Saturday Summary: Exciting Schwarz wins G2 Missile S.

Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan

Spring has truly sprung, or so it feels, with million dollar colt Schwarz (Zoustar) winning the G2 Missile S. at Randwick, while See You In Heaven put herself into the record books with back-to-back wins in the G3 Behemoth S.

Group 1 options for G2 Missile S. winner Schwarz

Nothing feels like spring racing more than to see an exciting colt win a group race with Group 1 options on the table. Rosemont Stud have compiled a nice syndicate to race 4-year-old colt Schwarz (Zoustar), and the horse rewarded them with a win in the G2 Missile S. at Randwick on Saturday.

Ridden by Champion jockey James McDonald, who had Schwarz perfectly placed heading into the straight, the colt responded with a burst of acceleration to put him into the lead, and then had to dig hard to hold on as McDonald lifted him over the line to win by 0.12l from Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou trained Arctic Glamour (Frosted {USA}) with Bjorn Baker’s Shezanalister (Star Turn) in third.

“He didn't have anything go his way, he was wide throughout, but he travelled into it nicely,” McDonald said. “I think he is obviously the best horse in the race, but he had to tough it out. He was a sitting duck a long way from home.”

Schwarz was sent out as favourite and came into the race first-up after winning a trial in mid-July. A trial winner at two, Schwarz debuted as an October 3-year-old with a win at Gosford. He ran fourth in the G3 Red Anchor S. at his second start, winning the Listed Amanda Elliot Handicap at his third start. Back in the autumn, he won the G3 Hawkesbury Guineas and placed in the Listed Darby Munro S. from four starts.

“He's a lightly raced horse. … I think he is still learning and gaining confidence,” co-trainer Tom Charlton said. “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.”

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), Schwarz is one of 57 stakes winners for Zoustar. Schwarz took his record to four wins and a second from eight starts with earnings over $500,000.

Schwarz is the first live foal of G2 Angus Armanasco S. winner Summer Sham (Not A Single Doubt) who is from the Redoute’s Choice family via Summer Sham’s second dam Unspoken Choice (Giant’s Causeway {USA}) who is a half-sister to Group 1 winners Redoute’s Choice, Manhattan Rain, and Platinum Scissors, as well as Group 3 winner Sliding Cube (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), dam of Rubick, and to Listed winner Echoes Of Heaven (Encosta De Lago).

Back to back for See You In Heaven in G3 Behemoth S.

In 2023, Richard and Chantelle Jolly’s mare See You In Heaven (Divine Prophet) opened her spring campaign with a win in the G3 Behemoth S. and in 2024, she’s done it again. In both wins she was ridden by Jake Toeroek, and in 2024, she ran almost two seconds faster than in 2023, winning in 1:12.67 this year.

Renamed the Behemoth S. in 2023 after dual winner Behemoth (All Too Hard) who won the race, when it was called the Spring S., in 2020 and 2021. Historians have to go back to 1994 and 1995 to find dual winner Hero Wind (Star Pyramul) and he won it again in 1997, while in 1988, 1989, and 1990 Redelva (Romantic Hope) won the race three times.

“It was great to see her win like that; I really thought she was underdone,” Richard Jolly said. “She never trials brilliantly, and she’s a bit of a dud worker really, but she did work quite well for her on Tuesday.

“And once I saw her playing up in the mounting yard, on two feet, I thought, ‘she’s really switched on’. To see her do that, when my thinking is that she was nowhere near ready, is really exciting.”

See You In Heaven won by 1.6l from Gordon Richards and Damien Moyle-trained My Khalifa (Pride Of Dubai) with Andrew Gluyas trained Air Assault (Justify {USA}) in third. She took her record to six wins and six placings from 16 starts with earnings over $740,000.

“I’d really want to go to the Leon MacDonald in two weeks, it’s in our backyard and then she’s got two runs at home under her belt,” Jolly said. “Then we’ll look to the spring – there’s a lot of races to choose from. In Melbourne we can stick to the mare’s races. The Empire Rose Stakes on Derby Day would probably be the aim, I would say.”

Sold by Aquis Farm for $27,000 as a weanling, See You In Heaven was pinhooked as a yearling, selling at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from the Alexis Fraser draft for $90,000 to her trainers.

One of two Group 2 winners for Group 1 winner Divine Prophet, who is a half-brother to NZ Champion Sire Proisir, See You In Heaven is one of five winners for her winning dam Shine On Anna (Anabaa {USA}). Shine On Anna is out of imported stakes placed winner Shine On Me (GB) (Machiavellian {USA}) who is from the family of NZ Group 1 sire Contributer.

Bruce boots home again in Listed Belmont Newmarket

Trainer Anne King’s 6-year-old gelding Boots Like Bruce (Alfred Noble {Ire}) made it two stakes race wins in succession and three wins in a row when he added the Listed Belmont Newmarket Handicap to his impressive record. Sent out as favourite with jockey Patrick Carbery, Boots Like Bruce was tough in winning by the tiniest of margins over the fast closing Saloon Bar (Sessions), with Man Crush (Manhattan Rain) three-quarters of a length further back in third. Carbery also rode Boots Like Bruce in his last start win.

Winner of eight of his sixteen starts, Boots Like Bruce has earnings over $320,000 and is the fourth stakes winner for G1 Phoenix S. winner Alfred Noble. The others are Group 3 winner Showy Chloe, and Listed winners Fontainebleau, and Prim And Proper.

Boots Like Bruce is the second live foal of unraced mare Smithfields (Snitzel) who is out of Fairy Fix (King Ivor) who is a daughter of G1 NZ One Thousand Guineas winner Our Cure (NZ) (Sir Tristram {Ire}). Our Cure is also the granddam of stakes winners Pure Energy (Mossman) who placed in a Golden Slipper, Segments (Mossman) who placed in an Oakleigh Plate and Eastender (Tickets).

Smithfields has just two live foals and was dropped from the Stud Book in 2021 after three years with no mare return. Her other foal is a filly, Fires Of Babylon (My Admiration), who had only three starts, was retired from racing in 2021 but died prior to having any progeny.

Golden Path wins Premier’s Cup Prelude

Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr trained 5-year-old gelding Golden Path (NZ) (Belardo {Ire}) extended his winning sequence to three with a strong performance in the Premier's Cup Prelude at Randwick for jockey Chad Schofield to win by 1.4l over G1 Victoria Derby winner Manzoice (Almanzor {Fr}) with Redstone Well (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) in third.

Stable representative Ben Elam said the addition of blinkers four starts ago had turned the gelding's attitude around. “(Jockey) Chad (Schofield) said that first start he had those blinkers on that he really switched on and wanted to savage the line, which is what we need to see from him because he did tend to think about it,” Elam said.

Golden Path has won five of his 12 starts but hadn’t won in six starts since his last win back in July 2023 before this winning streak. He has earnings over $440,000, and was a NZ $35,000 yearling purchase from Ardsley Stud’s NZB National Yearling Sale draft.

“He's a horse that is in form and when they're going like this, you don't have to do much with them other than keep them happy. We've got a few targets for him. We will space his runs a little bit, the Premier's Cup is in two weeks then there are a couple of options we can fiddle around with some good prizemoney.”

A Listed winner at his previous start, Golden Path is one of 12 stakes winners for Belardo and is the only foal to race for winning mare Golden Destination (Dubai Destination {USA}) who has been unlucky at stud with three of her first five foals being still-born or dying early.

Golden Destination is a half-sister to Listed winner of ten races Enthusiast (Flying Spur) and her second dam, Sumatra (USA) (Groton {USA}) was a Group 3 winner in America and ancestress of several quality American stakes winners such as Group 1 winners Summing (USA) (Verbatim {USA}), High Fly (USA) (Atticus {Ire}) and Fighting Mad (USA) (New Year’s Day {USA}).

Waimarie makes it two in succession at the Valley

Punters weren’t worried about the step up in grade for exciting mare Waimarie (Snitzel) sending her around at Moonee Valley as a $2.70 favourite and she delivered for jockey Mark Zahra with a 0.75l win over Lievore (Epaulette) and Electric Impulse (Cable Bay {Ire}). The 4-year-old mare has now won three of her past four starts, including two in succession, with a career record of four wins and two placings from nine starts and earnings over $178,000.

“She always had it under control, looking at it. She only just won, she’s just still awkward, still hanging out,” co-trainer Trent Busuttin said. “(I don’t know) whether Moonee Valley suits her, but it’s a Saturday win for the ownership group – before she started winning, she was at a real crossroads, so we’re very happy.

“She probably just needs to do things a little bit better if we’re going to continue to step up. She’s just got a tendency to hang out and be a bit awkward, but it was good to have a jockey of Mark’s calibre on her. We’ll just enjoy today, it’s a good ownership group… it’s nice to win at Moonee Valley, and it’s nice to be back at Moonee Valley.”

Purchased by Andrew Williams Bloodstock and Busuttin Racing for $350,000 from Arrowfield Stud’s 2022 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale draft, Waimarie is by Champion Sire Snitzel who has 145 stakes winners and is beginning to make his mark as a broodmare sire to add to his other accolades with 33 stakes winners in that role.

Waimarie is a half-sister to Champion NZ 2YO and G1 JJ Atkins S. winner Sacred Elixir (Pour Moi), and both are out of winning mare Baltika (NZ) (Stravinsky {USA}) who is out of an unraced daughter of Horlicks (NZ) (Three Legs {}).

Horlicks won five Group 1 races and broke the race record for the Japan Cup in 1989, which she held until 2005. She was a fantastic broodmare producing G1 Melbourne Cup winner Brew (NZ) (Sir Tristram {Ire}) and his full sister Group 2 winner Bubble who sadly died before going to stud. Horlicks is the ancestress of Group 1 winners Fiumicino (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}), Mr Quickie (Shamus Award) and at least eight other stakes winners.

Awesome Wonder makes up for missing at stud

John O’Shea and Tom Charlton trained 5-year-old mare Awesome Wonder (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was retired to stud last season as the winner of four races, and was served by Wootton Bassett (GB) on 27 October 2023. Unfortunately, she missed and her ownership group decided to put her back in work.

They must have been pondering their decision as she had seven more starts during 2023/24 for three minor placings, but she redeemed herself on Saturday at Randwick with a 1.9l win for jockey Jeff Stanley to take her record to five wins from 27 starts with earnings over $370,000.

“She is much more effective here,” O'Shea, who trains alongside Tom Charlton, said referring to her record at Randwick where she has two wins from six starts. “She prefers the big circumference of Randwick and got a lovely weight drop. The run the other day was very good. Tommy (Berry) was a bit critical of his ride by his own admission. Once she got clear running with no weight and she is a very fit horse. She was strong to the line.”

Bred in Ireland, Awesome Wonder was sold as a yearling at the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale by Baroda Stud for €140,000 (AU$232,000) to Brian Grassick Bloodstock. She had three unimpressive starts in Ireland before being sent to Australia where she arrived in October 2021. A winner on debut six months later, Awesome Wonder built a solid record.

By Champion Sire Galileo, who has 378 stakes winners, Awesome Wonder is 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).

Harpo Marx was also imported to Australia, where he won the G3 Premier’s Cup and placed in the G1 Metropolitan Handicap. Nechita’s current 4-year-old Artistic Star is another full brother and is a Group 2-placed winner. Nechita arrived home in Australia in 2020 in foal to Frankel (GB) and the resulting colt, Format, had one start as a 2-year-old last season. Unfortunately, her 2-year-old colt by Justify (USA) died young, while she has a yearling filly by Home Affairs and is in foal to St Mark’s Basilica (Fr).