Hear the full interview
From 33:38 in Monday’s episode of Nick Luck Daily. Press play to start at the interview.
Alessandro Marconi says Miss Yechance’s rise to Group 1 glory has already been “a dream come true”, as the Prix de l’Abbaye winner heads for the sale ring days before her Breeders’ Cup run.
The Karl Burke-trained filly won on debut at Redcar for Jack Morland as a two-year-old, after which Marconi bought her online. Racing for Al Leith Racing Club, she ran on dirt in Dubai before joining Burke, and has improved through the season, winning at York’s Ebor meeting and in the Group 3 World Trophy at Newbury before landing the Abbaye at ParisLongchamp.
“It’s been an amazing journey, extremely lucky for the owners, for myself and everybody involved,” Marconi told Nick Luck at Keeneland. “Karl did an amazing job with her, because she’s been progressing race after race, and this is what good horses usually do.”
What caught his eye at the start was her movement. “She’s a proper athlete,” he said. “Most of all was the elasticity of her movement, like she had an engine and a heart going with it.”
Why sell now?
Miss Yechance has been supplemented for the Keeneland Championship Sale at Castleton Lyons this week, before she runs in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint on Saturday. Marconi said a few private bids after the Abbaye fell “slightly short”, and the stage of a live auction in Breeders’ Cup week could attract a very different kind of buyer.
“Even for the owners, 24 months ago they didn’t imagine that we could bring their silks up here on such a big stage, on the Olympics of horse racing,” he said. “I would like to sell her, but the journey has already been a dream coming true. It’s important to show that this industry is good for everybody, and then we can keep investing.”
“I would like to sell her, but the journey has already been a dream coming true.”
Alessandro Marconi
He believes her versatility will appeal to buyers. “She’s very versatile. She’s been running on dirt and turf, and that is not very usual at a competitive level on both sides of the ocean,” he said.
Keep Jack on
Apprentice Jack Nicholls keeps the ride on Saturday, and Marconi hopes any new owners will stick with him. “Jack has been amazing with her, so it was a natural choice to keep him on,” he said. “New connections are obviously going to have the freedom to choose, but if I can put a clause on it, I would be very happy. For the success that she’s had for the trainer and the jockey, it probably will be good for everybody if they keep the same pilot on.”
