Well-bred import Emissary set Melbourne Cup target

Cover image courtesy of Racing Photos

Well-bred import Emissary made a play for a spot in the G1 Melbourne Cup with his impressive victory in the G3 Geelong Cup on Wednesday.

A winner of the Listed Heatherlie S. earlier in the year, the 6-year-old gelding stayed on stoutly to defeat Surefire (GB) (Fastnet Rock), who is incidentally raced and bred by Juddmonte Farms, the former owner and breeder of the winner and home to Emissary’s elite sire, Kingman (GB).

The gelding was sitting 30th in the order of entry for the Group 1 on the first Tuesday in November prior to Wednesday’s win, so a start in the race is nearly certain with the horse set to be re-weighted on Thursday. Trainer Mike Moroney, who won the race in 2017 with Vengeur Masque (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}), is confident that when the horse is re-handicapped he will have done enough to secure his berth into the 3200-metre marathon.

“He's come from second-last in a really good field,” Moroney said. “It's probably one of the better Geelong Cup fields we've seen for a long, long time and I think for that reason the handicapper will recognise that.

“The way he did it. He came from second-last and he took all the bad luck out of the equation.”

The gelding was last seen running eighth in the G3 Herbert Power S. with Moroney putting that disappointing performance down to the Soft conditions and he was delighted to see him show his full colours on Wednesday.

“We were starting to wonder if he really stayed, but today he showed he certainly does,” Moroney said. “We wanted him on dry ground, out to the mile-and-a-half and we wondered whether that would do it.

“We'll head on to the Melbourne Cup now, all going well.”

Should Emissary line up in the G1 Melbourne Cup, he will attempt to hand his trainer a second win in the race, having saddled Brew (NZ) (Sir Tristram {Ire}) to victory in the Group 1 in 2000.

The win made up the second leg of an impressive treble for in-form rider Blake Shinn, who will not be on board the gelding should he gain a start in the G1 Melbourne Cup having already been locked into partner the 2019 winner, Vow And Declare (Declaration Of War {USA}).

“It was a big win, he showed glimpses of promise and it's nice to get him to produce a personal best today (Wednesday)," Shinn said.

“He settled really nicely and that was the main objective to get him to run the 2400 metres. As we've seen in his first-up run (in winning the Heatherlie H.) he had a great turn of foot over 1700 metres.

“If we could reproduce that same turn of foot over this distance we were in business. The race panned out lovely and we got a nice drag into the race from Damien Oliver's horse (Rodrigo Diaz) and he chimed in at the 300 (metre mark). He hadn't been in the race (until then).

“The way the race was run, they went fast early and it allowed him to get into a nice breathing pattern and spend no gas. That gave him the opportunity to run the distance out strongly and show his true form.”

Purchased by Moroney, his brother Paul and European-based agent Armando Duarte from the draft of his former owners Juddmonte Farms for 350,000gns (AU$657,000) at the 2020 Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale. Australian buyers will get the chance to hunt for the next Emissary when the 2022 edition of the sale gets underway at Park Paddocks in Newmarket on Tuesday.

In winning the Group 3, Emissary becomes Kingman's second Group winner in the country, joining Sinawann (Ire), while worldwide the stallion’s stakes-winning haul stands at 53, headlined by his six elite-level winners which includes Palace Pier (GB), who is currently covering his first book of mares at Darley’s Kelvinside base.

Emissary himself is from a family littered with stakes winners and he is a half-brother to the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and G1 Epsom Derby winner Workforce (GB), with the pair both being out of the unraced Soviet Moon (Ire) (Sadler's Wells {USA}), whose dam is the G3 Park Hill S. winner Eva Luna (USA) (Alleged {USA}).

A high-class broodmare in her own right, Eva Luna produced six winners including the dual Group 1-winning stayer Brian Boru (GB), the 2013 G2 Herbert Power S. winner Sea Moon (GB) (Beat Hollow {GB}) and the Longchamp Group 2 winner Moon Search (GB) (Rainbow Quest {USA}).

Eva Luna is a descendant of another seven stakes winners including the 2018 G1 Caulfield Cup winner Best Solution (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}). The family could be subject to another significant update this weekend when Best Solution's juvenile Group 1-winning brother, El Bodegon (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), takes a shot at the G1 Cox Plate at Moonee Valley.

Derby plan for Grand Pierro

The Jason Warren-trained Grand Pierro (Pierro) will now head to the G1 VRC Derby at Flemington on Saturday week, after he illustrated his staying prowess with an impressive victory in the Listed Geelong Classic on Wednesday.

The 3-year-old gelding finished strongly to beat the Danny O’Brien-trained pair Let'srollthedice (Dundeel {NZ}) by 0.2l, while King’s Crossing (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}), was another 0.5l away in third.

Last seen running fifth behind current G1 VRC Derby favourite Mr Maestro (NZ) (Savabeel) in the Listed Super Impose Plate at Flemington on October 1, the gelding clearly appreciated the step up to 2200 metres and Warren is confident he will only continue to thrive as the distances get longer.

“He's a genuine stayer, this guy, and looking for dry tracks and a race over the right distance for him and he found it today,” said Warren, who was winning the race for the second time having landed it first with Confrontational (Redoute’s Choice) in 2020.

“We came here with quite a lot of confidence, and I was surprised to see him so short in the market.

“It was justified, and he's run up to it and it's a really pleasing result to get another winner for Grand Syndications.

“I was very confident he'd run the trip and he was strong on the line, so we can go to what looks to be a better race for a bit more money. He's been a tricky horse to get going and it is a tribute to my staff. He's got a few tricks up his sleeve and when he heads out onto the track, he doesn't do everything right.

“One thing he's always had though is a good stayer's engine. He never blows, he always pulls up clean in the wind and we've always had him marked as a Derby hopeful.”

The gelding was a $50,000 buy by John Price Bloodstock and owners Grand Syndicates from the draft of Collingrove Stud at the 2021 edition of the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale and he is out of the G3 WW Cockram S.-placed mare Le Societe (Anabaa {USA}), making him a half-brother to Listed-placed Indiscretion (Sebring).

Grand Pierro becomes the 31st stakes winner for Pierro, who is standing at Coolmore Stud for a fee of $99,000 (inc GST).

Turaath returns to the winning groove

After a 403-day hiatus, the Maddie Raymond-trained Turaath (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) returned to the winner's circle when she flashed home to win the Listed Black Pearl S. at Geelong on Wednesday.

Having not saluted the judge since her victory in the G2 Let’s Elope S. last September, the daughter of Oasis Dream (GB) overcame a slow start, flying home to beat Jump The Broom (Sebring) by 0.2l, while Larkspur Run (Shamardal {USA}) was the same distance further afield in third.

“She’s so tough, so honest. They had her on the line, but you can see her dig deep and fight,” Raymond said. “It’s not great that she’s missing the kick. I’m sure we’ll be able to give her a good squeeze out if we need to.

“She’s relaxing well now, but she might be overdoing it a bit. She’s a little bit more versatile, so if you do find a race where there is a lot of speed, you can sit off and she can finish off like that.

“She went into her first run with no jump-outs, no trials, and she ended up having a pretty soft run and I thought she was still fresh enough to be here today over 1200 (metres), but she’ll take good improvement from that and will be better off over further.”

Raymond said the mare could now head to the G3 The Hong Kong Jockey Club S. for mares over 1400 metres on Melbourne Cup Day at Flemington.

By Oasis Dream, who stands alongside Emissary’s sire Kingman at Banstead Manor in Newmarket, Turaath was bred by Shadwell Stud and purchased by her co-owner John Nicholls for 35,000gns (AU$62,700) at the 2020 Tattersalls December Mares Sale in 2020.

She is a daughter of stakes-winning, multiple Listed-winning, Group 1-placed mare Fadhayyil (GB) (Tamayuz {GB}), who is set to be offered carrying a sibling to Turaath at the upcoming Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale. The mare is catalogued as Lot 1148 and is among the offerings from Derrinstown Stud.