Mare’s value up, up and Away

Impeccably-bred mare I’ll Fly Away can continue raising her residual value at Ballarat’s stand-alone meeting this Saturday.

The Irish import made it 3 wins from 4 starts in Australia with a strong, sustained run in the Errol Perera Hcp (2040m) at Moonee Valley last Friday night and she will be suited by a longer journey in the Hertz Hcp (2300m) this weekend.

I’ll Fly Away was purchased privately by Sheamus Mills Bloodstock (FBAA) and Mick Malone of Kitchwin Hills for owner Neil Werritt after a sole outing in a 2400m Cork maiden last year.

Given time to acclimatize by Darren Weir, she won her first two starts at Benalla and Bendigo before graduating to city ranks.  “She dropped the bit and was travelling well within herself at the back of the field,” jockey Ben Allen said after the Valley victory.  “She picked them up quickly and feels like a really good staying mare.”

I’ll Fly Away is a daughter of Galileo and the world’s leading sire got her from Australian mare Twyla (Danehill) who is a three-quarter sister to Redoute’s Choice and a half-sister to fellow Group 1 juvenile winners Hurricane Sky and Umatilla.

Twyla was purchased by Demi O’Byrne for $380,000 at the 1997 Inglis Easter yearling sale and she won a Canterbury maiden before retiring to Coolmore Stud where her foals included Murjana (G3 SA Breeders’ Stakes) and the dams of Gathering (G1 Railway Stakes), Florentina (G3 Gold Coast Guineas) and Niagara (G2 Ajax Stakes).

Coolmore transferred Twyla to its northern-hemisphere headquarters in 2009 and the family turned full circle when Mills and Malone landed I’ll Fly Away in Australia earlier this year.

There were two more high-priced updates for the family at the Keeneland November Foal Sale last week when a War Front – Drifting Cube colt (Lot 408) was knocked down for $1.45 million to Coolmore Stud.

And a Medaglia d’Oro – Taste Of Heaven filly (Lot 321) made $525,000 to the bid of Aquis Farm.

Federation of Bloodstock Agents Australia (FBAA) was formed in 1998 to maintain, improve and develop the standards, status and services of bloodstock agents throughout Australia.  Its members operate with the utmost integrity and professionalism and are bound by the strict Industry Code of Conduct.

The list of FBAA members can be found at:  www.bloodstockagents.com.au