Windsor Park celebrating another fine day at races

Cover image courtesy of NZ Racing Desk

However, the success for the farm was kicked off early in the day at Caulfield when the Andrew Forsman-trained 4-year-old mare’s classy stablemate Mr Maestro (NZ) (Savabeel) stamped his authority on the G3 Neds Classic and further enhanced G1 VRC Derby credentials.

Mustang Valley and Mr Maestro showed their class to etch important wins on their records and for Rodney Schick, Mustang Valley’s was extra special given she derives from the farm’s flagbearer, Might And Power, who they bred back in 1993 and also that she became the farm’s resident stallion Vanbrugh’s first elite-level winner.

Schick purchased the mare’s dam Cream Of The Crop (New Approach {Ire}) for a bargain price of $5000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Broodmare Sale in 2017 and told TDN AusNZ that given her third dam, Benediction (GB), had produced the great Might And Power made her a very hard prospect for him to look past.

Vanbrugh was elected as the mare’s first cover and Windsor Park retained her to race and they were vindicated by that decision on Saturday.

“It is a family we have had a lot to do with, having bred Might And Power and every time a member of the family comes up for sale I go and have a look at them,” he said.

“It is funny with her particularly, because she was a big gangly, long-legged mare and I told the boys at home, ‘I’m going to buy this mare’ because there was just something about her that I liked.

"Look, I never thought she would leave me a Group 1 winner, but it’s a family we have always had a lot of success with and I truly believe that those good families always keep coming.

“I think if you stick to families you know, you can have a lot of success. I didn’t think I would get such a good horse from the first foal, but then I always thought I would have to pay more than $5000 for her, but given her pedigree it was a no-brainer for us to buy her.”

Red-letter year

Meanwhile, Vanbrugh has enjoyed a stellar season in the track, with his daughter Sheez Dominant providing him with his first stakes courtesy to her victory in the Listed Wanganui Guineas and with Mustang Valley the stallion now has a Group 1 winner on his burgeoning CV.

Schick said the Group 1-winning stallion joined the ranks in New Zealand alongside 15 other first-season sires, so was perhaps overshadowed by some of his contemporaries and as a result only covered 55 mares in his first year, which included Cream Of The Crop.

“He is a son of Encosta De Lago who was a good 2-year-old and a dominant spring 3-year-old and trained on as a 4-year-old. There were 14 stallions that went to stud that year in New Zealand, so he probably didn’t get the support he deserved but he is making his own way,” said Schick.

“I think he only had 55 mares in his first book, so it was pretty tough going and I was pretty proud of him to be honest.”

Schick said given the stallion’s results this season, there has understandably been added interest from breeders to use his services and the studmaster is hoping this season can prove a defining one for him since retiring to the breeding shed.

“He has another very good horse at the moment, Wild Night, and I would be pretty confident his next stakes winner isn’t far away,” he said. “Obviously, we have had quite a few new bookings to him in the last few weeks. He is one of the few stallions that has had two stakes winners this season and I just hope he can keep kicking on - it’s very exciting.”

Letting himself down

Meanwhile, Mr Maestro is quite a different story. Purchased by Forsman at Book 1 of the New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sale at Karaka in 2021 for NZ$100,000, a figure Schick said he was disappointed with at the time.

“Andrew loved him at the sale,” said Schick. “Obviously, had a lot to do with the family, but he got him cheap because he was bloody naughty at the sale and he let himself down. I was very disappointed with the result because I thought he was one of my best colts for the year, but he let himself down when he got up to Karaka.

“However, this was very much to the fortune of Andrew Forsman, who saw through it and bought him and I was delighted to see Andrew buy him, but disappointed at the time with the figure. He has done a great job with him and I think he will only get better.”

The colt is out of the late Windsor Park-bred mare Let Me Roar (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}), who Forsman and his former training partner Murray Baker guided to six victories and a Group 3 placing.

The daughter of Rip Van Winkle (Ire) herself is a half-sister to Lion Tamer (NZ) (Storming Home {GB}), who Baker, and his son Bjorn, saddled to win the 2010 G1 VRC Derby, while his G1 Underwood S. win the following year handed Forsman his first top-flight victory alongside Baker.

“We bred his mother in partnership and we sadly never saw the best of her on the race track, but she is a lovely mare and she is no longer with us, but it is awesome seeing him doing what he is doing,” said Schick.

“Savabeel has obviously been a big part of New Zealand breeding for such a long time and it would be great to see him win the Derby. He has been a great stallion for New Zealand and for us, we’ve bred some really nice horses by him.”

It has been a brilliant year for Windsor Park so far, with the stud having also bred Callsign Mav (NZ) (Atlante), who landed the G1 Sir Rupert Clarke S. last month and Schick said weekends like Saturday is what keeps the fire burning.

“Days like these are what we go to work for everyday. To breed Group winners is what it’s all about and to do here in New Zealand and abroad is pretty exciting," he said.