The McEvoys will line up five contenders in the Listed Schweppes Oaklands Plate at Morphettville and while they have only one chance in the Byerley H. at Flemington, Mr Wolf (Magnus) promises to acquit himself well.

Weight of numbers suggests the stable can claim a late season stakes title at Morphettville with The Krone (Dissident), Kahaylaan (Pride Of Dubai), The Brumby (Spirit Of Boom), Mayameen (Mulazeem) and Who Runs The World (Zoustar) to do battle.

“I had a choice whether to turn a couple of them out and wait, but gee whiz it’s a $100,000 Listed race in July and it looks like we’ll get decent ground so we thought why not run them,” Tony McEvoy said.

While they all have form on the board from limited appearances, McEvoy is in no doubt as to which one is blessed with the most ability.

“The best horse I’m taking there is Kahaylaan. He’s got the most talent by far and he’s been doing a few things wrong, but the penny will really drop for him one day and I hope it’s sooner rather than later.

“He beat himself last start and he’s worked very well since and come on really nicely.”

Kahaylaan finished fifth on debut at Caulfield before he led all the way to get his first winning strike on the board at Gawler and most recently at Balaklava got back from a wide gate before making late ground for fifth.

He was purchased by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum for $300,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale where he was offered by Tyreel Stud.

Kahaylaan is a son of the unraced Lonhro mare Magic Nera, who is a sister to the Listed Hawkesbury Ladies’ Day Cup winner Tromso and a half-sister to the Listed Queensland Day Plate winner Kamacite (Northern Meteor), who also won in Hong Kong as Primero.

He won’t have it easy though as stablemates The Krone, The Brumby and Mayameen are all last-start winners and Who Runs The World finished runner-up at her most recent appearance at Gawler.

Encouraging start

Meanwhile, Mr Wolf was a debut winner at Murray Bridge and followed up with a third placing at Balaklava to fit him for the extended 1800 metres of the Byerley H. at Flemington.

“His two 1400 metre runs have suggested he wants a bit further so a mile would have been an ideal race, but there wasn’t one around,” McEvoy said.

“He’s pretty fit and the 1800 metres will be a bit of a challenge at this time of the year for those babies.

“He’s quite a promising horse and he’s been taking on the older horses and I’m sure he’ll handle himself well, he’s a nice type.”

Bred by David Brideoake, Mr Wolf was bought out of Rushton Park’s consignment for $150,000 by Tricolours Racing and Syndications.

His dam Fortrus Dancer (Starcraft {NZ}) was successful three times and she is a half-sister to the dual stakes-winner Mr Trickster (Brocco {USA}) and to Just A Kiseki (Fuji Kiseki {Jpn}).

Rosemont’s stallion roster was boosted by the arrival last year of Shamus Award, who will stand at $19,800 inc GST in 2020 and Starspangledbanner at the same fee. Newcomer Strasbourg will stand at an introductory fee of $11,000 inc GST, Starcraft (NZ) will be offered at $8800 inc GST and Nostradamus at $5500 inc GST.

TDN AusNZ: Service fees have been announced, how are you finding the response to your roster given the current economic uncertainty?

Anthony Mithen: We haven’t really had to alter things too much. Shamus Award deserved a little tickle upwards given the job he’s doing. He’s the best-performed Victorian stallion on stakes winners to runners and I think anything under $20,000 is great value.

He’s found his mark and proving to still be very popular. The other stallions are at competitive prices given where the market is at and I think everyone has taken it on board to give mare owners opportunities to make a quid without over-extending.

TDN AusNZ: Physical type, race performance and pedigree are all important criteria when selecting stallions, but if there were one you'd prioritise over the others, what would it be and why?

AM: In an ideal world they would have all three and it’s almost like 'would you stand a horse without them?' and probably I wouldn’t. A case in point for us is Strasbourg and putting a question like this into practice. It was the physical type that really got me over the line with him, he’s such a beautiful horse and if he’s a black cat having black kittens then everyone is going to make a lot of money out of him.

He’s a magnificent specimen and that got me – he’s a $750,000 son of I Am Invincible and then throw in a race record that includes a Group 2 win and his pedigree is okay without being splashed with Group 1 winners all over the page, it’s acceptable.

He’s got five stars on physical and that probably answers the question in terms of what’s most important to me, but you do have to have a blend to make a successful stallion.

TDN AusNZ: Looking ahead to the next few years, are there any changes to your business model you're planning and what is your process for reviewing how your business is placed?

AM: We would like to position ourselves in the market as being the Victorian leader with stallions and we’re going to take steps to make that happen and look for partners to support us in that. That’s something we’re excited to push on within the next 12 months.

With the appointment of Ryan McEvoy there’s no better time to do that, given his area of expertise with stallions and managing stallions like Sebring and Zoustar through Widden Stud. We’re dedicated to excellence across the board and we’ve assembled a great team of both humans and horses. We’re well positioned to make an impact.

TDN AusNZ: What is the biggest challenge facing your business at the moment?

AM: I’m sure everyone is answering with economic factors at the moment. I do think that we need to be very careful about where we are positioned in a community sense and we don’t lose sight of the fact that it is very much a community sport, and a community employer.

We really need to make sure the general public who don’t really care much for racing, don’t have an opinion or are ambivalent and are made aware of that. I don’t know that the industry has done a good job of that in the past. It was once a part of the fabric of being Australian and I think that we’ve lost that a bit and become a bit insular.

I get that there has been a lot of work done in the animal welfare area to make sure we are beyond reproach in that regard, but I think we can go a step further and put racing back into the general Australian psyche. It’s a big employer and lots of people can benefit from it and get a lot of enjoyment out of it, including the animals that are so well cared for.

TDN AusNZ: You've worked for some interesting people throughout your career, can you tell me who had the largest influence on you and the lesson you will not forget?

AM: I’m not a person born into the industry and had no family connection to it. My crossover from media into the bloodstock business was one that was poles apart, but I drew from my now business partner and he wasn’t one when I made that decision.

My brother-in-law Nigel Austin runs one of the most successful clothing retail businesses in the world [Cotton On] and I’m lucky enough to also call him a great mate and I’ve been lucky he’s guided me to make some good business calls. Even though breeding isn’t necessarily his number one focus, he’s certainly got business acumen above anyone I know.

TDN AusNZ: Who currently in the industry do you look toward for inspiration, and why?

AM: I’ve always found the Mitchell brothers, Harry and Arthur, to be welcoming and helpful with their time and advice and they’ve got a model that I aspire to. They’ve got nice stallions and farm and doing it all with a smile on their faces, and a moral compass that points the right way. Hopefully, one day I can end up with an I Am Invincible in the backyard, that would be nice.

TDN AusNZ: Who did you learn the most from, regarding horse conformation? And why do you think they were a good judge?

AM: I’ve been someone that has taken little bits from everyone along the way. I think back to what I looked for 17 years ago when I left TV and thought it might be an ideal to become a horse breeder and run a farm. I shudder in horror at my thoughts at the time about what made a nice horse as opposed to a decade and a-half or more down the track.

There hasn’t been any one person that I have sidled alongside and afford myself the opportunity to be mentored, I was the peak of the pyramid when we had four people working for us when we started up. I had to do it all, and in reality, and history will tell you, I didn’t know much and had to learn quickly.

One good influence was Dean Harvey, who now runs Baystone Farm and worked for me for three or four years. He was a confidant and a mate and he always had a nice eye for a horse. He was one I could ask dumb questions and wouldn’t be cast aside and made to wear the dunce hat so he deserves a rap for that.

TDN AusNZ: What physical element really hooks you into a horse, and what trait can you not forgive?

AM: I’ve been to the races enough and looked at horses in the mounting yard to see most things and you shake your head and think how is this even at the races, given the world that we live in when they’ve got to be straight and perfect everywhere.

You can go into the mounting yard at Flemington during the carnival and you see them in all shapes and sizes, so I wouldn’t condemn a horse for anything if they have enough going for them in other areas. That may be naive because I’ve never trained one, I’m sure there are trainers that can answer the question better than me!

TDN AusNZ: Who is the best stallion physical you have ever seen?

AM: Right now it would be Strasbourg because he’s an A1 knockout. That’s a little biased and I’ve always admired Lonhro as a physical. He’s such a beautiful horse and I saw him as a pre-Christmas 2-year-old up at Belmont Park at Woodlands and had a friendship with the Hawkes family and Wayne in particular. I went up there during a Hunter Valley tour and I still remember looking in the box at this black horse and they said look out for him. I followed him and backed him in his first start and goes down as one of my all-time favourites.

TDN AusNZ: What stallion on another farm's roster would you like to be standing?

AM: I’m lucky enough to have a breeding right in I Am Invincible and that’s as close as I can get to a champion stallion that’s up in the clouds like him. While we obviously don’t stand him, it’s nice to be part of that team.

I feel the horse on the move is Capitalist with lots of numbers and he gets them in all shapes and sizes, a bit like Written Tycoon.

TDN AusNZ: Which four people, within the industry or outside it, dead or alive, would you invite to a dinner party?

AM: I went with the current day and hoping and dreaming it could come off at some stage. I would want it to be entertaining rather than informative and that’s my social side coming out and maybe the fact we’ve been locked down with this COVID-19.

Angus Gold, he’s a very learned horseman and screamingly entertaining person. He’s very good on the microphone and he could kick start the karaoke.

In similar vein, a very knowledgeable guy who I’ve had a lot to do with and a lot of dinners in the last four or five years and I wouldn’t hear the end of it if he didn’t get invited, and that’s Peter Moody. He could come along and his quick wit would certainly add to the table.

Another guy who is a loveable larrikin and has been absolutely spectacular for the industry and just as entertaining is Gerry Harvey. Gerry gets the third seat and the fourth seat, and I’m going out on a limb because I don’t know him but I would imagine that he would be quite scintillating in this company, would be Frankie Dettori.

TDN AusNZ: Which global breeding brand do you have the ultimate respect for?

AM: I have the utmost respect for the two international giants of Coolmore and Godolphin. Twenty or 30 years ago they pitched a flag in Australia and what they have been able to do, enhance Australia by opening up very big and successful operations here, has been fantastic.

Coolmore’s recent support of the Easter Sale and of the industry when times are tough can’t be under-estimated. Those two organisations, while their head offices are based elsewhere, have done an unbelievable job for Australian breeding and racing and continue to do so, we should be indebted to them.

It didn’t take John Thompson long to believe he had something special on his hands when he first got serious with Mamaragan (Wandjina) and the multiple Group 1-winning trainer’s early opinion was duly vindicated.

Thompson has the talented colt back in work to build toward spring riches and with good reason has every confidence that the colt will rise to greater heights as a 3-year-old.

Mamaragan proved himself to be up with the best of his age group during a light first preparation and the Randwick conditioner has a spring program mapped out with the G1 Golden Rose S. as the main goal.

“From day one he showed he was well above average hence we ran him in a Group race at his first start. We also knew he was going to get better with time, he was an immature colt and he’s progressed a lot and I’m sure he’ll keep improving.”

Off the back of two trial wins, Mamaragan won the G2 Skyline S. on debut and then finished third in both the G1 Golden Slipper S. and the G1 ATC Sires’ Produce S. before he was sent for a spell.

“He’ll go to the trials on July 28 and he’s going really well. He’s come back in very good order and grown and filled out so we’re very happy with him,” Thompson said.

“His first three runs will be in the G3 San Domenico S., the G2 Run To The Rose and then into the G1 Golden Rose S.

“The Wandjinas have showed they aren’t really 2-year-olds and come good at three and hopefully he’s going to be the same.”

Thompson bought Mamaragan out of Newgate’s draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $180,000. The colt was bred by Wilf Mula’s Aston Bloodstock, who has remained in the ownership.

He is a son of Forbidden (General Nediym), who won on five occasions, and she is a half-sister to the G2 Coupland’s Bakeries Mile winner Son Of Maher (Al Maher), whose sister Dance With Her was a dual Listed winner.

Further back in the pedigree is Sound Action (Vettori {Ire}), the Group 1 winner of the Australasian Oaks and the Rawson S.

Force to be reckoned with

Mamaragan’s stablemate Dreamforce (Fastnet Rock) will be given an early opportunity to add to his two top-flight titles when he resumes in the G1 Winx S. at Randwick on August 22.

“He’s one of those horses that improves preparation on preparation and he’s been looked after and hasn’t had many starts each prep,” Thompson said.

“He’s gone to a little bit higher level each time and he’s been placed well. If he can raise the bar again this time he might just put a couple more together.”

In the shorter term, Thompson is keen on the chances of the promising Best Stone (I Am Invincible) in the Debortoli Wines H. at Randwick on Saturday, if she gets conditions to suit. She has won two of her eight starts and was fifth when recently resuming.

“I have to say that both Nash (Rawiller) and I were shocked that she didn’t handle the heavy track like we thought she would,” Thompson said.

“She had won on soft ground and trialled well on a heavy track, but she was the first horse gone when she came off the bridle at the 600.

“She goes well and I’m sure she can get black type at some stage, she’s a progressive horse. If we get a Soft 7 on Saturday I would be quietly confident that she will run very well.”

Raced by Phoenix Thoroughbreds, Best Stone has already faced and overcome adversity after a serious injury as a younger filly.

“They bought her as a yearling and was to have gone through a yearling sale, but she broke her pelvis,” Thompson said.

Best Stone was secured for $390,000 out of Amarina Farm’s draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Weanling Sale. She is a half-sister to the G1 Greyville Premier’s Champion S. winner Harry’s Son (Haradasun).

Their dam Dash On Ruby (Anabaa {USA}) won six races and is from the family of two more South African Group 1 winners in Ruby Clipper (Rubiton) and her son Seventh Rock (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}).

In the thoroughbred business around the world, every successful stud farm, trainer, jockey and bloodstock agent can tell you the one special horse that propelled their career trajectory forward, helping their brand break through the glass ceiling.

For me it was Obviously (USA) (Choisir) in America, who won nine Group races including three at Grade 1 level highlighted by the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, while in Australia it was Scales Of Justice. The imposing bay gelding won seven Group races including two Group 1s, earning over $2.3 million.

I remember the first time I saw Scales Of Justice in 2014, known then as Lot 69 in the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.

Physically he was not the common mould of his sire Not A Single Doubt, being quite scopey. He had a presence about him when he came out of his box that was quite incredible. Each time I looked at him, I got the same gut feeling that there was something special about this horse.

This particular sale was also one of the first that I teamed up with trainer Lindsey Smith to do the ground work and shortlist horses for him. Lindsey told me his ambitions of winning the big races in the West and having horses good enough to come back to Melbourne. Aided by his biggest owner Chris Wells, who was also in attendance at the Sale, Lindsey was on the hunt to find a horse that would help realise his dreams.

I showed Lindsey and Wellsy a few horses and the last one was Lot 69, I called him our “game changer”. They both agreed that he was the one they wanted and after a nervous bidding dual with Robbie Laing he was ours for $180,000. One of my clients, who had supported me since I started out on my own, Bill Andrews, was also at the Sale and took the advice and a share in the bay colt that would soon be known as Scales Of Justice.

He was quickly dubbed 'Chopper' at the stable and Lindsey would describe how this horse was different to the vast majority he had been involved with throughout his career. He would say how intelligent he was and he quickly became part of the Smith family, eating his trainer out of house and home with the huge volume of carrots he would devour.

Scales Of Justice touched so many people’s lives through his career both on and off the track throughout his life.

He brought my family and I such joy when he would run, giving everything he had, every time. I will think of him often and I will forever be grateful for the door he opened and the opportunities I have been afforded because of his efforts.

Rest in peace Chopper.