Marvellous Mazu a shining light for Parsons Creek

Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan

Parsons Creek Principal Marc De Stoop remained in the ownership of the son of Maurice (Jpn) when he was purchased through the Milbrodale-based farm's 2020 Inglis Classic Sale draft for $180,000 by Triple Crown Syndications, so had an extra reason to celebrate Mazu's victory in the $1 million race.

But even without a stake in the Peter and Paul Snowden-trained gelding, it would have been a major moment for Parsons Creek, with Mazu emerging from the first crop of foals off the farm under the current ownership of De Stoop and his wife Lindy, with their daughter Jo O'Gorman as operations manager and experienced hand, Ross Bone, as stud manager.

"We are extremely rapt. For a small, emerging farm like us, to achieve what he did yesterday (Saturday) was exceptional. It’s so exciting, he was just the third horse we ever bred on the farm when we started out. For him to win up against all those big boys yesterday was very exciting," O'Gorman told TDN AusNZ.

"We are the new kids on the block. We are relatively small and not many people really know about us, so to have Mazu out there winning for us is really good for a little farm like us and we just hope we can produce more like him."

It was a terrific day for boutique breeders at Randwick on Saturday, with Group 1 winners Think It Over (So You Think {NZ}), Nimalee (So You Think {NZ}) and El Patroness (Shamus Award), bred by Bylong Park, Cressfield and Balmerino Racing Partnership respectively, all from farms with smaller broodmare bands.

The Queen of Parsons Creek

It was Marc De Stoop who kicked off Parsons Creek's involvement with Mazu's family, purchasing his dam, Chatelaine (Flying Spur), from the Inglis Turangga Farm dispersal in 2017 for $54,000.

A three-time winner and multiple Group placegetter on the track, Chatelaine had begun her breeding career with a bang, with her first foal, bred by Ramsey Pastoral, the G1 Coolmore Stud S. winner Headway (Charge Forward).

It was eight years after that 2009 success that Parsons Creek purchased Chatelaine, then a rising 18-year-old, in the hope she may be able to produce another star in her later years as a broodmare.

"For that price, what a bargain. She has been so good to us but even before that Headway was her first foal and she was an incredible filly and then to have him at such a late age and still produce such a black-type horse, she has just been such a fantastic mare," O'Gorman said.

"She has done so well for us and we wish we had 10 more like her. She just throws winners. You could send her to anyone and you still get a good horse out of her."

Chatelaine may now be rising 23, but she is still active as a broodmare, producing a Toronado (Ire) colt before successfully getting in foal to King's Legacy.

"She's in great shape. She's a wonderful mare, she looks fantastic, given she is rising 23. We call her 'The Queen' of Parsons Creek. Fingers crossed we may get a filly out of her but if we got a colt we’d still be very happy," O'Gorman said.

"The Toronado colt is a cracker as well. We are very impressed with him. Like I said, the mare throws a good horse and we have already had a lot of interest in that colt, especially from some of the owners in Mazu.

"Hopefully, he can grow into a nice strong yearling and we can do well out of him."

O'Gorman said Parsons Creek weren't initially going to put Chatelaine back in foal last year but got the all-clear for her broodmare career to continue.

"We weren't going to go again as she is getting older, but we had our vet look at her and wanted to make sure we took good care of her. The vet gave her the all-clear and we sent her to King's Legacy and is in foal currently."

Doubling down on the family

Parsons Creek's desire for Mazu's family saw it go out and purchase his half-sister, Whitula (Onemorenomore), for $150,000 at last year's Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. At that stage, Mazu had won his maiden at Canterbury and finished third in the G3 Pago Pago S. but there was a sense that he was quite a talented galloper.

Whitula, one of five winners from Chatelaine, delivered a Cosmic Force filly last October and then headed to a logical next stallion choice.

"She's now in foal to Maurice, which is exciting to keep part of that family," O'Gorman said.

"We purchased her before he (Mazu) really started to put things together. We knew Paul and Peter had a lot of faith in him. On the back of that, we took the risk, bought the mare and then this year put her in foal to Maurice to get a three-quarter to Mazu coming through right now."

'Putting things together', for Mazu, has meant him winning all four starts this autumn, progressing from a benchmark race victory in February to win two Listed races and now a Group 2 race.

"This preparation, to be undefeated through those runs, just shows how far he has come. He was always a spirited colt and since he was gelded he has really turned a corner and we are just so stoked with how well he has done," O'Gorman said.

To see that spirited energy now focussed into a pure, professional racehorse, who has just ground his rivals into the ground this preparation, has been very pleasing for all involved.

"Even as a foal, he was a cheeky little thing. Through his (yearling) preparation, he was always a challenge and a handful. Our stud manager, Ross Bone, always had faith in the horse, he always said this horse was going to run," she said.

"As a 2-year-old, you could see the ability that was there, but he was his own worst enemy. He would over-race and there was a lot of head noise up there. The decision to geld him was a tough one, but looking at how he has gone this prep, it was obviously the right one."