Delivering the Goods

Tara Madgwick - Tuesday March 25

When a trainer takes on an expensive colt for a stallion syndicate there is a considerably higher degree of pressure placed on that trainer to turn that investment into a stallion of the future and when you lose your juvenile season due to a paddock accident, that task becomes a hell of a lot harder.

Our guest this week on the Tara Talks Racing podcast was John O’Shea, who along with training partner Tom Charlton, delivered the goods for the Rosemont Stud/ Victorian Stallion Alliance partners when four year-old Zoustar stallion Schwarz won the $1million Group I MVRC William Reid Stakes last Saturday.

Job done - Schwarz is a G1 winner at WFA - image Scott Barbour / Racing Photos

“He was just a horse I was pretty adamant about. He was the horse I wanted to train for them, and every year we go to the Magic millions and occasionally a colt pops out at you,” John O’Shea recalled.

“I was explaining to them when we bought him that going back in time, we found Snitzel, but couldn't afford him and we found Charged Forward, but we could afford him and I though this colt was the Snitzel or Charge Forward of this year.

“He was just a horse that met all the criteria, he's got an unbelievable pedigree and he’s off an unbelievable farm and they're all the criteria that I find important when selecting a yearling colt.”

Schwarz was purchased from Widden at Magic Millions for $1.25 million and has since won $1.3million with six wins from 12 starts and five of those wins have been in Black Type races, although he was unraced at two.

“He missed his two year old season because he got injured in the paddock and consequently, we're trying to catch up along the way by getting miles into his belt and then gradually building his profile,” O’Shea explained.

Advertisement

“So we’ve had to be targeted in the way we run him, but all the while trying to still season him up to getting into those major races.

“Ultimately, we've got the job done for them, but the horse was always a talent.”

O’Shea plans to be supporting Schwarz when he rides off into the sunset to a stud career at Rosemont Stud and has put plenty of time into thinking about a suitable mare for a stallion with an fascinating pedigree that features a double cross of Redoute’s Choice and has three lines of his dam Shantha’s Choice in a 4 x 4 x 4 pattern.

“You'll laugh when I tell you what we are thinking, but we’re searching for fillies by Written By,” O’Shea revealed.

“He sources back into that Redoute’s Choice family (his grand-dam is by Umatilla, a daughter of Dancing Show) and then you double up on Dancing Show, so it's a really intriguing mating.”

In a wide ranging interview, John talks about his passion for breeding horses, why New Zealand is the best place in the world to breed those horses and also gives us some insight into a couple of carnival horses in King of Thunder and Candlewick, plus a blueblood import to Black Book that has a long range goal towards the Melbourne Cup…. Yep, his name is Klondike (GB) and to find out more have a listen to this week’s podcast!

Advertisment
More Reading...
Undefeated 3YO King of Light Wins Listed Belgravia
Dan Morton's exciting three year old King Of Light (Earthlight) remains unbeaten in three starts, as the gelding graduated to stakes company with a scintillating first up victory in the Listed Belgravia Stakes on Cox Plate Day at Ascot.
Yes Yes Yes 3YO Shooting for G2 on Monday
Last year’s Gr.2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m) set Savaglee up for Group One glory in Christchurch, and Matamata trainer Pam Gerard is hoping to follow a similar blueprint in 2025 with her Yes Yes Yes 3YO Affirmative Action..
$1.25Million Zoustar Colt Wins Hawkesbury Guineas
The colours of the Rosemont Stallion Alliance were carried to victory on Saturday in the Group III $250,000 Hawkesbury Guineas (1400m) with expensive Zoustar colt Schwarz showing his class to score a decisive win.
Sale Cup Winner Adds to Fastnet Rock Super Weekend
It’s been quite the weekend for the late great champion sire Fastnet Rock with a Cox Plate quinella on Saturday and then on Sunday he produced a new stakes-winner when seven year-old gelding El Rocko captured the $200,000 Listed Sale Cup (1600m).
Wootton Bassett and Camelot 2YO Colts Win Final French Group Ones
The last French Group I races of their flat season were run on Sunday and Aidan O’Brien produced the winners of both the Group I Criterium International (1600m) and Group I Criterium de Saint Cloud (1800m).
Cream Rises at Trentham
A half-sister by Hello Youmzain (Fr) to dual Group I winner Mustang Valley, exciting filly Cream Tart is set to line up in one of the major three-year-old races over New Zealand Cup Week following her impressive win in Sunday’s Upper Hutt Car Sales LTD Three-Year-Old (1400m) at Trentham.
Schwarz All Courage in G2 Missile Stakes
The million-dollar Zoustar entire Schwarz needed to call on all his courage to triumph in a desperate finish to Saturday's Darley Missile Stakes (1200m) at Randwick.
From FNQ To Sha Tin - Aussie Bred Sprinter Wins G2 Premier Bowl
Some horses arrive in Hong Kong with a very different back story - Fresh from winning the $20million The Everest with Ka Ying Rising, David Hayes was back in the winner’s list at Sha Tin on Sunday when Tomodachi Kokoroe won the Group II Premier Bowl (1200m).
Hi Yo Sass Bomb Wins G3 on Sunday
Kim Reid bypassed a Group One in favour of Sunday’s Gr.3 Gee and Hickton Funeral Directors Thompson Handicap (1600m) at Trentham with Hi Yo Sass Bomb, a decision that paid dividends when the mare led from the outset to claim her third stakes success.
$1.25Million Zoustar Colt Becomes a Flemington Stakes-Winner
The colours of the Rosemont Stallion Alliance were carried to victory at Flemington on Saturday by expensive Zoustar colt Schwarz, who captured the $175,000 Listed VRC Amanda Elliott Stakes (1400m) at his third start.