Royal Ascot unlikely for Chain Of Lightning

Chain Of Lightning will continue her racing career, but a trip to Royal Ascot remains unlikely for the mare who was the first seven-figure lot of this year’s Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale on the Gold Coast.

The daughter of Fighting Sun on Tuesday got to $2.5 million before being knocked down to Yulong, which was operating under the name of Zhijun Zhao.

The Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman-trained speedster was touted as a possible traveller to England after her win in the $3 million Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) at Randwick, but Yulong general manager Vin Cox said it was likely she would continue her campaign in Australia.

“I don’t know if we’ll put her on the plane to go to Europe at this stage,” Cox said.

“We’ll have a chat to Peter (Moody) – we haven’t spoken directly to him yet – but there are some good options here I Australia as well.

“The obvious race is a race like the (Tattersalls) Tiara – the Stradbroke’s probably on the radar as well – but, again, we haven’t spoken to Peter Moody yet.”

Should she race on at six, Chain Of Lightning would be a contender to run in Yulong’s slot in The Everest with the $20 million event run over the same course and distance as the T J Smith Stakes.

Chain Of Lightning has had two starts since her T J Smith Stakes win, for sixth placings in the All Aged Stakes (1400m) and Doomben 10,000 (1200m) at Group 1 level.

The Group 1 Tattersalls Tiara (1400m) is run at Eagle Farm on June 29, a fortnight after the $3 million Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at the same track.

Chain Of Lightning’s sale via the Kenmore Lodge draft was a stellar result for Stuart Ramsey, who sent her dam Magic Art to Fighting Sun when he stood for $13,750.

“We’ve turned her into $2.5 million, plus $2.5 million prizemoney,” Ramsey said.

“That’s $5 million. It’s hard to get with a pick and shovel, so you’ve got to be satisfied.”

Chain Of Lightning was one of two outstanding results for Ramsey, who later sold Group 2 winner and Group 1 placegetter Life Lessons – also to Yulong – for $1m.

That daughter of Tavistock went through one lot after Legacies, who sold to Coolmore for $1.4m, in what was a frenetic period of the sale with Coolmore also paying $2.7m for No Nay Never’s Thousand Guineas winner Madame Pommery.

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