Mark Newhaven hits jackpot with Mariamia

If ever John Kelly wanted to pass himself off as a genius, now would be his time to strike.

Newhaven Park sold the top lot of Day 2 at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, Group 1-winning Toronado mare Mariamia, who is off to Yulong after selling for $1.8 million.

Her sale came a tick over two years after Kelly bought the daughter of Encosta De Lago mare Quinta Lago for $335,000 via Inglis Digital.

Mariamia then graduated from a mare who had finished sixth in a benchmark 70 at Moonee Valley the start before her sale to win the Group 1 The Galaxy in the space of 12 months, which forced Kelly to reevaluate his plans.

“We got lucky, that’s what we got,” Kelly said.

“We bought her to go to Xtravagant and we put her in work to race.

“She proved to be a lot better than that and she improved into the autumn and won a Group 1.

“Then we brought her up here, sent her to I Am Invincible in early September and she’s sold terrific,” Kelly said.

In addition to the Group 1 win, Mariamia won a Group 2 Expressway Stakes (1200m), placed in a Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) and finished fifth in last year’s T J Smith Stakes in Newhaven colours.

The rising eight-year-old has been added to the Yulong broodmare band after being knocked down to Zhijun Zhao, who also bought $6.6m mare Imperatriz and $2.5m mare Chain Of Lightning on Day 1.

“It is a wonderful price, it has probably exceeded our expectations,” Kelly said.

“When you get up to that level, how do you know what horses are worth? It is a matter of who wants to win. It is a great result.”

Mariamia was the highest-priced lot on the first day of the mares-in-foal lots and the third seven-figure lot of the day.

Biscayne Bay, who is also in-foal to I Am Invincible, is also off to Yulong after being bought for $1.2m.

That is the same amount James Bester and Morning Rise Stud paid for Grand Dame, a daughter of Lope De Vega who is in-foal to Frankel.

Day 2 saw almost $24m change hands, taking the sale gross to $75,359,500 with a $234,765 average.

Last year, at the same stage, the sale had grossed just under $77m at an average of $233,351.