$5Million for Holy Roman Emperor’s Sister
29th June 2008
On paper it’s one of the best thoroughbred families in the world and at the Newmarket sale ring on Sunday at the Inglis Breeding Stock Sale, Milanova proved exactly what it was worth when she fetched $5million to the bid of Coolmore Australia.Offered as part of the Tyreel Stud Reduction as Lot 513, Milanova was offered in foal to champion sire Encosta deLago and after a prolonged bidding duel, the blue-blooded mare was knocked down to Michael Kirwan of Coolmore Australia for a new Southern Hemisphere record price for a thoroughbred sold at auction.
”Genuine good horses like her that come on the market always attract genuine money,” Kirwan said.
“She’s got a world class pedigree and Coolmore has enjoyed a lot of success with the family, with not only Holy Roman Emperor, but Encosta De Lago, who will be Champion Sire this year.”
The weanling filly by More Than Ready from Milanova topped the weanling section of this sale when secured by Colm Santry Bloodstock on behalf of Coolmore for $625,000 and her yearling colt by Dehere made $775,000 at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale earlier this year when bought by James Bester Bloodstock.
A Group Three winner on the track when trained by Tony McEvoy, Milanova was originally purchased at the 2001 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling sale from the Coomore draft for $700,000 by Adrian Nicoll of BBA Ireland and raced in the partnership of Swettenham Stud and Jim Fleming.
She was the equal third highest priced filly sold at Easter that year and her pedigree at that time was outstanding, but the emergence of the Coolmore owned Holy Roman Emperor in 2006 would take the immediate family to a whole new level.
Milanova is the seventh living foal of the Secretariat mare L’On Vite, a matron that can rightfully be labelled a ‘shuttle mare’.
A much-traveled daughter of hugely influential broodmare Fanfreluche, whose descendants include leading Aussie sires Encosta de Lago and Flying Spur, L’On Vite started her stud career in America, producing stakes-winners in Japan (Big Viking) and Scandinavia (Heart of Oak) before venturing to Australia for a series of matings with Danehill.
She produced four fillies from those coverings to Danehill with Milanova the star of the group, joined by Amies, Egerszegi and Centreofattention, who was exported to North America.
After producing the fourth Australian bred Danehill filly in 2002, L’On Vite went back to the Northern Hemisphere for another rendezvous with Danehill, this time producing a colt - Holy Roman Emperor.
An outstanding juvenile, he won four races including two Group Ones and placed second twice in a further two Group Ones and was retired prematurely to Coolmore to take the place of the infertile George Washington.
Sent back to Australia in August 2004, L’On Vite was covered by Rock of Gibraltar producing a colt that topped the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale for Coolmore in 2007 when he fetched $3million.
Named Mount Olympus, the colt is trained by Gai Waterhouse and is yet to race.
L’On Vite missed the following spring and then had an Encosta de Lago filly in September last year and at 22 years of age, was sent back to Ireland on June 4 of this year after being covered to Northern Hemisphere time by Encosta de Lago.
