Cover image courtesy of Goffs

That proved equally true among those defending reserves and those managing to overcome them, who were split 50-50 through two dozen lots. It was striking, however, that the biggest investments of the evening were both animated by agendas extending far beyond what may or may not be achieved down the road this week.

These were headed by the Australian partnership that responded to an extraordinary opportunity in G1 Epsom Derby runner-up Hoo Ya Mal (GB) (Territories {Ire}) (Lot 6) with a no less extraordinary opening bid of £1 million (AU$1,752,000).

That was enough to cause a prolonged silence, if not among those present principally to sip cocktails or admire couture, then certainly among anyone else contemplating a bid. Eventually some resistance was mustered, actually by telephone from California, but the authors of this bold strategy–namely Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, and clients Go Bloodstock–soon won the day at £1.2 million (AU$2.1 million), the docket signed by their longstanding local agent Johnny McKeever. The underbidder turned out to be Marie Yoshida of Asian Bloodstock Services, on the line to Nick Nugent from Los Angeles.

Rare offering

Of the various plaudits to be shared for this coup, top billing must go to that remarkable judge Federico Barberini, who has found so many bargains in the past and discovered this one in no less a catalogue than Tattersalls October Book 1 for just 40,000gns (AU$70,000) His client Ahmad Al Shaikh sent the horse to Kingsclere, where he had made nice progress through three juvenile starts and then a couple of the spring trials at Newmarket, while still seeming a tier down from the elite of the crop. Hence his starting price of 150-1 at Epsom, but he outran those odds in startling fashion–and connections opted to strike while the iron was hot.

“You rarely get the chance to purchase horses of this calibre,” Bott explained afterwards. “He has a profile we think will really suit Australia, with the Melbourne Cup obviously high up the agenda. As you know, the industry in Australia seems vibrant and healthy, so we want to try to capitalise on that, there's some great prizemoney around and he's a horse that can race at the level we want to be.

“He was on the radar when he was entered for the Sale, so did a bit of homework prior to the Derby. Obviously, his run there confirmed what we were thinking, and that's what you want with a lightly raced horse: continued improvement every time he's stepped out.”

As for detonating the bidding with a seven-figure opening salvo, Bott said: “Look, you know where a horse like this is going to fit in the market and we just thought you should show your intentions at what was a fair price. Prices are dictated by their recent form and obviously not many horses at that level come onto the market too often, so you're not paying these amounts too often, either. So it's all relative. A horse like this, coming down to Australia, is hard to get hold of, so we knew we had to be strong. We've had to pay a fair amount, but we're excited to get him down there and see what he can do for us.”

His purchasers will now consult Andrew Balding about his two entries later in the week, respectively in the G3 Hampton Court S. on Thursday and the G2 King Edward VII S. the next day.

“We'll have a discussion with Andrew and see how he feels about how the horse has done after that run in the Derby,” Bott said. “First and foremost, we want to do the right thing by the horse, though obviously it would be a huge attraction for the new connections to have an Ascot runner.”

The force is with O'Callaghan

In contrast to Balding, who must soon bid farewell to one of his rising stars, Michael O'Callaghan found himself in a 'win-win' situation after Crypto Force (GB) (Time Test {GB}) (Lot 24) became the latest and perhaps most remarkable vindication for his business model of targeting the breeze-ups as a platform for resale.

It was less than two months ago that The Curragh trainer gave 160,000gns (AU$280,400) for this colt at the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up, from the Tally-Ho consignment that had such a fine run in that sector this spring. O'Callaghan launched Crypto Force in a maiden at his home track 13 days before the Sale and, while the odds-on favourite from Ballydoyle did not have the best of runs in second, that does alter the acceleration he showed to win unthreatened.

If he takes up his engagement in the Listed Chesham S. on Saturday, Crypto Force will do so in the cause of Kia Joorabchian, agent Hamish Macauley having signed a £900,000 (AU$1,577,000) docket in the names of Omnihorse/Amo Racing.

“We don't have too many of that type,” explained Joorabchian, who confirmed the colt will stay in the yard. “He could potentially be a Derby horse next year. Potentially. He showed that he stays (seven furlongs) well, and now that I'm racing in Ireland I know how very, very tough the competition is there. I appreciate how hard it is to win a maiden like that. He finished very strong and he has a very strong pedigree. We came here to buy him–and we got him.”

O'Callaghan had earlier set up a superb evening's work when selling on Harry Time (Ire) (Harry Angel {Ire}), an 82,000gns (AU$143,700) breezer at the Craven Sale, to Meah Lloyd for £300,000 (AU$525,700) as Lot 5.

Harry Time won on debut at Navan and holds an entry in the G2 Coventry S. on Tuesday. David Meah explained that this was a return to the same well that produced G1 Commonwealth Cup fancy Twilight Jet (Ire) (Twlight Son {GB}) as an investment for Michael and Julia Iavarone.

“We bought into Twilight Jet before his run at the Breeders' Cup Our relationship with Michael has grown and grown,” the agent said. “And win or lose, they've all flown over from America and we're going to have a great week: we're all here to have fun.”

Cadillac leads bargains with horsepower

There were a series of cracking 'racetrack pinhooks' among those that did meet their reserves. The 4-year-old Cadillac (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), for instance, cost BBA Ireland €40,000 (AU$70,000) as a Goffs Orby yearling but then won his debut for Jessica Harrington by 9l and won a Group 2 as a juvenile. He confirmed his continued potency when winning a Listed race earlier in the month and duly figures among the leading fancies for the Listed Wolferton S. on Tuesday's opening card for Jessica Harrington after which he will transfer to Kevin Philippart de Foy, whose client Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah stretched to £500,000 (AU$876,000) for Lot 20.

“Yes, he'll be coming to me at the end of the week,” his new trainer confirmed. “Sheikh Abdullah has been a great supporter of the yard over the last year and has Juan De Montalban running in the last race tomorrow. We've followed this horse all the way through: he has shown excellent form on good ground, probably doesn't want it too soft, and could possibly be one to go to the Middle East next winter.”

Cresta (Fr) (New Bay {GB}) was another bargain sold by this auction house, found at their Premier Sale at Doncaster in 2020 by Dermot Farrington for only £21,000 (AU$36,800). Martyn and Freddy Meade have advanced his rating to 104 in just five starts, via placings in the G3 Horris Hill S. and Listed Dee S., and that forced Will Douglass of Charlie Gordon-Watson Bloodstock to £490,000 (AU$858,500) for Lot 23.

“He was purchased for Mohamed bin Hamad Al Attiyah,” said Douglass. “He will be exported to Qatar but will run at Royal Ascot (G3 Hampton Court S., Thursday) and perhaps once more before leaving. He's a progressive horse with a nice profile and by a sire that's on an upward curve.

“He wasn't the biggest, but we just loved the way he moved,” recalled Meade Sr. of the young Cresta. “You've seen he has a lot of ability but I think he still has a lot of potential.”

There was no disguising the bittersweetness for Heather Main, either, after Ileach Mathan (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}) catapulted his £25,000 (AU$43,800) value as an Orby yearling to £340,000 (AU$595,800) for Hong Kong clients of Richard Ryan as Lot 7. The gelding has even fewer miles on the clock, having won at Kempton on debut last autumn and then finished second on his Newbury reappearance.

“I just had to have him,” Main recalled. “He just had the deepest girth. They started calling me immediately after he ran at Newbury and I didn't want to sell, the owners didn't want to sell, but here we are. We had no choice, but it's sad to see him go. He's got a lovely temperament, he's a complete gentleman, lazy at home. He'll do very well out there, I'm sure.”

Happy days here again

There is limited point in comparisons, with a boutique horses-in-training catalogue like this, though Goffs UK chairman and Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby naturally noted that business stacked up very well–turnover up 42 per cent, average up 18 per cent, and median down nine per cent–compared with the last auction staged in the royal parks before derailment of the most sociable week of the British Turf.

“We're delighted to be back, after everything everyone has had to endure during the two-year hiatus, and we're absolutely delighted with the results,” Beeby said. “The team has put in a huge effort to bring this Sale back to Kensington Palace Gardens, and to bring some wonderful horses to the catalogue. To get a Derby second was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and he made a fitting price.

“The Sale has come back in style, and we're extremely grateful to the vendors–not least of the top lot, who could probably have sold many times over before the Sale. Fair play to the underbidders as well, it was obviously quite an operation, with one line from L.A. to Nick here and another line apparently open to a client in New York.”

Though half the offerings did not sell, the timing of this Sale has always allowed vendors to make a bet to nothing.

“At a normal sale, a 50 per cent clearance rate would obviously be very disappointing,” Beeby remarked. “But what we always say to vendors is that you might get premium, with Ascot—and if you don't, well, don't sell! Just have a shot. Some people are just as happy not to sell. We're very grateful to them all, to all our partners as well, and thankfully the weather also played its part. It was a joyful occasion.”

After a tantalising first day of action at Royal Ascot, the top-class racing shows no signs of abating on Wednesday, the second day of the five-day meeting. The feature race of the day is the G1 Prince Of Wales’s S. and there is added interest from an Australian point of view with last year’s G1 Cox Plate winner State Of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner) set to take his chance, in what looks an intriguing contest.

* Royal Ascot Day 1 results appear after the previews.

Race 1, G2 Queen Mary S., 1000m - 11.30pm AEST (2.30pm local)

Prizemoney: £115,000 (AU$201,400)

The high-class action kicks off with the 2-year-old fillies in the G2 Queen Mary S. and all eyes will undoubtedly be on Love Reigns (Ire) (U S Navy Flag {USA}) who will be out to give her US-based trainer Wesley Ward his fifth win in the Group 2, following up the triumphs of Jealous Again (USA) (Trippi {USA}) (2009), Acapulco (USA) (Scat Daddy {USA}) (2015), Lady Aurelia (USA) (Scat Daddy {USA}) and most recently Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), who landed the contest in 2020.

Love Reigns shot to the head of the market for the G2 Queen Mary S. after winning on a 1100-metre contest in Keeneland on debut, a performance in which she beat her stablemate Rivka (Ire) (No Nay Never {USA}) by an astonishing 9.8l.

The filly was purchased by Ben McElroy for €160,000 (AU$240,500) at the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale from the Killourney Mor Farm draft in 2021 and she is out of unraced mare Humble And Proud (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}), making her a half-sister to US Grade 1 winner Glorious Empire (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}).

Of the 21 fillies running in the Group 2 contest on Wednesday, 12 of them come into the race having never tasted defeat, albeit some have only had one career start.

An interesting runner in the Group 2 is the Amy Murphy-trained Manhattan Jungle (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}), who comes into the race with a three-streak unbeaten record, headed by a recent Listed success in Vichy in France. Murphy is a familiar figure to Australian racing fans, with the trainer having had a spell working for Gai Waterhouse in Sydney.

Race 2, G2 Queen’s Vase, 2800m - 12.05am AEST (3.05pm local)

Prizemoney: £262,500 (AU$459,700)

Next up is the G2 Queen’s Vase for 3-year-olds and this looks a competitive and open renewal of the Group 2. Past winners of the G2 Queen’s Vase, include star-stayer Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) (2017), who will be seen later on in the week when he attempts to add a fourth G1 Ascot Gold Cup.

The 2014 edition was won by the then Mark Johnston-trained Hartnell (GB) (Authorized {Ire}), the gelding was subsequently exported to Australia and would go on to win four Group 1 races for James Cummings in the country, often being forced to play second fiddle to multiple Group 1-winning champion Winx (Street Cry {Ire}).

Charlie Appleby won the 2021 edition of the race when Kemari (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and he has two great chances to make it back-to-back wins, when he saddles well-bred colt Hafit (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who was last seen running a fast-finishing third over 2400 metres in the Listed Prix de l'Avre and looks like he will appreciate the extra 200 metres on Wednesday.

The colt is out of dual-winning Grade 3-placed Galileo (Ire) mare Cushion (GB) and she is a daughter of multiple Group 1 scorer Attraction (GB) (Efisio {GB}), who landed the G1 Coronation S. at the corresponding meeting in 2004.

Appleby will also saddle Nahanni (GB). A winner of a Listed race at Epsom in April, the son of Frankel (GB) goes into the race off the back of a seventh place finish in the G1 Epsom Derby on June 4.

There is a smattering of Australian bloodlines in this year’s contest in the shape of the Aidan O’Brien-trained and Coolmore-raced colt Anchorage (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). The two-time winner is out of Vanzara (Fr), a mare produced from the first Northern Hemisphere-bred crop of the late Arrowfield Stud-based sire Redoute’s Choice, who shuttled to Haras de Bonneval in 2012 and 2013.

Anchorage's latest appearance in the 1800-metre G3 Gallinule S. at the Curragh was a better run than his fifth-place finish suggests. The colt did his best work late and will certainly thrive over this extended trip and could be a good candidate to hand O’Brien a record-equalling eighth win in the Group 2.

Race 3, G1 Prince Of Wales’s S., 2000m - 12.40am AEST (3.40pm local)

Prizemoney: £1,057,500 (AU$1,851,828)

The G1 Prince Of Wales’s S. for 4-year-olds and older is the highlight of Day 2 and, while this year’s edition has only attracted a field of five runners, it looks ultra competitive and it would not be a surprise to see any one of the quartet claim victory in the Group 1.

Some high-class racehorses have tackled the Group 1 in the past, including the now Coolmore Stud-based sire So You Think (NZ) who landed the race in 2012, making amends for his narrow defeat by Rewilding (GB) (Tiger Hill {Ire}) the previous year. Meanwhile in 2017, Highland Reel (Ire), who now shuttles to Swettenham Stud in Victoria, landed the 2000-metre contest after coming out on top of a thrilling battle with Decorated Knight (GB).

Probably the best place to start this year is with G1 Cox Plate winner State Of Rest, who will be out to enhance his credentials even further before he retires to Henry Field’s Newgate Farm in the Hunter Valley, while he will shuttle to Rathbarry Stud in Ireland during his time in the Northern Hemisphere.

Trained by dual G1 Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Joseph O'Brien, the son of Starspangledbanner - who himself won the G1 Golden Jubilee S. in 2010 - will attempt a rare feat and become a top-flight winner in four different countries when he contests Wednesday’s race.

State Of Rest’s win in the Moonee Valley Group 1 was sandwiched between elite-level wins in the G1 Derby Invitational at Saratoga in the US and G1 Prix Ganay at Longchamp in France before a third placing, beaten less than a length, in the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh in Ireland on May 22.

While his talent is undeniable, there is no question that State Of Rest faces his toughest task yet when he lines up in Wednesday's Group 1.

Fresh from saddling Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) to victory in the G1 Epsom Derby, Sir Michael Stoute will be striving to land the G1 Prince Of Wales’s S. for a fourth time when he runs Bay Bridge (GB) (New Bay {GB}). The colt has won his last five starts, including G3 Brigadier Gerard S. - which former Stoute-trained Poet’s Word (Ire) landed prior to his win in the Group 1 in 2018.

The Japanese raider Shahryar (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) promises to be one of the most intriguing horses to travel to Royal Ascot in recent years and he comes here with two elite-level wins already under his belt, having taken out the G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) last year, while he added to that tally when he won the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic in Meydan in March.

Trained by Hideaki Fujiwara, the son of late breed shaper Deep Impact (Jpn) will be looking to become the first Japanese-trained runner to triumph in a race at the meeting, with Japan having previously had eight shots at the target.

Shahryar himself is out of the 2010 G1 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner Dubai Majesty (USA) (Essence Of Dubai {USA}), making him a brother to fellow Grade 1 winner Al Ain (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).

The John and Thady Gosden-trained Lord North (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) will be looking to reclaim his crown in the Group 1 having landed the contest in 2020 and small but select field is completed by last-start G3 Prix Allez France Longines winner Grand Glory (Olympic Glory). The Gianluca Bietolini-trained mare will be vying for her seventh win at stakes level and second Group 1 victory.

Race 4, G2 Duke Of Cambridge S., 1600m - 1.20am AEST (4.20pm local)

Prizemoney: £175,000 (AU$306,449)

Two old foes will clash once again in the G2 Duke Of Cambridge S. which looks to be palatable skirmish.

Mother Earth (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) and Saffron Beach (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) will meet for a third time, with the score currently level at one win apiece, well if we are going to be picky the scores are one and half to one in the favour of the daughter of Zoffany (Ire).

The Aidan O’Brien-trained Mother Earth gained her first scalp of the Saffron Beach - who is trained by expat Australian Jane Chapple-Hyam - when she beat her into second in last year’s G1 1000 Guineas at Newmarket. In their next meeting, Mother Earth finished second in the G1 Falmouth S., beaten 0.5l by Snow Lantern (GB) (Frankel {GB}), with Saffron Beach trailing home well-beaten in 11th, hence the half mark for Mother Earth.

In their most recent encounter, Saffron Beach eked her revenge on Mother Earth when she comfortably defeated her by three lengths in G1 Sun Chariot S. at Newmarket in October.

Since October, Mother Earth has had two starts, opening her account as a 4-year-old in the G3 Express S. at The Curragh, but she comes into the race looking improve on a luck-lustre display behind the mighty Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the G1 Lockinge S. at Newbury. Meanwhile, Saffron Beach was most recently sighted finishing fourth in the G1 Dubai Turf.

Both seeking redemption for their recent performances, all is to play for in the Group 2 and it looks an interesting match between two top-class fillies.

In terms of danger, it could come from improving mare Bashkirova (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), who showed she was on a steep upward trajectory when she took out the G3 Princess Elizabeth S. There is no doubt she will have to improve on that performance, but she looks to have enormous, untapped potential and it would not be a surprise to see her go to another level on Wednesday.

Raced and bred by Cheveley Park, Bashkirova is out of winning Dansili (GB) Russian Finale (GB) and she is herself a daughter of multiple Group 1 winner Russian Rhythm (USA) (Kingmambo {USA}).

Race 6, Listed Windsor Castle S., 1000m - 2.35am AEST (5.35pm local)

Prizemoney: £100,000 (AU$175,100)

Wednesday’s stakes action draws to a close with the Listed Windsor Castle S., a 1000-metre charge of the 2-year-olds. The one to beat is the Aidan O’Brien-trained Little Big Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never {USA}), who was defeated on debut a 0.ll on debut at The Curragh in April, before making amends for that performance when shedding his maiden status by 3l at Naas in May.

The colt will face 23 rivals and there are some interesting pedigrees on show, including the Wesley Ward-trained Seismic Spirit (Ire) - who is by Haunui Farm shuttler Belardo (Ire). Purchased by Elliot and Ben McElroy for €100,000 (AU$150,000) at the Goffs Sportsman’s Yearling Sale in 2021, the colt has run once at Churchill Downs, beaten that day by a 0.2l and looks a talented type.

It could be a big day for young trainer Tom Clover, who runs bargain filly Jumbeau (GB), a daughter of Darley stallion Brazen Beau. A winner of her first start at Brighton, Jumbeau then finished a sound third in a Listed race at York in May and with £11,206 (AU$19,600) in prizemoney already under her belt she has already handed her connections a good return the 2,000gns (AU$3,500) they paid for her Tattersalls February Mixed Sale in 2021. With £59,200 (AU$103,700) on offer to the winner of Wednesday's Listed race, she could yet provide the owners with a hefty payday.

Royal Ascot Day 1: Results

‘He’s a freak’

The Chris Waller-trained Nature Strip (Nicconi) produced a performance at Royal Ascot on Wednesday that will be etched in the memories of racing fans around the world for years to come when he showed the world his undeniable talent with a demolition of his rivals in the G1 King’s Stand S.

There was a lot riding on Nature Strip’s performance in the Group 1 on the opening day of the prestigious meeting and one felt that anything other than a freakish performance would have still left lingering questions from some of the his loudest critics on the other side of the world.

Waller and jockey James McDonald would have not only felt the heavy weight of expectation on their shoulders that comes with taking a Champion racehorse away from his usual playground, but in some respects they must have sensed the lofty reputation of Australian sprinting in the eyes of the world was very much on the line in the Group 1 as well.

But, as is usually the case, Nature Strip didn’t let anyone down.

There was drama right from the off, as Khaadem (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire} unseated Jamie Spencer after the barriers opened, while Wesley Ward’s superfast sprinter Golden Pal (USA) (Uncle Mo {USA}) - who was touted to be Nature Strip’s main danger in the race - reared in the stalls and his race was effectively over before it even began.

But there was no drama for Nature Strip who shot out of the blocks and always looked full of running, eventually pulling impressively clear of the field to defeat Twilight Calls (GB) (Twilight Son {GB}) by an emphatic 4.5l.

In winning the race, Waller finally put to bed the ghost of Brazen Beau’s agonisingly narrow defeat in the G1 Golden Jubilee S. eight years ago and the trainer hailed Nature Strip's performance as ‘breathtaking’.

“It’s pretty special to bring a horse all this way and compete against the best in the world and to win the way he did,” Waller told At The Races. “It was breathtaking, it was a good display and he’s a very good horse. He has been for a long time.

“I guess he’s in the twilight of his career, but he’s learned to be a racehorse now as he was tricky early on. It’s an honour to train him.

“Going international is very important to showcase our breed in Australia and of course he’s one of the highest-rated horses in the world and it’s stacked up.”

Now a nine-time Group 1 winner, Nature Strip may get the chance to add a 10th elite-level triumph to his CV as soon as Saturday, with connections now set to weigh-up the option of running the gelding in the G1 Platinum Jubilee S.

Should be take up the challenge, he would clash with stablemate Home Affairs (I Am Invincible) and G1 Blue Diamond S. winner Artorius (Flying Artie), but Waller was unwilling to commit to a start in Saturday’s 1200-metre contest.

“We’ll see how he is after this and we’ll make a decision later in the week on whether he runs in the Platinum Jubilee (on Saturday),” the trainer continued. “This is definitely in the top five wins I’ve ever had.”

McDonald - who was enjoying his second winner at the meeting having steered Expert Eye (GB) to victory in G3 Jersey S. in 2018 - and he described Nature Strip as ‘a freak’.

"He's an absolute freak of a horse," said the rider. "I think he silenced a few critics because that was scintillating. With the riderless horse, I didn't even realise he was riderless and I thought 'how has anything gone with him?'

"At the two-pole I was thinking 'are you going to come?' to the American horse, but he didn't."

Should Nature Strip take his place in the G1 Platinum Jubilee S., he will likely be ridden by Jamie Kah, with McDonald set to partner Home Affairs in the Group 1. The last horse to win both sprints at the Royal meeting was the now Darley shuttler Blue Point (GB) (Shamardal {USA}), who landed the double in 2019, while Australian-trained Choisir achieved the feat in 2003.

Baaeed stamps his class on Royal Ascot

As expected, there were fireworks in the first race of the 2022 Royal Ascot meeting as the William Haggas-trained Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) produced an imperious performance in the G1 Queen Anne S. and in the process stretched his unbeaten record to eight.

Comparisons with the mighty Champion Frankel (GB) - who landed the Group 1 in 2021 - immediately followed the race, but connections are not jumping to those sorts of conclusions.

In winning the race, Baaeed once again gained the scalp of the admirable Real World (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), having also beaten him into second in the G1 Sussex S., last month. However, connections of the 4-year-old can take some comfort in the fact the deficit this time was only 1.8l, compared to the 3.4l Baaeed put on him at Newbury.

A visibly relieved Haggas told Sky Sports Racing after the race that the 4-year-old would likely head to the G1 Juddmonte International at York, while the trainer also didn’t rule out a crack at the G1 Sussex S. at Glorious Goodwood.

“He won nicely, he didn’t really do a lot really,” he said. “He looked like he tracked the right horse, the other horse ran well actually, but I don’t think he was extended fully. You can’t learn anything from that, he travels well and settles well and that’s pretty important if you’re going up in trip.

“I’ll speak to Sheikha Hissa and Angus (Gold, racing manager), but I think we are all keen to give it (stepping up in trip) a go and that will be at York and there’s potentially Goodwood (Sussex S.) in the meantime.

He continued: “It’s great because he is now doing it regularly in Group 1 races. It is exciting, I haven’t really seen it properly, but he didn’t really look like he was extended today. I had done 6,000 steps by six o’clock this morning – my doctor will be thrilled with me.

“I do feel a little bit of pressure, but I’m a bit more relaxed now. If everyone enjoys him, it’s great. We are very lucky to have him. We will possibly go to the Sussex S., possibly.

Bred and raced by the Shadwell Estate company, Baaeed is out of the French Listed winner Aghareed (USA) (Kingmambo {USA}), making him a brother to fellow Shadwell Stud-bred and raced colt Hukum (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), added further prowess to the pedigree when he took out the G1 Coronation S. at Epsom earlier in the month.

Sea The Stars (Ire) is the sire of 16 other Group 1 winners and they include G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe runner-up Sea Of Class (Ire) (Sea The Star {Ire}), who, like Baaeed, was also prepared by Haggas.

Coroebus narrowly wins St James’s Palace

The recent G1 2000 Guineas winner Coroebus (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) prevailed in a thrilling battle up the Ascot straight to win the stallion-making G1 St James’s Palace S. at the Royal meeting on Tuesday.

The 3-year-old colt did not have things his own way and was forced to dig deep in the closing stages, eventually prevailing in a close finish to pull a victory out of the jaws of defeat, beating Lusail (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) by 0.1l.

The William Haggas-trained My Prospero (Iffraaj {GB}) was the same distance away in third, while his stablemate Maljoom (Ire) (Caravaggio {USA}) was very unlucky in running, but ran on strongly to finish fourth.

Despite Baaeed’s (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) brilliant performance in the G1 Queen Anne S. earlier in the afternoon, Appleby was not shying away from Coroebus taking on the unbeaten 4-year-old in the G1 Sussex S. at Goodwood.

"We spoke beforehand about having Baaeed and Coroebus together and the Sussex is always a fantastic race, we all know with the three-year-olds and the older horses taking each other on,” said Appleby.

"We wanted to be confident in doing that off the back of a win today and I think that's still very much in the conversation. As always, we'll let the dust settle and I'll have conversations with His Highness and the team and we'll firm those plans up. But on the evidence of what we've seen today, he deserves to be there for sure."

Bred in the purple, the son of Dubawi (Ire) is out G3 Oh So Sharp S. winner First Victory (Ire) and she is herself a half-sister to some top-class performers in three-time Group 1 winner Thunder Snow (Ire), who stands at stud in Japan.

Darley’s flagship stallion enjoyed a stakes double on the afternoon, when his son Dubai Future (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) produced a brilliant performance to win the Listed Wolfteron S. for trainer Saeed bin Suroor.

Big day for first-season sire Tasleet

A future stallion for Shadwell Stud emerged in the first race, the G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot in the shape of Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), and in the second race the stud’s first-season sire Tasleet (GB) showcased his credentials in the breeding barn when he sired his first stakes winner courtesy of Bradsell’s (GB) victory in the G2 Coventry S.

Trained by Archie Watson, Bradsell surged clear under Hollie Doyle to beat Persian Force (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) by 1.5l, while Royal Scotsman (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) was another 0.1l away in third.

Purchased by Blandford Bloodstock for £47,000 (AU$82,200) at the Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale earlier in the year, Bradsell is one of five winners for Tasleet and he stood at Nunnery Stud in Thetford near Newmarket for a fee of £5000 (AU$8700) in 2022.

Cover image courtesy of Michael McInally

By his own admission, Jamie Stumer – the owner and breeder of Jukebox’s maiden stakes winner Johnny Rocker – has plenty of people to thank.

Firstly, there’s respected horsewoman Justine Hales, who has worked for a number of top trainers, including Chris Waller, Ciaron Maher and Phillip Stokes.

Then, there’s Matthew Park, the owner of Symphony Lodge, a race education and pre-training business in Oakey, a rural town 20 minutes west of Toowoomba in South East Queensland.

And, finally, former Group 1-winning trainer Eden Petrie, and Barry Lockwood, a veteran, Group-winning trainer based out of Eagle Farm.

Johnny Rocker’s journey begins with Hales, who is responsible for recommending he send his mare Margene (Magic Albert) to Jukebox.

Jukebox – a son of the great Snitzel – won three of his eight starts, including the G3 Vain S. in 2017, before commencing stud duties at Aquis Farm in Canungra, Queensland in 2018. His oldest progeny are 2-year-olds and he will stand at Aquis for $6600 (inc GST) in 2022.

“It was only out of pure coincidence we went to Jukebox… I can’t remember who we were going to send her (Margene) to; it was someone else, but he retired. I’m pretty good friends with Justine Hales and she was with Ciaron, running their pre-training operation… once Jukebox retired, I rang her and asked her what she thought of him and she said she thought he was a genuine Group 1 horse as a 2-year-old, so I thought, ‘That’s enough for me, we’ll send her there’,” Stumer told TDN AusNZ.

So, Margene had a date with Jukebox and the resultant foal, a chestnut colt, was born on October 5, 2019.

That’s where Park enters the frame.

“The original plan was to put him through the Ready2Run Sale last year. We gave him to Matthew Park at Symphony Lodge and he broke him in for us; he said, ‘If I was you, I wouldn’t put him through the Ready2Run Sale, you might get $40,000 - $80,000… on what he’s shown me, you’re going to win a hell of a lot more in prizemoney’. I spoke to the other owners and we decided we would keep him and race him,” Stumer explained.

And, now Petrie and Lockwood.

“We wanted to race him up here in Queensland, so we got him QTIS registered and I rang Eden Petrie, who used to train Albert (The Fat) for us, and asked him who he thought we should get to train him and he suggested Barry Lockwood. After the first time he galloped, Barry rang me… as an excited owner I asked if he won the gallop, to which Barry said, ‘He didn’t, but it doesn’t matter; he can run time and he can gallop, you’ve got yourself a good horse’,” Stumer said.

Stumer’s willingness to listen and take advice from those more experienced than him has paid dividends, with Johnny Rocker unbeaten through two starts.

Following an encouraging debut win on the polytrack at the Sunshine Coast last month, Johnny Rocker was sent to town to tackle the Listed Oxlade S. on Saturday. Sent out as a $20 hope, the colt crossed from his wide gate under Samantha Collett and was never headed, winning the $150,000 event by 1.5l.

“It was great. We were going to do a Stradbroke Day at the Northcliff Surf Club on Saturday, as when we planned it, we weren’t expecting Johnny to be running,” Stumer explained.

“I only went to the races for his race and then came back down to the Surf Club; we had a long lunch.”

A family affair

Johnny Rocker’s talent can be traced back to Albert The Fat (Magic Albert), a gelding that raced with great success between 2007-2013.

Raced by Stumer and partners, Albert The Fat earned $1.3 million, having won 11 of his 39 starts, including the G1 BTC Cup in 2010 and G1 Emirates S. the following year.

Stumer then purchased his three-quarter sister, Margene, directly from her breeder John Allen. Trained by Paul Messara, before having one start with Waller, she showed her share of ability, which ended prematurely due to injury after just seven starts (she won three of them).

Johnny Rocker is the fourth winner from as many foals from Margene, who sadly died last year from a snakebite.

“It was great; we’ve had the family for so long now… we bought Albert The Fat in 2006 and when he looked good, we bought his three-quarter sister, Margene. She showed a lot of promise, having seven starts for three wins and four placings. She had one run for Chris Waller at Canterbury on a Friday night and she won by 2l going away, and she broke the track record, but then bowed a tendon the following Tuesday, so unfortunately, we had to retire her,” Stumer commented.

What may have been

Stumer has been in the game long enough to know how difficult it is to get a winner, let alone one at black-type level.

And, while he’s certainly not complaining, and there’s no way to prove his theory, he suspects he could’ve enjoyed even more success, if he had his time over.

Stumer said: “We could have had even more success, but we probably chose the wrong stallion; I had a share in Master Of Design, so we sent her to him twice; we could have got into I Am Invincible. And, then we had her booked to go to Dundeel, but switched to Scissor Kick, so we chose the wrong stallion a few times.”

A spring campaign beckons

Johnny Rocker will be aimed at the G1 Golden Rose at Rosehill Gardens on September 24. He may run in the Listed Tattersall’s Life Members S. at Eagle Farm (1400 metres) on Saturday week.

“He’s still an entire, so we’d obviously like to see him win a big race like Albert did and then maybe sell him to stud,” said Stumer.

For the last eight years at sale time, the lively woman that is Roslyn Buerckner can be found on the far-left corner of the Magic Millions sale ring. As expected of big-sale bid spotters, she can holler with the best of them.

Ros’ corner of the auditorium will often include Yulong and Widden Stud, Newgate Farm and Boomer Bloodstock, and four times a year she watches their nods and waves at the popular Gold Coast complex.

“I love bid spotting,” she said, speaking to TDN AusNZ this week. “It’s such a great way to keep in touch with so many people from the industry, and it’s a rush, especially on those big lots. I’ll often have these huge buyers all within a table of each other, and the pressure is on because they all want to be on the right leg.”

Ros has been with Magic Millions for 16 years, starting off in the sale ring with a shovel and a good attitude. Now, alongside her bid spotting, she is also a licensed Queensland trainer.

Last weekend, the new trainer had her first winner when the 5-year-old gelding Remunerative (Star Witness) won the Gayndah Cup over 1400 metres. It was a close contest, Remunerative surviving a protest and a 0.1l photo finish, but he became his trainer’s first winner from four horses to the track.

“I’m currently sitting on a 25 per cent winning strike rate,” Ros said. “I’m pretty happy with that.”

The Wonder horse

Remunerative hasn’t been long with Ros and her husband, horseman Sean Hollands. The couple, operating as River High Ranch, picked up the horse at the Magic Millions Online May Sale for just $4000 this year.

The gelding was previously with Gillian Heinrich on the Gold Coast and he hadn’t been without his problems, but time and plenty of attention brought him to a win last weekend at just the second time of asking for his new owners.

By Star Witness, Remunerative is bred on a cross that Ros particularly likes.

The horse is from the Testa Rossa mare Worth Every Penny, and this is the family of Braari (USA) (Gulch {USA}) that features the G1 Hollywood Futurity S. winner and later stallion, Stormello (USA).

When Ros pored through the catalogue looking for something like him, she was able to see past the red writing that declared Remunerative had had arthroscopic surgery for bone chips, and that he was under veterinary care for damage to his eyes, sustained in his final start for Heinrich at Ipswich.

“He got clods in both eyes in that race, so it looked like he’d stopped running,” Ros said. “But we watched all his replays and it looked to us like he had plenty of ability, and we thought he would definitely be a horse that would suit the country Cups meetings.”

In the Queensland surrounds of River High Ranch, which is sat on the banks of the Mary River outside of Pioneer’s Rest north of the Sunshine Coast, Remunerative had to learn about rural life.

“He was such a city boy,” Ros said. “He’d let the alpacas eat his feed and then the sheep discovered they could get under his fence to eat it too, and he’d just stand there and watch them from the corner. It was like he didn’t know what to do.

“He’s getting there now, but we call him ‘Wade the Wonder Horse’ because I wonder what he’d do if I did this, and I wonder why he’s like this or like that.”

Remunerative is one of four horses in work for Ros, but he’ll forever be her first winner and that’s something a trainer rarely forgets.

“We squealed the house down,” she said. “I’m pretty sure everyone went from watching the race at the track to watching these two clowns carrying on, but it was just amazing.”

Ros will admit that she can hardly pronounce her racehorse’s name. She stumbles over it every time, even now that he’s a winner, but the horse has given her a rare thrill and the details of the day weren’t lost on her.

“On the day of the race, it was 40 days until I turn 40,” she said. “Plus it was the 40th anniversary of the Gayndah Cup, which is one of the oldest racecourses in the state, I think. So there were a couple of little things that stamped the occasion.

“There’s also the fact that Gayndah is the orange capital of Queensland, and I was born and raised in Orange in the central west of New South Wales. It was like it was all coming together.”

We’ll win the Cup

In her eight years bid spotting with Magic Millions, Ros has banked a lot of experience and ambition.

At one point, she considered chasing a career in auctioneering, unfussy about the fact that so few women have staked a claim in that field. But adversity doesn’t bother this woman, and last weekend’s good win by Remunerative came on an important day.

“I was really thrilled to get my first winner on a day when Gai Waterhouse got her 150th Group 1 win,” Ros said. “That was a real thrill, actually, because Sean and I are both really driven. We set a goal and we go for it, and we’re going to win the Melbourne Cup.”

Climbing from a humble country Cup in Queensland to the elite staying race of Australia isn’t a tall tale for Ros; it’s an ambition. She doesn’t talk about it with the absurd rambling of a dreamer, either.

“My grandfather was George Warrener, and I was brought up listening to all his stories of the Melbourne Cup,” she said. “He was obsessed with the race, and his whole life ambition was to have a runner and have a winner of the Melbourne Cup, and he bred a lot of stayers.

“He used to talk about the old ways of training them and how you’d put the miles into their legs, and it could be galloping them over the farm or sorting the cattle with them, all the things they used to do with them in the old days. It was all about getting them fresh in the head and getting them to stay.”

Ros and Sean have written down the Cup as a lifelong goal and they intend to get there, and the romance of the big race is that it is filled with stories like theirs.

“It’s on the cards,” she said. “We’ll win it one day. We’ll be one of those stories where the kids have been riding the horse in the paddock the day before, and he’ll be the longest shot in the race and he’ll just fly home. You’ll see.”

The other side of the fence

Outside of training and bid spotting, Ros has a full-time job as a venue officer, managing the Maryborough Showgrounds and Equestrian Park. Her and Sean have four children between them (and no television), and they grow miniature cattle at River High Ranch.

When Ros took out a trainer’s ticket in Queensland this year, it’s fair to say her rubber band was already stretched pretty tight.

“I decided that I had a spare four minutes each week, so I figured why not be a racehorse trainer as well?” she said.

In fact, the reality was a bit more disciplined. At the 2021 Magic Millions 2YOs In Training Sale last October, the couple breezed up a three-horse draft under their own banner for the first time.

“Part of getting our own horses to that Sale was that I needed a trainer’s licence to work them on the track,” Ros said. “So that is what actually started the whole process of me getting my license, and it was finally approved in January.”

Of that breeze-up draft, two of the horses belonged to Ros and Sean outright. They were a Spieth colt and another by The Mission.

The latter, now named The Veresdale, was a horse they had bought for just $1000 through the Magic Millions Online platform earlier in the year, and they sold him at the breeze-up event for $32,500 to Mishani Enterprises.

The Spieth youngster fared similarly. He had cost the couple just $1600 through Magic Millions Online and they sold him for $15,000 at the breeze-ups to Andrew Dale Racing.

Gallery: Some of River High Ranch's breeze-up draft at the 2021 Magic Millions 2YOs In Training Sale, images courtesy of Magic Millions

“Looking back now, the whole Sale process was incredibly stressful,” Ros said. “There were so many things to worry about, like what if they didn’t have the right x-rays or the breeze-up wasn’t the right time, or if the sire wasn’t in fashion?

“I can tell you that I found it extremely stressful to be on the other side of selling horses, to be a vendor. Oh my gosh, I don’t know how they don’t all have grey hair and heart attacks at every sale.”

What it did do, however, was offer Ros, a long-time bid spotter, an insight into what goes on across the floor below her during sales.

“It was good to see that other side because now I know what goes into that one moment in the sale ring and it was scary, and I don’t get scared very often. I’ve got a whole new level of respect for everything that goes into selling a horse now.”

Ros has no plans to hit the sale ring again as a vendor. Instead, she has been busy as a buyer, purchasing horses in the last three editions of Magic Millions Online. She is continually on the scout for country Cups horses, both publicly and privately.

Remunerative, meanwhile, may head to an Eagle Farm mile event in a fortnight’s time, but he’ll always have the Gayndah Cup to his name. The trophy is at home at River High Ranch, full of oranges.