Highview Stud-based Mr Mozart has proved popular with breeders since retiring to his Waikato base and numbers-wise claims the strongest first-season sire representation at this week’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Weanling Sale.
Jamieson Park is the majority owner of the son of Snitzel, who has six youngsters in the auction, with selling to commence at Karaka at 11am on Thursday.
Other stallion newcomers are Cambridge Stud’s Chaldean with two weanlings (Lots 3,54), Windsor Park Stud’s Paddington will also be represented by a brace (Lots 116, 141), as will the Grangewilliam Stud-based Hilal (Lots 36,100).
“Jamieson bred and raced Mr Mozart and raced the dam Euro Angel with the Hawkes team and a couple of other Australian friends,” Jamieson Park’s Dylan Ralph said.
“When she retired, she went to Snitzel and got Mr Mozart and we decided to retain and race him.”
Mr Mozart won the Gr.2 Phar Lap Stakes (1500m), Gr.3 Doncaster Handicap Prelude (1500m), Gr.3 Hawkesbury Guineas (1400m) and the Listed Exford Plate (1400m) before retiring to Highview where he stands at $6,000 + GST.
“He has served 80 mares in each of his first two seasons, he’s had great support at that price point,” Ralph said.
“In March, Kurtis Gillovic (of Highview) and I went around and saw the majority of foals on the ground and were very pleased, and all the breeders were very complimentary of the stallion and keen to get back to him again this season.
“He’s leaving good, medium size horses and he’s a chestnut horse and running about 30 percent chestnuts to bays.
“Snitzel is currently leading his sixth two-year-old premiership and also leading his fifth general sires’ premiership in Australia.”
As expected, Jamieson principal James Chapman has been a strong supporter of Mr Mozart.
“We’ve got 14 quality mares in foal to him, including Group One winner Faint Perfume, who’s already produced three stakes winners,” Ralph said.
“We’ve also got the dam of Inspirational Girl, also a Group One winner in Australia, and another two stakes producing mares in foal to him and we’ll probably have another 15 mares going to him.
“We really believe in the horse and won’t be slowing down on him.”
Jamieson will offer Mr Mozart’s daughter (Lot 132) in their draft on Thursday while Haunui Farm has three (Lots 5, 25, 83) with one apiece from Brighthill Farm (10) and Leanach Lodge (Lot 78).
“Haunui has been a big supporter of the stallion and it’s always good to have a stud like them in behind you,” Ralph said.
“Our filly is a lovely big, bay individual out of Lipstick Lover, who is an I Am Invincible mare and that Snitzel-I Am Invincible cross has been very good so far.
“That’s why we went out and got a couple of I Am Invincible mares, and Lipstick Lover is a half-sister to Ilovethiscity, a Group One-winning sire.
“She’s a filly with plenty of bone and leg with a good walk and a nice head.”
Jamieson will also present an Ace High filly (Lot 119) out of a half-sister to stakes winner and Group One placegetter Evalina and a Sweynesse colt (Lot 140), whose dam is a sister to the Gr.1 Railway Stakes (1200m) winner Santa Monica, trained by Ralph’s father Stephen.
– By Paul Vetisse, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
