Cover image courtesy of Sportpix

It’s not the first time that racegoers will have seen a speedy, white-faced horse in Vieira’s colours sprinting ahead of his rivals at Sydney’s premier racetracks, as this is also the man who bred and raced the Champion 3-Year-Old, Trapeze Artist.

However, the path for Sweet Ride hasn’t been a smooth one. Not only did his first stakes success come at his fifth attempt at that level, but, not unlike Trapeze Artist, he wasn’t a horse that Vieira had intended to race himself.

The son of Deep Field was sold at the 2021 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, heading to the stable of Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou for $320,000. A great result, but one that wasn’t to last.

“He went up for sale and Gerald Ryan bought him… for one of his clients, and then his client couldn’t come up with the money,” Vieira told TDN AusNZ.

Vieira agreed to buy the horse back from Ryan and moved him to Annabel Neasham’s stable. From there, the chestnut colt showed early promise to win his second trial and then won on debut in January of this year.

Far from a smooth Ride

Despite the progeny of Deep Field being known to progress as 3-year-olds, Sweet Ride contested the R. Listed Inglis Millennium on just his second start at two. For all that he showed his ability early, Vieira had to be patient in waiting for that first stakes win.

“I’m really excited about having this boy, I’ve waited a long time. I’ve waited for him, and I thought, ‘This is him’, and then it goes up and down.”

The fluctuations Vieira referred to include a couple of below-par runs, including an unusual incident involving a towel. As a 2-year-old, after winning the Black Opal Preview in fine style when barely coming off the bridle, Sweet Ride was narrowly denied a first stakes victory in the G3 Pago Pago S. by Rise Of The Masses (Russian Revolution).

Having coped well on the Heavy 9 surface that day, connections were hopeful for a big run in the G1 Golden Slipper which came next. But it wasn’t to be, with Sweet Ride fading tamely to finish 14th.

Sweet Ride then had a break and returned at the end of his 2-year-old season to post a lacklustre result in handicap company, but this time Vieira felt the colt had an excuse.

“I watched his run; he was unfit, I could see it,” he recalled.

Then, in the sort of occurrence that racing horses allows, and seemingly just to test Vieira’s patience, came the towel incident. Opting for the Listed The Rosebud to commence his Classic year campaign, Sweet Ride’s first attempt at stakes victory this season was written off after jockey Chad Schofield left the stalls with a towel pinned against his leg.

“In the barriers, they give you a towel to wipe them down. He threw the towel behind, but it got stuck in his right leg, so it was flapping under his belly the whole way until the last 100 (metres),” said Vieira.

Undeterred, they pressed on towards Saturday’s San Domenico, with Vieira sure that prohibitive odds of $51 reflected a string of bad luck rather than any lack of ability on the horse’s part. And finally came their reprieve.

“I was confident that he would run a good race, he doesn’t change overnight,” said Vieira.

A Golden path to follow

With a mixture of unwavering belief in his horses and a light-hearted approach by which he tacitly acknowledges that anything can happen in racing, Vieira has plotted a path for Sweet Ride by which he could emulate his Champion, Trapeze Artist.

Firstly, though, he will look for an intermediate test in the G2 Run To The Rose S. over 1200 metres on September 10.

“If everything works and he wins them pretty well at 1200 (metres), I might have a shot at the Golden Rose, as Trapeze Artist did. Trapeze Artist won the Golden Rose by four lengths, so I might try and follow that one.

“Look, I can’t beat Trapeze Artist – let’s win it by three,” Vieira laughed.

A step up to 1400 metres is not a challenge that will be impeded by Sweet Ride’s pedigree; he is out of the four-time winner How Sweet It Is (Foxwedge), whose victories stretched up to 1600 metres.

She, in turn, is out of a Zabeel (NZ) mare, the Listed-placed Southern Venture (NZ), whose two victories were at 1400 and 1600 metres.

Attracting attention

After such a dominant performance in Saturday’s race, and with his strong 2-year-old form behind him, Sweet Ride has already been the subject of post-racing career discussions. With Deep Field standing at Newgate Farm, it’s understandable that the team there have been keeping a close eye on the colt.

“Newgate’s Bruce Slade rang me and said: ‘You’ve got Trapeze Artist at Widden, now it’s our turn – send him to us’…

“I said: ‘Do I get free services to Deep Field?’ He said I’ve still got to pay for them,” Vieira said.

He added in a chuckle: “I tried.”

Being the first foal of How Sweet It Is, whether or not Sweet Ride takes up stallion duties in the future his performances so far have ensured that Vieira is sitting on a lucrative prospect with his dam.

And, true to his game nature, he is determined to use the success of his broodmare to enhance the chances of his stallion. How Sweet It Is is due a foal by Trapeze Artist this year, and Vieira reported that she will visit him again.

“I can’t not… My main aim is to give Trapeze Artist every chance because I think he’ll be a top stallion, and whatever progeny she gives me I’ll sell for a fortune because I’ve only got (until) the nineteenth of September.”

The date Vieira has in mind is the first 2-year-old trials, and he is eagerly awaiting the appearance of Trapeze Artist’s debut crop, with the hope that they will make an immediate impact.

“That’s the first trials. If a Trapeze Artist wins a trial – imagine… I gave him a lot of mares; I bought him more mares this year again. I’ve got 92 mares… I’m not a well person,” he joked.

A special day in store

Regardless of the result, if Sweet Ride makes it to the G2 Run To The Rose there may be a very important reason to celebrate.

Though there are still some hurdles in terms of planning to overcome, it is the intention that September 10 will be a first outing to the races for Gai Vieira, Bert’s wife, who is still recovering from critical injuries sustained in a car crash in 2018.

As TDN AusNZ revealed last month when discussing the unprecedented bonus Vieira has offered for the progeny of Trapeze Artist, racing is a sport the couple enjoys watching together and an important remedy.

“We’re very excited. She wants to go – if I don’t take her, she’ll keep calling me names,” said Vieira. “I’ve got to take her.”

Cover image courtesy of Bronwen Healy

Peter Orton is general manager of Vinery Stud, where More Than Ready shuttled for an amazing 19 seasons. In that time he produced 11 individual Group 1 winners in Australia, headlined by the Gai Waterhouse-trained More Joyous (NZ).

Speaking to TDN AusNZ, Waterhouse noted that despite his wide appeal as a stallion, hers was a particularly productive association with his progeny.

“Not everyone enjoyed the success that I did with his progeny,” she said. “I don’t know what it was. They were easy to train, very straightforward, uncomplicated, and athletic types of horses. And More Joyous was certainly that; she was the most remarkable race filly and mare, and probably his greatest female to race in Australia.”

The incredible constitution of More Joyous saw her win 21 races from 33 starts, over $4.5 million in prizemoney and no fewer than eight Group 1 events.

“She had a very good temperament, and she had a toughness about her that all good race mares have. She’d just roll up her sleeves, get on with the job and then say, ‘What’s next?’ And all of his horses have been exactly like that – that’s the dream.”

If More Joyous was the greatest female progeny of More Than Ready to race in Australia, her male counterpart is Sebring. Also trained by Waterhouse, the Champion 2-Year-Old turned sire is also an advert for the versatility endowed by More Than Ready.

“Sebring was probably one of the greatest males as he was Australasian Champion 2-Year-Old, only being narrowly beaten in the Triple Crown, he went down by half a head. He was a brilliant horse, with brilliant speed, and yet they (More Than Ready’s progeny) could race up to 2000 metres.

“More Than Ready was an extremely versatile stallion, and a stallion that nicked very well with Australian broodmares.”

From Derby winners, such as Prized Icon and Eagle Way, to G1 Golden Slipper winners such as Sebring and Phelan Ready, More Than Ready really could do it all.

He also stood out in his longevity as a stallion. As evidenced by his 216 stakes winners worldwide, he continued to produce top horses into old age, where most stallions enter a gradual decline. He is the fourth-highest all-time stakes-producing stallion, behind only Galileo (Ire) (357), Danehill (USA) (347) and Dubawi (Ire) (238).

“I think all good stallions do,” said Waterhouse. “In our stable this year we’ve got two or three More Than Readys, now they’re the sons and daughters of a very old stallion. But we were still buying them in January.”

“They have less chance as they get older, but More Than Ready defied them.”

This year has seen the last opportunity to buy yearlings by More Than Ready, as he ceased shuttling from WinStar Farm after 2019. Having started in 2001, and not missing a year, that’s an amazing 19 seasons.

“That’s unheard of,” Waterhouse said. “It’s such a task for a stallion, because of the number of mares they cover. You only have to think about yourself travelling… Australia to America and they didn’t have a break, they just started serving another book of mares. I don’t know how they do it.

“One forgets how many American horses have come down here and been complete failures, and More Than Ready just came down here and said: ‘Hello, here’s another hemisphere I can conquer."

Like a family pet

When it comes to his fortitude in the covering shed, few knew the horse better than Peter Orton. Joining Vinery Stud in 2000, Orton has overseen More Than Ready’s entire shuttling career, and was understandably moved by the loss of a horse that he, and the whole stud, held dear.

“It really is like losing one of your family pets, you can’t help but get attached to them,” Orton told TDN AusNZ.

“He was such a beautifully natured horse, and he was a pleasure to have around, and he was so much part of the fabric of Vinery.”

Far from just a mainstay at Vinery, More Than Ready helped to establish the stud as the force it is today.

“We started Vinery in Australia and along with a few others, it was More Than Ready who laid the foundation, and he was just the heart and soul of Vinery. It is quite emotional.”

Orton, like Waterhouse, noted that one of the stallion’s great qualities was his versatility.

“When we identified him in the first place hoping he would be versatile, and we were thinking he had a pedigree that would mix with our bloodlines. His ability had to be such a great all-round horse. They really could run on any surface and in any country.”

The latter point is there to see in the numbers; More Than Ready’s winners to runners statistics are astoundingly close in both countries in which he stood. In the US it is 71.67 per cent, and in Australia, 69.67 per cent.

“He has produced such brilliant athletes and we are trying to upgrade all the time and he just fitted every criteria to allow us to do that and apart from that, he was a good bloke!”

Also of note is his prominence as a broodmare sire, and his female produce work particularly well with Danehill-line mares. A fine example being the 20 per cent stakes winners to runners achieved when crossed to Redoute’s Choice.

For Exceed And Excel, that statistic raises to an eye-watering 25 per cent, which includes the co-Champion Sprinter turned Darley stallion Bivouac, whose dam Dazzler is yet another winning daughter of More Than Ready.

“They have become collector’s types and people are going out of their way to get daughters of More Than Ready because they work so well with different stallions and he works so well with Danehill-line mares, but he does a great job with other sirelines too,” said Orton.

Remarking on his greatest characteristics, Orton picked out his temperament, echoing Waterhouse’s observations on his progeny.

“To shuttle down here as much as he did is remarkable, but he had such a wonderful temperament and that was definitely the key to his success,” he said.

“The messages we have received from vets to breeders has been amazing, he touched the hearts of so many people and he will be sorely missed.”

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

Cover image courtesy of Coolmore

You couldn’t get a finer August afternoon in the Hunter Valley and Coolmore looked in rude health. The farm looks absolutely terrific, as did the stallions.

The Paella was the perfect entrée to James Bester’s dulcet tones and Tom Moore spoke excellently about King’s Legacy and Wootton Bassett. Many wouldn’t have seen the latter in the flesh, and he was very impressive on the eye. He was well-supported by the Magnier family last year in Europe and I’m sure he’ll be well-received once again by Australian breeders as his progeny continue to flourish in the Northern Hemisphere.

We got to see a diverse group of stallions that Coolmore have put together over the last 30 years; from that precocious, Australian 2-year-old type to the elite European middle-distance horses which could well become the flavour of breeders once again with such excellent prizemoney on offer in the Classic year through to 4- and 5-year-olds.

There’s also Saxon Warrior, who is an exciting stallion considering that in the last 12 months we’ve seen how powerful the Japanese breed has been from America to Dubai and, in recent years, Australia.

St Mark’s Basilica was such an exceptional 3-year-old, and by Siyouni who needs no introduction in Australia thanks to the likes of Amelia’s Jewel. There’s a diverse cross section both on pedigree and on price, meaning there’s something on offer for nearly every breeder at Coolmore.

The highlight of the show, given his exploits last season, was definitely Home Affairs. As a yearling he looked like a Bentley, and he had the price to match. You mustn’t forget that he was catalogued at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale and, barring a setback, he might have made more there than the COVID-affected sale later in the year.

His efforts to race in the Slipper at two should be noted – there have been so many champion stallions to run in that race without necessarily winning it, such as Written Tycoon and Fastnet Rock.

He was so good in the Coolmore Stud Stakes and to beat the older horses as a 3-year-old at Flemington really showed that he was top-quality and the fastest son of I Am Invincible, with an excellent stallion pedigree too.

He’s going to be well-supported by the Magnier family at stud and in the yearling sales, and not every farm gets behind their stock at the sales, so it gives breeders confidence that they’ll be rewarded.

As a mainstay of their roster, you have to mention Fastnet Rock. It was great to see him, he looks in great nick for an older boy. When James was reeling off his statistics, including the number of Group 1 winners he’s had, the country’s other top stallions start to pale in comparison.

He won’t be around forever and if you’re searching for a proven stallion at a reasonable fee then, given his record, you’d be remiss not to utilise him.