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| Staff Writer |
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On the final day of the Book 1 sale at Tattersalls in Newmarket, Sheikha Hissa's Shadwell operation made a notable purchase. They secured a Frankel filly for a whopping 1,600,000 guineas.
The chestnut, consigned by Watership Down Stud, is the offspring of the One-winning Millisle, who secured victory in the Cheveley Park Stakes in 2019 under Jessica Harrington's guidance. This yearling fetched the second-highest price during the three-day sale, and the buyers expressed their joy in acquiring such a well-bred and prestigious young horse.
“She is a lovely first foal, I saw her on the farm and loved her, I loved her every time we saw her here as did Sheikha Hissa,” long-standing Shadwell racing manager Angus Gold told Tattersalls.
“We knew she’d make a lot of money, but we need some fillies for the stud and a first foal out of Cheveley Park Stakes winner and by a great stallion, it was sort of fairly self-explanatory.
“She seems very athletic, very well-balanced and has a very good mind, so now she has got to be able to run!”
Shadwell's success on the racetrack this season is remarkable, thanks to notable victories from Hukum, Mostahdaf, Al Husn, and Anmaat. These horses, all of whom sport the famous blue with white silks, have achieved Group One wins. What sets Shadwell apart is their commitment to extending a horse's career beyond the usual three or four years. This is evident in the fact that all four of these victorious horses are aged five or six, showcasing Sheikha Hissa's willingness to allow them to continue racing.
Their latest buy is part of the Shadwell rebuilding process and Gold added: “It is a period of rebuilding, it is a long-term project for Sheikha Hissa.
“We have been lucky this year with the older horses, and Sheikha Hissa is happy to take a different route to her father Sheikh Hamdan who did not like to keep the older horses and she is prepared to if we think there is more to come, and she has been rewarded with a Group One winner.
“It is exciting times for the stud, but you have to keep regenerating.”
He added of Sheikha Hissa’s ever-growing passion for the sport: “She has loved coming here, she can stand looking at the horses all day if someone did not come and move her!
“She loves coming to see the yearlings, we saw them all Monday and she has been back over the three days to see horses again. She is picking it up very quickly, like her father, and really enjoys the business.