World is Australasian-owned State Of Rest’s oyster after Prix Ganay victory

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Newgate Farm’s Henry Field admits State Of Rest (Starspangledbanner), who in the early hours of Monday morning (Australian time) won his third Group 1 race with a victory in the Prix Ganay (Gr 1, 2100m) in France, doesn’t fit his standard criteria as a stallion prospect but the entire’s Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) victory made him think twice.

As did an emphatic endorsement of the European-bred son of Starspangledbanner’s (Choisir) ability by prominent owners Lloyd and Nick Williams, who have a large group of horses with State Of Rest’s trainer Joseph O’Brien.

Field, China Horse Club and a powerful consortium of Australian owners and breeders joined forces with Ireland’s Rathbarry Stud to buy into the then northern hemisphere-bred three-year-old State Of Rest after last year’s Cox Plate win and the investment paid immediate dividends with his successful Group 1-winning seasonal return at Longchamp.

With a stallion roster at Newgate renowned for speed stallions – Extreme Choice (Not A Single Doubt), Capitalist (Written Tycoon), Deep Field (Northern Meteor) and Russian Revolution (Snitzel) among them – the acquisition of State Of Rest breaks the mould successfully employed by Field and his backers

“History often tells the future and what we have seen is that these Cox Plate winners, especially three-year-olds, have an elite record at stud,” Field told ANZ Bloodstock News yesterday. 

“If we look historically at horses who were Cox Plate winners as three-year-olds and multiple Group 1 winners since the turn of the century there’s only been three who were Cox Plate-winning three-year-olds and multiple Group 1 winners and they’re So You Think, Shamus Award and Savabeel and they’re excellent stallions, so State Of Rest profiles very well.

“While it’s not our normal model, we felt that if there was one horse who profiled as being right out of the box we would go on to buy him and this is the horse.”

State Of Rest will stand his first southern hemisphere season at Newgate Farm in 2023 and shuttle between Australia and Rathbarry Stud.

Ratings guru Daniel O’Sullivan, an expert Field calls on regularly, also gave State Of Rest the thumbs up after his Cox Plate triumph while runner-up Anamoe (Street Boss) is likely to be crowned Australia’s champion three-year-old and Verry Elleegant (Zed) won the Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) at her next start.

Mo’unga (Savabeel), a horse good enough to win a Group 1 over 1400 metres and 2000 metres, finished fourth, four lengths behind the winner.

“The form is excellent out of the race, Daniel O’Sullivan’s ratings from the race were excellent but what really gave us the push was Nick and Lloyd Williams who are very close to Joseph, they’d be nearly his biggest owners and they are in constant communication with him, and Nick drove me into buying the horse,” Field said.

“He was adamant that Joseph’s opinion of the horse was that he was one right out of the box and … because he was so bullish on him being a top-liner, that gave us the confidence to strike on him.”

State Of Rest won the Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes (Gr 1, 9.5f) on the turf prior to his Cox Plate victory and the dual hemisphere stallion prospect could create history if he wins his next start in the Tattersalls Gold Cup (Gr 1, 1m 21/2f) at the Curragh in Ireland on May 22. 

“He was excellent in the Prix Ganay, a historic race in France, and it is a rare achievement for a horse to win three Group 1s in a row on three different continents,” Field said.

“Someone told me earlier that if he wins the Gold Cup at the Curragh he’ll be the first horse in history to win four Group 1s in four different countries in a row.”

The Prince Of Wales’s Stakes (Gr 1, 1m2f) on day two of the Royal Ascot meeting in June is also a possibility for State Of Rest, as is defending his Cox Plate crown at Moonee Valley in October.

By Australian-bred reverse shuttler Starspangedbanner and out of Quiet American (Fappiano) mare Repose, State Of Rest is a half-brother to the juvenile winner and stakes-placed filly Tranquil Lady (Australia) while his second dam Monaassabaat (Zilzal) is a stakes winner herself and the dam of two stakes winners.

Field said: “He’s by Starspangledbanner with a really strong black-type pedigree and I love to buy horses who are tried and tested under Australian conditions who have our speed and pace and class to win our elite Group 1 races and he is that horse.

“I think there’s the potential for the horse to travel extensively throughout the 2022 season and he could come back for the Cox Plate this year. It is a phrase often used, but if his future is parallel to Joseph’s optimism the world is his oyster.”

 

State Of Rest’s southern hemisphere ownership group

• Newgate
• China Horse Club
• SF Bloodstock
• Matthew Sandblom
• Wilf and Rosemary Mula
• Laurel Oak Bloodstock
• Cunningham Thoroughbreds
• Douglas Racing
• Corumbene Stud
• Glenlogan Park Stud
• Blandford Lodge
• JML Bloodstock
• Dorrington Farm
• Tinnakill House
• G1G Racing and Breeding
• Carpe Diem Syndicate
• Silverdale Farm/Grant Bloodstock
• Geoff Wilson
• “Tubba” and Sue Williams
• Neil Semple
• John Dickson
• Duncan and Di Grimley