Matings mix: 'She is entitled to a stallion of his calibre...'

Off the back of significant global investment the Gnarwarre-based operation’s elite yearling drafts and banner stallion, Shamus Award, has risen to the forefront of the bloodstock scene this century and it seems to be only just getting started.

“A decision was made over the past couple of years that we would go to the market last year,” McEvoy told TDN AusNZ.

“And major dispersals such as Shadwell really encouraged us to pull the trigger on stepping up to the plate and acquiring some fresh, new blood for the broodmare band, and we are very thrilled with where it is currently at.

“I think we bought really well with some of those mares from families we feel are really on the move and we can certainly be excited by what the future holds.”

The planning process

The process of planning 150 matings at Rosemont begins just after Easter and is completed over three or four catch ups. McEvoy and brothers Ted and Anthony Mithen each sit down individually before finalising a spreadsheet.

Despite having a four-pronged stallion roster that features Shamus Award, Hanseatic, Extreme Warrior and Strasbourg, it is imperative that Rosemont give each mare the best opportunity at success while still ensuring its stallions are well-supported.

Gallery: Rosemont Stud's resident stallions, images courtesy of Rosemont

“We’ve made no secret in our support for our stallions and our belief in them, one only has to look at our support of Shamus Award since he’s been with us and the amount of mares we’ve sent him,” McEvoy said.

“So, it’s a fluid approach, and because we’ve only got the four stallions there’s some mares who don’t fit into their basket and we have to look elsewhere.

“Some mares we feel warrant a mating to I Am Invincible or Zoustar but last year, and certainly this year, we will be sending the least number of mares out due to the belief we have in our stallions.”

Award winner

The trajectory that Shamus Award is on certainly puts a spring in the entire Rosemont operation's step, his five Group 1 winners to date having been conceived off an $11,000 (inc GST) service fee.

“We’re very excited to see what he can achieve now that he is covering really quality Easter-type mares, and on our internal measurements, and some of the information we’ve been given, shows Shamus is clearly the number-one stallion in terms of being an upgrader,” McEvoy said.

“Breeders have become a bit more in-tune in the past couple of years about the style of mare to send to Shamus, he needs a mare with a bit of substance and good bone, not your more narrow, leggy and taller sorts of mares.

“As the best Shamus Awards I have seen from a type perspective are the ones that carry a good bit of natural condition, good bone and medium-sized.”

Like a Boss

Hanseatic’s first foals have been nothing short of outstanding, according to McEvoy. He said they are extremely excited about the prospect of the G1 Blue Diamond-placed son of Street Boss (USA) as a stallion and believe he presents outstanding value at a service fee of $17,600 (inc GST).

“He’s a horse that when we announced him last season he was incredibly popular as he’s got such a great profile and he covered 198 mares with a book full by June that is full again for this season,” McEvoy said.

“He was a dominant 2-year-old, he won the Merson Cooper, then the Diamond Preview and Prelude, so if he goes on and wins the Diamond he’d probably be standing somewhere around $40-$50,000.”

Homebred heroine set for a starring role

Homebred heroine Brooklyn Hustle (Starspangledbanner) is a welcome addition to Rosemont’s broodmare band this season despite being unable to add a Group 1 victory to her resume.

“She’s a mare that is really close to our heart, a multiple Group winner, who I still think was a bit stiff not to win an Oakleigh Plate,” McEvoy said.

“She was an unbelievably talented mare and she had that dazzling turn of foot that is backed up by her physicality, she’s just the most beautiful mare.”

The G2 Dane Ripper S. winner, who caught the eye on multiple occasions with fast-finishing performances, has been booked to Zoustar for her maiden mating.

“I had a little bit to do with Zoustar in my time at Widden, particularly in his early days as a stallion, and she just strikes me as a mare who is ideal for him,” McEvoy said.

“She was a reasonably sharp 2-year-old, a dynamic 3- and 4-year-old sprinter, with big hindquarters, good bone and a huge depth of girth.

“Zoustar does well with maiden mares of that physical description, so that is ultimately why we are heading in that direction.”

Top draw dates

Group 1-winning Eurozone mare Krone will start her broodmare career off right at the very top with the former Tony Gollan-trained galloper booked to Yarraman Park’s reigning Champion Sire I Am Invincible.

“She’s a Northern Meteor-line mare and that Encosta De Lago line has worked well with Vinnie, Libertini is one who springs to mind that has been produced on that cross,” McEvoy said. “Krone is just a beautiful mare that we think will suit him very well, and she is entitled to a stallion of his calibre for her first mating, having been a stakes winner from two through to five.”

The multiple Group 3-winning Minhaaj (Exceed And Excel) is also booked for a maiden mating with I Am Invincible.

Backing in Bella

G1 Robert Sangster S. winner Bella Vella (Commands), a $1.9 million 2021 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale purchase by Rosemont, will be covered by Yulong’s Champion stallion Written Tycoon after missing last season.

Despite having missed twice to date, McEvoy is confident it will be a case of third time lucky for the three-time Group winner.

“She’s fine, she looks superb, actually, and we have just tinkered away with her, she is cycling normal and we are confident that she will be fine this season,” McEvoy said.

“Written Tycoon works well with daughters of Danehill, his record with Flying Spur mares is elite and he’s a stallion that does pretty well with a maiden mare. And the stats will also tell you that he’s a stallion who enjoys a fast, speedy Danehill-line mare.”

No Doubt about it

Celebrity Girl (Starcraft {NZ}), the dam of Phillip Stokes’ G1 Robert Sangster S. heroine Instant Celebrity (Not A Single Doubt), is destined for a date with debut stallion Extreme Warrior after being given last season off.

Acquired for $400,000 at the 2021 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, Celebrity Girl herself is a dual Listed-winning, G2 Edward Manifold S. placegetter.

“She was in foal pretty late and I think that was our opportunity as it didn’t frighten us off, whereas it would’ve, some others,” McEvoy said.

“And I don’t think you can go too wrong with good quality stakes-winning mares that have already proven themselves and produced Group 1 winners.”

The decision to send Celebrity Girl to Extreme Warrior was rather straightforward, with the Group 3-winning sprinter being by Extreme Choice - a son of Not A Single Doubt.

"There’s not a lot of rocket science behind the mating to Extreme Warrior, as Instant Celebrity is the daughter of Not A Single Doubt,” McEvoy said.

“It also made sense physically, with Extreme Warrior being a sexy first-season sire that we are in love with.”

A mare fit for a king

American Group 3 winner Heavenly Curlin (USA) (Curlin {USA}), who Rosemont secured privately from The States for a ‘significant sum’, is to be covered by Juddmonte’s Frankel (GB) on Southern Hemisphere time for the second consecutive season before making her way Down Under.

She is out of the Encosta De Lago mare Taste Of Heaven, who herself is a sister to Manhattan Rain, a three-quarter sister to Rubick and a half-sister to Redoute’s Choice.

“She combined race performance with pedigree, and I feel she was perhaps even better of a mare than her Group 3 win suggests,” McEvoy said.

“She is from the most commercial pedigree in the Australian stud book which made her very easy to mate being by Curlin, who is a Champion stallion.

“So, we are holding our breath as she is due to foal down to Frankel soon before being covered again and then coming home with her foal at foot.”

The promising Pinatubo

Another significant investment by Rosemont was the $1.35 million purchase of Chris Waller’s G2 Silver Shadow S.-winning, G2 Flight Stakes runner-up Fiesta (I Am Invincible) at last year’s Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.

Unfortunately, Fiesta missed last season but is now set for a date with Darley shuttler and outstanding juvenile Pinatubo (Ire).

“I had the opportunity to see him (Pinatubo) for the first time at Darley the other week and absolutely loved him,” McEvoy said.

“He’s by a stallion (Shamardal) that I think is going to have a huge impact in Australia in the next 10 to 20 years and you can’t help but be impressed by what this horse did as a 2-year-old.

“To complement his quality is that fact that Fiesta is a mare that will suit him well, he’s a medium-sized horse who is a bit more short coupled and she’s a pretty good size.”

Staying at home

G1 Queen of the Turf S. winner Amanpour (Northern Meteor), who was purchased by Rosemont and Blue Sky Bloodstock (FBAA) for $1.5 million at the 2015 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, will be covered by Hanseatic after not being served last season.

Responsible for Journalism (I Am Invincible), who brought $1 million to the bid of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Amanpour also has an unraced 3-year-old called Dream Reality (Redoute’s Choice) with Maher and Eustace, a juvenile filly by Exceed And Excel and a yearling by Pride Of Dubai.

“We felt that it was a year where we could play it a bit more conservatively with her in terms of a service fee spend,” McEvoy said.

“She’s closely related to a horse called Rapper Dragon, who was a star in Hong Kong and is by Street Boss, so we wanted to hook up nick.

“Another factor is that she’s a mare with a bit of length to her and we feel as though Hanseatic will neaten her up a touch and hopefully breed us a nice 2-year-old type.”

There’s a little bit of synergy when it comes to A Beautiful Night (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) being mated to Hanseatic this season, with the former Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained mare having taken out the fillies division of the G3 Blue Diamond Preview on the same day Hanseatic demolished his rivals on resumption in the colts and geldings' contest.

Not only does the mating appeal from a physical and racing-performance perspective, it also makes sense on pedigree with the appeal of Mr Prospector (USA) blood over Dubawi (GB) a factor in the team's decision-making process.

“We liked the idea of Hanseatic as a second-season mating for her as she’s a mare that physically complements Hanseatic really well and vice versa, with his power over her physique,” McEvoy said.

“We liked that bit of synergy there of breeding two sharp 2-year-olds, and you’d like to think that would produce a horse that could get you to those early juvenile types of races.”

A $330,000 2021 Inglis Chairman’s Sale purchase by the Rosemont Hanseatic Syndicate, A Beautiful Night, who is currently in foal to Zoustar, hails from the extended family of Merchant Navy and Paulele (Dawn Approach {Ire}).

Proven producers staying put

Proven producers Stylish Bel (Bel Esprit) and Condesaar (Xaar {GB}), who are responsible for Beauty Generation (Road To Rock) and Yankee Rose (All American) respectively, will be mated to Shamus Award.

The thought behind sending Stylish Bel, who is currently in foal to Hanseatic, Shamus Awards' way is an attempt to tap into the Hong Kong market.

“Shamus is starting to really have an impact from a Hong Kong point of view and we thought that this would be an interesting mating,” McEvoy said.

“The Bel Esprit x Shamus Award cross has produced Swats That and physically she suits him perfectly.”

Rosemont will be hoping Condesaar can have a bit more luck this season after slipping and missing the previous two seasons.

“She’s a high-profile, commercially successful mare that is entitled to a service fee of that level,” McEvoy said.

“She produced Yankee Rose who ran second in a Cox Plate, the race Shamus Award won and Xaar is from the Best In Show family which hooks back in with Shamus’ sireline through Redoute’s Choice.”

Not only is Condesaar the dam of Yankee Rose, she has also produced Group 3 winner Miravalle (Redoute’s Choice) and the dam of Listed winner Isotope (Deep Field).

Table: Some of the matings Rosemont Stud is planning for the 2022 season