Tait living the dream with homebred Jojo Was A Man
The Tait name is synonymous with Australian racing and breeding, Sandy owning numerous elite horses over many decades – none more so than Tie The Knot (Nassipour) – while studmaster Olly Tait is one of the most respected industry figures around the world.
James Tait, son of Sandy and brother of Olly, has also demonstrated that he knows a little bit about the inexact science of breeding a good thoroughbred racehorse.
The Gunnong-Jugrawah-based farmer, whose dulcet tones can be heard calling many race meetings across southern NSW, bred and races Jojo Was A Man (Al Maher), the $3.50 favourite for tomorrow’s $160,000 Winter Challenge (Listed, 1500m) at Randwick.
The John Thompson-trained four-year-old homebred, already the winner of five of his 14 starts, has earned Tait and his fellow owners $245,000 in prize-money already, with the promise of more to come.
Not bad for the first foal by Al Maher (Danehill), an underrated stallion in the twilight of his career, out of Jo Jo Girl (Reset), a mare Tait and his friends paid $3,500 for (not forgetting the GST on top) in early 2013 as a three-start unplaced maiden from John Baxter, a well-known owner and breeder who races under the Ruane Menangle banner.
“We were just looking for a horse to have a bit of fun with and win a few races in the bush. She won six, we won the Picnic Cup and the Aggies Cup at Wagga, which was a great thrill on a couple of big days down at Wagga,” James Tait recalled this week.
“We stepped her up to 2500 metres at Wagga as a late four-year-old and then she went to Sydney at her next start and she won over 2590 metres and she won by about three lengths at 40-1, so that was very exciting.”
Trained by Tim Donnelly at Wagga, Jo Jo Girl won connections about $150,000 in prize-money and she was a nose away from being stakes-placed, finishing fourth in the 2015 McKell Cup (Listed, 2400m) at Randwick in May 2015.
Her racetrack deeds were enough to convince the majority of the syndicate – led by Tait and Dominic Neate – to breed with her, and Jojo Was A Man has certainly justified the decision, despite the gelding causing his owners a few headaches early days.
“He was broken in by Ryan Pendergast down at Narrandera and he had to go back to Ryan’s a couple of times and then he went to David Blundell’s at Gundagai for a bit more education to try and get him right to go to Sydney,” Tait said.
“Ryan and David did a great job because he was a bit of a handful. He was quirky, he was a young horse who was a bit immature and maybe a bit nervous.
“We took a while to get him there [to Thompson’s], but once he was there John said he showed ability from day one.”
Thompson was also proven right, with the autumn three-year-old winning his first start on the Kensington track at Randwick, and his development since has connections plotting a course to the $2 million The Ingham – formerly the Villiers Stakes – (Gr 2, 1600m) at Randwick in December.
“On breeding, Jo Jo Girl was basically a mile-and-a-half horse and Al Maher has sired some good stayers… but he’s also sired some good milers and I think John sees him as a miler.
“He ran over 1800 metres (three times last preparation), but at this stage John feels his best would be around 1600, I think, because he can get a little bit keen in his races.
“He is going to run him in the Winter Challenge this Saturday and then try to come back for the Villiers, which is now called The Ingham.”
Jo Jo Girl has a two-year-old sister to Jojo Was A Man, the unraced California Grass, in training with Thompson, plus she has a weanling filly by Twin Hills’ Hallowed Crown (Street Sense) and is in foal to Shamus Award (Snitzel).
Tait has already booked her back into the Rosemont Stud roster leader this year.
“We started breeding Jo Jo Girl to have a bit of fun, so I’d say we’d stay on that path, but also with Shamus Award we do have the commercial option as well,” he said.
“He has gone up in price, but what he’s done has been fantastic, it’s incredible in terms of him siring a Caulfield Cup winner and so on.
“I suppose he gives you as good a chance as any stallion to get a really top stayer, horses that are going to run in Caulfield Cups, Cox Plates and Oaks and those sorts of races.”
Jo Jo Girl may not be Tie The Knot but she holds a special place in the heart of James Tait.
“She ran second and third in a Gundagai Cup and she ran midfield in a couple of Wagga Cups and she had those great runs in Sydney,” he said.
“She won six and we only paid $3850 for her. She won $150,000 in prize-money and any horse who can do that is a top horse, I reckon.”