Leading back Eckstein (I Am Invincible) after her Listed Winter S. win at Rosehill on Saturday was an early 50th birthday treat for Coolmore's Colm Santry, but it was his wife Nikki who got the real present, retained as a part-owner of the mare, who is headed to Justify (USA) this season.
Santry played a major role in securing Eckstein for Coolmore at this year's Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale at the Gold Coast for $750,000, one of a host of mares the global giant purchased to go to the unbeaten US Triple Crown winner in his first Australian season.
Eckstein recently sold through Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale
Nikki Santry was in the previous ownership of Eckstein through her father Michael Wiener, who with his mate Alan Cardy, named the mare after champion ironman Shannon Eckstein, who Wiener had sponsored through his association with the Northcliffe Surf Club.
"My wife's family owned her and raced her," Santry said. "She was going to go to stud this year, but they aren't breeders so they put her through the ring."
"My wife asked me afterwards, that for sentimental value, she'd love to stay in with her for the breeding." - Colm Santry
"Myself and Tom Magnier bought her for $750,000 for Coolmore and my wife asked me afterwards, that for sentimental value, she'd love to stay in with her for the breeding. My wife has a small percentage in her and it’s great for her to win again for the family."
And so the Coolmore Australia Sales and Nominations Manager was there to lead Eckstein back to scale with his daughter Ella on Saturday, grateful to his good mate Blake Shinn for a perfect ride on the 5-year-old.
Blake Shinn, Colm and Ella Santry and Tom Magnier
"It was fantastic and it was great to have Blake on board. He's a good pal and I had him up at Coolmore last week and we came up with a plan to get her to win and it's great it came off," he said,
"She can miss the break a bit, but he rode her to perfection. He got her home."
The right match for Justify
While there was obviously a strong connection with Eckstein before Coolmore purchased her, Santry said she always shaped as an ideal broodmare prospect.
"I was always watching her at the races. She was a multiple Group 3 winner who got beaten a nose in the G1 Myer Classic on Derby Day by Shoals. She has a lot of ability and she is a good looking mare," he said.
"There's a lot of Sir Tristram (Ire) in her. She's out of a Choisir mare (Comrie), who is in turn out of a Sir Tristram mare (Oh So Canny)."
"She was a big scopey filly who has kept improving, and now she's going out on a high. Her future now lies in the breeding barn." - Colm Santry
"She was a big scopey filly who has kept improving, and now she's going out on a high. Her future now lies in the breeding barn."
There may be one more chance for the Santry family to lead her back to the winner's stall, with the Listed Winter Challenge at Rosehill on July 27 a likely racetrack farewell. That would be her sixth black-type win.
Eckstein winning the Listed Winter Stakes
"We’ll leave it to Chris Waller," Santry, who marked a milestone of his own with a birthday on Monday, said.
But he is just as excited, if not more, about her prospects as a broodmare, especially with such a strong mating in her first year.
"It’s a very good mating for Justify, and he's going to cover an unbelievable book of mares in his first season. Coolmore got right behind him at the sales. We purchased a lot of great mares to go to him and we have every faith in the horse," he said.
Ready to Justify the hype
Santry said the response from breeders to Justify has been unbelievable.
"He's fully booked out. He's a very popular horse and he's got that Scat Daddy (USA) factor," he said.
There is no hotter sireline in the world at the moment than Scat Daddy, who has three of his sons at Coolmore Australia this spring, including No Nay Never (USA), whose first crop star Ten Sovereigns (Ire) was a dominant winner of the G1 July Cup for Aidan O'Brien on Saturday.
Justify | Image Coolmore Australia
Santry said that was a reminder of the strength of that sireline.
"Scat Daddy works all over the world, like all of the great stallions. Like Northern Dancer (Can), like Mr Prospector (USA), like Danzig (USA) and Galileo (Ire), they work everywhere. Scat Daddy has worked in America, South America, Japan and all over Europe," he said.
Justify and No Nay Never stand alongside another son of Scat Daddy, Mendelssohn (USA) at Jerrys Plains this year, while a fourth son, Sioux Nation (USA) stands at Swettenham Stud in Victoria.
