Rosemont Stud have announced their 2021 fees on a classy roster headlined by Champion 3yo SHAMUS AWARD, who has quite clearly established himself as the dominant son of multiple champion sire Snitzel.
Eight individual Australian stakes winners including six Group winners (Two at Group One level) since April 1 last year is bettered only by Written Tycoon amongst all Victorian based sires for this season.
Interestingly however, Shamus Award stands atop all leading Victorian based stallions (Written Tycoon included) as the #1 Sire by overall Stakes Winners / Runners.
From siring a Flemington 2yo stakes quinella, a multiple Group winning sprinter in SWAT’S THAT, the undefeated winner of the $1m Kosciusko IT’S ME, not to mention more Group 1 mile dominance by MR QUICKIE and Group One Oaks fillies MEDIA WARD & DUAIS, it’s fair to say it’s been quite a twelve months for Shamus Award!
His ability to upgrade mares is well documented and the versatility at being able to produce sprinters of the highest class through to Group One performers at a mile and beyond is without peer in the Victorian stallion ranks.
With a yearling average increasing by almost 400% in 2021 and with books of 150+ over the last two seasons, expect to see Shamus Award’s statistical figures continue to skyrocket.
An exciting addition to the roster, HANSEATIC retires with a huge 2yo profile and thus has certainly been an overwhelming response since the announcement last month.
Indeed, HANSEATIC became the first 2yo since Champion juvenile RANCHER to clean sweep the Merson Cooper Stakes (L), Blue Diamond Preview (L) & Blue Diamond Prelude (Gr3) before bad luck prevented him from winning the Gr1 Blue Diamond Stakes running a fast-finishing 2nd. He was the boom colt this time last year and deservedly so – a 2yo with very obvious Group One ability.
Described by trainer Anthony Freedman as ‘dynamite…the best 2yo we have had since Alinghi’, Hanseatic blends the most important requirements one looks for in a young, Australian stallion; class, precocity, x-factor, speed, rock-star looks and an elite 2yo rating…not to mention he is from the immediate family of the fastest ever, BLACK CAVIAR.
By gun sire STREET BOSS (sire of this season’s brilliant G1 winning colt ANAMOE) - the #1 source of the Street Cry line - Hanseatic ended his 2yo season at the pointy end of many ratings experts including Deane Lester who described the colt as ‘one of the classiest 2yo’s I have ever measured leading into a Blue Diamond. An elite juvenile who I rated extremely highly’.
Returning in 2021 is the homegrown superstar, champion sprinter STARSPANGLEDBANNER.
Starspangledbanner has enjoyed an outstanding last twelve months highlighted by yet another Group One performed 2yo in the UK, ALOHA STAR. This comes the season after MILLISILE dominantly won the Gr1 Chevley Park Stakes and thus ensuring she was Champion UK 2yo filly.
Since April last year, he has sired a mammoth 16 individual stakes performers and is one of only a small number of stallions standing in Victoria this season with over 5% career Stakes Winners / Runners.
Horses of the calibre of Group One performed sprinters BROOKLYN HUSTLE, HOM,E OF THE BRAVE, Inglis Millennium winner PRIME STAR and European topliners ANTHEM ALEXANDER and THE WOW SIGNAL (Group 1 winning 2yo) have defied relatively low foal numbers. Importantly, he finished the previous season at Rosemont with a healthy fertility percentage of over 72%.
The magnificent STRASBOURG caught the eye of many a good judge upon his arrival at Rosemont last season. He covered near on 120 mares with exceptional fertility and supported by some of country’s most astute breeders.
The highest rated son of sire sensation I Am Invincible to stand in Victoria since Brazen Beau retired here in 2015, Strasbourg is a Group 2 winning, multiple stakes performer in his juvenile season and the most precocious son of ‘Vinnie’ to stand at stud anywhere in Australia.
A 2yo that Peter Snowden felt was an “elite talent” and considered a Golden Slipper horse early in his career. Physically, he is a special type of horse and not surprising he was a $750,000 yearling purchase. He has let down superbly and we are eagerly waiting his first crop of foals born this spring.
Rounding out the Rosemont roster for 2021 is the emerging NOSTRADAMUS and the proven champ, STARCRAFT.
NOSTRADAMUS is of course represented by the incredibly exciting 3yo filly CLAIRVOYANCE who has been described as a ‘Group 1 filly’ by leading form analysts such as Daniel O’Sullivan.
Nostradamus is proving a solid ‘upgrader’ of mares and has been represented by four impressive winners in the month of April including the stakes bound Way To Go Paula & Tinker McPhee who is already a multiple Group performer. A good looking, sharp, Group winning sprinter by Medaglia D’Oro, Nostradamus continues to fly ‘under the radar’ and appeals as an ideal ‘breed to race’ sire given his value.
STARCRAFT, the five-time Group One winner and recent NZ Hall Of Fame inductee continues to be a proven source of winners and stakes performers. A sire of Group One winners, STAR WITNESS and WE CAN SAY IT NOW, STARCRAFT has been a leading sire in Hong Kong for a number of years and with ongoing appeal in both the Australian and Asian jurisdictions. Importantly, Starcraft yearlings have sold up to $130,000 in every season has been at stud.
Interestingly, he is now making a name for himself as an effective broodmare sire in Australia. Going at over 7% Stakes Winners / Runners, his daughters have produced the likes of recent Group One Winner INSTANT CELEBRITY and Group winners AIN’TNODEELDUN, MISSILE MANTRA etc.
All Rosemont Stallions in 2021 have ‘Payment On Live Foal’ terms applied.
SHAMUS AWARD (Snitzel) $33,000
NEW HANSEATIC (Street Boss) $17,600
STARSPANGLEDBANNER (Choisir) $16,500
STRASBOURG (I Am Invincible) $11,000
NOSTRADAMUS (Medaglia D’Oro) $5,500
STARCRAFT (Soviet Star) Private