Sunday, October 25, 2020 | Dedicated to the Australasian bloodstock industry - subscribe for free: Click here MORNING BRIEFING - PAGE 6 HONG KONG RACING NEWS - PAGE 12 YESTERDAY'S RACE RESULTS - PAGE 16 Dragonet roars to Read Tomorrow's Issue For: Cox Plate victory The Week Ahead Ozzie’s European import provides milestone moment for What's on Stakes races: Sale (VIC) - Sale Cup Maher and Eustace (Listed, 1600m). Northam (WA) - Northam Cup (Listed, 1600m). Trentham (NZ) - Thompson Handicap (Gr 3, 1600m) Race meetings: Coonabarabran (NSW), Port Macquarie (NSW), Sale (VIC), Sunshine Coast (QLD), Port Lincoln (SA), Northam (WA), Trentham (NZ) Barrier trials / Jump-outs: Port Macquarie (NSW), Port Lincoln (SA) International meetings: Kranji (SIN), Tokyo (JPN), Kyoto (JPN), Niigata (JPN), Longchamp (FR), Hannover (GER), Greyville (SAF), Belmont (USA), Santa Anita (USA) International Group races: Kyoto (JPN) - Kikuka Sho (Japanese St Leger) (Gr 1, Sir Dragonet RACING PHOTOS 3000m). Longchamp (FR) - Prix Royal-Oak $5 million race and cemented Ciaron Maher (Gr 1, 3100m), Prix du Conseil de Paris BY TIM ROWE | @ANZ_NEWS and David Eustace as a likely force in Australian (Gr 2, 2200m). Hannover (GER) - Herbst ox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) winner Sir training ranks in the years to come. Stutenpreis (Gr 3, 2200m). Belmont (USA) Dragonet (Camelot) had been on Becker is the agent for Sir Dragonet’s - Athenia Stakes (Gr 3, 8.5f). Santa Anita the radar of Mathew Becker for principal owner Ozzie Kheir and the pair (USA) - Goldikova Stakes (Gr 2, 1m) more than 12 months before he orchestrated a late Friday night deal with Cwas able to convince Coolmore to part with Coolmore’s Tom Magnier to buy the entire the well-bred and highly talented colt who from the international racing and breeding provided the ultimate return to his new owners empire. at Moonee Valley yesterday. Speaking to ANZ Bloodstock Bloodstock The five-year-old, a one-time Epsom Derby News after the momentous occasion, Group (Gr 1, 1m 4f) favourite who won the Chester 1 Bloodstock’s Becker was well aware of the Vase (Gr 3, 1m 4.5f) led home a European-bred downfalls of buying Sir Dragonet for a significant first four in the 100th running of the prestigious seven-figure sum. Continued on page 2>> ENTER NOW JULY 24 -29 ONLINE SALE ENTRIES CLOSE JULY 22. Featuring broodmares, yearlings and racing stock. FRICatalogue 23TH available at inglisdigital.com - WED 28TH OCT 2020 INGLIS DIGITAL OCTOBER SALE (LATE): SALE LIVE - VIEW HERE Follow us @anz_news | 1 | Brought to you by Dragonet roars to Cox Plate victory | 2 | Sunday, October 25, 2020 << Continued from page 1 “It’s one of those things buying these horses from overseas is good in theory, but it is fraught with pitfalls and they don’t always come off, but we’ve got a system in place that we have had for a little while and Ozzie and I worked pretty closely hand-and- glove on it,” Becker said. “I was confident that he was the right horse, but you are never too sure until you see them have their first run in Australia to see how they are going to adapt and all that sort of stuff, so it was just so good to see him 2019 Derby: (l-r) Japan, Broome, Sir Dragonet, Madhmoon and Anthony Van Dyck find the line the way he did. It is quite amazing really.” Sir Dragonet defeated Armory (Galileo) by one and a quarter lengths, Boss but also credited the recently retired hoop James Winks for his input with Russian Camelot (Camelot) another three quarters of a length away in the success of the entire. in third. Mugatoo (Henrythenavigator) was fourth while Arcadia Queen “One thing that Ozzie and John O’Neill did was engage James Winks (Pierro), the first Australian-bred, ran fifth. to ride the horse and I think it was a masterstroke because, one, getting a Jockey Glen Boss won last year’s Everest (1200m) for similar quality rider like that with feedback directly every day was so important connections. for us and, two, to be honest, we became confident when the horse got "It's unbelievable. I used to wear out my VCR watching the Kingston to Newmarket because the Maher-Eustace stable put him in work with Town and Manikato video. It's ingrained in my psyche," Boss said. David’s brother Harry,” he said. Maher was also elated at the result of his new stable addition. “Harry remarked when he got the horse there that he was a really "It's something else. You dream of having a runner in it, let alone lovely horse with plenty more to give. He was thriving there with no winning the race," Maher said. problems and when he got to Werribee he just loved it. "Ozzie bought him for the Melbourne Cup and he'll be even better in “James (Winks) just said he felt so good and he had so much quality. He that race," was also fit, which was another major thing, as we didn’t have to worry about Becker praised the “ten out of ten” ride Sir Dragonet received from his fitness. We could just take time with him.” Continued on page 3>> Tattersalls Autumn HIT Listed Winner KNIGHTS ORDER CITY TATTERSALLS CLUB CUP, Listed sold Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale by Phantom House Stables to Mckeever Bloodstock / Gai Waterhouse Racing Next Sale for 250,000 gns Autumn Horses in Training Sale 26th - 29th October Jenny McAlpine Tel:+61 411 504803 [email protected] www.tattersalls.com Follow us @anz_news | 2 | Brought to you by Dragonet roars to Cox Plate victory | 3 | Sunday, October 25, 2020 << Continued from page 2 He added: “He had a couple of key “The Melbourne Cup was the primary race and it was our belief at the gallops which was all he took. He had a gallop last Saturday and he went time (of buying him) that he can stay,” he said. to Moonee Valley for breakfast with the stars but he’s been going to the “He’s got a stallion’s pedigree, but these guys are here to win major beach and he’s thrived on that sort of training that Ciaron can offer them races, and if he’s sound and well I am sure they will be running him. here as opposed to the style of training that he’s been used to in Ireland. I “I think it will be having a conversation about (his stallion value), but think he is just brilliant with those horses and Ciaron was just so confident these guys are in it for the sport. They have got other horses that they race. today. It was amazing, really.” Ozzie had Tagaloa, Brae (Sokolski) and Ozzie had Yes Yes Yes, those sort A deal for Sir Dragonet to end up in Australia was only signed off three of horses as stallion prospects, but these horses we buy are here to win the months ago after months of inquiries. major races. Caught up in the euphoria of a clutch goal by Carlton’s Jack Newnes “I would be very surprised if they didn’t want to run him (in the Cup) on August 15, which saw the Blues victorious over Fremantle in the because he is here to do that job.” Australian Football League, Kheir upped the ante in his negotiations to Danny O'Brien said Russian Camelot produced the best run of his secure the subsequent Cox Plate winner. career to finish third and that the entire was likely to press on to the Melbourne Cup.. "I was really proud of him. He went forward from a hot tempo and Damien Oliver gave him a superb ride," O'Brien said. "He was left a sitting shot but kept on fighting." Currently in lockdown, Becker chose to watch the race from his Melbourne office as he was too nervous to stay at home with the family. “I had to get out of the house as I was driving the family crazy,” he said. “Ozzie and I were texting each other backwards and forwards still at 2am sitting in our lounge rooms looking out our windows waiting for the race. “There wasn’t much sleep last night and we felt a lot better when the rain came.” Ciaron Maher RACING PHOTOS Cherry Tortoni back on track after Vase win “That was that night I said that he could be bought and there was a little bit of negotiation going on and Ozzie took control of that. He knows Tom Magnier. He was involved in Yes Yes Yes deal together, so he had a personal relationship,” Becker recalled. “They did the deal on the phone that night after Carlton won the footy. It was quite amazing how it all transpired and it’s worked out in the end.” Sir Dragonet (5 h Camelot - Sparrow by Oasis Dream) hails from a potent European family, being a son of the stakes-placed, juvenile winner Sparrow (Oasis Dream), who is a half-sister to Italian Listed winner Victory Song (Dansili), Cheshire Oaks (Listed, 1m3.5f) winner Wonder Of Wonders (Kingmambo), while his third dam is Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Urban Sea (Miswaki). She, of course, is the dam of European champion Sea The Stars (Cape Cherry Tortoni RACING PHOTOS Cross) and phenomenal Coolmore Group 1-winning stallion Galileo (Sadler’s Wells). The blue hen mare is also the dam of champion Italy Trainer Patrick Payne was cursing himself after a trip to Sydney for three-year-old Black Sam Bellamy (Sadler’s Wells), Urban Ocean (Bering), leading Victoria Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) contender Cherry Tortoni (Night Born To Sea (Invincible Spirit) and Melikah (Lammtarra), among others.