A savvy $300,000 purchase for Newgate Bloodstock from the 2024 Inglis Chairman’s Sale, talented Shalaa (IRE) mare Eagle Next claimed another valuable Black Type victory for her owners that now include Newgate and partners at Rosehill on Saturday when taking out the $250,000 Group III ATC Maurice McCarten Stakes (1100m).
As the most expensive yearling filly by Shalaa (IRE) sold at public auction, Eagle Nest has always been a great type, but it’s taken her until the age of five to hit her full potential.
Ridden by Rachel King for Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou, Eagle Nest showed her customary dash to lead for home and was tenacious to the line fighting off the challengers to win by a long neck taking her overall record to six wins and six placings from 22 starts with prizemoney just shy of $550,000.
“She's a really bonnie mare. She gives you everything. I didn't think she'd get the front as easy as she did, but when she did, I was quite confident she was going to be really hard to beat and she really dug in late,” said Sterling Alexiou.
“She's a really, really fast filly and she loves the 1100 at Rosehill. We just said to Rachel, if she begins well, press forward, let your intentions be known and sort of take the race by the scruff of the neck.”
That decision proved the correct one and Eagle Nest has added to her value which is a good thing as connections plan to send the mare back to the Inglis Chairman’s Sale next month as Alexiou revealed when asked about future race plans for the mare.
“Look the plan with her is she'll go back to Chairman’s Sale. We'll just have a look what's around for her. Possibly a Sapphire (G2), but they might want her out at Newgate to get her ready for the mare sale.
“She's going to be a nice purchase for someone. She's done her job in the meantime.”
Originally a $550,000 Inglis Easter buy for IRON / George Moore Bloodstock from the Segenhoe Stud draft, Eagle Nest was bred by Segenhoe and is a half-sister to Group III winner Kalashnikov from well bred Flying Spur mare Rough Ride, a half-sister to Group I winner Eagle Way and SW’s Assertive Eagle, Impressive Eagle and Soaressa, the dam of Group III winner Thermal Current and stakes-winner Forever Free.
Segenhoe sold an I Am Invincible filly from Rough Ride at Magic Millions this year for $750,000 to O'Shea-Charlton Racing/James Bester Bloodstock and after she missed the following season she was sent to New Zealand to be covered by Proisir.
Eagle Nest is one of 18 stakes-winners for Woodside Park Stud’s Shalaa, who is a great value sire in Victoria and covered 73 mares last spring at a fee of $19,800.
