Ria Antonia Off to Japan for $1.8 Million

Loooch Racing Stable’s Ron Paolucci said last week on TVG that he hoped his 3-year-old filly Ria Antonia (Rockport Harbor) would win the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff and, after shipping to Fasig to sell, fail meet to her reserve. In the end, Paolucci didn’t get his wish, but really, the consolation prize wasn’t all that bad. Ria Antonia ran a solid fourth in the Distaff–a year after being promoted to the victory in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies–and last night was hammered down to Northern Farm’s Katsumi Yoshida for $1.8 million. 

“She was here to sell, and she did well,” said Case Clay of Three Chimneys Farm, which consigned Ria Antonia as Hip 131. 

“She is 17 hands and is a big, beautiful mare. And beauty and big sells. She behaved great at the sale, and she came into the sale the right way. She ran a great second in the Spinster, and a great fourth, I thought, in the Breeders’ Cup. Wish our good friends at Northern Farm the best of luck with her. They got a great mare who’s going to produce good-looking babies.” 

Ria Antonia has come a long way since first selling at Fasig’s October Fall Yearling Sale for just $9,000 in 2012. She just missed by a nose in to She’s a Tiger (Tale of the Cat) in the Juvenile Fillies before being put up by the stewards. Second to Fashion Plate (Old Fashioned) in the GI Santa Anita Oaks earlier in the year, she also finished second in the GIII Iowa Oaks. In her penultimate start, she completed the exacta behind Don’t Tell Sophia (Congaree) in the GI Spinster S. at Keeneland. -LM