‘Right time to send her to stud’: Chris Waller’s Group 1-winning mare Espiona retired

Espiona, the quirky sprinter with the cult following, has run her last race and will be sold as a broodmare prospect at the end of the month.

Espiona wins the Golden Pendant at Rosehill in September last year. Picture: Jeremy Ng / Getty Images

Espiona, the quirky sprinter with the cult following, has run her last race and will be sold as a broodmare prospect at the end of the month.

Magic Millions is offering Espiona at a special stand-alone virtual sale on July 31 on behalf of Star Thoroughbreds syndicator Denise Martin and the mare’s ownership group.

After Espiona ran unplaced behind I Wish I Win in the Kingsford Smith Cup at Eagle Farm last month, Martin discussed the mare’s future with trainer Chris Waller before the decision was made to retire her from racing.

“Chris spoke with me at length and we discussed all the options before deciding it was the right option to send her to stud,’’ Martin said.

“Espiona is a rising six-year-old, she has been such a good mare and had achieved so much on the racetrack that we both felt it was the right time to offer her as a breeding prospect.’’

Today is the day for Espiona, who takes out the Group 1 Coolmore Classic!

A sensational steer from Michael Dee, who is on a superb run. 👏@[e-mail]/4PbXHmEtJZ

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) March 11, 2023

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Waller, the Hall of Fame trainer, who prepared Espiona to win more than $3.3 million prizemoney including the Group 1 Coolmore Classic, described the mare as a “very tough horse.”

“But her racing pattern made it difficult to get the best from her,’’ Waller said.

“Like we saw this preparation, she was often in the company of the very best Australian sprinters, and she had enough ability to beat anything.

“She was lightly-raced and certainly from a pedigree and ability perspective, she is as good as you need and certainly capable of producing very good quality colts and fillies.’’

A superbly-bred mare by champion sire Extreme Choice, Espiona had 24 starts winning seven races including her career-best Coolmore Classic success when she ran down Pride Of Jenni.

BREAKING: Standalone Virtual Sale for Sprint Star Espiona

One of the country’s most electrifying sprinters will present an incredible opportunity for breeding farms around the world when she is offered at a special standalone virtual sale.

Full story: https://t.co/Dzcf4vBHBxpic.twitter.com/aO2zMGYQFy

— Magic Millions (@mmsnippets) July 10, 2024

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Espiona also won The Invitation, the Group 2 Golden Pendant and was placed in another three Group 1 races.

In fact, during an outstanding racetrack career, Espiona defeated 28 individual Group 1 winners including Pride Of Jenni, Chain Of Lightning, Fangirl, Bella Nipotina, Asfoora, Zougotcha, Private Eye and Stefi Magnetica.

Originally published as ‘Right time to send her to stud’: Chris Waller’s Group 1-winning mare Espiona retired