Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Steparty is owned by a big and justifiably very excited group of owners from across the state - led by his breeder Greg Baldwin who is based 20km out of St Arnaud in Victoria's Wimmera region.
Greg brought a group of friends and family into the horse whilst race caller Rick McIntosh found owners for the remaining shares after a couple of trainers knocked the young horse back.
Trainers who are probably now regretting their lack of interest!
Connections of Steparty after winning the G3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
But it has certainly worked out nicely for Greg who has four committee members of the St Arnaud Turf Club involved as well as members of the Warrnambool Football Club along with racing fans from various towns such as Bendigo and Benalla.
St Arnaud fan base
With many of the owners based in St Arnaud, the town with a population of around 2500 has become a major fan base for Steparty.
“He is certainly talked about a lot,” Greg laughed. “Everyone knows what he is up to!”
And a party around a bonfire was planned in the town on Sunday evening - this Group 3 victory certainly one worth celebrating.
As may be a G1 Caulfield Guineas victory, a race which is hard to be confident about, but which Greg is very much looking forward to.
“He got back on Saturday and didn't have to do much early but he had to really work over that final 400 metres and that is really the first time he has had to find like that, in his other races he has had it pretty easy really.”
Which means, Greg thinks, there is improvement to come from the Paul Preusker-trained colt - “he is only going to come out of that race a fitter horse.”
“He (Steparty) is only going to come out of that race (Caulfield Guineas Prelude) a fitter horse.” - Greg Baldwin
Breeding results
Greg, who has been breeding “not seriously” for a few years now, has always had horses in his life... “as a kid we always had ponies around.
“I've had five or six mares at a time though it is up to eight or nine now. A few probably have to go - I am going to concentrate on the two families getting the results.”
One being that from which Steparty comes - his dam Watch Your Step (Sepoy) still in action whilst her unraced daughter Gypsy's Girl (Adelaide {Ire}) has recently been retired - and one from which the stakes winner In The Boat (Nostradamus) hails, Greg the owner of his dam Almost Crystal (Snitzel).
Scissor Step | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
After breeding the Group 3-placed dual city winner Scissor Step (Toronado {Ire}) out of her, Hesket Bloodstock placed Watch Your Step in the 2019 Inglis Great Southern Bloodstock Sale where she was picked up for $13,000 by Mick Leonard's Millwater Farm.
From there she made her way to Greg who, taking advice from Tim and Brian Kelly of Bloodhound, sent her to Stockwell Stud's Artie Schiller (USA), a horse he was a fan of.
“He has always been one of those good bread and butter horses - a great value stallion and when the Kellys said he was a nice match I was happy to use him.”
“He (Artie Schiller) has always been one of those good bread and butter horses - a great value stallion and when the Kellys (Tim and Brian) said he was a nice match I was happy to use him.” - Greg Baldwin
It was on October 13, 2020 that Watch Your Step's Artie Schiller colt arrived, and Greg remembers him being a standout from the early days.
“I had nine foals that year and he was by far the pick of them,” he said.
“He was lively and active but never in the self-destructive way.”
Artie Schiller (USA)
Watch Your Step foaled Steparty at Stockwell Stud where he spent the first three months of his life and the farm's Mike Becker also remembers him as being above average.
'A cracking foal'
“He was a cracking foal,” Becker enthused, adding that Watch Your Step also created a good impression.
“She is a big, strong mare who is lovely to do anything with. She is a very relaxed, chilled mare and she has passed her attributes on to her son - she has taken a bit of the 'Artie' out!”
Mike is aware of Artie Schiller's reputation as sometimes being a bit on the aggressive side but has managed him well and now has him thriving in retirement.
Mike Becker | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
“He may be doing a bit too well,” Becker chuckled. “He is getting fat and lazy! But he is a very relaxed horse.”
And Mike is thrilled to bits that Artie Schiller has a good one amongst the 30 members of that horse's third last crop.
“Steparty might be his last really good horse and who knows, maybe his best horse,” he said, as he spoke affectionately about the stallion he has always had a definite soft spot for.
“Steparty might be his (Arite Schiller's) last really good horse and who knows, maybe his best horse.” - Mike Becker
It was in 2007 that Mike first brought Artie Schiller - winner of 10 of his 22 starts including the G1 Breeders' Cup Mile - to Australia, confident that he would be a good horse for the state which had made Scenic (Ire) a successful sire of stakes performers.
“I could see the parallels between Scenic and Artie Schiller's sire El Prado,” he recalled. “Both Group 1-winning 2-year-olds by Sadler's Wells.”
Despite Sadler's Wells “being on the nose” at the time, Mike gained decent support for Artie Schiller, enough for him to be able to prove himself and that he has done - siring 57 stakes winners with his five Group 1 winners including the G1 Coolmore Stud S. winner Flying Artie, in turn sire of the dual Group 1 winner Artorius.
Mike has always enjoyed the success of others and he is gaining great satisfaction watching Steparty's career unfold - “To see Artie Schiller sire a good horse being raced by good people - I am getting a big thrill out of that.”
“To see Artie Schiller sire a good horse being raced by good people - I am getting a big thrill out of that.” - Mike Becker
It is also satisfying for him to see a son and grandson of Artie Schiller (Flying Artie at Blue Gum Farm, Victoria and Artorius at Newgate Farm, New South Wales) at stud as he has always had faith in the horse's ability and pedigree.
“He was a superior racehorse from a great family with his first two dams both being major Group 1 winners.”
And he recalls a number of breeders suggesting that mares from the the Elusive Quality (USA) branch of the Mr Prospector (USA) sireline would suit and Steparty is a result of that cross - noting that Artie Schiller, Elusive Quality and Mr Prospector are all descendants of the influential matriarch Frizette (USA) (Hamburg {USA}) with Artie Schiller's six-time Group 1-winning fifth dam Vagrancy (USA) (Sir Gallahad {Fr}) also being Elusive Quality's fifth dam.
Though Greg Baldwin admits that he did not look into the mating that deeply.
Steparty | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“I am more of a one or two generation man,” he laughed. “I get a bit lost when people start talking about pedigrees but I'm happy to take the advice of people in the know.”
And he is certainly enjoying the result of a good pedigree and has more to look forward to with Watch Your Step just last weekend foaling a filly by Leneva Park's Fierce Impact (Jpn).
“She is a ripper!” he said, “a really nice filly” who is - like Steparty at the same age - “alert and active.”
Watch Your Step x Fierce Impact (Jpn) (filly) | Image courteys of Leneva Park
Greg is yet to decide where Watch Your Step heads this season but there is no doubt that his mare will be one in demand!
