San Domenico winner Sweet Ride to stand at Widden
Vieira’s Deep Field entire retired to roster alongside his champion sprinter Trapeze Artist
Sweet Ride (Deep Field) will join breeder Antony Thompson’s NSW stallion roster, continuing Widden’s successful affair with the Northern Meteor (Encosta De Lago) sireline.
The Bert Vieira-bred and owned sprinter, twice a winner at two who won a San Domenico Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) at three to go with three Group placings that spring, was retired from racing earlier this month.
Widden’s acquisition of Sweet Ride, a grandson of the influential but short-lived stallion Northern Meteor, will see him stand on a roster headed by Zoustar (Northern Meteor) ($275,000, all fees inc GST), Zousain (Zoustar) ($27,500), Oakleigh Plate (Gr 1, 1100m) winner Portland Sky (Deep Field) ($19,800) as well as Encosta De Lago’s paternal grandson Jacquinot (Rubick) ($27,500).
Sweet Ride will stand for $11,000 (inc GST) in his first season at stud in the Hunter Valley where he is on a roster alongside Sydney owner and breeder Vieira’s champion four-time Group 1 winner Trapeze Artist (Snitzel) ($55,000).
“Bert and Gai Vieira own the horse 100 per cent and it was their wish to stand the horse at Widden through the relationship we’ve forged via Trapeze Artist,” Widden’s Matt Comerford told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“Bert’s going to get right behind the horse. He’ll support Sweet Ride heavily, as he has with Trapeze, with 30 mares this year and next.
“To be able to stand him for Bert adds to our relationship, but we wouldn’t be standing him if we didn’t think he was a really good hope, either.”
Trained by Annabel Neasham for the Vieiras, Sweet Ride won his first start at Rosehill in January, 2022, defeating a field that included subsequent Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Madame Pommery (No Nay Never) while he also finished runner-up in the Pago Pago Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) two starts later.
In all, he won four of his 21 starts with form around Coolmore’s now second season sire Best Of Bordeaux (Snitzel) and Godolphin’s star filly In Secret (I Am Invincible).
“Ultimately, he does have good form at two, three and four. He ran in a lot of Group races against good horses, Best Of Bordeaux, In Secret,” Comerford said.
“He was talented and obviously followed him given he was a Widden born and bred horse here.
“Certainly, for us to stand him you’ve got to have those credentials and I think in a really tough marketplace, where everyone is looking for value, Sweet Ride represents good value at a reasonable fee.
“He’s from a good sireline, a good pedigree and he’s an attractive style of horse.”
In just four years based at Widden Stud, from 2009 to 2012, Sweet Ride’s grandsire Northern Meteor sired 24 stakes winners including six Group 1 winners, Zoustar and Shooting To Win among them.
Shooting To Win’s Group 2-winning brother Deep Field is also on Northern Meteor’s stakes-winning honour roll.
“Our success comes from a lot of that sireline, going all the way back to Northern Meteor, so we typically know the mares that suit [the sireline],” Comerford said.
“We’ve been able to breed that way, which certainly gives those stallions an advantage when they get to the marketplace.”
Emerging from the now pensioned Deep Field’s fourth of eight foal crops, Sweet Ride is out of four-time winner How Sweet It is (Foxwedge), who is from the same family as North Pacific (Brazen Beau), New Zealand Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Amarelinha (Savabeel) and Group 3 winner Missybeel (Savabeel).
“Sweet Ride is a flashy style of horse, a chestnut with a heap of white on him,” said Comerford of Widden’s new stallion who was born and raised on the farm.
“There’s a white patch on his belly and he was always a standout in the paddock, you couldn’t miss him on the farm and even on the racetrack.
“He’s 15.2hh, a good sprinting style of horse which will suit those imposing sorts of mares.”
Vieira is also confident in Sweet Ride’s prospects at stud.
“I am excited to have another stallion standing at Widden, Sweet Ride was an exceptionally fast horse and performed at stakes level his entire career,” Vieira said.
“I have earmarked 30 mares for him already, which include two sisters to champion Sprinter Trapeze Artist, he will be given every chance.”
Second season sire Jacquinot is another member of the Encosta De Lago (Fairy King) sireline Widden has invested so heavily in and stands on its NSW roster which now numbers ten to go with the nine stallions on its Victorian roster in 2024.
Comerford believes Sweet Ride can make his own mark in the potent sireline.
“Obviously, [first crop Deep Field sire] Cosmic Force from a low base has done a reasonable job so far and, on the back of the foals we’ve seen by Portland Sky – we’ve been knocked over with the [positive] reports that we’re getting – we’re obviously excited to see what he can do going forward,” Comerford said.
“There’s plenty of upside with the Deep Field sireline, it works really well with the Danehill-line mares duplicating that back through Sweet Ride, being out of a Foxwedge mare only enhances that, which is similar to Zoustar who is out of a Redoute’s Choice mare,” Comerford said.
“Pedigree wise, it works. They’re good, fast horses and Sweet Ride’s no exception to that.”