Cover image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained colt - who is now favourite for the G1 Caulfield Guineas - showed glimpses of brilliance as a 2-year-old. Having broken his maiden on his first start, the colt then finished fifth in the G3 Blue Diamond Prelude (Colts and Geldings), which he then followed up by running a brilliant third in the G1 Blue Diamond S. and signed off his season with a sixth-place finish in the G1 Golden Slipper S.
Maxsted - who is also the Coolmore Stud Chairman - told TDN AusNZ they had always believed the son of Rubick would prove to be a better 3-year-old and said anything he achieved in his juvenile season would have always been seen as a bonus.
Lindsay Maxsted
“He was a very good 2-year-old and could have possibly been unbeaten in Melbourne, but he threw away the Blue Diamond Prelude by just falling out the barriers and then the jockey was forced to ride him for luck and he ran well to finish fifth,” he said.
“In the Blue Diamond he got pushed wide on the corner and he nearly got there and just got tired in the last 50 metres. He’s an interesting horse because we as owners know what he achieved as a 2-year-old was based on raw ability. He was definitely not a 2-year-old and we knew the best was likely to come as a 3-year-old.
“We didn’t push him last season and he only had that one race on a Heavy track in the Golden Slipper, but we didn’t want to race him on those wet tracks in Sydney. He always showed us something and we felt there were one or two good races in him and he proved that today (Saturday).”
"He’s (Jacquinot) an interesting horse because we as owners know what he achieved as a 2-year-old was based on raw ability. He was definitely not a 2-year-old and we knew the best was likely to come as a 3-year-old." - Lindsay Maxsted
Having not seen him since his juvenile year, Maxsted clapped eyes on the colt at Caulfield on Saturday and said he thought he had furnished into himself during his spell.
“Today (Saturday) was the first time I had seen him since he was a 2-year-old and he just looks like a different horse. He is never going to be a big broad horse, but he has grown a little bit in height and looks to have furnished,” Maxsted said.
Maxsted retained the colt after he failed to make his $120,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2021 and he said the sale perhaps came around a touch too quickly for the colt.
Jacquinot as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“He was always very sound and there was nothing wrong with him, but he hadn’t grown into himself at all by the time Magic Millions came round and the sale probably came a bit too early for him,” he said.
Maxsted’s association with the Jacquinot’s family began in 2009 when John Hawkes purchased his grandam Pontiana (Redoute’s Choice) for $215,000 at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
The daughter of Redoute’s Choice would go on to win two of her 14 starts, while her CV also includes a third-place finish in the G3 Dane Ripper S. and second in the Listed Nivison S.
Pontiana when racing | Image courtesy of Sportpix
However, her exploits as a broodmare have superseded her qualities as a racehorse and she has so far produced four winners, headed by Group 1 winner Inference, while she is also the dam of Group 2 winner Dragon Leap (Pierro) and the stakes son of So You Think (NZ), Illation, who finished fourth and 14th respectively in the G1 Memsie S. at Caulfield on Saturday.
Pontiana’s second foal was Ponterro, a filly by Pierro who never made it to the track, and was sent for her first cover to the then Coolmore Stud sire Rubick and Jacquinot was the fruits of that first mating.
Maxsted said Pontiana, given the mares clear affinity to So You Think, she will be set for another date with the son of High Chaparral (Ire) this spring, while Ponterro will be covered by Rubick’s The Everest-winning son Yes Yes Yes, meaning the resulting foal will be a three-quarter sibling to Saturday’s G3 HDF McNeil S.-winning star.
Pontiana will go to So You Think (NZ) (pictured) again this season | Standing at Coolmore Stud
“I love the pedigree and when John Hawkes bought her for me at the Easter sale, he loved the way she moved. She always had a lot of ability, but she wasn’t blessed with full health, however she was still good enough to place in a Dane Ripper. All the family move really well and have lovely actions.
“She (Pontiana) missed to I Am Invincible last year, but given what Illation has done and Inference before him, she will go back to So You Think this year. She is on Coolmore and is looking wonderful at the moment and everyone is really happy with her,” said Maxsted.
“Ponterro is in foal to Wootton Bassett and all things being well, we will go back to the same family and mate her with Yes Yes Yes.”
“She (Pontiana) missed to I Am Invincible last year, but given what Illation has done and Inference before him, she will go back to So You Think this year.” - Lindsay Maxsted
Having stood at Coolmore for the first six seasons of his career, Rubick was relocated to Swettenham Stud last year and this season he is enjoying a fine run, siring 18 winners and Jacquinot becomes his second stakes winner since the turn of the season, joining last weekend’s G3 Quezette S. winner Bound For Home.
In winning Saturday’s Group 3, Jacquinot became the six overall stakes winner for Rubick and Maxsted said he was pleased to see the stallion enjoying a rich run of form.
Rubick | Standing at Swettenham Stud
“He’s had a really good 12 months on the track and I think it is a great home for him down there at Swettenham in Victoria and hopefully his good run of form will come through in terms of the mares he gets this year,” he said.
