The 2021 European Horse of the Year, St Mark’s Basilica (Fr) has a lovely line of yearlings being offered at Magic Millions this week and made a big splash on Thursday when the Arrowfield consigned colt from Mantra of Life (USA) sold for $700,000.
St Mark’s Basilica will have his first Northern Hemisphere runners in 2025 and had 20 yearlings sell in 2024 at Tattersalls, Arqana and Goffs for 200,000 or more euros/guineas so was obviously well received. He also achieved something special at the Arqana sale when his blueblood filly from blue hen Prudenzia topped the sale at 1.7million euros.
The colt from Mantra of Life would have been equally at home at any of those European sales given his impressive international female family and he was duly secured by Tom Magnier, who has enjoyed success purchasing from Arrowfield, notably with this season’s Group I VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes winner Switzerland.
“He’s as nice a horse as you would see at this complex. We’ve had a lot of luck buying horses off Arrowfield and we know they raise racehorses there,” Magnier said.
“They’ve been huge supporters of St Mark’s Basilica and he (the colt) was one of the nicest types on the ground and one of the nicest I’ve seen.
“He’s a real athletic, fluid mover. The day we saw him at the farm at Arrowfield, he was one of those horses you can look back and remember. All the team really liked that horse. Every judge we spoke to liked him.”
The star colt is a half-brother to Group III placed Know Thyself and is from blueblood Dubawi mare Mantra of Life, an unraced daughter of Group III winner Loving Kindness with third dam Coup de Genie, the Champion 2YO Filly of France and a half-sister to champion sire Machiavellian. The family has produced countless G1 winners including Arc winner Bago and Dubai World Cup winner Laurel River.
Mantra of Life produced a filly last year by Maurice (Jpn).
