Big-ticket Irish-bred mare Bumbasina (Canford Cliffs), the dam of Western Australia’s pride and joy Amelia’s Jewel (Siyouni), won’t be sold by her owner Peter Walsh any time soon.
Walsh had initially flagged that he would sell the European stakes-placed mare – currently back in foal to France’s champion stallion Siyouni (Pivotal) to southern hemisphere time – but a torrid return trip to Australia in early March has prompted a change of heart.
Bumbasina is on agistment at Segenhoe Stud in the Hunter Valley. “She’s never been a good traveller, even after I bought her in 2018 when she was in foal carrying Amelia’s Jewel,” Walsh told ANZ Bloodstock News this week.
Photo / Bumbasina with her southern-bred full-brother to Amelia’s Jewel who will be sold at an Australian yearling sale in 2025
“Back then, Peter O’Brien showed me photos of her at Segenhoe and he said, ‘what the hell did you buy?’ because she had lightened off, but then she came good again.
“When she flew back to France in 2022, the same thing happened and she lost a lot of weight and again when she returned earlier this year.
“She’s coming good now, but I don’t think she would have come up in time.
“Even though I was going to sell her, there was still a bit of doubt. That pushed the doubt out of my mind and I thought, ‘I may as well keep her’.”
For everyone who said ‘sell’ there was another person who suggested Walsh was mad for considering parting with Bumbasina, but in the end the decision has effectively been made for him.
Widden Stud’s Zoustar (Northern Meteor) is a short-price favourite to cover Bumbasina in the spring. His progeny sold up to $2.2 million at last week’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale and his daughter Zougotcha made it two Group 1 wins in succession by narrowly scoring in the G1 Queen Of The Turf (1600m) at Randwick on Saturday,
“She will stay here now, she won’t be going back to Europe. We’ve got a full-brother to Amelia’s Jewel to sell next year, who will definitely be sold.” Walsh said. “There’s good stallions here and she is in foal to Siyouni again, so that’s good news even though she lost weight travelling.”
Group 1 winner Amelia’s Jewel, meanwhile, is in her final racing campaign with Perth trainer Simon Miller, with Saturday’s $5 million The Quokka (1200m) slated to be her Western Australian swansong before she heads either to Adelaide or Queensland to round out her autumn preparation.
The four-year-old mare is set to join a Sydney stable in the new season, but who that trainer is, Walsh is yet to determine, although he will liaise with Miller before making a final decision.
Walsh also revealed that Amelia’s Jewel’s 2yo half-brother Bosustow (Blue Point), who was placed in the G2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at his most recent start, is back in work and being aimed towards the Queensland Winter Carnival by trainer Annabel Neasham.
The Western Australian owner and breeder, who retained a share in the valuable colt, sold Bosustow to the Rosemont Alliance for $900,000 at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale through the Segenhoe Stud draft.
“He ran third in the Sires in Melbourne and he came home well. I think he’s going to be a good miler, and a good three-year-old, by the looks of it.”
