Matings mix: Emirates Park

Cover image courtesy of Emirates Park

Fast forward to the present day, Emirates Park’s enviable broodmare band of around 60 mares is brimming with depth and quality and includes some females the nursery has farmed themselves over the decades but also contains some mares obtained through the operation’s continued heavy investment in the Australian bloodstock industry.

One only needs to look at the farm’s roll of honour to understand how they have carved this glowing reputation. Their list of graduates includes Group 1 winners, turned stallions in Encosta De Lago, Al Maher and Swiss Ace, while other elite-level performers are headed by Fat Al (Al Maher) and Almalad (Al Maher), who was crowned Australia’s Champion 2-Year-Old colt in 2013/14.

Gallery: Emirates Park's elite-level performers

Meanwhile, the farm can also lay claim to purchasing a pair of G1 Golden Slipper S. winners in Mossfun (Mossman), who landed the feature 2-year-old event in 2014, while four years later, Estijaab (Snitzel) handed Emirates their second winner of the time-honoured event.

Estijaab and Mossfun are two of just a host of top-quality mares that call the Murrurundi-based property home and the man tasked with pairing each quality mare with her perfect match is the farm’s longtime General Manager, Bryan Carlson.

“Firstly, we look at what stallions are commercial at the time. I think the main thing for us is that we are trying to use more proven stallions and then what the market likes,” said Carlson. “Those proven stallions we use are ones that have a six per cent stakes/winners to runners strike rate, so the top-end stallions.

“We also tend to use the stallions we believe to be on the way up commercially and the ones we think are going to be the next hot stallion. We then pick those stallions using that criteria and then work out what mares will go with them.”

Once Carlson has decided which stallions this specific criteria encompasses, he then sets about working out which mare will complement each stallion physically.

“We have a band of 60-plus mares this year and type is probably the number one thing for us when it comes to matching the stallion, followed by the pedigree and then the broodmare sire is very important.

“We’re lucky because 40 per cent of our mares would be considered ‘high end’ and, because they are such nice types physically, we match them up on type and try and give them every chance by sending them to proven stallions.

“The aim is to try and send the mare to proven sires first, but that is not always the case, it just depends on the individual mare and where they are at in the breeding career.

“I suppose the biggest thing for us now with the good broodmare band we have, we only have two mares that are over the age of 12,” said Carlson.

Carlson said one of the most attractive aspects of the band of mares they possess on farm is that they are all relatively young, with so much of the breeding careers ahead of them.

“We try not to keep mares that have had more than six foals unless they have produced a lot of stakes winners. Six is obviously a rough estimate, but you tend to know after about three foals if they are going to produce good types.

Seeking value overseas

The list of stallions Emirates is set to support this year is a who’s who of the best sires in the land, including Yarraman Park Stud’s reigning Champion Sire I Am Invincible, Zoustar and Written Tycoon, while they have earmarked last season’s Champion First Season Sire Russian Revolution and Vinery Stud’s young gun Star Turn as potential stars of the future.

Emirates will also be throwing their support behind their own stallion Tassort, who they stand in conjunction with Henry Field’s, Newgate Farm, while an exciting addition to this year’s list is America’s hottest sire of the moment in Gun Runner (USA), while they will once again be supporting the Juddmonte Farms-based stallion Kingman (GB).

With the yearling market booming, stud masters up and down the country have responded by increasing stallion fees and Carlson believes Australia is currently lacking a middle band of proven sires standing for less than $100,000.

“In terms of proven stallions, there are not many between that $50,000 and $100,000 and there are very few stallions in New South Wales who are Group 1 producers who stand for $30,000 or under,” he explained. “Realistically, if you’ve got a young mare and you want to use a proven stallion under the $90,000 mark, you are going to find it tougher.”

In recent years Emirates Park has taken a different approach in the quest to find value, believing seeking out proven stallions on foreign shores is more economical, but will also ultimately help the Australian gene pool.

“What we have found this year is that it is almost cheaper to fly broodmares overseas to proven stallions and then bring them back. Some of those really good proven stallions are better value, for example, Kingman is about $70,000 and Gun Runner is $110,000. Many of those good stallions overseas who cover Southern Hemisphere time are all good value, which is why we are expanding.

“It isn’t just about the good value either, you are creating outcrosses for our Danehill-line stallions. I think we will be doing that more, finding mares overseas and putting them in foal to bring down. This will also allow the yearling sales to have more variety as well and this is not only true with fillies, if we had a colt that happened to be good and became a stallion he would also provide an outcross, so it can work both ways.

“We are so saturated with Danehill here and the fact that when you go to yearling sales, you are mainly looking at Snitzels and I Am Invincibles and those top few stallions, there is not much diversity. I think it is something as an industry we need to look at more.”

Emirates have a long tradition of success when using American-bred stallions, with plenty of their Group 1-winning graduates being a product of this strategy and these include horses such as Group 1 winners Dash For Cash and Swiss Ace, who are both sons of Secret Savings (USA), while this also rings true of perhaps their most famous graduate in Encosta De Lago, was also the son of an American-bred in Fairy King (USA).

“The American mares work so well down here, but as an industry, I don’t think we respect the American stallions enough and they have worked in the past. I think if we can breed more American stallions to the right mares, they will work more,” he said.

A Gun chance?

With this strategy in mind, Emirates Park will send some of their best mares to Gun Runner in 2022, who is available to Southern Hemisphere breeders for the first time. Australian-based breeders will pay a fee of US$75,000 (AU$111,000), which is markedly less than the US$125,000 (AU$185,000) breeders in the Northern Hemisphere are forced to cough up for his services.

Based at Three Chimneys in Kentucky, Gun Runner has enjoyed a meteoric rise through the US stallion ranks since retiring to the breeding barn in 2018. With only two crops on the ground, the stallion is already the sire of 12 stakes winners and they are spearheaded by five top-flight winners including Early Voting (USA), who took out this season’s G1 Preakness S., the second leg of the Triple Crown.

Unsurprisingly, this racetrack success is being translated into some impressive results in the sales rings. Just this week at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, the son of Candy Ride (Arg) has been represented by four million-dollar lots, headed by a Darby Dan-consigned filly who was purchased by Winchell Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys for US$1.5 million (AU$2,229,800).

When Three Chimneys announced in July that the stallion would be available to Australian breeders Carlson jumped at the chance to use him having admired the stallion for a number of years.

“I actually liked Gun Runner as a type before any of his horses hit the track,” explained Carlson. “I thought as a physical type he was outstanding. Obviously, the way his first crop started, I can’t think of another stallion that has done any better in recent history. So, with all that in mind, it was a no-brainer to use him this year.

“I had been on to them for a while to see if they would cover Southern Hemisphere time and when they said they would, I wanted to support him with some of our very best mares we had on the farm.”

There is no messing around with the support Emirates will throw behind Gun Runner, with the farm set to send their G1 Golden Slipper S.-winning filly, Estijaab, his way this season.

The daughter of Snitzel was purchased by Emirates Park for $1,700,000 at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale in 2017 and since her retirement from the track, her breeding career has taken her to foreign lands. Juddmonte Farms’ Frankel (GB) was chosen as her first mate and she produced a filly in 2021, before foaling another filly by Darley’s Night Of Thunder (Ire) earlier this year.

“She has a lovely Frankel yearling and she has a Night Of Thunder weanling,” explained Carlson. “They are both very nice types, so it was a no-brainer to send her across and she’ll come back down after going to Gun Runner.

“The good thing about Gun Runner is that he had five Group 1 winners from his first crop and they are 2-year-olds but they look like they are going to go on as 3-year-olds, so it made sense to send a mare like Estijaab his way.”

Another bound for a date with the American superstar is G2 Sweet Embrace S. winner One More Honey (Onemorenomore), who hails from a family which has proved a shrewd investment for Emirates Park.

In 2014, the farm paid $50,000 for One More Honey’s dam, One Funny Honey (USA) (Distorted Humor {USA}) with her at foot at the Magic Millions Patinack Farm Complete Dispersal Sale. At the time of the sale, the mare was carrying a colt by Lope De Vega (Ire) in utero, who would go on to be known as subsequent Group 1 winner Vega One.

One More Honey is proving somewhat of a cash cow for the farm, with her first two yearlings a hit in the sales rings.

Her maiden foal, a colt by Not A Single Doubt, was purchased by Tony Fung Investments and Phoenix Thoroughbreds for $1.8 million at the 2021 edition of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. Now known as Man In The Mirror (Not A Single Doubt), he has already shown glimpses of serious talent, including when finishing second in the G2 VRC Sires’ Produce S. as a 2-year-old.

Meanwhile, earlier this year, One More Honey provided the farm with a second memorable result at auction, when her colt by Zoustar was snapped up by the Hong Kong Jockey Club for a cool $1 million at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

In 2021, she foaled a filly by Snitzel and after missing to Capitalist last season, Emirates will be hoping Gun Runner can prove an inspired mating for the mare.

“When the time comes to sell this progeny, the big agents and the big buyers, they all know who Gun Runner is, and then add these mares, they already know the family.

"It’s not like they don’t know these mares, they know the pedigrees and they know the stallion, so hopefully they are going to stand out at Easter or Magics when the time comes,” he said.

Support for Tassort

Emirates Park stands the well-bred, twice-raced son of Brazen Beau, Tassort, in conjunction with Newgate Farm and unsurprisingly they will also be supporting him with some of their best-bred mares.

“We are big fans of Brazen Beau and I think he is a stallion who is a bit underrated. His statistics are very strong, but he doesn’t have a lot of runners, which is well-documented,” said Carlson.

“So when Tassort was running, we thought he was a very good horse and we were able to buy him with Newgate, we jumped at the opportunity. The progeny we have by him on the farm now, we will race all of them. We have eight very nice yearlings by him and they are probably top-of-the-shelf types, which is why this year we will back up again by sending him quality mares and I think he has a very good chance at stud.”

Tassort made his debut when running out a dominant winner of the Golden Gift, a performance which propelled him to favouritism for that season’s G1 Golden Slipper S.

Unfortunately, the colt only raced once more, when he was sent out as an odds-on favourite in the G2 Silver Slipper S. at Rosehill. Slow from the stalls, he settled near the rear in an evenly run race, making ground late into second but unable to reel in Time To Reign.

Despite his low mileage on the track, Tassort has been well-supported at stud, covering 137 mares in his first season, while last year he served 181 and this year Mossfun will be amongst the mares he is set to cover.

Mossfun’s two foals that have made it to the track have both been winners and they are headed by Group 3-placed Dajraan (Frankel {GB}).

Last season she produced a colt by I Am Invincible, having foaled a filly by the Yarraman Park-based sire the year before. Now named Mathkoora, she is in training with Team Hawkes. Mossfun is expecting a foal by Capitalist this season.

“We want to support Tassort with some of the best mares, so we have decided to send her there,” said Carlson. “We really like her 2-year-old, who is with Hawkes at the moment. She throws quality types and we think she will prove to be a great mare to support the stallion with and hopefully, she can produce a Slipper winner for us.”

Another maiden mare that will make up the son of Brazen Beau’s third book of mares is Enthaar (Written Tycoon), who retired the winner of three starts, headed by victories in the G3 Gimcrack S. and G3 Chairman’s S.

A new Revolution

In 2020, dual Group 3 winner Najoom (Northern Meteor) was among the mares Emirates Park sent to Tassort in his first season and a filly foal was the product of that mating.

However, this year the mare will be covered by Tassort’s barnmate, the newly-minted Champion First Season Sire in Russian Revolution, having been covered by Capitalist, who also stands at Newgate, last year.

Najoom was purchased by Emirates Park for $225,000 at the 2013 edition of the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and once again that has turned out to be another lucrative transaction for the farm.

A winner of the G3 Hawkesbury Guineas and G3 Fred Best Classic herself, the daughter of Northern Meteor’s third foal is the Listed-winning and Group 3-placed Najmaty (I Am Invincible), who they retained to race.

However, the mare has also provided the farm yet more sales ring success, when Najmaty's sister, now named Charm Stone, was snapped up by Sheamus Mills Bloodstock (FBAA) for $1.55 million at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale earlier in the year.

Russian Revolution was a runaway winner of the First Season Sire Championship last year, finishing the year with 15 winners headed by stakes-winning pair Rise Of The Masses and Revolutionary Miss and Carlson was among the throngs of people impressed with the son of Snitzel’s first season at stud.

“I didn’t think Russian Revolution would throw early 2-year-olds, but he obviously had a brilliant season last year. Looking at his yearlings, I personally thought they would be better 3-year-olds, but to have two stakes winners, and good stakes winners as 2-year-olds was great. I think we have four mares going to him and Najoom is one of them.

“I think a Russian Revolution out of her will be very commercial and saleable in a few years' time. Unfortunately, Northern Meteor’s career was cut short, but his broodmares are phenomenal - I wish I could have a lot more of them.”

Star Turn shines bright

Vinery Stud’s Star Turn is a stallion that falls into the ‘stallion on the up’ category which Carlson is keen to get behind.

The son of Star Witness has had a red-letter season on the track, headlined by his daughter Startantes who added a much-deserved Group 1 to her record when she landed the G1 Tattersall’s Tiara at Eagle Farm in June and this season Emirates will throw the unraced daughter of, Exceed And Excel-Boomex, his way.

Carlson believes the $27,500 (inc GST) Star Turn is standing for represents good value, especially considering the year the stallion had in 2021/22.

“Star Turn is an interesting one because we haven’t used him before, but to do what he has done, he looked good value for what he stands for. He looks to be a stallion on the up, so we have sent a couple of mares to him,” he said.

“I think if a stallion is getting constant winners regularly in town as well as stakes winners, it shows he is a stallion going places and that is why we have chosen to use him this year.”

So far, Boomex has produced two winners and the pair are spearheaded by G3 Gold Coast Guineas winner Marboosha (Dream Ahead {USA}), who is herself venturing into her first year as a broodmare this season and to give her the best possible chance, she will be mated to Yarraman Park’s Champion Sire I Am Invincible.

“Marboosha is from a very old Emirates Park family and it is only getting stronger and stronger. Marboosha had a lot of talent on the racetrack and she will go to I Am Invincible this year and be given every chance to produce a good foal for us,” he said.

With some of the best broodmares in the country looking set to go to some of the best stallions not just Australia can offer, but the world, it looks to be another exciting year in the offing for Emirates Park.

Table: Some of the matings Emirates Park is planning for the 2022 season