Sydney’s midweek meeting was at windswept Kensington on Wednesday, where the day’s times reflected a strong tailwind down the straight. Godolphin enjoyed a brilliant showing in the juvenile features, with Brigantine (Astern) winning the first race among the colts and geldings, and Laurelin (Lonhro) winning the second among the fillies.

Sponsored video

Conformation Lessons with Tubba

Both events were over 1100 metres, and both youngsters started favourite in their races. Godolphin's Darren Beadman, who was trackside, expected them to make a good showing.

However, it was Brigantine’s victory that caused the most excitement, because the 2-year-old colt was the only Godolphin homebred by first-season stallion Astern in his debut crop.

“The way Brigantine won today, we’d love to have had a few more in that first crop,” said Adam Brayshaw, Nominations and Sales Manager for Godolphin. “He is the only first-crop Astern that we’ve got, so to have one and have him as a city winner is fantastic, and it bodes well for the stallion.”

On the way up

Brigantine was the tenth first-crop winner in Australia for the emerging Astern, who retired to stud in 2017. He has had an additional winner from this crop in New Zealand, plus two winners in the United States, where he has shuttled to Jonabell Farm in Kentucky.

Astern, a son of Medaglio D’Oro (USA), won four Group races through two seasons during his career, including the G1 Golden Rose defeating fellow sires Impending and Divine Prophet. From nine starts, he won five overall races and was second twice, in a generation that included Star Turn, Flying Artie and Russian Revolution.

At stud, and in particular in recent weeks, he has blossomed.

“The good news is that we’ve got nine by him in the second crop coming through,” Brayshaw said. “Nine rising 2-year-olds by Astern, and he’s up to 13 (global) winners now, with two stakes winners and another stakes-placed horse. He’s got real momentum, and he’s a horse that is really starting to get us, and our clients, excited.”

The stakes winners are Seradess, who won the Listed Cinderella S. earlier this year, and Danger Strykes in New Zealand, who won the Listed Castletown S. at Wanganui.

“It’s been a great 24 hours for Astern,” Brayshaw added. “Gai and Adrian unearthed Sealion on debut at Wyong, and he was really impressive, and Brigantine is a colt that we heard from the racing team had improved dramatically, and he did it in really good fashion.”

Like his father

Brigantine jumped from barrier eight in his race, the Admire Mars at Arrowfield Plate. Jockey Kerrin McEvoy put the colt behind the leading bunch, and the pair was fourth turning into the straight.

They overhauled Governor (I Am Invincible) and Retiro (Snitzel) at the business end of things, with only Publicist (Written Tycoon) to challenge on the rails. Brigantine, however, stuck true for McEvoy, and they were eventual winners by 0.38l, with Baranof (Hinchinbrook) fighting out third with Devil’s Throat (Snitzel) in a photograph.

“He’s very much like his father,” Brayshaw said. “Even the way he pricked his ears on the line, it reminded me of the day Astern won his maiden at Randwick. He may not reach the same heights as his dad, but he’s certainly going to win some races on the back of what we saw today.”

Trackside, Beadman agreed.

“It was very satisfying for the whole team to see him win today, and for all the guys back at Kelvinside,” the assistant trainer said. “They do tremendous work with them, bringing them through and preparing them as young horses, and James (Cummings) just informed me that he’s one of four horses that we nominated for the Golden Rose among the colts.”

Beadman said he’d always held a good opinion of Brigantine, but it was a case of playing the waiting game.

“He just had to grow into himself,” he said. “He was a bit leggy in the early days, but he had good, natural ability and it was nice to see him finish off the race the way he did today.”

The race was Brigantine’s first win in three starts, with the colt racing twice in March, unplaced both times. However, he had since trialled brilliantly, coming second and first at Randwick and Canterbury respectively in the last few weeks.

The colt is the ninth foal from the seasoned broodmare Lobola (Anabaa {USA}), making him a half-brother to stakes winners Handfast (Street Cry {Ire}) and Rusambo (Elusive Quality {USA}). Lobola has a colt on the ground by Sidestep, and will foal to Encryption this spring.

Natural speed

Within half an hour of Brigantine’s win, Beadman was back before the cameras with 2-year-old filly Laurelin.

By Lonhro, the filly is from the excellent Redoute’s Choice mare Yavanna. As such, Laurelin is a full sister to Kementari, and a half-sister to stakes winner and Westbury Stud-based Telperion and city winners Valaquenta (Street Boss {USA}) and Palurien (Reset).

Ridden by James McDonald, Laurelin had a nightmare draw in barrier 12, widest of the field. But she needed no excuses, putting herself into the early lead ahead of Ruby Kisses (Flying Artie) on the rail and Beep Test (All Too Hard).

In the straight, she cruised away from the field by 2l, and was untroubled by the fast-finishing Ringarosa (Sebring). The final margins were 0.84l and 3l to Ruby Kisses in third.

“She’s a lovely filly,” Beadman said. “She’s got natural ability, and her natural speed took all the guess work out of where she landed. James (McDonald) was able to control the race from where she was, and she showed a nice turn of foot. Looks like she’s in for a nice prep.”

Beadman said Laurelin would head into the spring with residual fitness, and added that the pair of winning 2-year-olds were paying dividends on their patient handling by the Cummings team.

Six foals, six winners

“Laurelin was entitled to get a little bit tired,” Brayshaw said. “She worked enough early to get up on-speed, and she was coming into it off just one trial, so at this time of year, on testing ground, it can find some horses out late.”

Laurelin was sixth on debut on this track in early January, running in behind a very sharp Four Moves Ahead (Snitzel) that day. She won her only trial this prep a few weeks ago, so the win was full of merit.

“It was very pleasing to see her hold on, and a filly with that pedigree, she’s been very good,” Brayshaw said.

Laurelin provided her dam Yavanna with a continuing win streak.

“Yavanna’s been amazing,” Brayshaw said. “She’s six to race now for six winners, and I think this filly can be another black-type performer for the mare as well. We didn’t see the best of Yavanna during her racing career. She was trained by the Freedmans for us, and she had only five starts for her two wins. She had a lot of ability, and she’s certainly passing it on to her progeny.”

Yavanna dropped a full sister to Laurelin in 2019, who has been named Valier and who will head to James Cummings in good time. The mare was served by Too Darn Hot (GB) last season.

Brayshaw doesn’t clearly remember what Laurelin was like as a foal, visiting, as he did, over 100 Lonhro foals in 2018 when Laurelin was born. However, he recalls Brigantine clearly.

“He was always going to be a focus, being the only first-crop Astern (for Godolphin),” Brayshaw said. “He was one I saw multiple times as a young horse, and he always had good size, was very athletic and had good quality.”

Cover image courtesy of Bronwen Healy

Brideoake, a former champion equestrian rider turned multiple Group 1-winning trainer has trained 40 winners this season, just short of his career-best mark of 42, but has always dabbled in the breeding game.

With his son Tom now managing the family's breeding and agistment farm at Violet Town in northern Victoria, Brideoake is seeking bigger and better things from his broodmare band of around 18.

"I have always liked breeding and that goes back to a few of my equestrian horses. I kept a few of my really good mares and got results. I have kept the mares I have trust in and they have turned out to be really good producers," he told TDN AusNZ.

"There's nothing better than when you work the mating out, you breed one and it goes on and does something. Then you end up working with its progeny.

"I'm sure it’s a disease, but you do stuff for different reasons and that part of it does give me plenty of satisfaction."

His most notable success as a breeder has been the G1 The Galaxy winner Griante (Good Journey {USA}), who he guided through a 29-start career to win over $1 million in prizemoney, including three stakes races.

Griante now takes pride of place among Brideoake's broodmare band, producing the dual-winner Cadenabbia (Redoute's Choice), who sold for NZ$800,000 through the draft of Cambridge Stud at the 2019 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale. She has also had a Pierro filly go through the ring as part of Milburn Creek's draft at this year's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, where Spendthrift Australia paid $500,000 for her.

"She's the number-one mare. She's got a very nice Dundeel colt that will be at a sale next year. He's a nice animal and I'm sure we will get something there. She's now in foal to The Autumn Sun," he said.

Given the success of Griante's progeny through the sales, it is no surprise to see Brideoake aiming for another strong mating in 2021.

"She’ll go to Capitalist. She had oodles of speed and that should be a highly commercial option for her," he said.

A strong family hand

Brideoake lost Griante's dam Grand Strategy (Strategic) last year but has a few options with that family having retained another of her daughters, Pomona (Teofilo {Ire}).

"Pomona was a terrific mare. She trialled up and showed me a lot of promise and then broke her back sesamoid and that was the end of her. She went to stud unraced and I guess that's what you have to do, you have to trust your mare. I'm pretty happy to have her in the broodmare band," he said.

"She went to Pride Of Dubai and I have a Street Boss on the ground which I will sell, probably through the Magic Millions."

Across his 16 mares registered with the Studbook last year, Brideoake used 13 different stallions, mixing up his options across Darley quartet Territories (Ire), Frosted (USA), Impending and Blue Point (Ire), Coolmore duo Pride Of Dubai and Churchill (Ire), Vinery's Headwater, Arrowfield Stud's The Autumn Sun and Spendthrift's Omaha Beach (USA) as well as Nostradamus, Danerich, Magnus and Fiorente (Ire).

"I do tend to cast my net wide. I enjoy picking the stallions out, and I always look for variety," he said.

The Journey never ends

Brideoake also still utilises a stallion close to his heart, Good Journey (USA), who is based on his Violet Town property along with his mares. He is the sire of two of Brideoake's three Group 1 winners as a trainer, Griante and Grand Journey, who is also part of his broodmare band.

"While he might be past his best in terms of fertility, I still breed a couple religiously to him. I bred those couple of really nice fillies by him. I wanted a bit more Nureyev, and I was always keen to find some females that went with that," he said.

"We had one of his yearlings come back from the breaker the other day who is out of a mare called Street Blaze. I had a good mare called Raven Protector and she had a whole bunch of colts and one filly and that one filly is Street Blaze."

Street Blaze (Street Sense {USA}) never raced but produced the multiple stakes winner Royal Mile (Danerich), who was last seen running fifth in the G1 South Australian Derby for trainer Lee Creek, who paid $26,000 for him as a yearling.

Brideoake takes just as much pride in horses he has bred winning for other trainers as he does when they win for him.

Double targets at Caulfield

That passion for breeding has been passed onto his son Tom, who is managing the farm, and who bred a filly called Bob's Relish (Redente) who contests a 1200-metre race at Caulfield on Saturday for Brideoake Snr.

Bob's Relish is one of two runners for the trainer at Caulfield, the other being Red Can Man (Gingerbread Man), who won the G3 Sir John Monash S. at his most recent start and takes on the G3 Bletchingly S. as one of the leading chances.

Brideoake, who took over training the horse from WA-based Steve Wolfe this campaign, has lofty ambitions for the 4-year-old and is confident of his chances heading into Saturday's race.

"He's absolutely super and he's come out of the Monash very well. He's had a two-week break had a good gallop Tuesday and he's got a good barrier, in three," he said.

"Third run in, he'll be just about at full steam. He's a big, powerful horse and he's a really good work horse."

Red Can Man's first start for Brideoake didn't quite work out as planned after he finished seventh at Flemington, an effort Brideoake put down to it being his first-up run, after he initially struggled with the trip to Victoria.

"He came over in the summer and got a bit travel sick, so we abandoned the autumn. We nursed him back to health and away he went. That's probably why he was a bit fresh first-up. He was a bit too bright that day, and so he needed an outing," he said.

The G1 Memsie S. at the end of August shapes as an ideal target for Red Can Man, who Brideaoke has a lot of faith in.

"I'm pretty upbeat about a horse like this should he continue to progress the way he is going. He should get to the Memsie with a fair bit of good work under his belt and he's just a fast horse. It's a good combination," he said.

Cornwall Park Stud, at Toolern Vale on the western outskirts of Melbourne, will be home this upcoming breeding season to debut stallion Johannes Vermeer.

By Galileo, from the Holy Roman Emperor (Ire) mare Inca Princess (Ire), the horse is a stout addition to Victoria’s stallions ranks, and not least to Cornwall Park, which is run these days by Peter Boyle and Lisa Gordon.

The property hasn’t been a commercial breeding entity for decades but has, in its past, stood the likes of G1 Cox Plate winner Our Poetic Prince and G1 Australian Derby winner Ivory’s Irish (Best Western). Cornwall Park’s history is rich, dating right back to the late 1890s.

Boyle and Gordon took hold of the property in July last year after learning of it through a tweet by Ballarat trainer Pat Cannon.

“We were just about to sign for a property in Bulla,” Gordon said. “A friend of Pete’s in the Hunter, Steve Irwin, saw a tweet from Pat Cannon, who had just gone to look at the place, saying what a grand old farm it was going to waste.”

Within hours, the pair was on the road from Sydney to Cornwall Park.

“That was 9 o’clock on the Friday night, and by 10 the following morning we were in the car,” Gordon said. “We met them (the owners) on Sunday, and moved in the following weekend.”

Starting to sparkle

Cornwall Park is leased by Boyle and Gordon from owners Alex and Nicole McIntyre, who purchased it from Sir Donald Trescowthick, of Harris Scarfe fame, in 2019.

Boyle takes the reins with a lifetime of industry experience behind him, having worked at Segenhoe Stud, Byerley Stud and Baerami Thoroughbreds in his time, not to mention time spent at Emirates Park under the tutelage of Trevor Lobb.

The couple said that COVID-19 worked in their favour when they moved in last year.

“To be honest, it was the best time for us,” Boyle said. “We had time to clean up before anyone came on the place, because it was pretty rough here.”

Gordon said the bones of the property were there, but they didn’t really want clients onsite until they had pulled weeds, tidied up and done some sort of facelift.

“It’s a beautiful old place, and there’s been a few hard yards to pull her back together,” Gordon said. “We were surrounded with weeds and mess and garbage, wreck and ruin really. It’s been a lot of work, but she’s starting to sparkle again.”

Gallery: Some of the facilities at Cornwall Park Stud

Johannes Vermeer

The arrival of Johannes Vermeer brings the Cornwall Park stallion roster to five, which is an impressive figure for an operation so new.

Earlier this year, Boyle and Gordon brought four stallions across from the former Rangal Park Stud, with that property’s owner, Eric Buttler, dispersing his operation on account of poor health.

The stallions were the evergreen Danerich, a sire of 10 stakes winners, and Boom Time, Cliff’s Edge and Soul Patch. The latter is a son of the emerging sire Shamus Award and will cover only his second book this upcoming season, while Boom Time, a winner of the G1 Caulfield Cup in 2017, will cover his third.

“Soul Patch has let down into a beautiful animal,” Boyle said. “He’s quite a big horse, but he’s balanced with good bone, and Danerich speaks for himself. If he had stood in the Hunter Valley, he could have been anything, but he wasn’t given the great mares and he’s done it all himself.”

The deal with Rangal Park was done through bloodstock agent Sue Turner-Walsh, with Buttler recognising the potential of Cornwall Park for his stallions.

“They’d looked at other farms, but even (trainer) Kenny Keys had said this was where Soul Patch belonged,” Gordon said. “They were so impressed with the place, and our proximity to the city is something too. We’re probably one of the closest studs to the CBD or any of the metropolitan trainers. The location is really incredible for us.”

The deal to stand Johannes Vermeer this season came about similarly.

The 8-year-old Irish horse, trained in his early career at Ballydoyle by Aidan O’Brien, hasn’t been seen on a racetrack since his last-start fourth in the G2 Blamey S. at Flemington in March 2019. Before that, he’d had three starts in Australia, running second to Gailo Chop (Fr) (Deportivo {GB}) in the G1 Caulfield S. before a third to now barn-mate Boom Time in the 2017 G1 Caulfield Cup.

Johannes Vermeer was then a gallant second to Rekindling (GB) in the G1 Melbourne Cup, downed by just a 0.5l in an O’Brien father-son clash. Rekindling was trained by Joseph O’Brien, returning an historic quinella for Australia’s great race.

Before all of this, however, Johannes Vermeer was a Group 1-winning 2-year-old in France, winning the Criterium International at Saint-Cloud, and then the G3 International S. at The Curragh as an older horse.

His overall stats boast 16 starts for four wins and a further eight placings. He was off the podium only four times in a career that took him to Ireland, England, France and Australia.

“He had tendon dramas all along,” Boyle said. “In the end, they gave way, and that’s where he’s been at since he last raced. He’ll be standing at Cornwall Park for his syndicate of owners, and I think he’ll do well. They'll support him heavily, and will be selling a limited number of breeding rights too."

Johannes Vermeer will debut at $11,000 (inc GST), and he is already getting bookings. Boyle said breeders are interested, and he expects the horse will cover any number around 50 to 80.

“The market down here is starting to look at that stayer’s facade again,” Boyle said, “and what better way than a horse with a pedigree like his. At the end of the day, he was a Group 1 winner as a 2-year-old, as well as a Group-placed three and 4-year-old.”

Physically, the new stallion is letting down from training. He is 16 hands in racing nick, and Boyle was surprised by how robust he was.

“He’s got quite good bone about him for a European horse,” he said.

Galileo gold

With the recent passing of his sire Galileo, Johannes Vermeer’s arrival to the scene is timely. He joins just six other sons of Galileo at stud in Australia in 2021, and they are Adelaide (Ire), Highland Reel (Ire), Amber Grey (Ire), Finn McCool (Ire), Kellstorm (Ire) and shuttler Churchill (Ire).

Of these, only Highland Reel, at Swettenham Stud, is based in Victoria.

Johannes Vermeer was sold to Coolmore ownership as a yearling in 2014, costing €300,000 (AU$483,101) at the Goffs Orby Sale. He has a notable page, being a full brother to the Group 2-winning filly Elizabeth Browning (Ire) and Listed winner Sapa Inca (Ire).

It’s the family of Miletrian (Ire) (Marju {Ire}), the British Champion 3-Year-Old Female Stayer of 2000, and subsequently Shirley Heights (GB). Johannes Vermeer is bred on the Galileo/Danehill (USA) cross that has produced so many exceptional horses in recent times, including Frankel (GB) and Highland Reel, and the brilliant race fillies Minding (Ire) and Love (Ire).

“We’ll give him every opportunity here at Cornwall Park, and hopefully he’ll get good numbers,” Gordon said.