Martana, Nanabush, and Nanda Dea, Three Broodmare Dreams for Santa Inés

The farm announced the retirement of the daughter of Fortify and the return to the country of its two champions; all three will join its already valuable broodmare band this season

In her farewell performance, Martana cruises to a 15-length victory in the Clásico Correas / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

By Diego H. Mitagstein

While Martana is still basking in praise following her dominant performance in the Clásico Ignacio e Ignacio F. Correas (G2), where she left her rivals 15 lengths behind a couple of weeks ago, her story on the racetrack has come to a close. The superb daughter of Fortify has been officially retired from training and will embark on a new chapter as a broodmare at Haras Santa Inés, where she is scheduled to be bred to Il Campione.

The decision, confirmed by her trainer, Enrique Martín Ferro, was planned well in advance, though the bay mare's decisive victory at Palermo sparked a fleeting internal debate.

"The plan was always to retire her after the Correas, but because she won so easily, we paused to weigh our options and share ideas with Sandro—Misserocchi, her owner and breeder," explained the trainer. "He strongly believes in stocking the farm with top-tier mares, and the reality is that keeping her in training carried unnecessary risks. Economically speaking, what she might earn in purses between now and next year could easily be matched or exceeded by the value of one of her foals."

That choice reflects the underlying philosophy that owner Alessandro Misserocchi has cultivated at Santa Inés for years. Looking beyond immediate racing success, the breeder continues to make heavy investments to reinforce the farm’s genetic foundation, convinced that a stud's true capital is built around its broodmare band.

In that light, Martana's retirement is no isolated event. The G1 winner will join a broodmare band receiving two other marquee figures this season: champions Nanda Dea (Fortify) and Nanabush (Il Campione).

Both recently returned from the United States, where they contested the final chapters of their racing careers, and will now launch their stud careers in Argentina. High-profile matings have already been set for their maiden season: Nanda Dea will be covered by Strategos, while Nanabush is booked to Fortify.

All three offer distinct profiles bound by a common thread: they reached the pinnacle of the sport and will now aim to transmit that raw talent to future generations.

Martana caps her racing days at the ideal moment, coming off a career-best performance in that resounding Correas victory—a win that validated her stellar past record, headlined by her triumph this past January in the Gran Premio Ciudad de Montevideo (G1) on the dirt at Maroñas in Uruguay.

Named Champion Older Female Sprinter of 2023, Nanda Dea ranked among the elite of her crop, earning championship honors before continuing her career in North America, where she secured two victories, including the Albert M. Stall Memorial Stakes (L).

Nanabush, Horse of the Year in 2024, followed a similar path as one of the country's standout performers in recent seasons. Her exceptional ability brought her to compete in the United States as well—winning an allowance event in her Stateside debut—before returning home to embark on a career phase that could prove even more influential than her days on the track.

This commitment from Santa Inés comes as no surprise. As the nursery that bred the legendary Invasor (Candy Stripes), the operation has spent years bolstering its infrastructure with a long-term vision. In recent seasons, Misserocchi has not only secured stallion shares in some of the country’s leading sires, but has also consistently added blue-blooded mares to elevate the farm's bloodline potential.

Central to this expansion was the acquisition of the historic Capitán Sarmiento property that belonged for decades to Haras Santa María de Araras—a move that underscored the scale of an investment designed to cement Santa Inésamong the giants of South American breeding.

With Martana, Nanda Dea, and Nanabush now joining the broodmare ranks, that broader plan gains three invaluable pillars. Three champions, three top-level racing careers, and three new opportunities to carry the legacy forward—this time from the nursery, where a great mare's true journey begins.