Pride hoping Astapor can bloom in Randwick’s Rosebud
Widely travelled ex–Queensland colt Astapor (Tassort) begins his new life under Joe Pride as the three-year-olds step out in Saturday’s Rosebud (Listed, 1100m) at Rosehill, with the Warwick Farm trainer seeking to continue his strong run with transferred horses in recent years.
But the man who took Mariamia (Toronado) from a previous high of Benchmark 70 success to Group 1 glory, and teased out a first win in two years out of Mazu (Maurice), said he can only be hopeful – rather than confident – Astapor will measure up to Sydney class.
Astapor’s journey has incorporated thousands of kilometres and several headlines as he’s played a leading role in the superb start to stud duties of Tassort (Brazen Beau), the two-start stallion bought on a calculated punt by Emirates Park who stands at Newgate Farm.
Bred by Queensland concern Tullyard and offered by Telemon Stud, who bought his dual Brisbane-winning dam Black Mink (Lonhro) carrying the colt for $25,000 at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, Astapor was bought by grazier Ron Hay – a bush trainer himself – for $38,000 from Book 2 of last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast sale.
He might have first been trained in the outpost of Chinchilla had Hay had appropriate facilities on his farm, but instead he kicked off in Rockhampton with young trainer Clinton Taylor.
Astapor began with a five length victory over 1050 metres on his home track last November as a $1.70 favourite. That was enough for Taylor to take the 620-kilometre journey to Brisbane a month later, where Astapor, still at odds-on, beat a small city field by three lengths.
Horse and trainer soon grew used to the highway trip, with Astapor rising to stakes-level grade for two more runs in which he acquitted himself fairly, if unsuccessfully: fourth behind Storm Boy (Justify) in the BJ McLachlan (Gr 3, 1200m) in December and fourth in Eagle Farm’s Oxlade Stakes (Listed, 1300m) in June, while his record also features a fifth-placed finish in Arabian Summer’s (Too Darn Hot) $1 million Magic Millions National 2YO Classic (1050m) in May
While Astapor had started well into double figure odds in the latter two races, he was a $2.60 favourite at his next return to Eagle Farm on July 20, and carried the topweight of 60 kilograms to a two-length win over 11 rivals in a two-year-old handicap, over 1200 metres on July 20.
That was the last run before his trainer change, with Hay sending him to Pride with Taylor’s blessing.
Fresh off his best season by far – not just by virtue of $19.7 million prize–money greatly swelled by Think About It’s (So You Think) The Everest (1200m) triumph, but by a personal best 78 winners at 14.6 per cent – Pride is hopeful Astapor can contribute to his stable’s continued success.
But he admits he’ll have to wait and see how his Brisbane form stacks up at Rosehill in a small but select Rosebud.
Godolphin’s Tarpaulin (Harry Angel) heads the market at around $3.40 after winning his past two starts, while still a two-year-old, on heavy tracks at Warwick Farm and Randwick respectively.
Chris Waller’s Gatsby’s (Snitzel) reappears after a spell as second favourite off a win and Group 3 fourth. Peter Snowden’s Blue Diamond Preview (C&G) (Listed, 1000m) winner High Octane (Deep Field) is also back.
And Waterhouse-Bott’s speedy Shangri La Express (Alabama Express) – winner of last November’s $1 million Golden Gift (1100m) – is another resuming, and is around $7 despite a top weight in the quality handicap of 60 kilograms, 3.5 kilograms more than next highest.
Astapor, with 54.5 kilograms, jumps from gate two of eight for Tyler Schiller.
“I haven’t really got much of a reference point for him, since it’s his first start for the stable and he’s been here just over three weeks,” Pride told ANZ.
“But I’ve been happy with everything he’s done since he’s been here. He’s coping well with the work, and with the change of environment.
“I received the horse in good order, he’s had a few tick-over gallops, and we’ve kept up his swimming, which he’s used to doing in Queensland, so I’ve found him pretty straightforward so far.
“He’s a good worker. That’s not always a reliable guide – some are good workers and some aren’t – but I was told he was a sharp worker and I’ve seen a continuation of that.
“We’ll see what that means tomorrow [Saturday], and see whether he’s up to these Sydney colts.”
Pride spoke with Taylor to learn more about the colt, which he sometimes does when taking over a horse. He also has a usual ritual of taking all their gear off, but in this case he’s sticking with Astapor’s tongue-tie and cross-over noseband, and adding a lugging bit.
“That’s nothing special, because I race all my horses in a lugging bit,” he said. “The cross-over and the tongue-tie are the important bits of gear there, so I’ve left that as it is.
“Sometimes I’ll talk to the previous trainer, and sometimes not. This horse came with the blessing of the previous trainer, so it’s an easy one.
“Sometimes horses leave under different circumstances, and you can’t do that.
“But generally speaking, most horses change stables because they weren’t going very well, so finding out what the previous trainer was doing is not going to be much good to you, since you don’t want to do the same thing.
“But Clinton’s done a good job with the horse so far, and made the horse into what he is now. We’ll keep him ticking over and see if he’s good enough.”
Pride said he would consult his stable’s form analyst to gain a better guide of how Astapor’s best might compare to that of today’s rivals.
“It’s a bit hard to line the Queensland form up,” he said. “Realistically as a trainer, the advantage I’ve got over the marketplace is knowing my horses. I don’t know this horse, so I can’t say if he’s improved, and lining up that Queensland form is a job for a form analyst, not a trainer.
“But I’m really happy with the horse and I’m expecting him to run well. I couldn’t imagine he’d be too far off these horses, if at all. I’m expecting a very competitive run from him.”
Off an $11,000 (inc GST) initial service fee, Tassort finished second on the first-season table for 2023-24 – and fifth among two-year-old sires – with ten winners from 28 runners, headed by Manaal, whose three stakes wins are headed by her triumph in the ATC Sires’ Produce (Gr 1, 1400m). The eight-year-old stallion’s early form brought a huge boost in his 2023 book – to 232 mares from 132 the year before. He’ll stand this season for an increased fee of $38,500 (inc GST).
Racegoers can expect an imposing sight in the form of High Octane.
The top-priced yearling by another Newgate stallion, the now-retired Deep Field, at $1.05 million at last year’s Inglis Easter sale, the three-year-old had a mixed first preparation.
Bearing the China Horse Club silks, he debuted with an impressive 0.75 length Blue Diamond Preview win, before running a luckless fifth when hopelessly blocked in the straight as favourite in the Blue Diamond Prelude (C&G) (Gr 3, 1100m).
High Octane then looked plain as an easing $8 chance when ninth in the Group 1 main event, but Snowden said he was shin sore after the race – on a good 4 – precipitating his spell rather than a bid for Sydney’s two-year-old riches.
Snowden said the colt had returned slightly bigger and stronger, at around 580 kilograms. He ran third in a Rosehill barrier trial on a Heavy 9 on July 12, and second on a Soft 7 at Randwick on August 5.
The trainer is hoping for a forward showing, but indicated he was likely to use Saturday’s race mostly as a guide to whether High Octane will get the 1400 metres of the Golden Rose (Gr 1, 1400m) on September 28.
“He’s always been a big horse, but he’s well-natured. A lovely horse and a good type,” Snowden said. “He looked only average in the Blue Diamond, but he pulled up shin sore.
“His trials have been good, he’s shown us he has great ability, and hopefully there’s a bit more to come.
“This race will be too short for him on Saturday, but I just want to see him storming home and that will give us a heads-up about whether he’ll get seven furlongs.”
Rosehill was a soft 6 on Friday with fine weather forecast.