Can the colts step up to the plate next season?
Last year, Newgate Farm had a stranglehold on the country’s most sought after rising three-year-old colts with the Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Stay Inside (Extreme Choice) firmly in Henry Field and his partners’ keeping as the nadir among a collection of valuable stallion prospects at their disposal.
Artorius (Flying Artie) and Profiteer (Capitalist) were also on Newgate’s books, purchased after the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) and in the days before the Inglis Millennium (RL, 1200m) respectively, to join Wild Ruler (Snitzel), a yearling purchase who would go on to justify racing on at four by winning at Group 1 level, as future additions to the Newgate roster.
In early August 2020, just into the new racing season, Kia Ora made a major statement by purchasing that year’s Slipper winner Farnan (Not A Single Doubt) in a deal with Aquis Farm and Phoenix Thoroughbreds, while King’s Legacy (Redoute’s Choice), a dual Group 1-winning two-year-old, had landed in the hands of Coolmore.
This year, however, obvious colt prospects appear to be in short supply, at least for now.
The fillies have largely dominated the big Group 1 two-year-old races: Fireburn (Rebel Dane) completed the Golden Slipper and Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) double, She’s Extreme (Extreme Choice) won Sydney’s Champagne Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) and Sheeza Belter (Gold Standard) won the JJ Atkins Plate (Gr 1, 1600m) in Brisbane.
Coolangatta (Written Tycoon) also won the Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) and another filly, Xtravagant Star (Xtravagant), won the Inglis Millennium (RL, 1200m), both important juvenile races on the Australian calendar.
In New Zealand, fillies landed the country’s two juvenile Group 1 races, Lickety Split (Turn Me Loose) in the Sistema Stakes (1200m) and Maven Belle (Burgundy) in the Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m)
The only Group 1-winning colt of the current season was Blue Diamond scorer Daumier (Epaulette), a homebred for Godolphin and who is assured of a place on the Darley roster, either in NSW or Victoria as a readymade replacement for his own sire Epaulette (Commands) who was sold by Darley to the Turkish Jockey Club early last spring. He won’t be on the open market and neither will Godolphin’s rising four-year-old Anamoe (Street Boss), already a three-time Group 1 winner across four campaigns.
Coolmore swooped on what it deemed to be this season’s most likely prospect, purchasing a controlling interest in the Kacy Fogden-trained Best Of Bordeaux (Snitzel) after his second placing to Fireburn in the Slipper. He had won the Canonbury Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) and Silver Slipper Stakes (Gr 2, 1100m) at his only other starts this season.
His male contemporaries were left behind in the “majors” by the fillies, either through inferior talent or perhaps thwarted by the ongoing wet weather, particularly in Sydney.
So, who will the stallion investors pin their hopes on in order to bolster their rosters ahead of the 2023 and possibly 2024 breeding seasons?
The aforementioned Newgate, again, has a strong hand via rising four-year-olds Artorius, a luckless third in the Platinum Jubilee Stakes (Gr 1, 6f) at Royal Ascot last month who contests Saturday’s July Cup (Gr 1, 7f) at Newmarket; this season’s Golden Rose (Gr 1, 1400m) winner In The Congo (Snitzel) and Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) winner State Of Rest (Starspangledbanner), who has also furthered his stud credentials via wins in France and at Royal Ascot so far this year.
But, at this stage at least, the powerful group appears a bit light on for rising three-year-olds and potential targets aren’t as obvious as they were in previous seasons.
Rosemont Stud’s Victorian Alliance, in its first structured foray into the yearling market searching for the elusive next stallion in 2021, has got off to an encouraging start.
The Nigel Austin and Anthony Mithen-led Victorian Alliance has Doull (Snitzel), a dominant winner at Flemington in May, as perhaps the horse most likely. Such was the colt’s performance at his first start that bookmakers have him as the early favourite for the Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) during the spring.
The Alliance also races Millane (Zoustar), who took out the Foundation Plate (Listed, 1000m) at Flemington in March at his only juvenile appearance, while Maribyrnong Plate (Gr 3, 1000m) winner Brereton (Zoustar) raced during the Brisbane winter and remains a colt.
There are also high hopes for Hafey (I Am Invincible), a Bendigo debut winner who reportedly “went to pieces in the yard” prior to his unplaced Blue Diamond Stakes before being given a spell.
Rosemont Stud also races the Peter Moody-trained colt Rampant Lion (Frankel), who showed talent with placings in the Marbyrnong Trial (Listed, 1000m) last October and the Blue Diamond Preview (C&G) (Listed, 1000m) in January, and could find a home at the Victorian farm if he backed up his talent as a three-year-old.
However, again, if any of the colts deliver during the spring, they will be off limits to rival stud farms.
As will Coolmore’s Best Of Bordeaux and the Chris Waller-trained Political Debate (So You Think), runner-up in the JJ Atkins Plate last month and deemed a colt capable of achieving at the highest level. Waller also has the one-start winner Conqueror (Churchill), a colt raced by Star Thoroughbreds, who is bred to succeed at three.
The James Harron colts partnership, a constant at the Australian yearling sales each season, still appears to have a chance of adding another colt to the honour roll, headed by 2016 Slipper winner Capitalist (Written Tycoon), and if it does they are well placed to cash in.
The syndicate races the Anthony Freedman-trained pair Cannonball (Capitalist), a winner of the Redoute’s Choice Stakes (Listed, 1100m) at Caulfield in April, and the Dorrington Farm-bred Crosswinds (Written Tycoon) who made it two from two with a victory in the Valley Pearl Stakes (Listed, 1200m) at Moonee Valley in March.
Dorrington Farm’s Robert Crabtree, who retained a share in the $1.1 million Inglis Premier Yearling Sale graduate, also races the beautifully bred Maximillius (Written Tycoon) with Mick Price and Mick Kent Jnr who landed the David Coles Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) in Adelaide in May.
Carrying a “stallion’s pedigree”, Maximilian is a son of the Group 2-winning, Group 1-placed juvenile Scandiva (Fastnet Rock), herself from the family of successful sire Magnus (Flying Spur) and champions Black Caviar (Bel Esprit) and All Too Hard (Casino Prince).
Price and Kent Jnr also have Blue Diamond-placed colt Jacquinot (Rubick) and exciting rising four-year-old Illation (So You Think), a winner of three from three during the autumn.
The Hawkes Racing outfit of brothers Michael and Wayne and their father John have long forged a reputation as being stallion-making trainers – Star Turn (Star Witness), Brutal (O’Reilly) and Exceedance (Exceed And Excel) just some of the most recent examples – and they could have a strong hand next season if things fall their way.
At their disposal are MRC Chairman’s Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m) winner Sebonack (Capitalist), Kindergarten Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) winner Semillion (Shalaa), the twice stakes-placed colt Magic (Snitzel), who was bred and is co-owned by Arrowfield Stud, as well as the promising five and three-quarter length juvenile winner Foujita San (Maurice).
Gerald Ryan and his training partner Sterling Alexiou have JJ Atkins Plate third placegetter Brosnan (Snitzel), who races in similar interests to Semillion, Baillieu Handicap (Gr 3, 1400m) and Fernhill Handicap (Listed, 1600m) winner Williamsburg (Snitzel) and the Todman Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) placed Boyfriend (Snitzel), the latter pair wearing the Tony Fung Investments aqua colours.
The juggernaut that is Ciaron Maher and David Eustace could also have some potential stallion prospects in their barn, most notably three-time Group 1 winner Hitotsu (Maurice), who is on the comeback trail from injury, and fellow rising four-year-old Bruckner (Snitzel), runner-up in the Coolmore Stud Stakes last October and who was unseen during the autumn.
Stablemate Warby (Hellbent), runner-up in the Black Opal Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m), could have the potential to figure in Group 1s during the spring while colts Lofty Strike (Snitzel) (Julius Sandhu), Sejardan (Sebring) (Gary Portelli), Shalatin (Shalaa) (Joe Pride), Letsrollthedice (Dundeel) (Danny O’Brien) and Zamborghini (Zoustar) (Matt Laurie) could make the necessary improvement when they return from their spells next season.
Rising four-year-old Spring Champion Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) winner Profondo (Deep Impact), who is trained by Richard Litt, barrier trialled at Warwick Farm yesterday ahead of his next return to racing after an interrupted autumn preparation.
Who will be the colts to step up and reward their owners with a big pay day? They’re not so obvious at this stage of the year, that’s for sure.
It makes for a fascinating upcoming spring for owners, trainers and studmasters as, past history suggests, some will show their hand and earn a place on a roster.