A once in a generation offering – Golden Slipper heroine Lady of Camelot to be sold

Sir Owen Glenn will part with Golden Slipper-winning mare Lady of Camelot, the first winner of Australia’s two-year-old championship race to be offered to the public market this century.

The unique sale of Lady Of Camelot, to be conducted by his Go Bloodstock racing and breeding business through a private offers process over the next eight days, could shatter the Australasian record price for a broodmare.

Te Akau’s Imperatriz, a 10-time Group 1 winner, set the benchmark at $6.6 million when she was purchased by Yulong at the 2024 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.

Sir Owen’s Go Bloodstock still owns Lady Of Camelot’s dam Miss Debutante, her first foal, the Group 3-winning Queen Of The Ball and co-owns her Group 3-winning daughter of Zoustar, Platinum Jubilee.

Miss Debutante’s Zoustar weanling filly (who turns 1 on Saturday) is likely to be retained to race.

Go Bloodstock manager Steve O’Connor reasoned that Sir Owen’s exposure to the family allowed him to focus on his racing pursuits instead of adding Lady Of Camelot to his collector’s item broodmare band.

“Sir Owen will be in his 90s before any of her foals are ready to race and he thought now was a good time to sell Lady Of Camelot even though she’s a crown jewel, knowing that we have all the female family already,” O’Connor told The Straight. 

“She can be the cornerstone of another breeding operation’s future and that will be of benefit to us in the long-term as well because we’d love another offshoot of the family (to succeed) wherever that may be in the world, whether it’s Australia, America, Japan or Europe.”

The rarity of a mare such as Lady Of Camelot being offered to the open market is expected to draw interest from the world’s leading breeders given her race performance and pedigree would stand up anywhere in the world.

Coolmore, which co-owns Lady Of Camelot’s half-sister Platinum Jubilee with Sir Owen, Yulong and Japan’s Katsumi Yoshida would be likely contenders for the daughter of Written Tycoon but her appeal could extend beyond those familiar names.

Yoshida’s Northern Farm, via agent Will Johnson, privately purchased 2022 Golden Slipper-winning filly Fireburn and 2017 winner She Will Reign, both of whom were trained by Gary Portelli.

This year’s Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks winner Always A Runner, a daughter of Gun Runner, also hails from Lady Of Camelot’s family, which could prompt North American breeders to do their due diligence.

Lady Of Camelot was being aimed at the Royal Ascot meeting in June, with trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott using the Queensland Winter Carnival as a lead-up to her UK campaign.

However, her career was brought to an abrupt halt after being stung by a stingray while being taken for a swim at Nudgee Beach, prompting her withdrawal from the Doomben 10,000.

“There’s been strong interest from the usual suspects, as you would imagine. I know when they go to see her in the next few days they will be blown away because I don’t think she’s ever looked better,” O’Connor said.

“For a Golden Slipper winner, she’s a bigger, scopey Written Tycoon filly compared to her two sisters as well, and she was always improving physically. 

“That’s why we thought she was nearly in career-best form, heading into Ascot, but one door closes, another door opens, and this is the next chapter in her story.”

It’s the small pool of buyers that also led to Go Bloodstock conducting the sale process themselves, rather than using platforms such as Inglis Digital or Magic Millions Digital.

The timing of her unfortunate injury in May also ruled out her being offered at a live auction.

“The Chairman’s sale and the Magic Millions sale, We would have been happy to sell her in either of those sales if she was ready at that time,” O’Connor said. 

“But she’s fully recovered now, she’s 100 per cent, she’s cycling (ready to be covered early in September) and she looks amazing.”

O’Connor would not specifically be drawn on whether Lady Of Camelot would smash the record held by Imperatriz, but believes no mare with her credentials places her above all others.

“The market will dictate where she lands, but we firmly believe she’s the best broodmare prospect ever offered for sale in Australia,” he said.

“She’s young, from a brilliant family and Golden Slipper winners don’t get offered for sale like this and she’s from a family with a Kentucky Oaks winner on it. 

“Her granddam (More Than Real) is also a Breeders’ Cup winner. I don’t think there’s been a broodmare prospect ever offered for sale as good as Lady Of Camelot and I would expect her to sell accordingly.”

The 2025 Golden Slipper-winning filly Marhoona has been retained by Emirates Park, with the daughter of Snitzel retiring to stud this year, while its 2018 winner Estijaab and 2014 winner Mossfun are also members of the same broodmare band.

Godolphin kept 2019 winner Kiamichi and Corumbene Stud retained its 2013-winning filly Overreach while Contract Racing’s 2010 Slipper-winning filly Crystal Lily died before going to stud.

The Ingham family’s 2007 winner Forensics joined the Godolphin broodmare band when the Dubai-helmed operation bought Woodlands Stud in 2008.

The 2003 winner Polar Success was sold for $1.2 million in 2009 at an Inglis sale after she’d already retired to stud as was 2002 winner Calaway Gal who wasn’t sold publicly until 2015.

Offers will be accepted for Lady Of Camelot by Go Bloodstock up until 5pm on Friday, August 7.