Tassort stud deal could be start of more from Emirates Park
International operation’s racing division also set for big day on the track in three states
Emirates Park’s Bryan Carlson has not ruled out the operation acquiring interests in more young stallions in Australia, three years after the stud wound back its involvement in the hands-on management of its Hunter Valley stud farm.
Owned by His Excellency Nasser Lootah, Emirates Park formed a joint venture in April 2017 with Aquis Farm taking over the day-to-day running of Murrurundi property and the investment in its own stallion portfolio.
It was announced earlier this week that Emirates Park and Newgate Farm had formed a partnership to stand the well-bred Tassort (Brazen Beau) at stud this year for a fee of $11,000 (inc GST).
“He’s a horse who has been on the radar for us for a while. We were very fortunate to purchase him off Godolphin and we were very appreciative and thankful that we could,” Carlson told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“They aren’t normally a seller of their horses, but we were lucky enough to be able to and hopefully it pays dividends and we will make sure he gets every chance at stud.”
It was Carlson who identified Tassort, a half-brother to Group 1 winner Alizee (Sepoy) and Darley’s Golden Rose Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) winner and young stallion Astern (Medaglia d’Oro), as a potential candidate for Emirates Park to expand its shareholding in stallions.
“We will always look to buy new stallions and that could be with any farm,” he said.
“If it’s the right stallion who fits our breeding program and we think they will be commercial enough, we will definitely look at doing that.
“We still have 25 per cent in Santos with Aquis. We’ve got Tassort now and we still have Dream Ahead, but he doesn’t shuttle at the moment. We are heading towards looking at others as well.”
A long-standing relationship with Henry Field, whom Carlson worked alongside at Coolmore America’s Ashford Stud in Kentucky earlier this century, led to the Emirates Park general manager approaching the Newgate Farm founder about partnering with Emirates Park on Tassort who raced just twice for Godolphin Australia trainer James Cummings.
Carlson said: “I have known Henry for a while – since we were in America. We both like the horse and he fitted into their stallion roster very well. So, when we could buy the horse, we talked to Henry … and the rest is history.
“He will get every chance at stud now. In the first few days he has had 50 bookings to him, plus the mares that are committed to him (from Emirates and Newgate) so it would be close to 100 mares already.”
Meanwhile, Emirates Park has two last-start winning two-year-olds racing at Flemington and Rosehill respectively today, the latter Formentera (I Am Invincible) in the Clarendon Stakes (1400m) in Sydney and Diala, a filly by their former resident stallion Artie Schiller (El Prado), in the Anzac Day Stakes (Listed, 1400m) in Melbourne.
Of Diala, who has drawn barrier eight in the juvenile race, Carlson said: “She’s a lovely filly who is a homebred by Artie Schiller who we used to stand. She’s always been an attractive filly and for her to pick up some black-type tomorrow or even win would be great.
“I would say (today) will be her grand final for this prep, then we’ll give her a spell and bring her back for some of the races in the spring, but we haven’t even discussed going forward (what they will be).”
Further north, Vega One (Lope De Vega), the Magic Millions Cup (RL, 1400m) winner in January who Emirates shares ownership of, also starts his Stradbroke Handicap (Gr 1, 1400m) campaign at the Sunshine Coast today.
The Tony Gollan-trained four-year-old is an acceptor for the Henzell’s Agency Open Handicap (1000m) with Baylee Nothdurft taking the ride after partnering him in a Doomben barrier trial last month when fourth.
Carlson also reported yesterday that Emirates Park’s 2018 Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Estijaab (Snitzel) was in the northern hemisphere and in foal to Frankel (Galileo) while the Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed mare Shumookh (Dream Ahead) is in foal to Darley’s Night Of Thunder (Dubawi).
All up, Emirates Park has nine high-quality mares based in the northern hemisphere.