Windsor Park Stud's Nelson Schick was front and centre in
the success enjoyed by New Zealand-breds over the Sydney Autumn Carnival.
Schick was on hand to watch his colour-bearer Beauty's Beast
capture the Listed South Pacific Classic at Randwick.
Beauty's Beast is a son of the stud's Montjeu stallion Guillotine.
Montjeu shuttled to Windsor Park for four seasons. Not
surprisingly he was slow off the mark however he ultimately proved highly
successful siring two winners of the AJC Australian Derby, Nom Du Jeu and Roman
Emperor, the dual Group 1 winner Tavistock, the winner of the Avondale Cup,
Sharvasti, and the 4-time Group1 winner Wall Street.
Later in the day at Randwick Montjeu enjoyed further Group 1
success when his Irish bred son The Offer (IRE) strolled away with the Sydney
Cup for Gai Waterhouse and Tommy Berry.
The success of Montjeu's first crop in Europe resulted in
Coolmore keeping the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero at home however it sent a
capable replacement to Windsor Park in High Chaparral.
Like Montjeu, High Chaparral is a son of Sadler's Wells but
unlike Montjeu, High Chaparral came out firing in the southern hemisphere.
He had a Group II winning first crop 2yo, Shoot Out, who
would go on to wins 5 Group 1's. Also in that first crop were 10-time Group 1
winner So You Think, Caulfield Cup winner Descarado and VRC Derby and AJC
Spring Champion stakes winner Monaco Consul.
After missing the 2007 due to the EI crisis, High Chaparral
returned to Windsor Park in 2008 where he covered the Zabeel mare Starring to
produce the top-class It's A Dundeel who rounded out his career by winning the
$4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
While Montjeu and High Chaparral are two of the more high profile
stallions to stand at Windsor Park, the picturesque Cambridge nursery received
yeoman service by multiple champion New Zealand stallion Volksraad.
Beltana Stud's Richard Rutherford sent his Grosvenor mare
Rose World to Volksraad who subsequently foaled a filly that was sold for
$125,000 to Paul Moroney at the 1994 NZ Premier Yearling sale at Karaka.
Named Volkrose she failed to place in five starts and was
retired to stud.
Rutherford noticed her in the 2007 New Zealand Bloodstock
May Broodmare sale where she was in foal to Pentire. At a cost of $40,000 Volkrose
was back in the Beltana broodmare band. She was covered by Waikato stud's
champion O'Reilly for the next four years.
It was an easy enough decision to send her to O'Reilly as Volkrose
is a half-sister to Group II winner and Group 1 placed O'Reilly's Rose (O'Reilly).
The second of those produced a colt that was sold to Danny O'Brien
for $130,000 at the 2011 Premier Yearling sale at Karaka.
Named Shamexpress he became the first New Zealand-bred winner
of the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap at Flemington since Red Tempo (Mussorgsky) in
1985.
But that was over a year ago and he has not won a race
since. He made two unsuccessful starts in England in the King Stand Stakes and
July Cup. Back home he placed in the Lightning Stakes and Sprint Classic.
Shamexpress (pictured) gets his chance to bounce back to the
winners list in Saturday's final Group 1 race of the autumn carnival the Schweppes
All Aged Stakes (1400m) at Randwick.
It would not only complete a great carnival for New Zealand-breds but also for Waikato Stud stalwart O'Reilly after Sacred Falls captured his
second Doncaster Mile and Silent Achiever's double in the BMW and Ranvet
Stakes.
