Gillard’s Rose blooms with rare broodmare feat
Half-siblings Shades Of Rose and Scallopini strike stakes wins on same day at Flemington and Rosehill
Steve Gillard has achieved much in both the racing and breeding spheres. On the track, among other successes, Gillard was part of the James Harron Bloodstock ownership group of dual Group 1 winner King’s Legacy (Redoute’s Choice), while in the sales ring, he last year sold an I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) colt at Magic Millions for $1.7 million out of Group 3 winner Oakleigh Girl (Snitzel).
While such triumphs have seen Gillard, the CEO of property group GDI, reach the pinnacle of the industry in Australia, on Saturday the owner-breeder of more than 20 years, earned the rare feat of having bred two stakes winners on the same day – with both horses half-siblings out of one of his mares.
“Rose Of Mulan has really become a Blue Hen,” Gillard told ANZ Bloodstock News yesterday. “It was a fantastic day…, when you’ve got the mare and you persevere with her, and have days like this, she’s been brilliant for us.”
An unraced mare by a champion broodmare sire in the late More Than Ready (Southern Halo), Rose Of Mulan’s shining day with her produce on the track began at Flemington, where in The Sofitel (Listed, 1400m) evergreen sprinter Scallopini (Snitzel) hit the front and was not for catching in galloping away for a two-and-a-quarter-length win, his fourth at stakes level.
A little more than two hours later, in Sydney at Rosehill, it was Gillard and his wife Louise’s own silks that were to the fore, when the Bjorn Baker-trained mare Shades Of Rose (Rubick) held on for a fourth consecutive win – her seventh in nine starts – when she struck in the Sheraco Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m).
The Gillards’ have had many a good mare carry their lime and pale blue colours for Baker. Lubiton (Snitzel) continues to hold the track record over the Moonee Valley mile, when she won the Tesio Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m) in 2017, while Positive Peace (Stratum), in a similar vein to Shades Of Rose, strung together four wins in succession which culminated in victory in the 2020 Emancipation Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) at Rosehill.
But it’s Shades Of Rose, who has risen from a maiden win at Bathurst in January to post her agonising victory at Group 2 level on Saturday, that could be his best yet.
Jumping from the widest alley in barrier in 12 for Saturday’s Sheraco Stakes, Shades Of Rose crossed to lead and, after setting a strong pace up front, she just held on with the winning post beckoning to beat Electric Girl (Declaration Of War).
“I’ve had three wonderful mares with Bjorn, and all stakes winners,” Gillard said. “I think he believes this mare could be the best of them by far.
“We took our time with her. She was a big girl and needed to grow into her frame. We’ll put her out [for a spell] now, but I think the best is still to come from her.
“We’ll talk during the week as to which way we go with her, but I’m pretty sure Shades Of Rose will be a Group 1 winner.”
Rose Of Mulan, a $190,000 yearling buy for Danny Bougoure in 2011, is a daughter of Group 2 winner and multiple Group 1 placegetter Lady Mulan (Bigstone), herself a half-sister to Group 3 winner Kinzaffra (Kinjite). In addition to Rose Of Mulan, Lady Mulan was the producer of the stakes-placed Absent Friends (Dehere).
Despite being untried on the track, Gillard’s faith in Rose Of Mulan is evident from his first choice of stallion for the mare.
In 2013, she visited Arrowfield Stud’s Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice), who during a breakout next season finished second to his sire Redoute’s Choice (Danehill) in the champion sire standings, thanks to his Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) winning son Shamus Award.
“She was unraced but her mother was virtually a champion. Lady Mulan ran second in numerous Group 1s and won the Light Fingers Stakes. She placed to Unworldly, who dominated the three-year-old scene, several times,” Gillard said.
“Rose Of Mulan just had a small issue and at the time we decided she was too valuable and went straight to breeding with her.”
The result was Scallopini, who was purchased by Jamie Walter’s Proven Thoroughbreds for $200,000 from the Yarraman Park draft at the 2016 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, with Gillard remaining in the horse for a share.
The eight-year-old has won 11 times from 38 starts and, following his Listed success on Saturday, has earned more than $800,000 in prize-money for his ownership group.
Three years later, with Rose Of Mulan having missed the previous two seasons, Walter returned for Scallopini’s half-sister by Rubick (Encosta De Lago), the filly selling for the relatively paltry sum of $35,000.
Gillard again remained in the horse for a share and, named Red Rubi, she has won six races from 16 starts.
“They’ve done a great job [with Scallopini] have Proven Thoroughbreds, and I think there’s still more to come from him, he’s racing very well,” Gillard said.
After two stakes winners from three foals, there may also be more to come from the 13-year-old Rose Of Mulan.
For her fourth foal, Gillard is one of the fortunate breeders to have successfully produced a foal by Newgate’s boom sire Extreme Choice (Not A SIngle Doubt).
Plagued by fertility issues, Extreme Choice, the sire of eight stakes winners at a stakes-winners-to-runners ratio of 16 per cent, has produced just 152 foals from his first four seasons at stud.
Conceived within Extreme Choice’s second crop of only 29 foals, the filly produced from Rose Of Mulan sold to Danny O’Brien and Brae Sokolski’s Yes Bloodstock for $420,000 at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, just a fortnight before Extreme Choice sired Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Stay Inside.
The filly, named Decisively, has recently been turned out for a spell by O’Brien and remains unraced.
“That’s what happens (Stay Inside winning the Golden Slipper after the filly was sold) and well done to her new owners,” Gillard said.
“They’ve got a filly with huge residual value now and good luck to them, it’s developing into a fantastic family thanks to Rose Of Mulan.”
Gillard, who last year sold Positive Peace for $800,000 to Yulong at the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale, said he has reduced his breeding interests in recent years, but Rose Of Mulan remains the focal point with the hope of delivering more success for the breeder.
“She’s just foaled a crackerjack filly by Hellbent, we couldn’t be happier with her, and will visit I Am Invincible this year,” said Gillard.