Lovett on the Southport bus with Bennett Racing
Australian Bloodstock joins syndicate in Guineas-winning Written Tycoon colt
A stud deal for Australian Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Southport Tycoon (Written Tycoon) has not yet been reached, but the lightly raced four-year-old stallion prospect does have some new part-owners.
Australian Bloodstock has joined forces with fellow syndicator Bennett Racing after buying a share in the Ciaron Maher-trained Group 1 winner ahead of a spring campaign that could include tilts at the Manikato Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) and a Golden Eagle (1500m) with a possible trip to Japan in November also on the horizon.
In total, the existing Bennett Racing owners sold down a collective ten per cent in Southport Tycoon to Australian Bloodstock’s Jamie Lovett and partners.
Syndicator Nathan Bennett hopes the deal is a win-win for all parties with his clients able to cash out part of the equity “and set themselves up” after nothing official from interested studs came to fruition after Southport Tycoon’s Group 1 victory in early March.
“We had a lot of enquiries [from stallion farms], but nothing went through, so we continued to play on. We think he can win another Group 1 as well, so hopefully everyone can get the upside there and a stud deal can be done down the track,” Bennett said.
“But we’re certainly not in any hurry to retire him to stud because he’s been one of those horses we’ve said the whole time that he’ll be at his best when he’s four and five.
“If we can turn him into a two-time Group 1-winning colt by Written Tycoon, I’d say a fair few studs would be chasing him then.”
Part of the appeal of Southport Tycoon to Lovett was the fact that no stud had snapped up the Daandine Stud-bred entire, believing “there could be a twist there”.
“He’s a very nice horse with plenty of upside. Our business is to race the best horses we can and from a breeding angle I think he’s got the makings to be a stallion one day,” Lovett said.
“I am a punter by nature, so I am hoping we can win a good Group 1 with him and that will make the number change what he is worth and hopefully he’s sought after by more than one stud. Obviously, there’s a long way to go [before that possibly happens].”
Southport Tycoon competed in a Warwick Farm barrier trial on Monday, his second this preparation, finishing runner-up to ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) winner Manaal (Tassort) with multiple Group 1-placed mare Kimochi (Brave Smash) in third.
Melbourne jockey Mark Zahra was in the saddle and he gave his tick of approval for the new season four-year-old to resume in a Group 3 1200-metre race at Randwick on August 24 before aiming at a Group 1 sprint second-up.
“The way he has come back, he looks like he’s in for a good prep, he’s trialled up well and Ciaron thinks he’s got him in a good place,” Bennett said.
“Ciaron and I had a chat after his trial the other day and he’ll go to the Show County Quality and then he’ll come back to Victoria and we’re pretty keen to run him in the Manikato.
“He’s shown that he’s quite sharp again and if he happened to win the Manikato, it’d be massive for his CV.
“He’ll come from Sydney, probably trial into the Manikato keeping him fresh and then he’ll head back to Sydney for the Silver Eagle and into the Golden Eagle.”
Lovett has no qualms with the planned spring campaign for Southport Tycoon, who was a $300,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale graduate.
“Nathan and Bennett Racing are driving the bus, so I am not privy to [the complete plans], but I am a passenger on the bus and happy to be one,” said Lovett.
“I am looking forward to cheering him on in a big race.”
Bennett on Thursday returned from a working holiday in Japan where he took in the Ritto Training Centre at Kyoto and the Hokkaido-based stud farms as well as a race meeting at Sapporo.
He revealed that Southport Tycoon holds an entry for the Mile Championship (Gr 1, 1600m) at Kyoto Racecourse on November 17, a Grade 1 international race conducted by the JRA a week prior to the Japan Cup (Gr 1, 2400m).
“We’ve also nominated him for the Mile Championship in Japan and I had a chat with a few people at the JRA and they’re certainly keen on the idea of trying to get an Australian horse over there for that race,” Bennett said.
“If he’s going well enough and warrants going over there, we wouldn’t be scared to have a crack at it.”
The Japan expedition also convinced Bennett that he wanted to, in the next 12 months, acquire a horse or two from the powerful racing jurisdiction to import to Australia.