Mozart to kickstart successful sales series for Jamieson Park

Cover Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan

The Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes-trained Mr Mozart, a winner of last spring’s Listed Exford Plate, will contest a competitive edition of the G2 Rubiton S., which features G1 Blue Diamond S. hero Artorius (Flying Artie), well-related colt Oxley Road (Exceed And Excel) and the exciting Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Marine One (Capitalist).

While Mr Mozart is being set for mile features this preparation, victory on Saturday would come as no surprise to Jamieson Park’s Stud Manager Sam Munro if the 3-year-old can replicate his first-up fourth behind fellow rival Ingratiating (Frosted {USA}) at this track and trip, 1100 metres, last campaign.

“He’s had a couple of nice jump-outs and the stable thinks he’s forward enough to front up,” Munro told TDN AusNZ. “He’s beaten the (current) favourite Artorius when he won his stakes race at Flemington, but it really does depend on just how forward he is on Saturday.

“He holds nominations for the (G1) Australian Guineas and some other big races throughout the Championships (G1 Doncaster Mile and G2 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint) and with the way the Hawkeses go about things, they’ll determine where he goes based on his early performances.”

Mr Mozart, the first foal out the former Team Hawkes-trained G3 Ladies' Day Vase-winning, dual Group 2-placed Euro Angel (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}) was never destined for sales ring despite his enviable pedigree and outstanding physical attributes.

“We’re part-owners (managing) of Mr Mozart and the plan with the partnership that raced the mare (Euro Angel) was always to breed from her and race the progeny as she is a very well-bred mare,” Munro said.

“He was always a nice horse, there’s so much strength in that family, she’s from a top-class European family and had exceptional ability herself, so with him being her first foal she’s a very exciting broodmare.”

Euro Angel, a winner of three career starts up to 1600 metres, is out of the New Zealand Listed-winning, G1 Champions Mile-placed Polish Princess (GB) (Polish Precedent {USA}), making her a half-sister to the dual G2 Hollindale S. winner Leebaz (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}), the G2 Tulloch S.-winning, G1 Australian Derby-placed Polish Knight (NZ) (Encosta De Lago) and the dual Hong Kong Group 3 winner Zebrowski (NZ) (Savabeel), who was placed second in the G1 Australian Derby before his departure last year.

A host of European stakes-performers feature throughout Euro Angel’s pedigree as does dual Australian Group 1 winner turned Widden Stud stallion Russian Camelot (Ire).

Euro Angel foaled a sister to Mr Mozart in 2019, Angel Flight, who has since joined the Hawkes stable and is showing nice ability during her education, according to Munro.

“On type she’s a bit shorter coupled and stronger, not quite as tall as Mr Mozart; but Euro Angel also has an outstanding weanling colt by Pierro and is back in foal to Snitzel,” Munro said.

“When going to Pierro (for her third cover) we wanted to try something different and wanted to go to a proven stallion, it’s a good mating on paper and with the way she’s (Euro Angel) bred if he (the weanling Pierro colt) can develop into a good horse he’s a stallion prospect that is an outcross.”

Strong draft for Jamieson Park

The resumption of the Jamieson Park-bred G1 Railway S. heroine Inspirational Girl in Saturday’s G1 CF Orr S. couldn’t have come at a better time for the farm, with the Bob Peters-owned mare's half-sister, a filly by The Oaks shuttle stallion U S Navy Flag (USA), set to go through its draft at next month’s New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Sale.

Lot 116 is the final foal out of Be Inspired (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}), as the decision was made to retire the dam of Inspirational Girl, and Listed winner Ruettiger (Duporth) and the Group 3-placed Brookspire (NZ) (Hinchinbrook) after she failed to get into foal for the fourth time in five years this season.

Munro said the filly is a lovely type and that he is impressed with how U S Navy Flag has stamped his first Southern Hemisphere crop.

“He was a very good, tough racehorse who had numerous starts as a 2-year-old, we liked the War Front-line, and he has a good middle-distance pedigree,” Munro said.

Jamieson Park will be represented by a further 13 yearlings at the New Zealand Bloodstock Sale, eight fillies and five colts, most notably Lot 11 a filly by I Am Invincible out of G1 Thorndon Mile winner Thee Auld Floozie (NZ) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}).

Munro is also excited by what awaits Lot 516, a ‘lovely’ Pierro filly out of the well-related Redoute’s Choice mare Rare Delight, herself a sister to the dam of G1 Oakleigh Plate winner Booker (Written Tycoon) and Listed winner turned Waikato Stud stallion Banquo.

“She (Lot 11) is the standout in our draft on pedigree, she’s out of a good tough mare, and with Thee Auld Floozie being by Mastercraftsman this filly is bred on the same cross as Loving Gaby,” Munro said.

“I really think Rare Delight is going to be quite a good broodmare, she is by Redoute’s Choice and Pierro’s out of Redoute’s mares has a 20 per cent stakes winners to runners.”

Jamieson Park will offer a colt by first-crop sire Ardrossan, who they raced in partnership with Waikato Stud along with a filly from the first crop of G1 Australian Derby hero Ace High (NZ).

Munro has solid expectations of what could await Lot 316, Ardrossan out of Indian Sky (Stravinsky {USA}), at the Karaka complex after the first two yearlings by Ardrossan offered at public auction brought $170,000 and $70,000 at the recently completed Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.

The G3 Concorde S.-winning, G1 Waikato Sprint-placed son of Redoute’s Choice, who has stood at just NZ$3000 plus GST thus far, has seen a significant pedigree update since being retired to stud, with his half-brother Incentivise (Shamus Award) bursting onto the scene last year via three Group 1 victories and a second-placing in the G1 Melbourne Cup.

“He (Ardrossan) has thrown some lovely types, and this colt is no different, he’s an imposing stallion and upgrades the five to six mares we send him each year,” Munro said.

“He is one of the more dominant stallions we send our mares to, he was a very talented racehorse, and we think he’s a smokey chance of being a very good sire in the future.”

Munro is confident that the National Yearling Sale can ride the coattails of the booming Australian market despite the likelihood that international buyers won’t be on the ground at Karaka due to New Zealand’s stringent COVID protocols.

He said the quality of the New Zealand thoroughbred combined with their success on Australian shores will see trans-Tasman buyers active online and through local agents.

“Last year with COVID we weren’t sure what was happening, so we sent the bulk of our horses to Australia but this year we are keeping a big draft at home,” Munro said.

“We are really supporting the Karaka Sale as people are now used to buying horses online and I can’t see why it won’t be a strong Sale.”