Lot 435 Home Affairs (AUS) ‐ Francesca (NZ) Bay Filly

Lot 435 bay filly Home Affairs – Francesca (Iffraaj) $200,000 (draft: Windsor Park Stud)

The filly is by Australian Champion Three-Year-Old and emerging star sire Home Affairs, a second-season stallion by Champion Sire I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit).

Standing at Coolmore Stud, Home Affairs won the Silver Slipper Stakes (Gr. 2, 1100m) as a two-year-old at Rosehill, and became Champion 3YO Colt in Australia, after winning the Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr. 1, 1200m) and Black Caviar Lightning (Gr. 1, 1000m), both at Flemington.

Home Affairs was Leading First Season Sire, with his yearlings selling up $3.2m, and Te Akau has already had success with his progeny when Kinnaird, a yearling that Ellis bought on the Gold Coast, winning on debut and emulating in the Eclipse Stakes (Gr. 2, 1200m).

The filly is out of impressive five-time winning mare Francesca, including the Rotorua Stakes (Gr. 3, 1400m), and a daughter of international sire, sire of sires, and broodmare sire Iffraaj (Zafonic).

A shuttle horse to New Zealand, that stood for 12 seasons, Iffraaj rose to fame as the dam sire of Te Akau bought and trained dual Horse of the Year and New Zealand Group One (14) record-holder Melody Belle (Commands).

He was also the sire of Te Akau bought and trained triple Group One winner Gingernuts, and triple Group One winner and sire Turn Me Loose.

While since, then, Iffraaj has continued to grow in stature as a sire, producing Wootton Bassett, and outstanding sire, and in turn the sire of Almanzor.

Overall, the filly is from a very strong and well-bred female family, with granddam Matagouri, a dual winner to 1600m, by High Chaparral (Sadler’s Wells). Winner of six Group One races, including the Epsom Derby (Gr. 1, 2400m) and Irish Derby (Gr. 1, 2400m) and Champion 3YO Colt, High Chaparral has been a breeding phenomenon, and continued as a sensational broodmare sire with over 90 stakes winners, including 15 Group One winners.

The third dam, Triage, is by Champion Sire Volksraad. She produced seven individual winners, and stakes winning fourth dam Sabbatical (Bakaroff) produced Eulogy Stakes (Gr. 3, 1600m) winner Monterey Bay (Kaapstad), who finished close fourth in the New Zealand Oaks (Gr. 1, 2400m).

“This family has been very well bred over the decades by Greg McCarthy and has produced some high-class performers,” said David Ellis.

“She’s off a great farm at Windsor Park, it’s a lovely mating to Home Affairs, one of the most promising young sires in Australasia, and she is a really athletic and well put together filly, with plenty of substance.

“There is always a lot of residual value attached when buying from these sorts of families, especially if the filly can win black type.”

The filly carries a cross of European Champion Sire Green Desert (Danzig), on the sire line of Home Affairs and dam line of Francesca, and also crosses of high-quality Champion Sires Nureyev and Mr. Prospector.