Northern hemisphere gamble pays off with Russian Camelot
O’Brien’s European-bred colt takes out South Australian Derby in brilliant fashion
The genesis of the startling South Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) win by Russian Camelot (Camelot) yesterday came more than two years ago when connections of the northern hemisphere-bred three-year-old were trumped by another syndicate who were also attempting to buy promising German horse Schabau (Pastorius).
The disappointment of being beaten to the punch by the fellow Australian partnership for Schabau, who incidentally is undefeated after three starts at Flemington last year, led to Victorian trainer Danny O’Brien and UK agent Jeremy Brummitt embarking on an ambitious plan to source European yearlings to race Down Under.
With the backing of principal owner John Wheeler, O’Brien’s and Brummitt’s raid on European yearlings has paid off almost immediately with Russian Camelot, a lightly-raced colt, now one of the most promising middle-distance horses in the country.
Born on March 29, 2017, and giving away about six months in age to his Derby rivals, Russian Camelot also became the first northern hemisphere-bred three-year-old to win a Classic in Australia.
“What he has done is extraordinary and it’s a bit naive to think that you’re going to buy an extraordinary horse every year. The age gap is significant and it is naive to think that you could overcome it with every yearling you send down there,” Brummitt told ANZ Bloodstock News last night.
“I think it’s an unusual circumstance and it’s been very cleverly handled in that Danny didn’t really test that maturity until close to the end of his three-year-old season.
“He’s going to kick over as a four-year-old in a couple of months and he’s left it as late as possible to try and get him up in distance.
“It’s not that punishing to go for a mile and half if you’re in second gear for a mile and a quarter.”
Brummitt bought Russian Camelot from Ireland’s Camas Park Stud for 120,000gns (approximately AUD$240,000) from Book 1 of the 2018 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale on behalf of O’Brien’s clients who harboured the desire to bring him to Australia unraced.
The agent takes up the Russian Camelot tale from there.
“Danny had asked me to go and find him a (tried) horse and for a year I was looking and finally I found Schabau, but then we were outbid on him. When we were outbid on Schabau, I convinced Danny to buy some ‘undamaged goods’ and so we bought two that year and we bought three last year. I now hope that we might be at the sales this year, too.”
The down-to-earth Brummitt was not laying claim to being a genius by any means when asked about how he identified Russian Camelot, who was Lot 441 at the October sale.
“I try very hard to avoid the things that agents normally trot out about a good horse, but I thought he was very athletic, very balanced and he clearly had a lot of scope to improve and he came off a farm (run by) one of the best horsemen in Ireland,” he said.
Apart from the initial selection process, one key element Brummitt believes has been crucial in the success of Russian Camelot is the fact that he was broken-in in Australia.
“I think that is an interesting point. I thought it might make more sense to break them in here (in the UK) and use their residual fitness from the sales, but Danny was keen to get them down there as soon as possible and do the whole process there and it’s obviously worked,” he said.
“He’s got three two-year-olds (from Europe) and they are all where you would want them to be at this stage.
“They could be as slow as a tugboat or another Russian Camelot, but the process has worked very well in terms of acclimatisation and maturation of those horses, so I don’t think we’ll be changing the formula.”
The current two-year-olds in Victoria under O’Brien’s care are by Australia (Galileo), Sea The Stars (Cape Cross) and another Camelot (Montjeu).
Brummitt said: “I am very lucky to work with such a supportive sponsor as Danny O’Brien and John Wheeler. I appreciate working with two people who let me get on with the job.”
The agent also predicted that the best may be ahead for Russian Camelot and did not rule out the colt becoming an elite contender over shorter distances.
“I have no doubt that when he matures that he will be quick enough at a mile against the opposition in Australia,” he said.
“Horses don’t get quicker with age; they get stronger and more mature. Mentally, he’s too immature for them to chase him into the bridle and ask him to run as fast as he can, but once he’s got more time under his belt and he’s a more seasoned racer, I think Danny will be able to pull him back to shorter distances and have him travel a bit closer in the run.
“I am not suggesting there’s anything inherently more valuable about that, but a lot of people think they can only step up in distance as they get older. You have to train the mind as well as the body and if you’ve got the mind right they can often step back.”
‘Derby win very satisfying’
Russian Camelot ($2.90 favourite) defeated Dalasan (Dalakhani) ($3.80) by one and three-quarter lengths with Victoria Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) winner Warning (Declaration Of War) another length away in third.
“Obviously we’re really excited. He’s a horse that we’ve had a huge opinion of,” O’Brien said.
“We’ve had him since he was a yearling and this was a race that we’ve been aiming him at for the better part of 12 months. He’s turned up and delivered.
“It’s very satisfying. It’s never been done before – a northern hemisphere horse has never won a Derby in Australia. I don’t think one has ever run?
“We were very confident going into today that there were no excuses. He’d had everything we needed to do to get him right today.”
Russian Camelot firmed dramatically in betting for this year’s Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) after the eye-catching performance, but O’Brien was reluctant to commit to the inexperienced colt following the same path as his older stablemate Vow And Declare (Declaration Of War) who was victorious on the first Tuesday in November last year.
“He’s obviously been a very exciting horse, not just for us but the public as well from the time he had his first start,” he said.
“We’ll see about the Cup. He’s still a young horse. We’ll enjoy today. The owners are a great group of people who have resisted some big offers for the horse and I’m sure they’re all thrilled as we are that he’s won a Derby.
“And we’ll savour that and certainly we’d be looking forward to the spring.”
Russian Camelot was scratched at the barriers in a Melbourne city race, forcing O’Brien to take the colt to Pakenham where he scored a comprehensive seven-length win before he again missed a key lead-up race due to a minor throat infection and poor blood count.
Jockey John Allen undertook two weeks of isolation in Adelaide to ensure he could ride Russian Camelot after regular jockey Damien Oliver declined the offer due to the coronavirus restrictions.
“When I got offered this ride it became a bigger carrot to head to Adelaide,” Allen said.
“Danny filled me with confidence. He said ride this horse like the best horse. He was confident if he was close enough on the corner that he would have a better turn of foot.
“It proved that way. He was just the superior horse. Obviously he’s an exceptional horse. A lot has been made about his preparation but I think the bigger factor is he’s still six months younger than all these horses.
“If he can beat them now and he’s only just turned three, imagine what he can do in six months or a year’s time.”
Dalasan’s jockey, Jason Holder, said the winner was just too good for the Leon Macdonald and Andrew Gluyas-trained colt.
“We had a nice run in transit and presented to win, but the other horse was too good,” Holder told Racing.com.
Damien Thornton, who was attempting to ride his second Group 1 winner in as many weeks after Toffee Tongue (Tavistock) landed the Australasian Oaks (Gr 1, 2000m), said third-placed Warning was “honest”.
“I would have liked to get rolling earlier, but the best horse won,” the Victorian jockey said.
Russian Camelot (3 c Camelot – Lady Babooshka by Cape Cross) has raced five times for three wins and won $324,225 in prize-money.
By Camelot, who shuttled to Coolmore Australia in 2014 for one season, he is one of two winners, the other being No Trouble (No Nay Never), for the unraced mare Lady Babooshka. In turn, she is a three-quarter sister to four-time stakes winner Alkaadhem (Green Desert) and a half-sister to the stakes-placed Raising Sand (Oasis Dream).
Also featured in the pedigree is Royal Ascot Group 2 winner and US Grade 2 winner Stagecraft (Sadler’s Wells) and European stakes winners Mullins Bay (Machiavellian) and Hyabella (Shirley Heights).
Lady Babooshka also has an unraced two-year-old sister to Russian Camelot, who is in training at Lambourn in the UK with Sylvester Kirk, a filly foal by Zoffany (Dansili) and she is back in foal to Camelot.
Gear change switches on Ringbolt in Sires
A crucial gear change and a step up in distance for Ringbolt (Dream Ahead) has provided senior trainer Tony McEvoy with his fourth SA Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m) in the past eight years after the lightly-raced gelding caused an upset.
McEvoy, who is now in partnership with son Calvin, trained the first two over the line in the $120,000 Group 3 race but it was Ringbolt ($26) who was able to run down his stablemate and leader, Violinist (Fastnet Rock).
Ringbolt, who ran fourth in a 1050-metre two-year-old maiden at Balaklava on April 29 behind Riched (Rich Enuff), had blinkers fitted for the Sires and he also appreciated the extra 350 metres.
Ridden by John Allen, Ringbolt defeated Violinist ($11) by one and a quarter lengths with Crown Mint (Hallowed Crown) ($6.50) another half a length away third. The $2.35 favourite Ecumenical (Zebedee) finished fifth.
Calvin McEvoy said Ringbolt had made significant improvement since his first start.
“He was a bit of a drunken sailor at Balaklava and we elected to go with the blinkers,” he said.
“We only really gave him one bit of work in them and he just pinged out of the gates today and was always on the bridle for Johnny. He was very strong.
“He’s got a lot of upside. He’s just going to get better and better when he gets a little bit older and probably out to a mile.”
Allen, who made the call to base himself in Adelaide for the carnival, was taken by the manner of Ringbolt’s win.
“He looked like a horse that was really going to improve from the run and so it proved,” Allen said.
“He was a different horse today. Blinkers on. He was a lot sharper and knew his job a bit better.”
Bred by Seymour Bloodstock’s Darren Thomas and passed in with a reserve of $40,000 at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Ringbolt (2 g Dream Ahead – Maxi Dress by Shamardal) has earned $77,565 prize-money from his two runs to date.
He is one of three winners for European mare Maxi Dress, who was bought by agent Johnny McKeever at the 2013 Tattersalls July Sale for 80,000gns, and is from the same family as fellow imported horse Foreteller (Dansili), who won three times at Group 1 level in Australia for Chris Waller earlier this decade.
Maxi Dress, who was purchased by Fig Tree Pastoral for just $5,000 in the March (Late) Inglis Digital Sale, has a weanling brother to Ringbolt. She did not get in foal to Lean Mean Machine (Zoustar) last year.
Ringbolt is one of seven Australian stakes winners for the former Aquis Farm and Emirates Park shuttler Dream Ahead (Diktat).
Tambo’s Mate sures up Stradbroke start with BRC Sprint win
Tambo’s Mate (Mossman) was put to the test in the BRC Sprint (Gr 3, 1200m) at Doomben yesterday, with trainer Stuart Kendrick seeking to ascertain whether the gelding was worthy of a shot at next month’s Stradbroke Handicap (Gr 1, 1400m).
Kendrick had been tossing up whether to start Tambo’s Mate yesterday or wait for the Chief De Beers Handicap (Listed, 1000m) at the Sunshine Coast next Friday, but the Caloundra-based trainer elected to run over 1200 metres, with the decision duly vindicated.
“We figured if he couldn’t run well on Saturday he wouldn’t be any chance in the Stradbroke,” Kendrick said.
“But he is in the Stradbroke field now and we know he can handle Eagle Farm.
“The Stradbroke will be tougher but Tambo’s Mate is tough so we can have some fun.”
Tambo’s Mate ($12), who was ridden by Matthew McGillivray, defeated Deep Image (Testa Rossa) ($14) by a short head.
The Tony Gollan-trained pair Outback Barbie (Spirit Of Boom) ($3.80 equal favourite) and Vega One (Lope De Vega) ($6) ran third and fourth respectively in a bunched finish.
The well-backed equal favourite Kementari (Lonhro) ($3.80) was fifth, beaten a length a quarter, after being slowly away.
Kendrick said he would now decide on a Stradbroke lead-up race for Tambo’s Mate but the Victory Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) at Eagle Farm on May 23 was the most likely target for the in-form sprinter, whose first stakes win came last November when he again beat home Vega One and Deep Image in the Tattersall’s Recognition Stakes (Listed, 1350m) at Doomben.
A homebred for Townsville-based bookmaker Dalan Tamblyn, Tambo’s Mate (4 g Mossman – Passagemaker by Canny Lad) has defied early setbacks. He was to be offered for auction at the 2017 Magic Millions Gold Coast March Yearling Sale, but he had to be withdrawn after the discovery that he had a fractured sesamoid. From 16 starts, he has won eight races with four placings for earnings of $455,950 in prize-money.
A half-brother to two other winners, Tambo’s Mate is one of five named foals for the twice-winning Passagemaker, herself a daughter of Georgia Belle (Clear Choice) who was successful at Listed level in Sydney.
Tambo’s Mate has an unraced two-year-old half-brother named Gunnerside (Choisir) who Tamblyn sold to the Newgate Bloodstock-China Horse Club partnership for $125,000 at last year’s Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
Passagemaker also has a weanling filly by Churchill (Galileo) and is in foal to Epaulette (Commands).
Doomben Guineas winner Vanna Girl continues to bloom
Toby and Trent Edmonds will look to extend the campaign of yesterday’s Doomben Guineas (Listed, 1615m) winner Vanna Girl (Husson) and chase further “black-type” success despite the three-year-old effectively still being in her first racing campaign.
The Gold Coast father-and-son training partners have earmarked The Roses (Gr 2, 1800m) next month for Vanna Girl ($2.70 equal favourite), who ran down Supergiant (Red Giant) ($21) to score by a neck in a thrilling battle over the final 200 metres. Ballistic Boy (Smart Missile) was a length away in third.
“She can head to the The Roses on June 13 which should be perfect for her. We will have to find another lead-up which we can decide on shortly,” Toby Edmonds said.
“Then we might talk about the spring. Don’t forget she has been doing this on a preparation where we have been forced to give her a week off and bring her back and give her another week off, etc.
“She only cost $40,000 and that takes her to about $200,000 in earnings.”
Jockey Matthew McGillivray, who rode Vanna Girl to victory at the Gold Coast on April 17, elected to undertake two weeks of quarantine and move zones so he could maintain his association with the Listed winner.
“She’s such a versatile filly, with gate one today we were able to ride her right up on speed Matty gave her the trip we wanted, but under different circumstances you could ride her back and run on as well,” Edmonds said.
“She’s still going great at home and as we saw today racing as good as ever. At this stage we’ll keep her in until she tells us she needs a break.”
Purchased at the 2018 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale by Edmonds, Vanna Girl (3 f Husson – Logan’s Choice by Redoute’s Choice) recorded her fifth victory in the Doomben Guineas, her first at stakes level, from just eight starts. She has now earned $203,100 prize-money.
A half-sister to her stakes-placed former stablemate Plucky Girl (Pluck), Vanna Girl is one of five winners from as many foals to race for three-time winner Logan’s Choice, who in turn is out of a half-sister to star horse Naturalism (Palace Music) in De Souba (Dehere).
Logan’s Choice, who was a $250,000 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale purchase in 2007, has a yearling filly and a weanling colt by Vinery Stud sire Star Turn (Star Witness).