Written by Paul Vettise
The wait is all but over for Windsor Park Stud with first-crop representatives of three members of its stallion roster to hit Australasian racetracks in the coming months.
While it wasn’t by design that Windsor Park welcomed a trio of newcomers to the line-up in a single year, the right opportunities came knocking and the Cambridge farm seized its chances.
The Group 1 winners Turn Me Loose (NZ) and Vanbrugh and the stakes winner and Group performer Rageese were all signed for duty in 2017 to join Charm Spirit (Ire), Shamexpress and Mongolian Khan, who had arrived 12 months prior.
“The thing with us is that we’re always on the look-out for stallions and in some years you can find them and some you can’t,” stud co-owner Rodney Schick said.
“It just happened that year. You never really want to have three new stallions at the same stage, but they all came up and all fitted our criteria. We just had to make the move when the opportunities arose and they all have very good credentials.
“We didn’t want to miss them so we got all three. It’s one of those things and we’re now really looking forward to the 2-year-old season.”
Triple Group 1 winner
Turn Me Loose retired as one of the most successful sons of Iffraaj (GB) with Group 1 victories in the Emirates S., Futurity S. and the New Zealand 2000 Guineas.
“Obviously, Turn Me Loose was very, very dominant as a 3 and 4-year-old and in Australia, which is so important,” Schick said.
“Vanbrugh was the dominant spring 3-year-old in Sydney of his year. He came out and beat the older horses and then won the Gloaming S. and the G1 Spring Champion S.
“Rageese was the fourth highest-rated 2-year-old in Australia so we should see earlyish juveniles by him and he trained on as a 3 and 4-year-old and you don’t see many rated as highly as him from Australia. He was a very good horse.”
Turn Me Loose has enjoyed strong breeder support while the momentum has continued to build for his barnmates.
“It’s really exciting and Turn Me Loose has had really good numbers. He pretty much looked after himself because he had such a high profile when he retired and a lot of his progeny went straight into good stables,” Schick said.
“He pretty much looked after himself because he had such a high profile when he retired and a lot of his progeny went straight into good stables.” – Rodney Schick
“Vanbrugh and Rageese probably didn’t get the numbers I wanted, but I think there were 13 or 14 new stallions that year so there was a lot of competition.
“This year, they are both getting really good books off the back of leaving good types and there has been a lot of encouraging feedback so they are all getting good support now.
“I made a real effort with Vanbrugh and Rageese to take as many to sell to Australia as I could and get them racing in that market.
“Rageese had his first trial runner the other day and it ran third. It was a very good trial and I’d say she’d be hard to beat at her first start. She’s one we took to the Gold Coast and is out of DJ Lightning.”
Lan Kwai Fong (NZ) as a yearling
Named Lan Kwai Fong (NZ), she was purchased at the Magic Millions Sale by Mel O’Gorman for $75,000 and her dam was a North American 2-year-old stakes winner.
“We’ve got a few by Rageese, a Vanbrugh and a Turn Me Loose going to the Inglis Ready2Race Sale in Sydney and a few going to Karaka for the Ready to Run Sale,” Schick said.
“We’ve got a lot to look forward to with the new boys and hopefully a few winners will be rolling in.”
