Haras La Catedral auctions its 2024 foal crop this afternoon

Matías Cullen's nursery will offer the second crop of promising stallion Nicodemus, along with the debut crop of G1winner Marignac

Marignac makes his sales ring debut as a stallion this afternoon / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

Not many people have the slightest idea of the sheer effort demanded by breeding racehorses. And it is not just financial. It is a daily battle against the unexpected; a constant glance up at the sky every second when rain is scarce; a prayer that a stray wire fence does not ruin everyone’s hard work.

Because of this, the finished product—ready to be offered to clients—always brings a sense of deep satisfaction to the breeder. That is precisely where Matías Cullen finds himself today, as he sees months of painstaking labor crowned this afternoon with the annual auction of his Haras La Catedral.

Scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m. in a virtual format organized by MZ Horse Sales, the event will offer the second crop of the promising Nicodemus (Candy Ride) alongside the hopeful debut crop of Marignac, the Equal Stripes who carried the colors of Stud Las Monjitas to victory in the 2020 Gran Premio Jockey Club (G1). Additionally, the 26-head catalog features offspring by Equal Talent (Equal Stripes), Curioso Johan (Johannesburg), and Dr Post (Quality Road).

Nicodemus, who won the Westchester Stakes (G3) in the United States, already has three official winning progeny, plus two more on the interior provincial circuit, headlined by Nurburgring, runner-up in the Clásico Estrellas Tucumanas Junior in Tucumán.

Among the Nicodemus offerings, the catalog's bright star is Top One Nik, a half-brother to Champion Miler Top One Scape (Cityscape), G1 winner Top One City (Cityscape), and stakes-placed Top One Step (Footstepsinthesand).

For Matías Cullen, another standout lot is Mi Malevo Nik (Nicodemus and Mi Belleza, by Lode), out of a full sister to G1 winner Mía Serenata, which he considers to be among the finest horses he has bred in his lifetime.

Headlining the premier crop of Marignac are Maximus Mar (out of Musical Box, by Not for Sale), a half-brother to stakes-placed Maximus Johan (Curioso Johan); and Classic Mar (out of Claire Simoff, by Southern Halo), a half-sister to stakes winner Clairemont (Cima de Triomphe) and seven other winners.

Also drawing significant interest is Dra Catedrática (Dr Post and Dakota Dancer, by Perfectperformance), a half-sister to stakes winner and graded stakes-placed Super Dakota (Señor Candy).