Can Miravalle emulate the deeds of Maid Of Heaven in the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes? The man who knows best, trainer Mark Newnham thinks so, after the daughter of Redoute’s Choice opened her winning account in what was a very competitive 1400m maiden at Warwick Farm on Wednesday.
Completing a grand two days for the Arrowfield Stud silks, Miravalle sat outside Winx’s half-sister Covent Garden in the run and when Rachel King pressed the button, Miravalle found plenty to hold off the fast-finishing Frankel colt Yangtze Rapids by a long-head with a further three-quarter of a length back to the I Am Invincible gelding Jack The Lad in third ahead of Covent Garden (Exceed And Excel) in fourth.
It was just the second start for Miravalle whose career debut was a non-event having been blocked for a run the entire length of the straight when a well-backed favourite in a 1200m maiden at Warwick Farm on June 8.
A half-sister to another Spring Champion stakes winner, Yankee Rose, Miravalle hold an entry to the Group 1 Thousand Guineas at Caulfield, however, Newnham has outlined an ambitious programme in Sydney.
“She’s a pretty good filly, nothing went right for her on debut, so we gave her a little break,” Newnham said.
‘She got the job done today but I think once we get her over a trip and she will be a lot better with something to chase.
“Rachell rode her well for the conditions but you could see the filly when she hit the front she got a little bit lost but still strong to the line and when she gets to a trip she is going to make a very nice filly.
“There were some nicely bred horses here. The second horse is a lovely bred Frankel colt, they don’t give these races away and this time of year if you’ve got three-year-olds heading to stakes races like I hope she is they have to win these races to progress, there’s no easy kills for them.
“I’d like to head her to the Flight Stakes and Champion Stakes because over a mile or 2000m I think she will be really effective. She is a half to Yankee Rose so I have got no worries about her getting a trip. She has a lovely relaxed demeanour, she’s got great wind so she has all the attributes to do it.”
A $460,000 purchase by Rick Worthington out of the Kulani Park draft at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Miravalle is the fifth winner from mas many to race out of the unraced Xaar mare Condesaar.
The star of the team has been the Group 1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes and Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes winner Yankee Rose who was runner-up in the Golden Slipper and third in the WS Cox Plate. The daughter of All American was purchased by Darby Syndications for just $10,000 and banked over $2 million in earnings before being sold privately to Katsumi Yoshida and sent to his Northern Farm for a date with Deep Impact. She foaled a filly that was destined to make $2.8 million at the 2019 JRHA Select Foal Sale.
Kulani Park consigned Condesaar to the 2018 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale where she was snapped up by Rosemont Farm for $320,000.
The Medaglia d”Oro filly she was carrying failed to make her $450,000 reserve at this year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Condesaar has a yearling filly by Redoute’s Choice, which is one of just 23 live foals from the final crop of the sadly missed Arrowfield stalwart.
She was covered by starcraft last spring.
