Written by Kit Gow
Cover image courtesy of Cressfield
In this short series, TTR has asked various breeders their top three foals from the 2024 crop. If you would like your foals to be featured, reach out to Lucy at lucy@ttrausnz.com.au.
Nestled in the Hunter Valley just outside of Scone, Cressfield is renowned for its blueblood yearlings and blueblood broodmare band. Operations Manager Liesl Wickson selected her top three foals from this year’s crop, all of whom happen to be fillies - a good omen when you are born on a farm famed for race fillies such as Personal (Fastnet Rock), Jamaica (Headwater), and Nimalee (So You Think {NZ}).
Liesl Wickson | Image courtesy of NSW Cutting Horse Club
Cool characters
“The Home Affairs colt out of Egyptian Symbol is just a real athletic type,” Wickson said. “He has that sort of looseness about his movement and an excellent hindquarter with great hip length.”
Home Affairs x Egyptian Symbol (colt) | Image Supplied
Egyptian Symbol (Stratum) has been a special mare for Cressfield; born and bred on the farm out of 10-time winner - eight of which were at stakes level - Our Egyptian Raine (NZ) (Desert Sun {GB}), she was passed over as a yearling at the sales before going on to win eight races for her breeder. The G3 Toy Show H. and G3 Nivison S. lead those victories, as well as twice finishing second in the G2 Breeders Classic and a handful of other stakes placings. She retired from the track with over $1.5 million in earnings and doubled that with her first yearling through the ring. Idhana (I Am Invincible) was purchased by Kia Ora Stud, TFI, and Ciaron Maher Bloodstock for $1.5 million at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale in 2022.
She has since produced a filly apiece by Deep Field and I Am Invincible, the former purchased by Ciaron Maher Bloodstock for $230,000 at this year’s Inglis Easter sale. The latter will likely head through the same sale this year, as she is not currently listed in a sales catalogue.
Egyptian Symbol when racing | Image courtesy of Sportpix
Among Egyptian Symbol’s siblings are her half-brother HK$7.95 million (A$1.62 million) earner Strathmore (Fastnet Rock) and G3 Black Opal S.-placed Cellsabeel (Hinchinbrook), who delivered a filly by Anamoe this spring. Another half-sister Egyptian Cross (Commands) is the dam of Red Sea (Pierata), a narrow second in the G1 Manawatu Sires Produce S. in April. Egyptian Symbol herself visited Kiwi top performer Dundeel (NZ) last month.
“What I love about the Home Affairs is that they all seem really cool characters, laid back, sensible and tractable,” she added.
“What I love about the Home Affairs is that they all seem really cool characters, laid back, sensible and tractable.” - Liesl Wickson
Such promise is expected from the dual Group 1-winning son of I Am Invincible, whose first crop heads through the sales ring in January. The Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale boasts an exceptional 63 lots by Home Affairs in their catalogue, which accounts for almost half of his 141 foals born in 2023.
Hard to look past
“The other Home Affairs is a filly out of Real Surreal,” Wickson said. “She was a late foal being born in November, so it can be hard to compare these later foals to August born foals, but this filly has just come into shape so quickly that it's hard to look past her.”
Home Affairs x Real Surreal (filly) | Image Supplied
Born on the 15th day of last month, the filly is the sixth foal from R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic victress Real Surreal (Real Saga), whose first two to the track are already winners - both of whom are by I Am Invincible. Kolora Stud-bred Real Surreal is a half-sister to G3 Vo Rogue Plate winner Benny’s Buttons (Refuse To Bend {Ire}), and several handy runners, including nine-time winner Langhro (Lonhro) and eight-time winner Boom Chicka Boom (All Too Hard). Her Magic Millions win stands her head and shoulders above the rest, with over $1.7 million in winnings at the end of her race career.
“She is correct, has great strength to her and has a really attractive ‘look at me’ quality.”
“She (Home Affairs x Real Surreal) is correct, has great strength to her and has a really attractive ‘look at me’ quality.” - Liesl Wickson
The filly’s breeding has plenty of appeal beyond blacktype in the pedigree, as it mimics the I Am Invincible x Tale Of The Cat (USA) cross in the pedigree of Group 3 winner and sire Super One. The cross one generation further back to Storm Cat (USA) can be mapped to the pedigree of the indomitable Imperatriz (I Am Invincible), who began her breeding career with a visit to Pierata in September.
Real Surreal has no yearling headed to the sales this season, but Ohukia Lodge purchased her colt by Capitalist at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in January of this year for $260,000. He was prepared for the Inglis Ready2Race Sale where the handsome bay colt breezed home within the top 15 times and was sold to Eason Chen in Hong Kong for $300,000.
Real Surreal when racing | Image courtesy of Sportpix
“Home Affairs is proving to be very fertile also, so from a mare and foal management perspective, he gets a huge tick of approval from me,” Wickson added.
Class of her own
“The Anamoe filly out of Artistry is a class filly,” said Wickson. “She has been quality from birth, a beautiful head, broad between the eyes, and has such a sharp sprinting look about her.”
“The Anamoe filly out of Artistry is a class filly. She has been quality from birth, a beautiful head, broad between the eyes, and has such a sharp sprinting look about her.” - Liesl Wickson
Born and bred just across the valley from Cressfield at Amarina Farm, Artistry (Shamardal {USA}) was a powerhouse on the racetrack, winning eight of her races in the red and gold of Botsky Pty Ltd. Three of those were at Group 3 level, including the G3 Hong Kong Jockey Club S., and she also captured several stakes placings including in the G2 Dane Ripper S. and the G3 Sapphire S. behind Secret Agenda (Not A Single Doubt). In her last start, she ran into fellow Cressfield resident Egyptian Symbol, who bested her by 4.2l.
She is the only stakes performer out of Lady Peony (Belong To Me {USA}), but her half-sister Indian Flower (Husson {Arg}) produced nine-time winner Flower Of War (War Chant {USA}), victorious in the Listed Cyril Flower H., and G3 Champion Fillies S. runner-up Flower Of Gold (Bull Point). Close in the pedigree is Champion 3YO Filly Samantha Miss (Redoute’s Choice), dam of G2 Tea Rose S. winner Miss Fabulass (Frankel {GB}).
“To handle, she adapts well, but also retains just that bit of spice which you love to see in the fillies.
Anamoe x Artistry (filly) | Image supplied
“If she is anything to go by, I think Anamoe will have a red-hot crop of foals on the ground,” Wickson added. “His fertility has also been excellent so again, the kind of stallion you love to breed to.”
Before this spring, Artistry had not had a foal since 2021, and she returned to Anamoe in October. Her 5-year-old daughter Speymalt (Not A Single Doubt), whose racing career was cut short by injury, retired to stud this year and visited Hitotsu the previous month, and her first foal, 6-year-old Peindre (Snitzel), delivered her second foal, a colt by Hellbent, before visiting King’s Gambit.
Artistry when racing | Image courtesy of Sportpix
At the time of writing, Anamoe has 103 foals on the ground for an 86.9 per cent fertility rate, which bodes very well for Darley’s young star indeed.
