Matings Mix: Rosemont Stud

Cover image courtesy of Rosemont Stud

With four stallions on their roster, Rosemont Stud, one of Victoria’s leading farms, will be keeping more mares at home than ever before, in a show of support.

“This year we won’t send as many mares up north as typically we would,” McEvoy told TTR AusNZ. “We’re taking the view that we’ve got some stallions here that we have a lot of faith and confidence in.”

The four sires are at rather different stages of their careers, with Shamus Award - a proven Group 1 producer - the only to have runners on the track. Emerging this year, however, will be Strasbourg’s first crop of juveniles, which adds to the excitement for Rosemont ahead of this year’s breeding season.

“We have had plenty of excited owners that have had feedback from their trainers about the natural level of precocity they're showing,” McEvoy said.

“I'm not suggesting that a bunch of them are going to get to the Breeders’ Plate, but certainly the feedback is that they're all pretty willing and natural horses, so that's exciting.”

High-profile purchases

G1 Robert Sangster S. winner Bella Vella (Commands) was a $1.9 million purchase for Rosemont at the 2021 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. She’s from a fast, American family, with her dam, Forget The Weather (USA) (Stormy Atlantic {USA}) twice a 1000-metre winner in the States, and a half-sister to three stakes winners.

“She failed to conceive that spring, she was such a sound mare and looked so well that the team were keen to give her one more spin,” McEvoy said.

Rosemont was rewarded with the decision to put her back in training when she captured the G3 RN Irwin S., adding a fourth stakes win to her resume.

“She got to spend a bit of the off-season back in training, and she enjoys that environment, but we were certainly relieved to see her go in foal on her first cover last season.”

That mating was to Victoria’s Champion Sire Written Tycoon, but this year Bella Vella will go interstate and visit Zoustar - a horse McEvoy knows well.

“I like that mare, with her speed profile, to Zoustar,” McEvoy said. “I had a little bit to do with him in the early part of his career at Widden.

“Primarily we look at type,” he said of Rosemont's mating strategy. “Then, second to that is, ‘Does that mare's whole profile work with that stallion?’

“Zoustar has worked particularly well with Danehill-line mares; a large number of his stakes winners are from granddaughters of Danehill.

“I think he's a sire that does his best work with a mare offering that sort of speed, so we expect to breed a fast one.”

Another high-profile purchase for Rosemont at the same sale, Fiesta (I Am Invincible) commanded $1.35 million. Despite that she never quite managed to break through at Group 1 level, what really appeals to the Rosemont team about her profile is consistency of her stakes appearances.

From the moment she placed in the Listed Gimcrack S. in September of her 2-year-old year, Fiesta was a tough and handy stakes horse for Chris Waller and Denise Martin’s Star Thoroughbreds.

On top of the G2 Silver Shadow S., she won three Group 3s. But, like Bella Vella, she failed to conceive in 2021.

“That year we had a target mare in mind and the majority of our mares that we bought that year fitted a similar criteria,” McEvoy said. “She was a high-class 2-year-old, had a lot of speed, but trained on as a 3-year-old as well.

“She beat some of the best 3-year-old fillies of her year. The good 2- and 3-year-olds that are winning big races now are more often than not out of mares that share a similar profile to Fiesta.

In her Classic year, Fiesta won the Darley Princess Series, her prize being a free nomination to Pinatubo (Ire) that the Rosemont team decided to take up.

“Pinatubo is a horse that we certainly like here,” McEvoy said. “On paper it looks brave, but there was the benefit of a free nomination to a Darley stallion.”

Whilst McEvoy is excited by the prospect of her first foal, this year sees a slight change of tack, and Fiesta will head to Arrowfield Stud’s Dundeel (NZ).

“We thought about this mare a lot,” McEvoy recalled. “He (Dundeel) has just had such an exceptional 12 months, he’s done a super job with his 2-year-olds - for a stallion that’s perhaps not noted as a 2-year-old sire he’s clearly done a great job.”

Close to home

Homebred and raced by Rosemont, Brooklyn Hustle (Starspangledbanner) is a mare close to their hearts. A Group 2 winner of the Dane Ripper S., Brooklyn Hustle was also placed in a trio of Group 1s - the Moir S., Manikato S. and Oakleigh Plate.

“Probably an underrated 2-year-old,” in addition to that accomplished CV, McEvoy recalled the immense impression she created when beating Yes Yes Yes on debut.

Served by Zoustar for her maiden cover last year, Brooklyn Hustle has a date booked with Australia’s Champion Sire this year.

“There's a foal there that's about to be born that's going to have a really big turn of foot and plenty of speed,” McEvoy said.

“She’s a mare that really suits I Am Invincible. She's a granddaughter of Choisir, and of course In Secret is I Am Invincible out of a Choisir mare.

“Vinnie's had a few stakes winners from Choisir and Danehill Dancer-line mares, and we’re excited to think that, with her second foal, she'd throw a beautiful, big, Vinnie.”

Another who raced in the Rosemont red is the Sebring mare Nanagui, who was originally a $450,000 buy at the 2021 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale. From just eight lifetime starts, she was a winner of the Listed Cap d'Antibes S. last spring, having twice placed at Group 3 level as a juvenile.

“She struggled with a bit of a back complaint for most of her career,” McEvoy revealed. “Nothing serious, just some niggles, but she was so impressive when winning that Listed race.

Now a 4-year-old, Nanagui will visit Starspangledbanner this year for her maiden mating, a stallion that has stood at Rosemont in the past.

“Starspangledbanner is a horse that we do have a small involvement in and he does a reasonable job with a maiden mare. We thought that was a really nice option to kick her off with.”

A Classic comeback

At the head of Rosemont’s roster, Shamus Award stands at $60,500 (inc GST) this year, after siring six stakes winners in the season just gone. It’s a dip from his $88,000 (inc GST) service fee from 2022, but there’s a good explanation.

“By his standards, he’s perhaps had a quieter last six months,” McEvoy said. “You could put that down to his very low 3-year-old numbers.

“In his last season in the Hunter, it was his smallest book, so we’re dealing with a 3-year-old crop of about 50.”

Covering 149 and 177 mares in 2019 and 2020 respectively, Shamus Award is due a resurgence as a larger group of Classic-aged horses run for him this season.

“We think he's too good a stallion to not kick back and add to his Group 1 tally… We’ll be supporting him with up to 20 of our best mares.”

One of those is Celebrity Girl (Starcraft {NZ}). She was another Rosemont purchase at the 2021 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, where she cost $400,000.

It looked a more than fair price at the time, however, as it was only earlier in the same month that her fourth foal, Instant Celebrity (Not A Single Doubt), won the G1 Robert Sangster S. and finished second in the G1 The Goodwood H.

“I thought we bought her really well,” McEvoy reflected. “But, she was in foal to Pierata on a December cover.”

Now a 2-year-old, the Pierata filly will soon go into work, having been retained by Rosemont. After taking a break in 2021, Celebrity girl is due to Shamus Award this year, before the same mating is repeated.

“We’re really excited about that mating,” McEvoy added. “We bought her with a view to go to Shamus, so we’re keen to see what she can produce.”

A half-sister to Lean Mean Machine, She’s A Sweetheart (Show A Heart) also looks a value purchase from the same sale at $275,000. She was bought in foal to Fastnet Rock (which produced a colt), was rested in 2021, and then put in foal to Snitzel the following year.

“She’s had three to the races for two serious horses,” McEvoy said. “One being Ballistic Missile, the other one being Swift Sweet, the stakes-placed Snitzel.”

After Swift Sweet (Snitzel) placed in the G3 Magic Night S., Snitzel seemed a natural choice for She’s A Sweetheart, who this year will get her turn with Shamus Award.

“Shamus Award over Show A Heart has been a real bit of a cross,” McEvoy added. “He's had two stakes winners and a couple of stakes placings from it.

“This is just another example of the quality mare we're keen to support this stallion with.”

'He's got some beauties'

With his first crop now officially yearlings, Hanseatic will be receiving plenty of support from Rosemont in 2023. On numbers alone, he received huge support in his first two years, covering a total of 370 mares.

“I expect he'll cover about 150 this season - we'll certainly cap him at that,” noted McEvoy. “He’s been an unbelievably popular horse. He's got a sexy profile - he was obviously a very dynamic 2-year-old, won his first three starts in really impressive style.

“He’s by a terrific source of speed in Street Boss, from the family of Black Caviar and he's a beautiful type to boot.

“He's got some beauties. We had the Magic Millions guys out this morning, and I expect we'll have four or five of them just in the Rosemont draft.”

Hanseatic stands for $17,600 (inc GST) this year, and Rosemont certainly aren’t leaving it to other breeders to support him; the mares they’re sending his way this year include dual Group 3 winner Teleplay (Written Tycoon). Her dam, Special Episode (Redoute’s Choice), is a half-sister to First Seal (Fastnet Rock), Australia’s Champion Female Sprinter in 2015/16.

“She's a lovely mare,” said McEvoy. “She's got quite a bit of length about her and Hanseatic is a real Australian sprinter, short-coupled type, that we thought they would work well together.”

Teleplay’s first foal, a Deep Field 2-year-old, will soon be heading into work for Rosemont, whilst her Bivouac yearling colt has been earmarked for the Gold Coast.

Anjana (Sepoy), winner of her first three races as a 2-year-old before capturing the Listed Incognitus S. as a 3-year-old, is another heading to Hanseatic this year. She has a Snitzel yearling filly and was covered by Shamus Award last year.

“The Snitzel filly will find herself on the Gold Coast or at Easter, she’s got a bit of style about her,” McEvoy said, “We like Sepoy mares, I think he’s going to work as a broodmare sire, and she (Anjana) was a really quality filly.”

Proven quality going the Warrior's way

With his first crop of foals appearing this year, Rosemont has lined up their support for their very own Extreme Warrior, anticipating some good-looking progeny from the son of Extreme Choice, who stands for $19,800 (inc GST).

“He’s a stallion with an enormous profile,” said McEvoy. “A really fast 2-year-old, who trained on. He’s now a good-looking horse who’s just continued to mature.”

Electing to send him some proven quality from their broodmare band in what can be a tricky second year for stallions, Extreme Warrior will be visited by G1 Queen of the Turf S. winner Amanpour (Northern Meteor), who is due to Hanseatic.

“She can certainly throw a good one,” McEvoy said, highlighting her million-dollar yearling Journalism (I Am Invincible).

“She's a big, stretchy sort of mare, and Extreme Warrior is a real speedball, a real bullet. So, physically, they look like they'd complement each other.”

There will be a repeat visit to Extreme Warrior for another of Rosemont’s elite producers too. Soft Landing (Al Maher) has a smart pedigree as well, being a half-sister to Group 1-winning siblings Universal Prince and Universal Queen (both by Scenic), and also Personal Service (Zabeel {NZ}), dam of G1 Queen Elizabeth S. winner Think It Over (So You Think {NZ}).

She’s also the dam of Krone (Eurozone), a G1 Coolmore Classic winner. Incidentally, Krone is Rosemont’s first and so-far only foal of 2023, having produced an I Am Invincible colt this week.

Table: Some of the matings Rosemont Stud is planning for the 2023 season