Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Bred by Sheriff Iskander and the former Woodside Park Stud owners, the Rowsthorn Family, the Chris Waller-trained colt finished fifth on first start as a 2-year-old on a Heavy 8 Canterbury track, but has seemingly thrived on better tracks this season, breaking his maiden at Newcastle on October 15, before following that win on Wednesday.
In winning the race, the 3-year-old becomes the first winner out of stakes winner Secret Doubt (Not A Single Doubt), who was herself purchased by Iskander and Woodside Park Stud for $400,000 at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in 2018 and Operative is her second foal.
Offered as part of the Arrowfield Stud draft at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale in 2021, the son of Written Tycoon was purchased by Coolmore’s Tom Magnier for his colt syndicate for $900,000.
“He was a beautiful yearling, he made $900,000 in a Covid year,” recalled Iskander’s bloodstock agent, Suman Hedge of Suman Hedge Bloodstock (FBAA). “He was a very attractive and very popular yearling and he looks like he has turned into a very professional horse.
“It is always nice to see them win after they break their maiden and he looks like he is going in the right direction for them, hopefully he will work out well.
“He (Operative) was a very attractive and very popular yearling and he looks like he has turned into a very professional horse.” - Suman Hedge
Of the price at the time of the sale, Hedge said: “You never expect that sort of price and outcome, but there are always some nice foals that standout and you think if you can get three or four times the service fee, they have the kind of potential to do it.
“Then when they get to the sale, if they can resonate with buyers and attract some of these big colt syndicates, you can get to those levels.”
Woodside Park Stud bought Iskander Racing and Breeding out of the daughter of Not A Single Doubt, parting with $660,000 for the mare, who is herself out of G1 WATC Railway S. winner Covertly (Metal Storm {Fr}).
Secret Doubt, dam of Operative | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Since foaling Operative, Secret Doubt was mated to Written Tycoon for the next two seasons, producing two fillies and was served by Coolmore’s newest recruit, Home Affairs, in September.
Clicking with mares
Hedge has been involved in the career of Written Tycoon, who was raced throughout by a partnership which included Iskander, and he said the stallion has a knack of clicking with a mare and will then often go on and consistently produce good types.
“I am finding more and more with Written Tycoon, that when he likes a particular mare, he is quite consistent with throwing a good sort to that mare,” he said. “The key to him is finding a mare that he likes and works with, otherwise he can get a few variants there. But when you get one that he connects with he will fairly consistently go well with her.”
“I am finding more and more with Written Tycoon, that when he likes a particular mare, he is quite consistent with throwing a good sort to that mare.” - Suman Hedge
Daughters of Not A Single Doubt has proved to be a successful cross for Written Tycoon and Operative is one of seven winners, from nine to race for the nick, which is headed by a pair of stakes winners.
“Not A Single Doubt mares are just gold. I think as every year passes we understand how influential that stallion has been down here, on our industry,” said Hedge. “He had such a beautiful pedigree to mate to with so much speed and so much precocity, it just suits our market so well.
“He started from a very low service fee and then worked his way up, so he was covering a lot better mares later on in life, so he should only get better as a broodmare sire.”
Suman Hedge | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
'Very satisfying'
Later in the afternoon at Morphettville, Iskander and Hedge were celebrating again, but this time for a very different prospect as Kiki Express (Sepoy), a filly they race in co-ownership, delivered her first victory for them since they purchased her for $375,000 at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale earlier this year.
The daughter of Sepoy was entered at the Gold Coast as the winner of one race, the 2021 edition of the Listed Debutant S. and had very much lost her way following that stakes win. Hedge said she came onto his radar with her Listed Debutant S. with the filly having beaten Brereton (Zoustar), who Iskander races in partnership, into second on that occasion.
“She beat Brereton in the Debutant, so I have had a love-hate relationship with this filly all the way along. It was a blow for us at the time, because it was a really interesting finish.
“We were in front of her everywhere, before the finish and after the finish, but just on the line she was able to put her nose down and beat us. I was cursing her at the time,” Hedge quipped. “She lost form after that for a number of reasons. I was then very surprised to see her in the Broodmare catalogue as a 2-year-old when I was up there doing inspections.
“I thought she was a really good sort and she was the prototype 2-year-old that we would look for to try to buy as a yearling, so we decided to have a crack and buy her. She wasn’t part of our plan, because she was more a racing proposition than breeding and we didn’t want to send her to stud as a 3-year-old because it was too early, so we thought we would keep her in training.”
“I thought she (Kiki Express) was a really good sort and she was the prototype 2-year-old that we would look for to try to buy as a yearling, so we decided to have a crack and buy her.” - Suman Hedge
Having previously done some work with trainer Travis Doudle, Hedge made the decision to send the filly to his Morphettville stable and she signalled she was back in some form having run second on her first two starts for her new connections.
Hedge said the change of scenery has been the making of the filly and is hoping she can build on this latest win.
“I met Travis and was very impressed by him and I did some research on him. He uses some varied techniques, including going to the beach a lot,” said Hedge. “I felt with this type of mare, who had lost her zest for racing, we would send her to South Australia, where it is slightly easier and send her to a trainer who was very detail oriented and hopefully get her happy again.
“I felt with this type of mare, who had lost her zest for racing, we would send her to South Australia, where it is slightly easier and send her to a trainer (Travis Doudle) who was very detail oriented and hopefully get her happy again.” - Suman Hedge
“He has been super patient with her and has really got to the bottom of her, getting her feeling happy again and feeling good about racing. He has done a power of work with her and Jason Benbow, who couldn’t ride her because he fell last week and has a bad injury, has been doing heaps of work with her as well.”
“It is very fulfilling for me personally today (Wednesday), because it’s one thing buying these well-bred yearlings and they work out, this is a bit more abstract. Even though she wasn’t cheap, when it’s a bit more unconventional like this and you get her performing well it’s very fulfilling.”
Kiki Express | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Unconventional purchase
By his own admission the acquisition was ‘unconventional’ but there had been another aspect of the filly which attracted the shrewd agent to the filly.
Earlier in 2022, Hedge and the Victorian Alliance paid $1.3 million for a colt by Zoustar who is now named Schimmelbusch and the colt in question is out of dual-winning mare Pirapala, who like Kiki Express, is by Sepoy.
Hedge explained he had been so impressed with the colt as a type he was keen to try the Zoustar/Sepoy cross again, so it is not surprising that Kiki Express will likely be covered by the stallion at some point when she ultimately joins Iskander's broodmare band.
Zoustar | Standing at Widden Stud
“We have actually seen some Zoustars out of Sepoy mares, in fact we bought one with Rosemont and Alliance this year for quite a bit of money and they are very nice types. But also Zoustar also clicks with Redoute’s Choice, which is very strange because it’s so close, being out of a Redoute’s Choice mare himself but it seems to work with him.
“So, this mare, a 2-year-old, fast stakes winner and a good sort, is perfect for Zoustar. So that was in our minds as well that we can send her to him and physically I think she will really suit him.”
