Much to Admire about Mars

Right on cue, Arrowfield’s latest recruit to its long-running, highly successful Japanese project has opened his home account in attention-grabbing style.

Admire Mars posted not one, but three first-crop 2YO winners in Japan last weekend: the filly Jardinier at Kokura, and the colts Mars Odyssey & Seiun Big Bang at Fukushima. This winning trio has emerged from Admire Mars’ first 9 runners in Japan.

3 first-crop winners in 2 days for Admire Mars 🇯🇵

Jardinier (filly ex Heir Kitty by Wildcat Heir)
Mars Odyssey (colt ex Quick Little Miss by Freud)
Seiun Big Bang (colt ex Seiun Meteor by Acclamation)

9 2YO runners: 3 winners, 2 seconds 👀 pic.twitter.com/PI56n5MCbf

— Alison Brassil (@Alison_Brassil) July 9, 2024

Mars Odyssey (ex Quick Little Miss by Storm Cat’s son Freud) and Seiun Big Bang (ex Seiun Meteor by Acclamation) scored over 1800m and 1200m respectively. Jardinier (ex Heir Kitty by Storm Cat’s grandson Wildcat Heir), second at her June debut, also won over 1800m, justifying her favouritism with a 3.5 length winning margin.

Those three victories, by a total of 6.5 lengths, confirmed both the early reports out of Japan, and the nods of approval that Admire Mars’ first Australian yearlings received earlier this year.

That approval was reflected in their 91% clearance and an average price for all 29 lots sold of 5.1 times his fee, with a top price of $300,000 paid by Wylie Dalziel & Peter Moody for Arrowfield’s filly ex Adamina at Magic Millions Gold Coast.

Almost half of the first Admire Mars yearlings made six figures and buyers included Dalziel Bloodstock & Moody Racing (2 purchases), Busuttin Racing (2), Byron Rogers & Gai Waterhouse, Ontrack Thoroughbreds, McEvoy Mitchell Racing, Strike Thoroughbreds and Boomer Bloodstock.

It will be no surprise if Admire Mars keeps on hitting the mark in Australia. After all, he’s a three-time Group 1-winning miler, an unbeaten Champion 2YO Colt who trained on at 3 to claim the NHK Mile Cup G1 and become the first and so far only 3YO winner of the Hong Kong Mile G1.

His sire Daiwa Major (by Sunday Silence), himself a two-time Champion Sprinter & Miler, has been a particularly effective sire of juveniles, including four Champion 2YOs: Ascoli Piceno, Resistencia, Major Emblem & Admire Mars, plus Champion Sprinter Serifos.   

And hot off the press, the first of the 8 Admire Mars foals to be offered at the 2024 JRHA Select Sale, a Northern Farm-bred filly out of Group-placed Admire Sceptre has sold for ¥120 million (A$1.1 million). Her dam, by King Kamehameha, is a full sister to Champion 3YO Colt and Champion Sire Duramente.