Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Emirates Park has already sourced one stallion from Hilal's extended family in Al Maher, who was able to parlay a promising 3-year-old spring which featured two stakes wins into a G1 Australian Guineas victory which stamped his progression to the breeding barn.
The Team Hawkes-trained Hilal, a dual Group 1-placed 2-year-old, backed up his breakthrough stakes victory in the G2 Stan Fox S. earlier this month with success in the $1 million 3-year-old feature at Randwick on Saturday, powering clear for jockey Tommy Berry.
He has not quite got the resume yet to rubber-stamp his progression to a stallion roster, but with a host of Group 1 options for him in the autumn, the Fastnet Rock colt will be given his chance to tick that box, according to Emirates Park General Manager Bryan Carlson.
"He's from one of His Excellency Nasser Lootah's good families, with Al Maher and Salameh in there. It’s a stallion family with Redoute's Choice, Umatilla and Hurricane Sky and the like. So you couldn't get a better stallion pedigree and then he is by Fastnet Rock," Carlson told TDN AusNZ.
"The view is for him to be a stallion one day and so it’s good to get the Stan Fox and now the Bondi S. and hopefully onwards and upwards towards the Randwick and Rosehill Guineas or even an Australian Guineas.
"The view is for him (Hilal) to be a stallion one day and so it’s good to get the Stan Fox and now the Bondi S." - Bryan Carlson
"We have even got the Doncaster there in the mix as an option as well. There are plenty of opportunities to come from him and hopefully he can get one of them and secure his career at stud."
Dr Shalabh Sahu and Bryan Carlson
A top-shelf pedigree
Emirates Park purchased into Hilal's family when it secured his third dam, Show Dancing (NZ) (Don’t Say Halo USA}), through a sale in New Zealand in 1995.
She was a half-sister to Group 1 winners Hurricane Sky (Star Watch) and Umatilla (NZ) as well as the hugely influential producer Shantha's Choice (Canny Lad), the dam of Group 1 winning trio and stallions Redoute's Choice, Platinum Scissors and Manhattan Rain.
Show Dancing won two of her eight starts for Bob Thomsen in the red and dark blue Emirates Park colours, before she joined its broodmare band with her second foal, Salameh (Secret Savings {USA}), winning a G3 Fernhill S. for Gai Waterhouse.
She would also produce a Danehill (USA) colt, Al Maher, who was a three-quarter brother to Redoute's Choice, who in the other set of Emirates Park colours, the green with the white sash, won an Australian Guineas, also for Waterhouse.
Al Maher was trained by Gai Waterhouse
Al Maher, who now stands at Stockwell Thoroughbreds in Victoria, has since gone on to produce 36 stakes winners, including recent G1 Epsom H. winner Private Eye.
Salameh would follow her dam as a stakes producer, via the Listed winner Big Time (Danewin), who had been sold by Emirates Park through the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale in 2010. The year after that Sale, it offered an Encosta De Lago filly out of Salameh, but she was passed in.
"We did put Salma through a Sale, but she never reached her reserve, so we kept her, which has worked out pretty well," Carlson said.
"We did put Salma through a Sale, but she never reached her reserve, so we kept her, which has worked out pretty well." - Bryan Carlson
Salma never made it past the trial stage of her racing career, but produced the South African stakes winner Trojan Harbour (Harbour Watch {Ire}) with her first foal.
She also produced the metro winner Salateen (I Am Invincible) before visiting Fastnet Rock and producing a colt which Carlson always felt had the right ingredients to be the next star out of that family.
Al Maher | Standing at Stockwell Thoroughbreds
A colt of considerable promise
Hilal debuted with a Kensington maiden win in February and showed his class by finishing second in the G2 Skyline S. at just his second start. After a close-up seventh in the G3 Pago Pago S., he was then elevated in distance and class to the G1 Inglis Sires' and G1 Champagne S., finishing second in both races.
"You could see as a 2-year-old how good he was, with that form around Captivant and Anamoe. He's always had that form but you can see, he can be his own worst enemy. He gets a bit keen early in his races and can lose it," Carlson said.
"It's good to get him to win two in a row and put it together. We know he is a good horse and his best distance is a mile. So hopefully it’s upwards from here."
"We know he (Hilal) is a good horse and his best distance is a mile. So hopefully it’s upwards from here." - Bryan Carlson
Salma has continued to breed on, with Emirates Park retaining a 2-year-old Fastnet Rock filly in the care of Peter and Paul Snowden as well as her yearling filly from the final crop of Not A Single Doubt.
"She has just had a beautiful filly by Tassort, that was great to see and we will most likely keep her as well," Carlson said.
The Tassort connection
Emirates Park is a shareholder in Newgate resident Tassort, the son of Brazen Beau whose first foals have hit the ground this spring.
"He is producing some really handy foals," Carlson said. "We're very happy.
"The market has shown how happy people have been. He is going to cover 180 mares this year, which is 50-60 more than his first year.
Tassort | Standing at Newgate Farm
"He was a horse that was a very good 2-year-old but never got to really show his true ability on the track. The market has been very supportive."
"He (Tassort) was a horse that was a very good 2-year-old but never got to really show his true ability on the track. The market has been very supportive." - Bryan Carlson
Tassort, who is a half-brother to Darley stallion and Group 1 winner Astern as well as to triple Group 1-winning mare Alizee (Sepoy), stands his second season at $11,000 (inc GST) and will again get strong support from Emirates Park as a shareholder.
"We've sent 20 mares in both years to him. We will give him every chance and we will race a few of them as well to make sure he gets that opportunity," Carlson said.
