Trials report: winning debut for million-dollar Schwarz at Randwick

Written by Jessica Owers

Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan

Good 4 conditions on Tuesday at Royal Randwick favoured a full deck of trials across the morning. Among them, six events occurred for the late-season juveniles, headlined by Heat 11's million-dollar colt Schwarz, a son of Zoustar for local trainer John O’Shea.

Schwarz was stepping out in silks for the first time, and there were plenty watching on because this colt had cost his owners, a Rosemont-led consortium, $1.25 million as a graduate of the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

The bay colt led home his field by 1.7l, a 740-metre scamper. Following him were the Michael Freedman-trained Undivided (Rubick) and The Everest-performed Ingratiating (Frosted {USA}) for Godolphin, who had slipped into a 2-year-old trial field for James Cummings.

Schwarz was ridden by Tyler Schiller and the pair sat midfield and wide for much of the running. Into the straight, the colt was rustled up to stride away, and he responded brilliantly with some light riding.

His winning time was 44.64s, the last 600 metres in 34.01s. It proved the quickest of the 740-metre juvenile heats across the morning.

Bloodstock agent Suman Hedge, of Suman Hedge Bloodstock (FBAA), was one of those watching on. He had bought this colt alongside Rosemont-Victorian Alliance and David Redvers Bloodstock.

“It was a really good trial,” Hedge said, speaking to TDN AusNZ. “And it was really his first serious effort. There were some very nice horses in it too, so for him to perform like that was extremely promising and pleasing for us.”

Hedge said that Schwarz had a few setbacks during his early 2-year-old season, which is why he hadn’t been seen in silks until Tuesday.

“He had a leg injury early in the piece, nothing too serious,” Hedge said. “It just meant that we had to push everything back with him, and that’s why he’s been a bit delayed getting to the track. John (O’Shea) wants to see how the horse comes through the next few days, and he might send him out for one more trial, just to make sure he can fully execute things.

“He’s still doing a few little things wrong. He’s getting his head up in the air and they’re just maturity things with a young horse, so John wants to iron those out with one more trial, and potentially look at taking him to the races as a 2-year-old.”

Should that plan eventuate, Hedge said Schwarz will then have a break with an eye on late-spring targets.

“There’s still a lot of water to go under the bridge, but today was really pleasing to see,” he said. “He’s just a horse with so much quality.”

At the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Schwarz was consigned by Widden Stud, where he was bred. He was one of 19 million-dollar yearlings in the catalogue, and one of the two by Zoustar. The colt was the second foal from the Not A Single Doubt mare Summer Sham, who won the G2 Angus Armanasco S. during her career.

Without argument, this is a sire’s pedigree.

His third dam was a half-sister to Redoute’s Choice, Manhattan Rain and Sliding Cube (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), the dam of Rubick. Redoute’s Choice appears closely on both sides of the pedigree, which Hedge said seems to work for that stallion.

“For me, this colt was the standout of that year,” the bloodstock agent said. “It was his pedigree, which was very good, and obviously I’m very familiar with his sire, who looked quite like this colt as a yearling. There were a lot of similarities between the two, and he came off such a good farm (Widden).

“That’s always a huge bonus, if they’ve got those physical traits and the right pedigree, and then they come off a great farm. All of those things together certainly increases the confidence in a horse like this. He was our favourite horse of the year and we’ve had really high hopes for him.”

Schwarz’s full brother was an Inglis Easter yearling this year for Widden Stud, selling for $800,000 to Cambridge Stud.

The dam, Summer Sham, was sold to David Redvers in 2019 at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, Redvers paying $650,000 for her. She has been to Zoustar for each of her surviving pregnancies.

Heat 5: Wasted Youth (I Am Invincible x Long Time Ago)

Two-year-old Wasted Youth was a winner of Heat 5 for her trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott. This 2-year-old filly is a daughter of the Redoute’s Choice mare Long Time Ago, who was a winner of the G3 Summoned S. and was herself a daughter of the G1 Australian Oaks winner Once Were Wild (Johannesburg {USA}).

This is a good family for John Singleton’s Strawberry Hill Stud, which co-bred this filly and consigned her to the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. She sold to Waterhouse, Bott and Kestrel Thoroughbreds for $400,000.

Wasted Youth has been trialling for Tulloch Lodge since late December. She had two hitouts before a summer spell, and then reappeared on May 26 in a Warwick Farm heat, in which she was third. Her winning effort on Tuesday was her first time over 1045 metres.

Ridden by Tim Clark, she coasted away for a very easy win, putting 3.03l on the Snowden-trained Saroyan (Trapeze Artist) and the Ozzie Kheir-owned State Of Light (Written Tycoon). Her winning time was 1:02.93, the last 600 metres in 35.07s.

Heat 6: Turbulent (Russian Revolution x Munjai)

Two-year-old Turbulent is a Michael Freedman-trained son of Russian Revolution. He was seen at the races earlier this year in February, going down by 2.66l in a Randwick-Kensington maiden to Extreme Spirit (Extreme Choice).

After that, the chestnut colt was sent out and he reappeared earlier this month when seventh in a barrier trial, so this improvement will be welcome as a winner of Heat 6 on Tuesday morning.

Turbulent was piloted by Tom Sherry over the 1045 metres, and the pair posted a 0.8l win over Bjorn Baker’s Spring Lee (Zoustar) and the Snowdens’ Full Revolution (Russian Revolution). The winning time was 1:03.53, the last 600 in 35.20s, which was a tad slower than Wasted Youth in the event before.

Turbulent is from the Trusting mare Munjai, who is a three-quarter sister to the dual Listed winner Whittington (Tale Of The Cat {USA}). The second dam on this page is the Listed Tasmanian Oaks winner Maha Chakri (Beautiful Crown {USA}).

Turbulent was bred by Kingstar Farm and consigned to the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, where he was bought for $560,000 by Mick Wallace as agent for the Freedman Brothers.

Heat 7: Love And Light (Capitalist x Skylight Glow)

Unraced Love And Light (Capitalist) was the second juvenile winner for Waterhouse and Bott on Tuesday morning. This chestnut filly took out Heat 7 over 1045 metres, leading home her stablemate Taormina (Written Tycoon) and the Snowden-trained, China Horse Club-owned Watchguard (Toronado {Ire}).

The winning time was 1:02.87, the last 600 metres in 34.72s, which was the quickest of the juvenile heats up to that point of the morning.

Love And Light was bred by a consortium of SF Bloodstock, Henry Field and Hollymount Stud. She is a daughter of the Northern Meteor mare Skylight Glow, who was sharp enough during her career for Gooree Park Stud to be second to Foxplay (Foxwedge) in the G2 Tea Rose S., and third to Global Glamour (Star Witness) in the G1 Flight S.

This filly was consigned by Newgate Farm to the 2022 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, where she was bought for $80,000 by Waterhouse, Bott and Bruce Slade’s Kestrel Thoroughbreds.

She has now won both her trials in her unraced career, backing up her effort on May 26 at Warwick Farm when she again led home her stablemate Taormina.

Heat 10: Exploring (Brazen Beau x Cristobal)

Heat 10 was the first of the morning’s trials over the sharper sprint of 740 metres, and this fillies' event was won by the Godolphin 2-year-old Exploring.

By Brazen Beau, this horse is a daughter and first foal of the Exceed And Exceed mare Cristobal, and she has already posted a stakes record, winning the G2 Blue Diamond Prelude (Fillies) on February 11. She was subsequently unplaced in the G1 Blue Diamond S. and G1 Golden Slipper.

Exploring has won two of her five races to date, so this trial win will be a promising start to her seasonal return.

She led home the Les Bridge filly Sparks Flying (Flying Artie) and John O’Shea-trained Infinite Rose (Astern), posting a final time of 45.33s, the last 600 metres in 34.88s.

Exploring’s dam, Cristobal, was a winner of the G3 Magic Night S., and was herself a daughter of Status Quo (Lonhro), the latter a runner-up in the G3 Adrian Knox and a half-sister to the well-performed Marching (Commands) and the stakes-placed Gait (Anabaa {USA}).

Heat 12: Costner (Trapeze Artist x More Than A Legend {USA})

Bay colt Costner was the second of John O’Shea’s trial winners on Tuesday morning, leading home Heat 12 in the good time of 44.89s, the last 600 metres in 34.24s.

House Of Cards (Exceed And Excel) was second in the Vinery colours, a half-brother to the dual Group winner Every Rose (Choisir), and Max Sizzling (Sizzling) was third.

Two-year-old Costner added to Trapeze Artist’s good run lately, and his win improved vastly on his 4.2l-fifth in his trial debut in February. On both occasions, he had Brenton Avdulla in the saddle, on Tuesday running home by 1.23l for Tom Sherry.

Costner is from the More Than Ready (USA) mare More Than A Legend (USA), who was a mile winner in America before her importation to Australia in 2018. More Than A Legend is a half-sister to the American stakes performers Bonnano (USA) (Stephen Got Even {USA}) and Smokin’ Legend (USA) (Smoke Glacken {USA}), while this is the family of Champion colt and sire Street Sense (USA).

Costner was consigned by Widden Stud to the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling, where he was bought by O’Shea for $320,000.