Matings Mix: ‘Hands down the best we’ve had’: exciting times at Two Bays Farm

Cover image courtesy of Two Bays Farm

Located at Flinders on the Mornington Peninsula and established in 2012, Two Bays Farm is a purpose built facility set on 200 acres named after the Two Bays Walking Trail which runs near the base of the picturesque farm.

Two Bays enjoyed a good recent sales season, at the Inglis Great Southern Weanling Sale selling six youngsters with four of those fetching six figure sums including a $250,000 Zoustar colt out of the Group 3 placed multiple city winner News Girl (Magnus) and a $230,000 Street Boss (USA) colt out of the metropolitan winner Foxpack (Foxwedge), full sister to the Listed winner Kentucky Miss.

And as agent at the Inglis Melbourne Premier they sold an Alabama Express filly out of the city winner Lucy's Look (Lonhro) to the Waterhouse & Bott stable for $370,000; that two-year-old named Shangri La Rose.

A fresh approach

With the aim of competing at the top end of the market, Two Bays have taken a "fresh" approach to their broodmare band with Carlile describing the current group of mares as “hands down the best we've had on the farm."

And there is more to come with Two Bays "proactive on the racing side of things," racing a number of nicely bred fillies with ability who will be nice additions to the farm in the future.

Such as the very promising Hurricane Georgie (Toronado {Ire}) who created a big impression leading throughout to an easy win at Sandown recently.

A $200,000 purchase at last year's Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, she is a half-sister to the G3 Spring S. winner Pierossa (Pierro), the Listed winner Ploverset (Street Boss) and to the dam of the G3 Thoroughbred Breeders S. winner Bossy Nic (Nicconi).

Also showing talent is last weekend's Seymour winner Bay Of Zea (Shalaa {Ire}), a $420,000 Magic Millions graduate from the family of Joliestar (Zoustar).

Nudge due to Zoustar

In the meantime Two Bays have nine foals coming this spring with excitement surrounding the arrival (due at the end of this month) of a second Zoustar for the G3 Pam O'Neill S. winner Nudge (Fastnet Rock).

Her first foal, a filly by Zoustar, arrived last spring and has impressed; "she is a really good first foal," Carlile noted, adding that whilst no definite decision has been made for Nudge's 2024 mating, Toronado (Ire) is high on the list.

“He is a stallion who has really been on the rise and he suits her physically,” he said, taking note of the success of the Sadler's Wells (USA)/Fastnet Rock combination including two stakes winners by Toronado out of Fastnet Rock mares.

Second to Tofane (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}) in the 2021 G1 Tattersall's Tiara, Nudge is a half-sister to the dual Group 1 winner Julinsky Prince (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}) out of the triple Listed winner Julinsky Princess (NZ) (Stravinsky {USA}).

A lovely Pinatubo filly

Already at foot is a Pinatubo (Ire) filly for the G2 Queen Of The South S. winner Shrouded In Mist (Exceed And Excel), a mare who has not had a great deal of luck so far.

“She is a lovely filly,” Carlile said, looking forward to Shrouded In Mist's date with Toronado.

“She is quite a tall Exceed And Excel, a big roomy girl and Toronado seems to like mares like that.”

Shrouded In Mist is one of the three stakes winners produced by the dual Group winner De Lago Mist (Encosta de Lago), dam of another Queen Of The South winner in Into The Mist (Redoute's Choice) and also of the triple Listed winner Instinction.

Mates for the maiden mares

Two Bays have enjoyed the process of figuring out the first mates for their maiden mares, such as the G2 Moonee Valley Fillies Classic winner Zoe's Promise (Swear) who was purchased from an Inglis Digital Sale for $200,000 in August and who heads to Street Boss.

“We are keen on sending a nice young mare like her to a proven stallion to give her a chance and Street Boss is such a good, solid stallion who has been going from strength to strength,” said Carlile.

“And she suits him on type, she is a lovely mare with good length and strength,” he said of the daughter of the American stakes winner Kinz Funky Monkey (USA) (The Green Monkey {USA}).

Also visiting Street Boss will be News Girl who fared so well at the sales with her Zoustar colt.

“We like Street Boss' strength for her,” said Carlile, describing the full sister to the Listed Creswick S. and dual The Kosciuszko winner Front Page (who again aims for that rich race) as "a sharp mare from a classy family."

Pierata makes sense

Another recent purchase for Two Bays was the Group 3 placed Sensical (Zoustar) who was secured at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale for $725,000.

Due to visit Pierata, she is described by Carlile as "a lovely, big, tall athletic mare who really covers the ground as you'd expect for a daughter of Zoustar out of a Not A Single Doubt mare."

“She is a really well framed mare with good bone Pierata is going really well so he is a good prospect for her in her first year at stud.”

Sensical is a daughter of the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic and G3 Red Anchor S. winner Karuta Queen (Not A Single Doubt) who has also produced the Listed Bill Carter S. winner Eawase (Sebring).

Also purchased at the Gold Coast was Red Rubi (Rubick), a $370,000 triple city winning full sister to the G2 Sheraco S. winner Shades Of Rose and half-sister to the G3 Shaftesbury Avenue H. and five time Listed winner Scallopini (Snitzel).

Cylinder has been chosen as her mate with Carlile noting that "he complements her physically and genetically."

“She is a good running mare and he is a lovely walker with good hip and strength an she probably needs a bit of that for her first mating.”

Nice mares from the Magic Millions

Yet another good Magic Millions buy was the $350,000 mare Miss Ella (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}), a Listed winning daughter of the G1 Queensland Oaks runner-up Zenella (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) from the Tristalove (NZ) (Sir Tristram {Ire}) branch of the Eight Carat (GB) (Pieces Of Eight {Ire}) family.

Purchased in partnership with Widden Stud, she visits their four time Group 1 winner Trapeze Artist.

Also bought with Widden, for $450,000 at last year's National, was Xtravagant Star (Xtravagant {NZ}), the RL Inglis Millennium winner who they raced on to another couple of metropolitan victories.

Described as "a lovely style of mare," she visits Zoustar with this mating the sort "that could produce anything," Carlile enthused.

“Farm favourite” Alcatraz (Fastnet Rock) has done a good job with her two stakes winners Kubrick (Shooting To Win) and Bundle Of Fun (Written Tycoon) and the 14-year-old visits Blue Point (Ire) with Two Bays confident that he is a horse on the up.

“They are getting better with time and he is a solid match for her, we'd be happy with a colt or a filly,” Carlile said.

Decisions on which Two Bays mares go to which stallions are made by what Carlile jokingly described as "a meeting of the masterminds!"

“It is a three way discussion between myself, Ross and our agent Louis Le Metayer. We go backwards and forwards a bit and spend time in New South Wales getting to know the stallions.

“We like things to come together in regards to both pedigree and type and then we cross our fingers for a bit of luck!”

Table: Two Bays Farm breeding plans for 2024