Kulani Park are counting on Coleman
Matt Laurie-trained colt prepares to tackle The Valley’s Group 1 Moir Stakes
As the vendors of Zoustar (Northern Meteor), Kulani Park are no strangers to selling elite equine athletes and co-owners Rhys and Chloe Smith are hoping Coleman (Pierata) can enhance their boutique farm’s growing reputation with victory in Saturday’s Moir Stakes (Gr 1, 1000m) at The Valley.
Zoustar was sold out of the Kulani draft at the 2012 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, with his subsequent owners Iskander Racing paying the princely sum of $140,000 – less than half of the $275,000 service fee Widden’s wonder boy will command this breeding season.
The Smiths weren’t in the business of staying in any of the yearlings they sold back then, but in more recent times that approach has changed – particularly when it comes to colts. So when presenting Lot 338 to prospective buyers at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, they were intent on retaining a small share in the bay colt whose dam Sboog (Redoute’s Choice) they bought in foal to Group 1 winner Pierata (Pierro) for a mere $100,000 at the 2021 National Broodmare Sale.
That astute purchase of Sboog, who had previously produced the dual Listed winner Liwa (Mulaazem), reaped a spectacular reward when trainer Matt Laurie and bloodstock agent Justin Bahen paid $550,000 for the yearling that would become Coleman.
The glowing early reports provided by Laurie backed up the Smiths’ lofty opinion of the colt, who had been a standout from the moment he was born.
“He was clearly the best horse on the farm,” Rhys Smith told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“He was very straightforward and did whatever you asked of him. So we knew he had the makings of a very nice racehorse from the start, and Matt’s early reports certainly backed up our opinion of him.”
Despite his optimism, Smith was still taken aback when Coleman burst out of the blocks with back-to-back stakes successes – in the process becoming Pierata’s first black-type winner – to head into the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) as the bookies’ favourite.
The disappointment of a luckless run in the stallion-making contest was eased somewhat by three successive stakes placings, although connections could be forgiven for cursing their luck when he went within a nostril of snatching the Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) from the grasp of Lady Of Camelot (Written Tycoon), who re-opposes in the Moir Stakes.
The transition from juvenile to three-year-old can sometimes be fraught with danger, particularly when it comes to colts; but the fact that Kerrin McEvoy is prepared to forego some tempting rides in Sydney to resume their partnership on Saturday is undoubtedly a confidence-booster for Coleman’s connections.
Even though Coleman is unlikely to be fully screwed down for his first-up assignment, and further improvement is expected when he gets out to his optimum trip of 1200 metres, Smith is still confident of a forward showing at The Valley.
“It’s not his grand final because he’ll be aimed at the Manikato and the Coolmore, but it looks a good kick-off point for him,” said Smith.
“I don’t know if we’ll be able to make it to The Valley, because it’s a very busy time on the farm at the minute, but we’ll obviously be watching on nervously. It looks a strong field and the track pattern at The Valley may play against him, but hopefully we see him hitting the line strongly and if he can run a place, it should set himself up nicely for a big spring.
“It’s an exciting time for us and it would be a big moment for the farm if he could win a Group 1 this prep. We’ve sold eight Group 1 winners including Zoustar, although we pinhooked him so it would be great to do it with a horse born and bred on the farm. Excitingly we have also just delivered Coleman’s full-sister and given how well he has performed and her potential residual value, I think we might keep her rather than take her to the sales.”
With her two-year-old trained by Clinton McDonald also showing early signs of promise, Sboog’s progeny are starting to make their mark on the racetrack and the same applies to Pierata, who finished third in the first season sires premiership table behind Too Darn Hot (Dubawi) and Tassort (Brazen Beau).
Pierata, who covered 191 mares at Yulong last year, currently stands for a service fee of $66,000 and is due another date with Sboog this season.
Smith liked the mating, and with good reason given that Pierro over Redoute’s Choice (Danehill) mares has produced multiple Group 1 winners, including Arcadia Queen (Pierro) who was picked up by Arrowfield for a cool $3.2 million at the 2021 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.
“Sboog is a Redoute’s Choice mare with a good page, and when she was sold in foal to Pierata we were very keen to buy her,” said Smith.
“As a son of Pierro, it was that good line cross of Pierro over Redoute’s Choice. It’s proved a very successful formula in the past, so we just felt Sboog would be a good buy for us and fortunately it has turned out that way.”