What you want to hear from a major breeder like Trevor Stewart, who founded a small empire after acquiring the Cassandra fairy tree back in 1997, is that there is a nuanced approach to breeding and , with the right combination of skill and hard work, you too can make this game pay off.
The problem is, Stewart doesn’t believe that’s the case. Not only did he order the premium blue hen Cassandra for good luck, but he also indicated luck had favored him once again in the production of her grandson Victoria Road (Ire). , a top favorite for Friday’s Level I Breeder. ‘The Juvenile Field Cup.
To paraphrase Stewart, he threw the kitchen sink at Tickled Pink (Ire) (Invincible God {Ire}), daughter of Cassandra Go (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}), with mating with Dark Angel (Ire), Frankel (GB) and Shamardal did not produce a single black runner.
Just when Stewart started to treat Tickled Pink as a disappointing chick, along with Victoria Road, by first season male Saxon Warrior (Jpn), who bid to put the pedigree on the lights at Keeneland on Friday.
Stewart said, “Tickled Pink has been a bit of a letdown so far. I threw everything at her – Dark Angel, Frankel and Shamardal. Some of them are a bit small and although they have good ratings, they are limited by size. Now think a first season male seems to have hit it. It’s really great. “
He added, “It’s all about Deep Impact (Jpn) when choosing Saxon Warrior for mare. I fell in love Saxon Warrior as an individual. He is a very good racehorse and has size and range. I felt that I sent Tickled Pink to some very good males and decided to risk something different to see if it worked. “
Victoria Road took his form to new heights in the fall for Aidan O’Brien and boasts solid proofs for Friday’s contest at 5-1.
Convinced that the pony will become one of the better 2-year-olds in Ballydoyle this season, O’Brien advises Stewart to return Saxon Warrior This breeding season with Tickled Pink, who is having fun in the pony with the Coolmore-based stallion.
Stewart explained, “Interestingly, I’ll cover Tickled Pink with No, never this year and sent a message to Christy Grassick asking him to ask Aidan [O’Brien] about what his opinion will be. Aidan turned around and told me it was an absolute no-brainer and I had to go to Saxon Warrior.
“It was a very easy decision because there was a big price difference between Saxon Warrior and No, neverstud fees. Aidan was also talking about Victoria Road at the time, since it was all March.
“I failed Aidan in May and of course, No, nevers went out and won everything. I said to Aidan, ‘I think you might not have given me the best advice.’ Aidan just said, “wait and see, you’ll be fine.”
And what one way of saying it turned out. Victoria Road followed up his listed success in Deauville with a tough Group 3 win at Chantilly last month and suddenly Stewart looks at Tickled Pink in a different way.
“She has an excellent pony of Ghaiyyath (GB) on the ground. I come to Ghaiyyath because he is the most beautiful horse. He’s big, strong, and has good limbs. I felt that he was going to put some dimension on her because the God of Invincibility seemed to be emitting within her. They are just a bit on the neat side. Hopefully I’ve found the secret to this mare as you need size and scope to turn into a good 3-year-old. “
He added, “I don’t know if she brought a pony or a dirty dog but I was clearly praying that it was a dirty dog. I want to stay away from her in a dirty way. I try to keep all dishes and it will be an exception if I bring a dirty item to the store.
“I have four daughters and three nieces at Casandra Go and we have a few fillings in the ground. I will keep those and race them.”
And while Stewart, along with James Hanly of Ballyhimikin Stud, who boards all of his mares, clearly adopts a professional approach and is following a proven strategy for success. In the ring and on the track, nothing can dislodge the famous breeder. that anything other than luck can be said to be successful.
He said, “It’s really all down to luck. Even the way I covered Tickled Pink was luck. You would think that would Frankel, Dark Angel and Shamardal will do the trick for her. The current, Saxon Warrior looks like he would be an above average stallion, but it’s funny how a first season stallion is the one to get the mare out of the ground. “
For all his luck, Stewart admits he was a bit bummed with the prices Victoria Road offered at Book 1 at Tattersalls last year. He said the fact that the mare could be seen as disappointing may have contributed to the foal making just 115,000gns for MV Magnier, not he’s complaining.
“He is a lovely aspirant, very righteous and moves like a dream. It’s a disappointing price but I have a few other breeds that I was keeping last year and decided to sell it. As my wife has told me since then, Aidan made up for that disappointing price very well with what he did with the horse on the track, so that’s much more important.
“Perhaps people feel that Tickled Pink is starting to look a bit sloppy and that doesn’t help her. But everyone at Coolmore was on Victoria Road at the sale, and they loved him. I’m so lucky he’s gone where he’s been.”
