Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
With two impressive winners at Randwick on Saturday, the John O’Shea and Tom Charlton training partnership has started the new racing season with a bang. Schwarz (Zoustar) won the G2 Missile S. while Awesome Wonder (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) won the 2400 metre race on the card. TTR spoke to co-trainer Tom Charlton about the stable and life in Australia.
Saturday's winners
“(Schwarz) is a lightly raced horse. … I think he is still learning and gaining confidence,” Charlton said after the win on Saturday. “We will take a breath, speak to the boss and the team, but there is the potential for a race like the Memsie or races in Sydney. It's a long spring so we will just work that one out.”
Schwarz winning the G2 Missile S. | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Owned by a syndicate led by the Rosemont Stud-Victorian Alliance, Schwarz was a $1.25million purchase from Widden Stud at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale by Rosemont-Victorian Alliance and Suman Hedge Bloodstock (FBAA). By Zoustar from G2 Angus Armanasco S. winner Summer Sham (Not A Single Doubt) who is from the Redoute’s Choice family, and with his race record, he will have a home at stud in the future.
“We have four in the stable owned by the Rosemont Alliance, two just turned 2-year-olds, a 3-year-old and Schwarz,” Charlton said on Sunday. Schwarz has four wins and a second from eight starts with earnings over $500,000.
Awesome Wonder is a beautifully bred mare being by Champion Sire Galileo (Ire) out of G1 Coolmore Stud S. winner Nechita (Fastnet Rock) making Awesome Wonder a full sister to Group 3 winners Harpo Marx (Ire) and Forebearance (Ire). She has five wins from 27 starts with earnings over $370,000.
“She’s a consistent mare who loves her work, loves racing. She won a similar race last year, went to stud but didn’t get in foal, so she’s back. I think Jason (Abrahams) is going to have a lot of fun on and off the track. She’s on the cusp of black type. We’ll send her to a similar race in two weeks and there’s some potential stakes options after that.”
Life in Australia
British born Tom Charlton is the son of successful British trainer, Roger Charlton, and joined the John O’Shea stable in 2019.
“I came to Australia when my father had a horse (Withhold) for the Melbourne Cup, so I spent a few months here which was my first time looking at the industry here. It’s very healthy with a lot going for it. After I headed back to England, I thought I might come back and see some more, grab some more experience in Australia. I came here without a job, landed at Magic Millions and figured I’d work it out as I went along.”
Note, Withhold (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) had a setback in the Geelong Cup and missed the Melbourne Cup of 2018. He has had a further 26 starts since then in England, and has a career record of seven wins from 38 starts.
Tom Charlton | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“John had not long restarted his operation after finishing up at Godolphin, so I approached him for a job. He didn’t have a senior role for me, but I was keen to work with him as he had a highly respected reputation, and hopefully I’d work myself into a better job, or maybe just get experience and head home.
“Over time, everything kept progressing (until now). I’ve enjoyed the country and the racing and have formed lots of good relationships in the industry.”
England and Australia
Every trainer who sends a horse to Royal Ascot talks about the differences in the training styles and systems between Australia and England. We asked Tom, what is it like from the opposite perspective as someone who grew up in England and is now based in Australia?
“The biggest difference is the breed. There’s an emphasis on speed in Australia where races like the Golden Slipper are the key stallion making races, which dictates the way that horses are bred here. On the contrary, England is always by and large about the Epsom Derby. Every breeder wants to win it. This is backed up in how Australian sprinters are so effective at Royal Ascot and how Europeans dominate the feature staying races in Australia. It’s fairly self-explanatory.
Epsom Derby
“The tracks and the nature of racing is also different. Australian tracks quite consistent in terms of size and shape, making race position, barrier draw, and jockeyship a vital part of the picture. In England, the tracks are a bit fairer, with long straights, sweeping bends, and a variety of tracks in different places.
“Sometimes the best horse doesn’t win in Australia, not in every race, but sometimes a horse gets beaten because of the barrier draw or the way the race is run. Drawing the right barrier here can be vital to your chances, but in England it’s not such an emphasis generally. Obviously at some tracks in some races barrier draw matters, but generally across the board, it’s less of a factor than in England. I guess the one thing I miss from England is that variety in track styles.”
So there are differences in training facilities and methods too. Have you been able to translate any of this to the Australian system?
“Training facilities back home have that same variety with rolling hills and countryside environments. It suits some and not others, like humans, we have our different preferences. We have a Hawkesbury stable and have put that to great use in that some horses are better suited there compared to the busy nature of Randwick and vis versa.”
Major spring contenders
The G1 WS Cox Plate and G1 Caulfield Cup nominations were released last week and the O’Shea/Charlton stable have two horses nominated in Athabascan (Fr) (Almanzor {Fr}) and Linebacker (NZ) (Super Seth).
“One of our main spring horses is Linebacker who will trial end of next week and is being aimed at the Golden Rose second up, and Caulfield Guineas third. Then, depending on how he goes, he’ll go to the Cox Plate or the Spring Champion.
“One of our main spring horses is Linebacker who will trial end of next week and is being aimed at the Golden Rose second up, and Caulfield Guineas third.” - Tom Charlton
“With Athabascan, we’ll try to win the Metropolitan third up, head south into the cold of Melbourne and have a crack at the Melbourne Cup.”
And who else should we look for in the upcoming spring?
“Café Millenium. He’s always been a big gangly style of horse, lanky, and now he’s turned four, he’s strengthened up and we hope he can take the Randwick Guineas form into the Epsom.”
Café Millenium (Not A Single Doubt) is a winner from 11 starts who ran third in the G1 Randwick Guineas behind Celestial Legend (Dundeel {NZ}) and Militarize (NZ) (Capitalist).
Café Millenium | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
“We have a couple of 3-year-old fillies who are maiden winners now, Snow In May and More Territories. They won’t be aimed too high early on but should make some of the nicer fillies races later.” Snow In May (The Autumn Sun) was a winner on debut in May as a juvenile, while More Territories (Territories {Ire}) won on debut at two in March, then ran mid-field in the G3 Percy Sykes S.
“Rhythm Of Love was second in the Fred Best last start and he’ll go to stakes company this campaign.” Rhythm Of Love (Grunt {NZ}) has just turned four and has three wins and six placings from 13 starts with earnings over $209,000.
“Fall For Cindy won at Scone and will target the Invitation.” Fall For Cindy (NZ) (Sacred Falls) is owned by Waikato Stud and has five wins from 16 starts and won the G3 Dark Jewel S. at Scone two starts ago. She has earnings over $420,000.
And Tom's pediction for the next top sire?
“I quite like New Zealand based stallion called Hello Youmzain. He’s by Kodiac who gets a good style of horse. The three we have are all good types, going nicely and should run at two and progress on as 3-year-olds.”
