The first serious Group I Saturday of spring racing in Victoria gave promise of a great things to come this season for one of Victoria’s best stallions.
Winner of the 2013 Cox Plate, Rosemont Stud’s Shamus Award has emerged as the most successful son of champion sire Snitzel and the return of his star performers Mr Quickie and Flying Award at Caulfield on Saturday would indicate he could be in for his best season yet.
A Group I Queensland Derby winner at three, who was Group I placed again last season, the Phillip Stokes trained gelding Mr Quickie resumed from his winter break with a fast finishing second in the Group I MRC Memsie Stakes (1400m) to Behemoth.
“Super run,” said Phillip Stokes.
"We were going to run him in the handicap, but he came back in such good order that we’d put him in the Group 1 and he hasn’t let us down.
"If he can hold that from and we can go to something like the Makybe Diva which he ran super in before (third last year).”
No less impressive was exciting three year-old colt Flying Award, who closed out his juvenile season with a Listed victory at Flemington and returned with a barnstorming finish to grab a short half head second in the Group III MRC McNeil Stakes (1200m).
Prepared by Danny O’Brien, Flying Award looks to be right on track for his spring goal of the Group I MRC Caulfield Guineas, race in which his sire ran third before going on to win the Cox Plate.
Shamus Award has an impressive 4.6% stakes-winners to runners making him one of the best value sires in Australia at a fee of $19,800.
See all the Rosemont Stud stallions this week in a series of virtual parades each night from 6pm.
