Nurse Kitchen
Just weeks after claiming the internationally renowned Kentucky Oaks with a filly it secured as a tried racehorse, the China Horse Club has used the same blueprint to secure the exceptionally talented Nurse Kitchen on the opening day of trading at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in Australia.
Nurse Kitchen, already a G2 winner and G1 placed from only seven starts, will bid to replicate the performance of Abel Tasman who set American racing alight when collecting one of the world’s great races, the USD1 million 2017 Kentucky Oaks, in front of more than 100,000 screaming fans and an international audience in the millions.
Abel Tasman
The Oaks success came at what was only her third start for her new connections, delivering them immediate financial returns as well as life long memories with the promise of more to come. Abel Tasman will look to continue building upon her legacy in the coming weeks when she fronts in the USD750,000 G1 Acorn Stakes in New York. The feature event is expected to be one of a number of ‘majors’ the China Horse Club colour bearer will contest throughout 2017 with options open to her including a slew of big ticket races at the USD26 million Breeders’ Cup World Series as well as a possible start in the world’s richest race, the USD16 million Pegasus World Cup, in January 2018.
“The Kentucky Oaks win with Abel Tasman was indescribable. It was the culmination of a great deal of work and it was immensely rewarding for her China Horse Club connections,” said Michael Wallace, China Horse Club’s Head of Bloodstock and Racing.
“We are just as bullish about the capabilities of Nurse Kitchen who we have been following for more than six months now. Nurse Kitchen is obviously a mare of the highest quality, she has already proven herself to be a mare of the elite level and we believe she has a successful 12 months of racing ahead of her before becoming a very valuable breeding prospect.
“I spoke with [former trainer] Peter Moody and he believes Nurse Kitchen has a good level of racing upside. She is only lightly raced and has already performed on the biggest stage so it is an exciting journey ahead.
“We believe that she is progressive and we see her being able to contest a number of feature races over the next 12 months culminating in her competing at the Championships in Sydney next year.”
Melbourne Spring Carnival riches and the lucrative Sydney Autumn Carnival will provide a treasure trove of opportunities for Nurse Kitchen and her new owners to recoup their investment, with any G1 success guaranteed of see her valuation skyrocket beyond yesterday’s purchase price of AUD1.7 million.
New trainer Kris Lees is accustomed to success with mares at both carnivals and will no doubt be planning a path that could see Nurse Kitchen contest any number of features from Melbourne’s AUD3 million Cox Plate, AUD3 million Caulfield Cup, AUD2 million Mackinnon Stakes or AUD500,000 Myer Classic to Sydney’s AUD4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes, AUD1.5 million BMW and AUD700,000 Ranvet Stakes.
“It is not unrealistic to expect that a mare like Nurse Kitchen, who is so lightly raced, could make significant progress over the next 12 months,” “Wallace said,
“What is important is that, regardless of her results, she will always hold a very high residual value when she retires to stud. She is a G2 winner and G1 placegetter already and that cannot be taken away from her. She is a daughter of champion NZ stallion Savabeel and her pedigree makeup means that she can be mated to almost any stallion in Australia which is very unique and a very valuable asset. We are very pleased to have her join the China Horse Club team.”
Nurse Kitchen was one of seven commercial racing or breeding prospects secured by the China Horse Club.
If you would like to learn more about the China Horse Club exclusive membership offer, please email your inquiry to horses@chinahorseclub.com