,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale purchase who is out a sister to Blue Diamond winner and Golden Slipper runner-up Earthquake, claimed the $1 million Thousand Guineas (1600m).
In the process, she became the sixth Group 1 winner for No Nay Never, who is experiencing a brilliant season in the Northern Hemisphere.
Alcohol Free added a fourth career Group 1 in this year's July Cup (1200m), Blackbeard has won two-year-old Group 1s in England and France, while Little Big Bear was a seven-length winner of the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes (1200m) in Ireland in August.
Ten Sovereigns also won a July Cup, along with a Group 1 Middle Park Stakes, while Grade 1 Premio Las Oaks winner Brooke was a result of the one season he stood in South America.
No Nay Never stood his first two seasons in Australia, 2016 and 2017, at $11,000 and covered just over 100 mares in each of those seasons.
Madame Pommery was part of his 2018 crop, when he stood for $19,250, while he rose to $44,000 in 2019, which was the last season he stood in Australia, meaning his youngest progeny in the Southern Hemisphere are two years old.
On Tuesday one of that group was one of the headline lots of the Inglis Ready2Race Sale with a colt out of Boomex, who is also the dam of Marboosha, selling for $460,000.
Outside Madame Pommery, who earned a 112 Timeform rating for her Guineas win, other high-rating products of No Nay Never's time in Australia are Need I Say More (112), a dual Group 2 winner in New Zealand, who now races as Spirited Express in Hong Kong.
Mana Nui (104) won the Group 2 Hawke's Bay Guineas (1400m), while Douceur (107) was runner-up in last year's Group 1 VRC Oaks (2500m).