Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
When James Moss bought Miss Moana (NZ) (Uncle Mo {USA}) for NZ$50,000 at Karaka in 2017, she became the first yearling purchased by his Tricolours Racing syndication business.
Miss Moana showed plenty of ability on the track before injury ended her career. Offered as a broodmare prospect with a $100,000 reserve, she failed to sell. Moss decided to keep her, only to endure two frustrating breeding seasons before she finally produced a foal.
That foal was Beyond The Reef, who broke her maiden in Saturday’s G3 Reginald Allen Quality with a commanding victory for trainer John Sargent and jockey Dylan Gibbons.
“It was a huge thrill to win a stakes race and especially with her as she is the first foal out of the first yearling we purchased in Miss Moana,” Moss said.
“It was a huge thrill to win a stakes race and especially with her (Beyond The Reef) as she is the first foal out of the first yearling we purchased in Miss Moana.” - James Moss
Beyond The Reef | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
The mare they wouldn’t give away
Tricolours Racing has built its business buying yearlings at affordable prices, racing them and, where possible, selling successful fillies as valuable broodmare prospects.
It’s a model that has delivered some impressive returns. Fasika (So You Think {NZ}) sold for $920,000 in 2021, Ballistic Lover (Smart Missile) realised $1 million in 2022, and The Playwright (Written By) was sold for $625,000 earlier this year.
“We aim to sell them off the track as broodmare prospects to maximise returns for our owners, we look to buy nice athletes with good pedigrees that are worth good money if they can perform on the track,” Moss said.
James Moss | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Moss has maintained a disciplined approach to yearling purchases, looking for horses with the athletic ability and pedigrees to perform on the track without spending heavily at the sales.
“We have always not spent too much on yearlings and in fact this year we have purchased some nice Castelvecchio’s and a Pinatubo we have bought at real value and our average would be closer to $50,000 than it would be to $100,000.”
Keeping purchase prices within reach of syndicate owners is a significant part of the approach.
“We are very conscious of the markets but make a deliberate move to buy at an affordable mark and one from which we can sell the shares. We pride ourselves on finding value.”
“We are very conscious of the markets but make a deliberate move to buy at an affordable mark and one from which we can sell the shares. We pride ourselves on finding value.” - James Moss
Miss Moana was supposed to follow the same course.
Purchased for NZ$50,000 from Landsdowne Park’s draft at the 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale, she appealed to Moss and trainer John Sargent as a staying prospect.
Miss Moana (NZ) | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“We really liked her as a yearling at Karaka, she was by Uncle Mo and out of a Galileo mare and we thought she would make a lovely staying type,” Moss said.
“The Uncle Mo factor probably helped us with the price as he hadn’t really got going in Australia, I thought she was pretty good buying at $50,000.”
“The Uncle Mo factor probably helped us with the price as he hadn’t really got going in Australia, I thought she (Miss Moana) was pretty good buying at $50,000.” - James Moss
Miss Moana went on to win at Randwick, finish second in the G3 South Australian Fillies Classic and place at Listed level over 2400 metres. Moss believes she was capable of more before a tendon injury ended her career.
“I always thought she was a bit better than her record suggested as did Sarge, at her last start she ran third at Listed level at Randwick over 2400 metres and Tim Clark got off and said she will win wherever she goes next but unfortunately she did her tendon and had to be retired.”
Offered at the 2020 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale with a $100,000 reserve, Miss Moana attracted little interest.
“We sent her to the Magic Millions broodmare sale but she hardly got a bid, but as I said we had belief in her and thought her record could have been better so we weren’t going to give her away.”
Moss believes her staying pedigree and the limited commercial appeal of Uncle Mo in Australia at the time worked against her.
Uncle Mo (USA) | Image courtesy of Coolmore
“We had the faith and I think the staying form and the Uncle Mo factor just meant she didn’t have that commercial appeal.”
Rather than accept a lower price, Tricolours decided to retain her and try breeding from her, something the syndication business had never intended to do.
“With Beyond The Reef it has worked out well but that wasn’t the plan, we are very much hobby breeders and would like to keep it that way.”
A frustrating start at stud
Retaining Miss Moana was only the beginning of the challenge. She missed to So You Think (NZ) and Brutal (NZ) in her first season, followed by unsuccessful coverings to Brutal, Tassort and Flying Artie in her second.
The team persisted, eventually getting Miss Moana in foal to Flying Artie on the advice of Newgate Farm.
“She went to Flying Artie as the team at Newgate all said that he was the most fertile stallion and thankfully she got in foal and that is how we got Beyond The Reef,” Moss said.
“She (Miss Moana) went to Flying Artie as the team at Newgate all said that he was the most fertile stallion and thankfully she got in foal and that is how we got Beyond The Reef.” - James Moss
Flying Artie | Standing at Blue Gum Farm
Beyond The Reef became Miss Moana’s first foal, and the decision to retain the mare has since allowed Tricolours to develop the family further.
Miss Moana has also produced a 2-year-old colt by Artorius, sold for $50,000 at this year’s Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale, and a yearling filly by Cosmic Force. She is back in foal to Cosmic Force following an early service this season.
The family has produced several other stakes performers, including Miss Moana’s half-siblings Stay Focused (Cosmic Force), a Listed winner, and stakes-placed Ningaloo Star (Deep Field) and Stay Cosmic (Cosmic Force).
“The Deep Field line seems to work with the mare so we have continued down that line, we have a yearling filly that Newgate really rate and she is back in foal to Cosmic Force after missing the season before.”
A maiden no more
Beyond The Reef entered Saturday’s G3 Reginald Allen Quality still a maiden, having placed in all three of her previous starts. Her two runs this preparation, however, had given connections the confidence to test her at stakes level.
“We went into the race on Saturday knowing it was ambitious but certainly not stupid as in Sydney you can often run into stakes quality horses in a general maiden in the city or even out in the country,” Moss said.
Jockey Dylan Gibbons, who has also partnered Group 1-winning stablemate Global Goal (Pinatubo {Ire}) this preparation, had been particularly confident about the filly’s ability.
“He had a lot of confidence in the filly and actually a little while ago he told me I think we can win a stakes race this season with her, even if he thought it may be in the autumn with a little more time.”
Dylan Gibbons | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
Gibbons settled Beyond The Reef towards the rear before bringing her down the outside to defeat Pin Up Sheila (Pinatubo {Ire}) and Hello Liz (NZ) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}) by just over a length.
“It was a great ride, he was a bit further back than I may have thought, but the win was dominant. We wanted to give her a bit of room as she was a bit unlucky at Kembla Grange and we think she likes a bit of space,” Moss said.
“It was a great ride, he (Dylan Gibbons) was a bit further back than I may have thought, but the win was dominant.” - James Moss
Beyond The Reef will now head to Hannover Lodge for a spell, with the G1 Surround Stakes a possible autumn target.
“She is still a bit immature and she will get better with time so we are going to look after her and she will head to Hannover Lodge, have a nice break and maybe we look at a race like The Surround Stakes in the autumn and we can go from there.”
For Moss, the result has justified the decision to retain Miss Moana, although he has no plans to turn Tricolours into a major breeding operation.
“But the story is about how much belief we had in the mare and it has worked out well, I think there is more to come with the filly also, once she matures and learns a bit more ring craft it is going to be exciting.”
