Though the focus on Saturday will be up north at the Gold Coast on Magic Millions raceday, there will be plenty of interest in the opening event for two-year-olds at Rosehill with the long-awaited debut of a colt that has trial watchers excited.
The Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes-trained Remarque has two trial wins to his name. The first came in workman-like style at his first public appearance on December 18 defeating the talented Fastnet Rock colt Ranch Hand.
His second looked more impressive. Outpaced early, the son of Snitzel showed a brilliant turn of foot when shaken up by Tommy Berry to win by almost four lengths.
His times were good although one of his opponents on Saturday, Arthur Francis (Foxwedge) ran overall quicker time. He has been rated an $11 chance while Remarque is in the red.
Remarque was due to go under the hammer at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale but like all the Arrowfield horses he was withdrawn.
So he will race for his breeder’s Arrowfield Stud and Katsumi Yoshida.
The son of Snitzel has big shoes to fill. He is a brother to Emirate Park Stud’s $1.7 million Easter purchase Estijaab who went on to win the Golden Slipper for Team Hawkes.
Remarque is the sixth foal of the Charge Forward mare Response who was bred by Freer Pty Ltd and Andrew and Lasca Bowcock. Response was purchased by Barry Griffiths for $50,000 from the Alanbridge Stud draft at Session II of the 2008 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
She went on to win four races for Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra, three of those came in stakes races highlighted by the Group I Sangster Stakes and Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes.
With $836,575 prizemoney in the bank, Response was consigned to the 2012 Australian Easter Broodmare Sale where she was knocked down to SF Bloodstock for $840,000.
Her first foal the Fastnet Rock filly Alter Call, sold for $1,050,000 to China Horse Club at the 2015 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling sale.
Alter Call was runner-up in a Listed race at Flemington at her first start. She then won races at Werribee and Caulfield but after two failures he was not seen on the track again.
Alter Call had her first foal in 2020, a colt by Zoustar and she was covered by the Widden Stud stallion again.
A few months after Alter Call’s million-dollar sale, Response followed her daughter into the same ring at the National Broodmare Sale where she was purchased by Katsumi Yoshida for $1.5 million.
She was carrying the $1.7 million filly Estijaab at the time of her sale and she had an Exceed And Excel colt named De Gaulle who was destined never to race.
Put in training with Peter and Paul Snowden, De Gaulle defeated the future Group II Skyline stakes winner Diamond Tathagata in one trial and the Group I Blue Diamond runner-up Pariah in another.
Sadly, a tendon injury brought an end to his career before it started. De Gaulle’s first small crop of 16 live foals hit the track this season.
At the 2018 Magic Million Yearling Sale, Arrowfield Stud consigned a Snitzel filly out of Response who was purchased by Moody Racing for $350,000.
Named Medic she has placed in two of her four starts to date.
At the 2019 Magic Millions, Linda Huddy’s Peachester Lodge purchased a Snitzel filly out of Response for $575,000.
Named Snappy Reply and sent to Tony Gollan, the 3yo Snitzel filly won at the Sunshine Coast on debut before twice finishing second at Doomben and has not been seen since April last year.
Sadly, Response lost her Snitzel filly foal in 2019 but has colt foal by him and is back in foal to the 4-time champion sire of Australia.
Response came from the first crop of Charge Forward as did another Group 1 winner Headway.
From his second crop came the dual Group III winner Solar Charged who is the dam of the grand racemare Sunlight (Zoustar) while another filly from the second crop was Courgette the dam of Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes and Group 1 Moir Stakes winner She Will Reign (Manhattan Rain).
Response is a daughter of the Match Winner (FR) mare Live It Up a winner of three of her 15 starts and runner-up in the Group 1 Flight Stakes. Live It Up is also the dam of Disco Girl (Marauding) the dam of Group 11 winner Returntosender.
The black-type becomes a little more scarce for a few generations but the fourth dam of Response is Loyalty, a three-quarter sister to one of the greatest mares to grace a racetrack, the champion Wenona Girl.
Loyalty was indeed a loyal servant at Newhaven Park. She produced the VATC Toorak Handicap, STC Queen of the Turf Stakes and AJC Apollo Stakes winner Visit the dam of WATC Karrakatta Plate winner Anyone Home.
