More to come from 'surprise package' Trobriand

Written by Lydia Symonds

Cover image courtesy of Trish Dunell

Trobriand (Kermadec {NZ}) has very much been one of the surprise packages of the season so far and on Sunday he took his career to the next level when he retained his unbeaten record with a victory in the G2 Eclipse S. at Te Rapa on Sunday.

The Mark Walker-trained son of Darley Victoria's resident sire Kermadec (NZ) entered Sunday’s Group 2 having landed his first two starts at New Plymouth and Te Rapa and he showed those performances were no fluke when scooting to a facile 0.8l victory over Talisker (NZ) (Embellish {NZ}).

Following the triumph, connections are now eyeing up a tilt at the R. Listed Karaka Million 2YO later this month with the colt.

Trobriand was bred by Windsor Park’s Rodney Schick, who purchased Arboreal (Lonhro) when carrying Trobriand in utero at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in 2020.

“We bought her carrying this guy at the Magic Millions,” Schick said. “The $40,000 I paid for her is looking pretty good value now. I bought her during COVID, so I didn’t actually see her at the sale myself, so we just bought her online. She is a young Lonhro mare from a nice family and she has plenty of size and scope.

“She’s not an overly big mare, but she has a lot of quality and it was pretty astute buying looking back on it.”

Schick’s investment in the mare was repaid almost instantly when Te Akau’s David Ellis outlayed NZ$260,000 for the colt at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karaka earlier last year. Despite always rating him, Schick admitted he did not think he would prove to be a Group winner at this early stage of his career.

“We thought we bought well and then when he made NZ$260,000 as a yearling, we were very happy,” he explained. “He was a cracking first foal, who was a really strong, good-looking animal and a really good mover.

“I thought he was a really lovely colt, but I didn’t think he would be a Group-winning 2-year-old, so I would think he has a fair bit in front of him and it's very exciting for his connections.”

There is a certain amount of appeal to the page with Arboreal, who is herself a daughter of Listed SAJC Cinderella S. scorer Koala Bear (Exceed And Excel).

Further back this is the same family as dual Group 3 winner Flying Mascot (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) and Te Akau’s G1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas winner Xtravagant (NZ), who now stands at Newhaven Park Stud, and He's Remarkable (NZ).

Last season Arboreal produced a filly by Windsor Park’s resident sire Turn Me Loose (NZ) and was covered by Armory (Ire) in 2022.

In winning the race, Trobriand became the first stakes-winning juvenile for Kermadec, whose stock are better known for improving with age, while the colt is only one of four 2-year-olds by the stallion to salute the judge in their first racing season.

Kermadec’s total stakes-winning tally now stands at six and he has two fillies catalogued at the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale.

Schick will be hoping for a touch of Déjà vu later this month when he offers Trobriand’s half-brother by Newgate Farm-based resident Russian Revolution as Lot 39 during the Book 1 Sale at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karaka and the Windsor Park studmaster has high hopes for the colt ahead of the auction.

“He’s a cracker as well and is very much built in a similar mould as the Kermadec and is a similar type,” said Schick. “He is strong, medium-sized and another good mover. He is a really lovely colt and I would hope he should sell really well this year.

“I opted to go to Russian (Revolution) because he was a very good racehorse himself and he is a great type and I just thought, ‘He was worth a go.’”

The colt is one of 10 yearlings by the son of Snitzel set to go through the ring at the Auckland-based sale, which gets underway on January 29.