‘He’s a quality horse’
Memsie Stakes the aim for big-money buy Schwarz after he hits the Missile target
Prospective Rosemont sire Schwarz (Zoustar) made his first appearance as a stallion and went a long way towards proving himself “the man” in taking his third black–type race – and his most prestigious – in Saturday’s Missile Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) at Randwick.
The expensive four-year-old – a $1.25 million Magic Millions Yearling Sale buy for Rosemont-Victorian Alliance and Suman Hedge Bloodstock – had shown promise through his seven previous starts since debuting at three last October.
Yet three wins, including Flemington’s Springtime Stakes (Listed, 1400m) and the Hawkesbury Guineas (Gr 3, 1400m), were offset by a few notable flops, the worst being his previous start before Saturday when 13th in Eagle Farm’s Fred Best Classic (Gr 3, 1400m) on June 1 when a $5.50 second favourite.
Schwarz’s inconsistency led Rosemont studmaster Anthony Mithen to declare this week it was time for the entire to “put up or shut up” in the Missile. He added, more hopefully, that Schwarz had appeared to have developed “from a boy to a man” in the ten weeks since the Fred Best, evidenced by a 3.4 length Warwick Farm barrier trial win on July 26.
In the Missile Stakes, bearing the faith of punters once more as a dominant $2.50 favourite, he gave evidence he had done just that.
Jumping from the widest gate of nine under James McDonald, the John O’Shea and Tom Charlton trained Schwarz was forced to travel three wide without cover in fourth place, before leading the field up towards breakaway leader Much Much Better (Stratum) in the straight.
While Schwarz got to the front at the 200 metres, he then had to beat off the challenge to his inside of Shezanalister (Star Turn), then withstand the late flying finish of Arctic Glamour (Frosted) to hold on by 0.2 lengths. Shezanalister earned her first black type by taking third, with Much Much Better fourth.
O’Shea let Charlton front the media after his first stakes win since the August 1 launch of their training partnership, with the younger man declaring there was improvement to come from Schwarz as he targets richer races in the spring.
“He’s a lightly raced horse … so I think he’s still learning and gaining confidence. That today should do him a lot of good,” Charlton said.
“He’s probably a horse who just enjoys being comfortable and getting into a rhythm. He maybe just felt the pinch late but it was a solid win off just one trial.
“He’s a quality horse, a beautiful animal, for great clients, and he was a very expensive yearling. To win a Group 2 like this bodes very well for the future and the ownership group, and I’m sure Rosemont will be looking forward to having him down on their farm one day.”
Having claimed Sydney’s first stakes race of the season, Charlton said there would be stallion-enhancing elite-level races in Schwarz’s sights in the coming weeks, possibly including Caulfield’s Memsie Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) on August 31.
“There’s potential races like the Memsie or up in Sydney. It’s a long spring. We’ll work it out,” he said. “A Group 1 would be excellent.”
Schwarz’s win continued the excellent run of his Widden sire Zoustar (Northern Meteor).
After equalling I Am Invincible’s (Invincible Spirit) national record with 208 individual winners when placing second on the general sires’ table in season in 2023-24, Zoustar also claimed Australia’s first stakes race of the new term last Saturday when Right To Party took Flemington’s Aurie’s Star Handicap (Gr 3, 1200m).
Schwarz (4 c Zoustar – Summer Sham by Not a Single Doubt) is the second foal, and the first to race, from Group 2 winner Summer Sham (Not A Single Doubt).
Following the $1.25 million yearling Schwarz, his younger sister fetched $800,000 at Inglis Easter last year, and is now the Ciaron Maher-trained three-year-old filly Silver Wedding, who was placed at Warwick Farm in June in her only start so far.
Widden’s third brother was bought for $1.55m at Easter this year by China Horse Club/Newgate/Go Bloodstock/Trilogy, while Summer Sham now has a yearling brother, and is in-foal to Zoustar once more.
McDonald was effusive in his praise of Schwarz after the Missile, suggesting the 1400 metres of the Memsie would be ideal.
“I think so. He covered 1400 today so he can only improve,” he said.
“It was an excellent win. He didn’t have anything go his way. I was wide out but he travelled into it.
“He was obviously the best horse in the race and he had to tough it out. He was a sitting duck a long way from home.
“It was really good placement, and a good training effort … to get him this very valuable Group 2 on the CV.”