WA-bred millionaire mare Quilista foaled her first winner when Bonita Queen spaced a smart maiden field by four lengths in the Irresistible Pools Hcp (1100m) at Hawkesbury on Tuesday.
Bonita Queen was a $550,000 graduate of the 2022 Gold Coast Magic Millions and her first winning down payment was worth $60,000 to trainer Bjorn Baker and a syndicate that includes Cunningham Thoroughbreds.
Gary and Loralie Cunningham also raced G1 Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) favourite Storm Boy (Justify) before selling him to Coolmore Stud for $50 million as a stallion prospect earlier this month.
“She is a Queen,” Baker declared as Bonita Queen (pictured) returned to scale. “She’s powerful and began living up to her potential today. She a professional filly and is maturing all the time. We’re looking forward to bringing her to town now.”
Bonita Queen (3f I Am Invincible – Quilista by Scandal Keeper) crossed from an outside gate for a comfortable lead and then turned the race into a one-act affair once Adam Hyeronimus clicked up a gear in the straight.
Quilista was bred by Ellie Giles at Korilya Stud and was initially raced by Justin & Carol Warwick in partnership Livio & Renato Divitini after making a mere $10,000 at the 2015 Perth Magic Millions. She got going as a summer 3yo winning four in a row culminating with a Listed victory in the 2017 WA Breeders’ Classic at Bunbury.
Transferred to Victoria, she won at Flemington and Caulfield before relocating to Sydney for the G2 Sapphire Stakes and G3 Birthday Card Stakes and then travelling further north to Brisbane for the LR Bright Shadow Stakes.
Following a 32-start career that yielded 9 wins and $740,650 in prizemoney, Quilista was sold to Cressfield Stud for $1 million at the 2021 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. After Bonita Queen, she foaled fillies by Pierata and Snitzel before a Russian Revolution colt arrived in October.
Back in WA, Quilista is a half-sister to star sprinter Red Can Man (Gingerbread Man) and there are several other members of the immediate family still active in her home State. Her younger half-sister Boutique (Discorsi) is the dam of this season’s G2 WA Guineas winner Zipaway (Playing God).
Boutique has another son of Playing God entered for the Perth Magic Millions Yearling Sale next Thursday, February 22. He has been catalogued as Lot 26 by Western Breeders Alliance (as agent) for Neville Parnham.
