When Waller Racing/ Mulcaster Bloodstock appeared on the buyers list at the Perth Magic Millions purchasing a Dundeel filly from Aliberani for $150,000, someone like me takes that as a tip you don’t want to ignore.
The full sister to that filly is Mare of Mt Buller and the promising three year-old made it three wins from four starts when surging home to win at Rosehill on Wednesday for the Waller stable with James McDonald in the saddle.
A $250,000 Inglis Classic purchase for Yes Bloodstock from the Torryburn Stud draft, Mare of Mt Buller was having her first run since January 5 and the 1500m Benchmark 72 event will be a stepping stone towards longer races as she heads towards an Oaks.
“Today was workmanlike which is probably what you want to see from a filly headed towards 2000m races,” said James McDonald.
Mare of Mt Buller is a half-sister to Group III placed Light Up the Room and is the fourth winner from four foals to race from Aliberani, a metro winning Redoute’s Choice grand-daughter of Group I AJC Australian Oaks winner Savana City.
It’s been a prolific Black Type family and includes this season's Group II MRC Thousand Guineas winner Coeur Volante.
Aliberani was on-sold by Torryburn Stud in 2022 for $120,000 through Inglis Digital and her last yearling for them was another Dundeel filly that made $160,000 at Inglis Classic last year and of course the current yearling filly by Dundeel will follow her big sister into the Waller stable after her purchase in Perth.
Mare of Mt Buller was not the only possible Oaks filly for the Waller stable on show at Rosehill with well bred filly Seafall leading a quinella for her sire The Autumn Sun in the 1500m maiden when beating her stablemare Autumnation by a head.
A homebred for Richard Lavender that has a big ownership group, Seafall was having her third start and improved on a last start third at Canterbury to score a late finishing last stride win.
She is the second and final foal from well bred Sea the Stars mare Sea the Sparkle (GB), who died prematurely in 2021. She raced in Australia for Waratah Thoroughbreds winning three races and is a half-sister to stakes-winner Cadmus from stakes-winner Elusive Sparkle. Further back it’s the family of Kentucky Derby winner and Champion US 2YO Colt Street Sense, so Seafall is not short of pedigree.