Late sibling for Militarize as Hawthorne reveals GSA matings

Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan

Saturday began with the unwelcome bombshell of megastar homebred sprinter Giga Kick (Scissor Kick) being ruled out of a defence of his The Everest crown due to a torn gluteal muscle.

But just a few hours later, Jonathan Munz’s operation was on a high again as the breeder of Militarize (NZ) (Dundeel {NZ}), who launched an astonishing burst from a near-hopeless position to collect the third Group 1 victory of his career in the Kia Golden Rose.

“It’s the ups and downs of racing and breeding,” said bloodstock agent Dean Hawthorne, who manages GSA Bloodstock’s breeding interests.

“The day didn’t start off all that well for us with the bad news about Giga Kick, but breeding a horse like Militarize made it finish on a bit of a better note, that’s for sure.

“Militarize really is a proper horse. He was always a nice yearling, but sometimes you can’t quite tell where the very good ones are going to come from.”

Bought by the China Horse Club, Newgate Bloodstock and Trilogy Racing for $550,000 from the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Militarize has now won four of his seven starts and more than $1.7 million in stakes. His Golden Rose heroics on Saturday followed on from an outstanding autumn double in the G1 Sires’ Produce S. and Champagne S.

The Chris Waller-trained colt is now set to head to Melbourne, where he holds nominations for the Caulfield Guineas and Cox Plate.

“It was an incredible performance on Saturday,” Hawthorne said. “I couldn’t see him winning that race at the 300. But he has a very good sprint, and he certainly showed that late in the race.

“You’d think that once he gets down to Melbourne, he should be able to handle tracks like Caulfield and Moonee Valley. He’s in for an exciting season.”

First Kiwi-bred Rose winner

Militarize broke new ground on Saturday, becoming the first New Zealand-bred winner of the Golden Rose.

He was foaled at Haunui Farm in September of 2020, because his dam Amerindia (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) had been sent across the Tasman to be served by Dundeel’s (NZ) son Super Seth. He was then offered at Magic Millions by Bhima Thoroughbreds.

The winner of five races in GSA Bloodstock’s red and white striped colours including the 2019 Caulfield Guineas, Super Seth was standing his first season at Waikato Stud in 2020. His oldest progeny are now 2-year-olds.

“Militarize is New Zealand-bred, and you have to call him that,” Hawthorne said. “He was born and raised here before heading over to be prepped for the Magic Millions. He’s properly New Zealand-bred.

“GSA Bloodstock has been breeding horses in New Zealand for two decades now, so it’s great to get a result like this from that long-standing tradition. It’s not as though it was a one-off.

“The mare was sent over to go to Super Seth, who I thought would suit her very nicely on type. We also liked the cross of the Sadler’s Wells and High Chaparral line with Dubawi. We thought that was working out pretty well, so that was a big part of the thinking behind that decision as well.”

Broodmare purchase pays off

Militarize is the second foal to race out of Amerindia. Herself a placegetter in France, Amerindia is a half-sister to the stakes-winning mare Important Time (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}), who is the dam of G1 Saratoga Derby and Grosser Dallmyr Preis winner Nations Pride (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}).

Hawthorne bought Amerindia for 150,000gns (AU$299,300) from the 2017 Tattersalls December Mares Sale.

“That mare has turned out to be a really good buy,” he said. “She was a lovely type of Dubawi mare, and I paid only 150,000(gns) for her. To buy the same sort of mare from a Group 1-winning family these days, just five or six years later, you’d probably have to pay triple that. So it’s worked out really well.

“She leaves a very nice foal, that mare. She hasn’t left a bad one yet. We’ve heard very good word about her Super Seth colt, who’s with Lindsay Park. He was a good type as a young horse, so we’re looking forward to following his progress.

“She’s got a Snitzel yearling colt now and is in foal to Dundeel again, so it’ll be good to have a full sibling to Militarize arriving this spring.”

Mating plans up in the air

An expected late arrival of Amerindia’s Dundeel foal this spring means it is not yet clear what will happen with the 10-year-old mare next.

“I think it was a 20 November cover by Dundeel last year, so she’s going to be late enough foaling this spring,” Hawthorne said. “Whether we get another crack at going back to Dundeel again, we’ll have to wait and see. She does have a booking to go back to him.

“But if that doesn’t work out, we might even think about the Northern Hemisphere with her. We can just wait and see how things go.”

Mating plans for GSA’s other notable mares

The number of mares in GSA Bloodstock’s portfolio is around 80 in total, and that includes a number of notable racemares and producers.

Passive Aggressive (Fastnet Rock) is embarking on her first spring in the broodmare paddock, having reached the end of an eight-start racing career that featured five wins including the G2 Challenge S. at Randwick and the Listed AR Creswick S. at Flemington.

She is also a full sister to the multiple stakes winner and Group 1-placed Missrock (Fastnet Rock).

“Passive Aggressive was covered by I Am Invincible last week, so I think she’s seven days into the cover now – hopefully she’s off to a good start,” Hawthorne said.

Top-class mare Shoals (Fastnet Rock) won seven races including the G1 Surround S., Empire Rose S. and Robert Sangster S. Her first foal is the 3-year-old filly Isthmus (I Am Invincible), who has placed in two of her three starts to date, while Chelsea (Written Tycoon) has recently turned two. Shoals also has a yearling filly by I Am Invincible.

“She’ll be foaling fairly late to Maurice, so whether we get her covered again this spring or not remains to be seen,” Hawthorne said.

Purely Spectacular (NZ) (Pins) is the dam of five winners from six foals to race, including the Group 1 winner Stratum Star, a son of Stratum, and the multiple Group 3 winner and Group 1-placed Prague (Redoute’s Choice). Stratum Star now stands at Ryland Thoroughbreds in Victoria, while Prague is part of the Kia Ora stallion roster.

Purely Spectacular’s recent foals include the 3-year-old Snitzel colt Head Of The Herd, who was a $1.4 million purchase from the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. She has a yearling colt by Capitalist this season.

“She was covered by Snitzel again last week,” Hawthorne said. “She seems to be an ‘every second year’ sort of a mare. There was no foal this year. That seems to be her pattern. The nice, early cover to Snitzel this season will hopefully give us every chance.”

Our Libretto (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) was a placegetter in the G2 Zipping Classic. Her oldest foal is the unraced 3-year-old Combustion (Pariah), while her colt by Russian Revolution fetched $1 million at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale earlier this year.

“She’s in foal to Russian Revolution – I think it’s an October foaling – and will go back to him again,” Hawthorne said. “That colt was such a good type, it makes sense to stick to that pattern again.”

Four Moves Ahead (Snitzel) was another quality performer in the GSA Bloodstock colours, winning three races including the G2 Sweet Embrace S. and Tea Rose S. She also ran third in the G2 Silver Shadow S. and was a fourth placegetter in the G1 Golden Slipper and Sires’ Produce S.

“Four Moves Ahead had her first foal this spring, a Capitalist filly, and she’s been covered by Dundeel,” Hawthorne said.

Table: Some of the matings GSA Bloodstock is planning in 2023