Go Bloodstock to have a strong spring hand in feature races
O’Connor praises team effort for acquisition of talent under Sir Owen Glenn’s ownership
The victory of Dame Giselle (I Am Invincible) in Saturday’s Silver Shadow Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) could be the pipeopener to what promises to be an exciting spring for Sir Owen Glenn who has live chances being aimed at races ranging from the Coolmore and the Oaks as well as the Melbourne Cup.
Dame Giselle is set to continue on the Darley Princess Series path, culminating in the Flight Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m), but Go Bloodstock’s Steve O’Connor yesterday revealed that there was a plethora of talent set to make their mark on the racecourse in the coming months under Sir Owen’s ownership.
They include one of the forgotten three-year-olds, the Newgate-China Horse Club colts syndicate-owned Inglis Nursery (RL, 1000m) winner Wild Ruler (Snitzel), who is being aimed towards the Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) at the Flemington carnival, and filly Land Ahoy (Dundeel).
The John Sargent-trained three-year-old signalled she was better than a Scone maiden, with the merits of her June 22 1300-metre win putting her immediately on a VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) path.
A homebred for Sir Owen, Land Ahoy ran fifth in a Randwick 1080-metre synthetic barrier trial on August 11 while the likes of Yardstick (Criterion) and the Gerald Ryan-trained Cultural Amnesia (Snitzel) capable of figuring in stakes races up to 2000 metres.
Aim (Star Witness), another colt Sir Owen races in partnership with Newgate and China Horse Club, is also on a stakes race path despite finishing unplaced at Canterbury last week.
“He’s a colt with good acceleration who is best suited to 1400 metres-plus now. Forget his last run and he is on track for the Ming Dynasty,” O’Connor said.
While discussing the various programs of the Go Bloodstock team yesterday, O’Connor acknowledged the fortunate position he finds himself in working under Sir Owen.
“For me, it’s fantastic. It’s pretty much where you want to be,” he said.
“It makes it a lot easier to get up early in the morning to watch these horses work when you are dealing with such good bloodstock. At one point or another, there’s always one of them heading towards a good race. It’s exciting.”
While Sir Owen’s operation has invested heavily in stallions and young stock with the attributes to be up and racing as two-year-olds and the big spring three-year-old races, he also has a Melbourne Cup runner pencilled in for this year’s race.
O’Connor yesterday confirmed that the European, Andrew Balding-trained stayer Dashing Willoughby (Nathaniel) would be on the plane to Melbourne for the first Tuesday in November.
“He ran fourth in the Lonsdale Cup over the weekend at York and he is very much on track for the Melbourne Cup in 2020,” he said.
Sir Owen has also been slowly putting together a high-class broodmare band in recent years, with Group 2-winning sprinter Heatherly (Lonhro) producing a Russian Revolution (Snitzel) colt at Newgate Farm recently.
The first foal out of Heatherly, who was purchased by Go Bloodstock and Paul Moroney Bloodstock for $1.5 million at the 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale, has been named Miss Glenn (Written Tycoon). One of a number of two-year-olds O’Connor has high hopes for, Miss Glenn is currently in pre-training with Matthew Vella at Hawkesbury.
Mystic Mermaid (Fastnet Rock) (Chris Waller), Australian Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Gust Of Wind’s (Darci Brahma) first foal Sirocco Gale (Snitzel) (Waller), Bright Flight (Zoustar) (Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott) and Bundchen (I Am Invincible) (Waterhouse and Bott) are also promising new season two-year-olds which bodes well for the future, says O’Connor.
The success enjoyed by Go Bloodstock and the prospect of more to come is a function of the facilities and support staff Sir Owen has ensured that he has around him.
O’Connor says: “It’s a product of what a big team effort it is. It’s from everyone we trust at Coolmore, Newgate and Segenhoe who look after the young horses and stallions and mares, to the people selecting the horses like Paul Moroney and to our pre-training operation with Matt Vella.
“We think we are buying and breeding the right product and we think we have the right process with Glenn Haven as well as the trainers we choose.
“We feel if we keep doing that, then we will get the results and hopefully that’s what’s happening now. We’re getting some nice horses coming through.”
Go Bloodstock’s bluechip broodmares
Group 1 winner Ruud Awakening (Bernardini) – recently gave birth to an I Am Invincible filly and will be covered by Snitzel this year
Dual Group 2 winner Pure Elation (I Am Invincible) – is in foal to Snitzel and will return to the Arrowfield Stud champion sire this year.
High-class sprinter Heatherly (Lonhro) – in recent days had a good Russian Revolution colt and she will be bred back to I Am Invincible this year.
Mica’s Pride (Bite The Bullet), the dam of Sir Owen’s champion Criterion (Sebring), is in great health and due to foal to Zoustar.
Gust Of Wind (Darci Brahma), the last horse to beat Winx, is due to foal to Snitzel and will be bred back to I Am Invincible in 2020.
Look To The Stars (I Am Invincible), the BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) winner in 2015, is in foal to Snitzel and will be bred back to stallion again this year.
Asavant (Zabeel), the dam of Sir Owen’s two-year-old Mystic Mermaid, is in foal to Fastnet Rock and due to be bred back to the champion Coolmore stallion this year.