A world away from the hustle and bustle of Rosehill on one of Australia's biggest days of racing, G1 Golden Slipper S. winner Estijaab (Snitzel) is embarking on her new career at Adrian and Philippa O'Brien's Hazelwood Bloodstock farm at Newmarket.
The second most expensive yearling filly by three-time Champion Sire Snitzel, who became that stallion's only Group 1 winning 2-year-old daughter, Estijaab would be among the most valuable first-season broodmares in the country, had she remained in Australia.
But her owners Emirates Park, who paid $1.7 million for her at the 2017 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, opted to send Estijaab to the United Kingdom in January to be mated with the legendary Frankel (GB) and become the latest member of its elite Northern Hemisphere broodmare band, which is based with Hazelwood.
Having visited Frankel at Juddmonte Farms in February, Estijaab got in foal to the unbeaten champion at her first attempt and Emirates Park is now awaiting the arrival of what shall be a very valuable first foal.
Estijaab, who is herself out of a Group 1-winning mare in Response (Charge Forward), was joined on her trip by the multiple Group 2-winner Shumookh (Dream Ahead {USA}), who began her breeding career with a visit to Darley's Night Of Thunder (Ire) at Kildangan Stud in Kildare.
The duo forms a key plank in the Emirates Park strategy of mixing the strength of its Australian-bred broodmare band with the elite sires of the Northern Hemisphere with a view to racing its best stock in Europe, the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Estijaab in the United Kingdom
"We want to breed to race up there for Emirates Park Principal His Excellency Nasser Lootah," Emirates Park General Manager Bryan Carlson told TDN AusNZ.
"All his friends race up there, so we can do that and access those better stallions up there like Frankel and Kingman and the like. Some of those fillies we may breed up there will come back, but it gives us access to those bloodlines.
"The mares we sent overseas this year are going well. Estijaab went to Frankel and she went in foal first time and she is doing very well. Similarly, Shumookh got in foal to Night Of Thunder which was good."
"The mares we sent overseas this year are going well. Estijaab went to Frankel and she went in foal first time and she is doing very well." - Bryan Carlson
Night Of Thunder has backed up excellent results from his first crop in the Northern Hemisphere, where he had seven stakes winners, to produce eight winners from 13 starters from his sole Australian crop, including two stakes winners.
"He's just doing so well as a sire," Carlson said of the son of Dubawi (Ire). "He's become one of the hottest young sires in the Northern Hemisphere at the moment."
Shumookh
Carlson said the intention as that Estijaab would remain in the United Kingdom for two or three years before returning home to Australia.
Among the other mares in the Newmarket band is the half-sister to Darley stallion Sepoy, Necklace (Eavesdropper {USA}), as well as Shumookh's half-sister Shahad (Fastnet Rock). Shumookh and Shahad are out of one of the most famous Emirates Park products in the triple Group 1 winner Shamekha (Secret Savings {USA}).
Improving quality and sourcing a stallion
They complement the much bigger broodmare band of around 60 that Emirates Park has in Australia. Carlson said the strategy was to continue improving their stock in both hemispheres.
"We try to upgrade that every year. The aim is to keep upgrading, preferably from ones we breed ourselves but if we find something at the sales we really like, we will buy it and add that in as well," Carlson said.
Emirates Park has been quiet at the yearling and broodmare sales so far in 2020, with just one purchase from the recent Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale, the Street Cry (Ire) mare Set The Limit.
Set The Limit, purchased by Emirates Park
It did however purchase a stallion in Tassort in conjunction with Newgate, where the son of Brazen Beau will stand in 2020 for a first-season price of $11,000 (inc GST).
"We think Brazen Beau is doing a good job and it was a good opportunity to work in with Newgate," Carlson said.
"Newgate has been telling us that he has been well-received. We will plan to send around 15 or so of our mares to him. We will work out which ones over the next month or so."
Searching for black type
On the racetrack, Emirates Park continues to seek black type with its better-bred fillies and this weekend will have Shuhood (I Am Invincible) contest the G2 Magic Millions The Roses at Doomben.
She is out of one of those Hazelwood-based mares, in Shahad, who had two foals in Australia before she headed overseas to visit Galileo (Ire) in 2017.
Trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, Shuhood has required plenty of patience, but she put together back-to-back wins at Canterbury and Hawkesbury in April and May before finishing a close-up fourth in her first attempt at stakes company in the Listed Pam O'Neill S. at Doomben last time out.
"She's been a funny filly. She has always shown something, but it has taken until now to get her going," Carlson said.
"The distance is probably the question on Saturday. That's the main thing. She is fit and ready to go. The favourite (Vanna Girl) looks hard to beat, but the aim is to get a bit of black type.
"We will re-assess after the race to see if she comes back as a 4-year-old, or she goes to stud."
Emirates Park has also spread its racing wings to Western Australia and two weeks ago got its first ever winner in the state with the Simon Miller-trained Nuhad (Dream Ahead {USA}).
The 2-year-old filly was a dominant winner on debut and fronts up for her second start on Saturday in the opening race, where she is currently favourite.
"That's our plan no matter where our horses are running. To try and find those good females from nice families and get those wins and get that black type," Carlson said.
