Cover image courtesy of Arrowfield Stud

In the space of nine months, starting with the 2011 Winterbottom S., Ortensia was able to secure a treble of Group 1 wins across three different continents, putting her in the rarest of company as an elite racehorse.

Her association with Perth's premier sprinting race started two years earlier in 2009 when, trained by Tony Noonan, she powered home to win the Group 2 race. It was to prove her final win for Noonan, with the mare having been first across the line in the 2010 G1 The Galaxy, only to lose it through a positive swab.

Twelve months later and racing shy of her best, it seemed her racetrack career was at the crossroads and the expectation was that she would slip off into a breeding career at the end of her 5-year-old season.

The circumstances of that lost Group 1 win hurt the ownership group and the decision was made to give Ortensia one more chance to prove herself as a racehorse, this time with trainer Paul Messara.

"The expectations were not very high. The owner, Alister Fraser, felt she had come to the end of her run but he was just keen to see the mare win again. We were thinking of maybe targeting her towards those Listed fillies and mares races in Queensland," Messara told TDN AusNZ.

"We turned her out, gave her a decent break and brought her back in. We had no pre-conceived opinion on how she'd come up."

Had she not impressed Messara, Ortensia would simply head to the breeding barn, but the trainer felt she was re-invigorated by the environment in the Hunter Valley.

"It was one step at a time with her and she wasn't a straightforward horse to train. She was an older mare who had done her bit of racing, but she really thrived with the change of environment when we took her out into the country," he said.

A Listed sprint down the Flemington straight on G1 VRC Oaks Day was picked out where she confirmed Messara's suspicions she very much still wanted to be a racehorse. It was a historic victory in the fact it was Darren Beadman's final winning ride in Australia.

"Darren got off her and was very complimentary. She did it very comfortably and won easily," Messara said.

"Following on from that, we had the opportunity to go to Perth presented to us. We obviously took that, thought it would be a wonderful race for her, especially seeing it had been upgraded to a Group 1.

"She obviously wasn't a Group 1 winner at the time, so it was going to add terrific value to her as a broodmare prospect."

From Perth to the world

Craig Williams delivered the perfect ride on Ortensia in the Winterbottom S., sitting her just off the pace and delivering her into the race at exactly the right moment as she broke her Group 1 maiden in impressive fashion.

Watch: Ortensia win the 2011 G1 Winterbottom S.

But as opposed to simply ticking the Group 1 box on the way to the breeding barn, the win sparked a whole new series of racetrack adventures for the daughter of Testa Rossa.

"The opportunity then came to go to Dubai. Alister Fraser had lived with his partner Emma Ridley in Dubai previously, and he was very keen to go on that trip," Messara said.

The Al Quoz Sprint, held on Dubai World Cup night, provided Messara with what he still says was a career highlight as a trainer.

"It's just such a surreal atmosphere over there. I've never seen anything like that Dubai World Cup night. There were fireworks, there were people walking around with tigers on chains, there was bi-plane flying over our heads. It's like a Las Vegas show mixed up with racing. It was just the most extraordinary thing to experience," he said.

"To take one over there and win one. The chances of only taking one horse to Dubai and winning a Group 1 race are so small. Everything went our way that night, it worked exactly to our plan and she finished over the top of them."

Watch: Ortensia win the 2012 G1 Al Quoz Sprint

A Royal challenge

Suddenly, the world was at Ortensia's feet and a trip to England for the Northern Hemisphere summer came on the radar.

Her English campaign began at Royal Ascot, where racing's two unbeaten superstars, Frankel (GB) and fellow Aussie mare Black Caviar (Bel Esprit) were the headline acts.

Frankel had just completed an 11l destruction of his rivals in the G1 Queen Anne S. when Ortensia went out as joint favourite for the G1 King's Stand S., but the moment would prove too much for her, and she would finish ninth, beaten nearly 7l.

"She was completely overwhelmed by the environment and she was dripping with sweat before the race. She had run her race before she started and we kind of knew that when we saddled her up," Messara said.

A few days later, Black Caviar would narrowly win the G1 Golden Jubilee S., confirming herself as the best sprinter in the world.

But while Peter Moody's unbeaten star's British campaign was over, Messara and Fraser still had plans for Ortensia.

"My dream has always been to win the July Cup, I've had two cracks, one with Alverta and one with her. I honestly believe she would have won that day, other than the fact that the track was effectively a Heavy 15. We wouldn't have raced on it in Australia," Messara said.

"She ran a super race there, ran fourth. It was a fantastic run, and a testament to how well she was going given how much she hated wet ground.

"She was ridden that day by William Buick and he got off and said. 'You should stick around because, you will win the Nunthorpe at York for sure'."

Successes at Goodwood and York

Messara had not planned for an entire summer in England, and with pregnant wife Alice and a small child back home, entrusted much of Ortensia's preparation to foreman Leah Gavranich.

"She looked after her right through the preparation. They had a great relationship. Those two got on like a house on fire and she was in good hands when I wasn't there," Messara said.

Messara somewhat surprised the locals by opting to take Ortensia to contest the G2 King George S., at Goodwood ahead of the Nunthorpe.

"They all thought I was crazy, but I knew she needed a serious gallop, and I might as well send her to the races and she won that Group 2. It’s a fascinating track, going uphill and downhill, but she was ridden beautifully, she came down the middle of the track to win, which was fantastic," he said.

The night before the Nunthorpe, Messara was cursing the Yorkshire weather as the rain poured down. He had walked the track intently and noted the inside part of the track remained in good condition despite the racing through the week.

"I told the jockey whatever happens, I just want you to get to the far inside in the last two furlongs, that looks our best chance," Messara said.

Ortensia's chances of victory looked forlorn after she shied at the start of the five furlong race having been hit in the face by a discarded blindfold from another runner, but Buick stuck to the plan.

"He took his time and the main thing about that jockey with that horse, William understood her very well and was super patient and trusted her. He let her get her feet and eventually made it to the inside the last 400 and she was too good in the finish," he said.

That Nunthorpe win was a supremely satisfying victory, especially for Messara. It was to prove her final racetrack success, but she had already written her own history.

"She's the only horse I know who has won Group 1s on three continents in the space of 12 months," Messara said.

Legacy lives on

Ortensia sadly died after developing a tumour in 2016, but her legacy lives on through her daughters Artefiori (Choisir) and Infiorata (Dream Ahead {USA}). Artefiori won one of her 13 starts for Messara while Infiorata never raced.

Both mares had their first foals at Arrowfield Stud this year, with Artefiori having a filly by Dundeel (NZ) and Infiorata a filly by Maurice (Jpn).

"Alister kept both daughters and we are breeding from them. The Maurice filly is a really nice flashy filly and the Dundeel filly is a bit of a first foal in terms of size, but pretty nice as well. Of the two, the Maurice is probably the pick of them," Messara said.

"It was a shame to lose Ortensia. She was always going to throw a fast horse. We didn’t see the best of her as a broodmare because she was quite an extraordinary mare. On her day, she was as good as anything."

Cover image courtesy of Tattersalls

The Tattersalls December Mares Sale in Newmarket has long been a happy hunting ground for Southern Hemisphere breeders and next week’s Sale will see a mare go through the ring that has been specifically entered to target the Australian market.

Lot 1747 - a 5-year-old daughter of Invincible Spirit (Ire) named Tashaarok (Ire) - will be offered by Ireland-based Tinnakill House and has been covered by former Darley shuttler Night Of Thunder on Southern Hemisphere time.

Having observed the success Night Of Thunder was having Down Under at the beginning of the year, Jack Cantillon went out and sourced a mare specifically to have covered by the stallion with the intention of selling her to Australia.

With the son of Dubawi (Ire) only shuttling to Australia for one season and covering a small book of just 96 mares, Cantillon believes his mare presents a rare opportunity for the Australian breeding industry.

“We had lockdown here in Ireland and lockdown prompted a bit more watching of Australian racing than we normally would, even though we’re big fans,” Cantillon told TDN AusNZ. “And one of the things we noticed was how well Night Of Thunder had done with 13 per cent stakes winners to runners with his first crop and he’d done something similar in Europe.

“We were very keen to find a mare for him to cover on Southern Hemisphere time. We’ve done it before, we sold a mare in foal to Invincible Spirit on Southern Hemisphere time and we were keen to do it again.”

Selected from Cyprus

Purchased as a yearling by Shadwell Stud for 135,000 gns (AU$257,985), Tashaarok then went to the 2018 December Mares Sale where she was purchased by Elias Kritikos to continue her career in the Middle East before being sourced by Cantillon.

“A good friend of mine Mike Kelly is a great man to find a mare in an unusual place and working together we bought Tashaarok in Cyprus.

"It wouldn’t be a conventional place to buy a mare but she was an expensive yearling who was bought by very smart people in Shadwell so that gave me confidence that she was good looking and the videos backed that up,” Cantillon said.

“In the intervening period, her half-sister Lady Penelope, who is also by Night Of Thunder, was a very talented Listed-winning sprinter for Joseph O’Brien.

“After that, she ticked all the boxes for me as the perfect mare for Night Of Thunder.

“She’s by Invincible Spirit and that’s already a proven cross with Under The Stars who is one of the best 2-year-olds for Night Of Thunder, she is also out of an Invincible Spirit mare."

Under The Stars (Ire) became the first stakes winner for her sire when taking out the G3 Princess Margaret S. at Ascot, then followed it up with a Listed win at Haydock as a 3-year-old after finishing sixth in the G1 1000 Guineas.

But it was Night Of Thunder's Australian success that appealed to Cantillon.

“I had John Burke from the Godolphin Flying Start join me and he had actually done his project at the end of the Flying Start on how well Night Of Thunder was doing in Australia and he wanted to do the exact same thing, so he ended up taking a leg of the mare. Then I have the rest of her with my father Dermot so we’re very excited to sell her.

“It’s something a bit different and it’s a bit of a challenge but we’re looking forward to it next week.”

A rare gem

Night Of Thunder has sired 16 winners with his three stakes winners headed by Group 2 winner Cherry Tortoni, from 24 runners out of 53 foals, in his one and only crop in Australia. Cantillon believes it’s a great chance to offer something to Australia that is out of the ordinary.

“What drives price more than anything is value and there are only 30 mares covered to him on Southern Hemisphere time, of which this is the only one at public auction in Europe in 2020. I think that is compelling and something exciting for people to get involved with,” he said.

Despite no Australian or New Zealand buyers being able to make their way to the European sales this year, we have still seen plenty of Southern Hemisphere action through the use of online platforms and agents on the ground.

However, Cantillon had his mare covered in September, before any of the major sales took place, making it a risky move but he said it was a risk he was willing to take.

“The internet is an amazing thing and I think if you get the word out there, people understand value and nowadays you look at a mare online and you buy it,” he said. “I’ve done it myself and I’m sure there will be Australian buyers doing it there this week.

“We’ve had lots of interest already. Lots of people have been very curious and have asked lots of questions and asked for photos so we are happily obliging and doing that. It’s been very positive so far.”

Less than a month after legendary AFL coach Denis Pagan saddled Johnny Get Angry (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) to win the G1 VRC Derby, another retired AFL star in Hayden Ballantyne will have his first Group 1 runner when Mankind (Denman) contests the G1 Winterbottom S. on Saturday.

Ballantyne played 171 games for Fremantle over 11 years and retired at the end of the 2019 season, but before he finished up playing footy, he had already taken out his trainers licence in preparation for his transition out of the game.

The 33-year-old will be represented in Saturday’s WA feature sprint by Mankind, who was Ballantyne’s first-ever winner as a trainer, but he said he’s not going into the race with overly high expectations.

“There’s a bit of excitement,” Ballantyne told TDN AusNZ. “We’re under no illusions, there’s a lot of very good horses in there and most of them are a lot better than Mankind. But he’s a little trier and he’s fit and healthy and ready to go so if he goes out there and puts in a good performance, we’re going to be very happy.”

Mankind was bred and originally raced by Bob Peters before being acquired by Ballantyne in early 2019. He has since had 26 starts for five wins and the trainer said he is the horse that reignited his love for the sport.

“He is owned by a few of my mates and a few of the ex-teammates as well,” he said. “I suppose he is the one that reignited the passion for racing for me.

“I was always involved with horse racing with my dad and I started playing footy and then picked up horse racing again after I purchased mankind a couple of years ago.

“He definitely re-ignited that fire and that passion in me with racing and to see what he’s done so far has been unreal and I can’t wait to see him progress even further.”

Competitive nature

Both playing AFL and training racehorses are two exceptionally time consuming and tough professions and while most footballers would be eyeing a break to rest and rejuvenate at the end of their careers, Ballantyne said his competitive nature made him want to get straight back into racing.

“In AFL you prepare every week and you go out on gameday and try and perform, and it’s very similar to racing,” he said. “You prepare the horse as best you can through the week and you get it to race day but then it’s taken out of your hands a little bit and you can’t control it. You give it to the jockey and you just say ‘do your best’, and you just hope for the best.

“They’re very similar and the competitive nature of it really gets me involved as well. I’m a very competitive person and I love to win, so it gives me that little bit of an adrenaline rush each week when you see your horse coming down the straight and you’re hoping for the best.

“It’s something you can never get sick of I think, to see your horse coming down the straight when it’s a chance to win.”

Racing is not a new found love for Ballantyne though, with his father Graeme having been a trainer in Perth for a number of years.

“My dad is a full-time horse trainer and I used to get up before school and ride a few at the track for him,” Ballantyne said. “It actually got me fairly fit and prepared me for footy too, so that worked hand in hand.

“I stepped away a little bit and focussed on footy for a 12-year career and then in the last 18 to 24 months, I dipped my toe back in the water and started getting involved more heavily.

“I’ve always been around, I’ve always owned a couple of horses with my dad - we owned the 2013 Perth Cup winner Talent Show - so I’ve always been involved to some degree, but now I suppose it’s in a full-time capacity.”

Anything is possible

After watching Pagan, a fellow former AFL identity win the time-honoured VRC Derby a few weeks ago, Ballantyne said it reinforced for him that anything is possible on the day and that’s the mindset he is going into Saturday’s race with.

“Denis said himself in the interview that he was barely expecting the horse to get a run let alone win the race,” Ballantyne said. “And I’m big on what people say and Denis was just speaking from the heart, and what he thought about the horse and how he prepared it and got it ready.

“Everything took care of itself and that’s basically what I’ve done with Mankind this week. I’ve prepared him as best as I can, he’s as fit as he can be and everything else will take care of itself on the day so we just cross our fingers and hope for the best.

“I’m not going to get too ahead of myself, I’m going out there and just hoping he does his best.

“If he wins we’ll be absolutely stoked, if not we will prepare for him to go around again in a few weeks time and hopefully he can win a race there.

“I just love being involved in the industry and seeing the horses out there and doing what they love.

“To win a Group 1 would be massive but there’s plenty of years left down the track to do that.”

Cover image courtesy of Tattersalls

Selwood out in front

The established names of Iffraaj (GB) and Oasis Dream (GB) led the session when consecutive colts from James Read’s Selwood Bloodstock sold for 57,000 gns (AU$108,927) and 50,000 gns (AU$95,550) respectively.

Anita Wigan bred this year’s G2 Coventry S. winner Nando Parrado (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) and is also responsible for the Iffraaj colt (Lot 442), a son of the dual-winning Shamardal (USA) mare Soryah (Ire) whom she bought from the Godolphin draft at last year’s December Sale for 18,000 gns (AU$34,398). The session-topper was bought by Ross Doyle on behalf of the Morrin family’s Pier House Stud.

“He is a good-looking horse out of a Shamardal mare and by a top stallion,” said Doyle, who added that the colt would likely return to neat year’s October Sale.

The next lot into the ring (443) was prepared by Read for his breeder Lady Hardy and is a half-brother to treble winner Stylianekkos (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}). By Oasis Dream, he was the selection of Flash Conroy of Glenvale Stud at 50,000 gns (AU$95,550).

With three foals sold for an average of 39,000 gns (AU$74,529), Selwood Bloodstock was the leading consignor on Day One.

Iffraaj was also on the list of another accomplished pinhooker, Paul McCartan, who bought the most expensive filly of the session, his daughter out of the unraced Royal Applause (GB) mare Posh Claret (GB).

Among McCartan’s recent foal purchases is the aforementioned Nando Parrado, and the Ballyphilip Stud owner went to 40,000 gns (AU$76,440) for Lot 402, whose half-sister, a yearling filly by Ardad (Ire), is heading into training with Archie Watson.

“I haven’t had many foals by (Iffraaj), but I have a mare by him and she is the dam of Imperial Force, who was third in the Norfolk S. He is a good sire and he gets a good filly,” said McCartan, who is also the breeder of Harry Angel (Ire), whose first foals are selling this week.

National treasure

No fewer than 24 stallions are represented by members of their first crops at Tattersalls this week and it was the National Stud’s G2 Coventry S. winner Rajasinghe (Ire) who led the way during the opening session.

A colt bred in Devon by Richard Tucker and offered through the National Stud was the pick of Jimmy Murphy of Redpender Stud, whose final bid brought the hammer down at 46,000 gns (AU$87,906).

Lot 453 is out of the winning Verglas (Ire) mare Louya (Ire), who hails from the family of G2 Royal Lodge S. winner Mons (GB) (Deploy {GB}).

Rajasinghe’s first foal through the ring had been one of the early leaders of the day when knocked down to agent Larry Stratton at 37,000 gns (AU$70,707). Sold by Whitwell Bloodstock on behalf of breeder Alice Walton, Lot 256 is out of the unraced Lucia De Medici (GB) (Medicean {GB}), herself a daughter of the Listed Middleton S. winner Jalousie (Ire) (Barathea {Ire}).

“Rajasinghe is a horse I have always followed since he won the Coventry S. because I bred the runner-up, Headway, in a partnership,” said Stratton. “Rajasinghe’s sire Choisir is a good influence. This is a nice colt who has been bought for a partnership and is for resale.”

Rajasinghe stood his first two seasons at £5000 (AU$9100) and has had his fee cut to £3000 (AU$5460) for 2021. He has six foals for sale this week, with the first three sold having returned an average of 30,667 gns (AU$58,605), making him the leading first-season sire at the Sale after the first day.

Expert view

Juddmonte’s G1 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Expert Eye (GB) was also among the leading freshmen when a half-brother to G3 Bewitch S. winner Cay Dancer (GB) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) was bought by Michael Fitzpatrick in the name of JC Bloodstock for 41,000 gns (AU$78,351).

Consigned by Charlie Wyatt’s Dukes Stud and bred in partnership by Wyatt with Simon Sweeting of Overbury Stallions, Lot 369 is a son of the George Strawbridge-bred White Cay (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}), whose three winning offspring include Listed Grand Prix de Fontainebleau victrix Dynamic (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}).

Fitzpatrick, an accomplished pinhooker through his Kilminfoyle House Stud, said, “This is a quality, attractive foal. He is from a good breeder, and is one of the few today who is a half-brother to two stakes horses. He has a nice back pedigree, too, and will be back for resale.”

White Cay’s half-sister is the G1 Coronation S. winner Balisada (GB) (Kris {USA}), while the further family also includes Inchinor (GB), G1 EP Taylor S., winner Miss Keller (Ire), and the St Leger winner Harbour Law (GB).

Dukes Stud often has a stand-out foal or two during the Saturday session, but Wyatt explained that in this unusual year it was “time to mix it up a little bit”.

He said, “Saturday has always been good to me but I felt it was the year for a change. (The colt) has been a lovely foal throughout. I think he is good representative for the sire, I have seen a few of them, they look nice sorts.”

A Sixties hit

Standing for just £1000 (AU$1820) in 2021 on pay-up-front terms, Sixties Icon (GB) has to be one of the best-value stallions in Britain and his sole representative in the foal sale, a colt out of the G1 Moyglare Stud S. runner-up Silca Chiave (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), hit the first-day leaderboard when selling for 42,000 gns (AU$80,262).

Offered by Norman Court Stud, which is co-owned by Mick Channon and is also home to Sixties Icon, the colt (Lot 472) is a half-brother to the Listed-placed Strictly Silca (GB) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) and was bought by John Troy. His dam’s illustrious siblings include the full-sisters Golden Silca (GB) (Inchinor {GB}), whose eight victories include the G2 Mill Reef S., and G1 Prix Morny winner Silca’s Sister (GB).

Bearstone rookie

Terry and Margaret Holdcroft of Bearstone Stud have enjoyed a terrific season on the racecourse with their G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint heroine Glass Slippers (GB) (Dream Ahead {USA}) and a colt from her family by the stud’s recent stallion recruit, Washington DC (Ire), featured among the day’s leaders.

Offered as Lot 320, the colt’s dam is the unraced She Mystifies (GB) is a daughter of the stud’s former resident Indesatchel (Ire) and a half-sister to Glass Slippers, who is now a treble Group/Grade 1 winner. Another half-sibling is the Listed Radley S. winner Electric Feel (GB), who is also by a former Bearstone stallion, in this case Firebreak (GB).

Sold to Y&R Engineering, whose bids were taken over the phone by Tattersalls’ marketing manager Jason Singh, the colt fetched 35,000 gns (AU$66,885).