Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Saturday’s G2 Thousand Guineas Prelude saw the smart filly Coeur Volante (NZ) (Proisir) install herself as one of the leading lights for the G1 Thousand Guineas on Saturday, November 18.
The Mike Moroney-trained daughter of Proisir was an auspicious fourth on debut at Sandown-Hillside as a 2-year-old before scoring at start two on the same track over 1300 metres.
The filly was spelled for 107 days before stepping up in class in the G3 Scarborough S. at Moonee Valley, where she won by 0.20l.
Coeur Volante proved it was no fluke with another devastating performance at Caulfield; jumping from barrier 14 under Blake Shinn, the relatively inexperienced filly found herself crossing the field and finding a nice trail to follow into the race before shooting away at the end of the 1400 metres to win by 1.25l from Vivy Air (Hellbent) and Zourion (Zoustar).
Post-race, Moroney said, “She looks a pretty special filly.
“We’ve thought she’s (had) a bit of ability all along, but you have to put a lid on it until they do it on the track, but she’s doing that now.”
It has been a drastic rise up the charts for Coeur Volante. However, the ability shown has surprised nobody associated with the filly.
Sassy filly leaves impression
Coeur Volante was born and raised on the pristine and fertile landscape of New Zealand.
The filly bred by Duncan Fell of Fairdale Stud is a graduate of Kelly Van Dyk’s Prima Park.
The family-run operation, now based at Matamata, consigned Coeur Volante at the 2022 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale, where she caught the astute eye of Paul Moroney Bloodstock and Ballymore stables, who paid NZ$90,000 to secure the filly.
Coeur Volante (NZ) as a yearling | Image courtesy of New Zealand Bloodstock
Van Dyk highly regarded Coeur Volante and was keen to follow her progress.
“Coeur Volante was bred by Duncan Fell, who has Fairdale Stud, and we prepared her for sale on behalf of Duncan,” Van Dyk told TTR AusNZ.
“The filly was one of two Proisir fillies we took to Karaka for Fairdale Stud that year (2022).
“Both fillies were actually bought by Paul Moroney.”
Coeur Volante (NZ), winner of the G2 Thousand Guineas Prelude at Caulfield on Saturday | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
The other filly is the unraced Why Not Me (NZ), who made slightly more than Coeur Volante at NZ$120,000.
“Obviously, Saturday’s win showed Coeur Volante is very talented.
“We had her for the yearling preparation, and she wasn’t the easiest filly to prepare. She was pretty sassy, but I think that’s coming through in her racing with her determination to win.
“However, she was a lovely type, a very well-balanced filly. Coeur Volante caught the eye of Paul Moroney, a very astute judge, and I think she was just a brilliant moving filly with all the right physical attributes to match.
“She (Coeur Volante) was pretty sassy (during yearling preparation), but I think that’s coming through in her racing with her determination to win.” - Kelly Van Dyk
“She had a bit of an attitude to match. I know she went and did all her early education with Pam Gerard in the Ballymore Stables in New Zealand,” Van Dyk shared with TTR AusNZ.
“I kept in touch with Pam at the track every morning, and she told me they thought she was very, very good. So, she ended up in Australia with Mike (Moroney) pretty quickly.”
Van Dyk and Gerard weren’t the only two to give Coeur Volante the thumbs up in the early days.
Kelly Van Dyk | Image courtesy of Prima Park
“Chad Ormsby, who is married to Mike’s daughter Aleisha, educates the horses for Ballymore, and he did all the early stuff with this filly. Chad is a very astute horseman, too, and liked her.
“The filly had all the proper education in New Zealand before she went to Australia. But I think she has come a bit out of nowhere for the Australians.
“Her runs have been pretty spectacular.”
Bargain buy?
When Coeur Volante entered the ring at Karaka as Lot 568, her sire, the Rich Hill-based Proisir, was yet to have his star ascent up the New Zealand and Australian rankings.
However, Van Dyk was pleased with the NZ$90,000 achieved by the filly, which now looks like excellent buying given she is now a Group 3 and Group 2 winner in Australia and earnings over $300,000.
“I was slightly surprised that Why Not You made more than her at NZ$120,000.
Proisir | Standing at Rich Hill Stud
“I think the sale was right before Proisir went boom. But at the time, the breeders, as a whole, with the two horses that they had, were happy with the money they got for both of them, and we were pleased.
“I mean, now at NZ$90,000, she looks very good buying at that price, but I think that’s probably a testament to Karaka, the value you can find there.”
The Group victories by Coeur Volante have also provided some beautiful updates to her half-brother, a colt by Per Incanto (USA), whom Prima Park will be proud to offer at the Karaka Sale in 2024.
The pinnacle
For Van Dyk’s Prima Park, a Group 1-winning filly in Australia, would be a pinnacle for the operation which relocated to Matamata in 2022, purchasing a 50-acre property.
It could be called the dawn of a new era for Prima Park, with Van Dyk tirelessly working to develop the property into a state-of-the-art equine facility that allows Van Dyk and her team to be entirely across every horse in their care.
Prima Park has also branched out into all aspects, from sales preparation to early education and pre-training and training, as Van Dyk describes it as ‘a one-stop shop’.
Horses being educated at Prima Park in Matamata, New Zealand | Image courtesy of Prima Park
“If this filly were to win a Thousand Guineas, that would just be the pinnacle for us. Our long-term goal has been to produce Group 1 winners in Australia, which is the benchmark for world racing.
“It’s the best, and to do that would be incredibly special for us and her breeders.
“The ultimate goal is consistently be producing Group 1 winners and racehorses. We’ve had a lot of success through our Ready To Run drafts, but over the last two years, the yearlings we sold that are now coming into the 3-year-old season, especially the fillies, have been very promising.”
Mary Shan charges into the spotlight
Coeur Volante isn’t the only one gunning for Guineas glory who came through the Prima Park preparation and draft at the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale.
Mary Shan (NZ), a daughter of Almanzor (Fr), was sold as Lot 570 to Forsman Racing for NZ$180,000.
She was an impressive 4.3l winner at Tauranga in October and is heading towards a New Zealand 1000 Guineas.
“We’ve got Mary Shan, a graduate from the same draft going to the New Zealand 1000 Guineas. She also looks very promising, and then Coeur Volante,” Van Dyk said.
“The fillies over the last couple of years are starting to shine through now. It’s great that they are for our long-term clients because we have many siblings coming through to be offered.
“Prima Park will offer an Ocean Park half-brother to Mary Shan in the upcoming Ready to Ready Sale (Lot 230) and then her full sister for Karaka in 2024.”
Diverse offering
The run of success has Van Dyk excited to offer a draft of 15 2-year-olds in the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale on Wednesday, November 21 and Thursday, November 22.
And for the first time, the draft has been prepared and educated exclusively at Prima Park.
“Our 15 breezed up last week. Very happy with the way they breezed. Probably the most important thing for us is that this is the first time we have breezed them out of our new farm and in-house.
“Very happy with the way they (the Prima Park draft) breezed. Probably the most important thing for us is that this is the first time we have breezed them out of our new farm and in-house.” - Kelly Van Dyk
“Normally, we’ve outsourced all the work, but they’ve been educated right through the system at Prima Park.
“So, we’ve done the whole preparation for the first time and are really pleased with how they showcased themselves.
“We relocated to Matamata last year, and it’s just gone from strength to strength, and we’ve had a lot of support. And we’re getting the results. We’re proud of what Prima Park has achieved so far, and hopefully, it will only continue.”
“We (Prima Park) relocated to Matamata last year, and it’s just gone from strength to strength.” - Kelly Van Dyk
Prima Park’s draft will represent progeny by 14 different Australasian sires. Among them are the exciting first-season sires Too Darn Hot (GB), Tassort and Exceedance, Ten Sovereigns (Ire) and Dubious, while the likes of Savabeel, Ocean Park (NZ) and Shocking are represented in the proven brigade.
“They all have breezed very nicely. But the three we’ve felt have shown a tremendous amount of ability and breezed accordingly were the Nicconi (Lot 343), the Headwater (Lot 266) and the Exceedance filly (Lot 361).
“The Headwater and Exceedance actually breezed together. They have just been very natural 2-year-olds the whole preparation; really switched on and look to have a ton of ability. They have been the standouts, but I feel like the draft was really even this year. There’s definitely some nice horses in there.
“And something for everyone in the market. We are pleased to showcase a draft that we’ve had the whole preparation and show what our farm can do.”
“There’s definitely some nice horses in there. And something for everyone in the market. We are pleased to showcase a draft that we’ve had the whole preparation and show what our farm can do.” - Kelly Van Dyk
Lot 266, a gelding by Vinery Stud’s Headwater, breezed up in 10.45s.
The gelding is from the winning Lonhro mare Syncopated. She is from the family of the G1 Kingsford-Smith Cup winner, Clearly Innocent (Not A Single Doubt).
Lot 361 is a filly by Exceedance, who, like Headwater, also stands at Vinery Stud.
The daughter of Exceedance, like her workmate, the filly from a winning Lonhro mare - Calypso Queen.
Calypso Queen is a half-sister to the outstanding juvenile Military Rose (General Nediym), a victress of the G2 Reisling S.
Rounding out Van Dyk’s picks is Lot 343, a colt by Widden Stud’s Nicconi, the sire of the Champion Sprinter Nature Strip.
The colt is the eighth living foal for the unraced Commands mare Bedizened. She is a half-sister to Quarterman (Strategic), a Listed Fulham Park Plate winner.
