Munz hoping for black-type cash in with Global Goal

Jonathan Munz is eagerly anticipating pulling the covers off the latest starlet from his Shoals (Fastnet Rock) family when Global Goal (Pinatubo) opens a spring of great promise in a talent packed Silver Shadow Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m).

Munz, via his GSA Bloodstock holding, bred the filly in conjunction with his frequent partner John Messara of Arrowfield Stud before buying her outright when she went to auction at Inglis Easter, for $250,000.

The pair, who co-own Global Goal’s dam Tides (Fastnet Rock), her star full-sister Shoals and their dam The Broken Shore (Hussonet) among others, like to engage in a friendly rivalry after one buys the other out. Munz has had some highly encouraging events to chirp about in his texts to Messara on this one.

Munz, the heavyweight Melbourne owner-breeder, sent Global Goal to Randwick’s John Sargent, continuing a line of females he’s placed with the renowned fillies conditioner including stakes winners Four Moves Ahead (Snitzel) and Emeralds (Sebring), and the stakes placed Inevitable Truth (Fastnet Rock).

The well bred filly has upheld her end of the bargain so far as she sets out to build on a fair beginning for Darley’s young shuttler Pinatubo (Shamardal).

For her only start to date, she was sent south-west for the rich Inglis Challenge (1200m) on Wagga Cup day. Drifting from $5 to $7 for the unsuitably short trip, she was noticeably roused along by Dylan Gibbons under great pressure around the 600m but mustered a powerful finish to score by 1.3 lengths. The second horse, Friendly Fire (Farnan) won his next outing at Randwick and ran second at Rosehill the start after.

After spelling for more development, Global Goal produced almost a carbon copy in her second barrier trial at Rosehill on August 7, scrubbed along and looking forlorn at the 600m, before building a late burst to run a 0.73 length second.

She’s now “thrown in at the deep end” at Randwick on Saturday, Munz says, as she takes on a range of speedy three-year-old fillies who showed quality in the autumn in the Silver Shadow’s ten horse field, seven of whom are resuming.

Agrarian Girl (Tassort), a $3.90 favourite on Friday, reflected all the pace of her sire on debut, leading throughout in the Waterhouse-Bott way to lift the Lonhro Plate (Listed, 1000m). She then tried it again when stepped up a furlong in the Reisling Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m), but faded into a 2.97 length third.

Tony Gollan’s second favourite Pembrey (Prague) won over both 1000 metres on debut at Eagle Farm and over six furlongs at start three in Rosehill’s Magic Night Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) before finishing down the track from a wide barrier in the Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m).

And Team Archibald’s Cherry Bomshell (Lucky Vega) won her last three starts before a spell, twice at Eagle Farm over 1000 metres, then when stepped up in Randwick’s Percy Sykes Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m).

With abundant speed up front, the race should set up well for $10 chance Global Goal if, as expected, Gibbons lets her settle near the rear from gate five with her minimum 55 kilograms in the set weights and penalties event.

Munz isn’t anticipating victory, he’s not hailing Global Goal as the next version of her Aunty Shoals just yet, but expect to see his red and white stripes making inroads at the finish as the filly begins a campaign in which she could become his latest elite winner at a longer trip, with the Flight Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) her likely first such target.

“This is a big jump in class that Sarg has given her,” Munz told ANZ Bloodstock News. “But bigger risk, bigger reward.

“She’s had one start for one win, and won impressively. She’s from one of our best families, so we want to get black type with her. You’d be happy to get small black type and see how she goes.

“But we’ll find out how good she is. It’s a pretty hot field. A lot of those other horses are proper speed horses from the autumn. You’ve got a Percy Sykes winner in there, and things that were stakes placed in the lead up to the Slipper. So they’re good horses.

“She’s not Shoals, but this will be a good benchmark for where she’s at.”

Munz would of course be overjoyed if Global Goal could eventually earn comparison to Shoals, Australia’s Champion 3YO Filly of 2017-19, and the equal leading older female on the 2018 World Thoroughbred Rankings for sprinters.

The Anthony Freedman trained star, this time co-raced by Munz and Messara, won three Group 1s from 1200 metres to 1600 metres, and took the Percy Sykes as well among six black type victories.

She’s since thrown for the two JMs another stakes winner in Flemington Group 3 victor Isthmus (I Am Invincible).

Shoals was the first foal for The Broken Shore. He third was another full sibling in Groundswell (Fastnet Rock), the gelding who won an Adelaide Listed and placed third in the 2019 Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m), won by another who carried Munz’s silks with distinction in current Coolmore sire Super Seth (Dundeel).

In between the two came Tides, Global Goal’s dam, who won thrice from eight starts for Freedman including once over 1600 metres at Sandown.

“Tides had black type ability but got injured,” Munz said. “But she was less brilliant than Shoals, so you would think Global Goal is a miler, although she did win pretty well over 1200 [metres].

“We’re still finding out about her really. You can’t tell how good she is yet. But if she can get any black type at all, obviously that adds a lot of value to her, especially from that family.”

With The Broken Shore being out of Shantha’s Choice (Canny Lad), Global Goal will be the second filly to step out at Randwick in eight days with that great blue hen as her third dam.

Last Saturday featured Bjorn Baker’s Blue Door (Stay Inside), who in fact has Shantha’s Choice at 5m x 3f thanks to her famed son Redoute’s Choice (Danehill) on her top line. Blue Door did it the other way to Global Goal, leading in quest of a second stakes win from as many starts in Rosehill’s The Rosebud (Listed, 1100m), but being collared late in a 0.98-length second.

While he’s always seeking to cultivate another highly valuable gem for his broodmare band, Munz is also loath to tempt the gods by getting ahead of himself.

But the obvious suite of elite races to consider for Global Goal are the spring fillies’ miles of the Flight Stakes at Randwick on October 3 and Caulfield’s Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) two weeks later, and the Empire Rose Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) for fillies and mares in Cup week.

“The fact her jockey was getting busy at the 600 [metres], in her race and in her last barrier trial, tells you she’s probably going to be better at a bit longer,” Munz said.

“The Flight Stakes – in your dreams. You don’t start talking about a Flight Stakes until they’ve done something. If she runs eighth on Saturday, beaten ten lengths, she’s not going to win the Flight Stakes. If she motors home for fifth beaten a length-and-a-half, she could be a stakes horse.

“Your cohort of races if you’re a filly miler are the Flight, the Thousand Guineas and the Empire Rose.

“But really, you just want black type, the easiest black type you can get to start with, and then progress further.

“In the spring, there’s not that much easy black type in the lead ups to the main races. You can get cheaper black type at the end of spring, but there’s no easy races in the Sydney or Melbourne spring.

“We’ll take any black type to start with, and then dream on if she progresses and is showing something.”

Global Goal would give a push to the nine-year-old Pinatubo if she can perform during his fifth spring at Darley, in which he’ll stand for $27,500 (inc GST), down from $38,500. That reflects a situation in which breeders may be waiting for the other shoe to drop with the stallion, and a hope by Darley that after a promising first season of runners, his progeny might especially blossom at three.

Pinatubo was Champion 2YO Colt in Europe, Britain and Ireland after two Group 1 wins, but also the equal leading 3YO male on the 2020 WTR for 1600 metres after picking up his third Group 1.

He finished a highly commendable second on the Australia’s first season sires’ chart last term by earnings, but fifth on winners, with five from 26 runners.

Pinatubo had one stakes winner in Voynichese, who took a Brisbane Listed over 1500 metres, but with three black type placegetters including Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) fourth placegetter Zambales, he was close to achieving grandly.

Munz and Messara sent Tides to Pinatubo for his first season in Australia to breed Global Goal. Part of the motivation was to replicate the cross of his sire Shamardal (Giant’s Causeway) over Tides’ father Fastnet Rock (Danehill), seen to great effect in the Freedman trained Santa Ana Lane (Lope De Vega, by Shamardal), a five-time Group 1 winner from 1200-1400 metres.

Shamardal over Fastnet Rock was only tried twice and yielded a Group winner. But one son of his, Lope De Vega over Fastnet Rock runs at 23 per cent stakes winners to runners, with five from 21 including two elite victors, Santa Ana Lane and Gytrash. It’s Lope De Vega’s finest nick of more than 11 runners.

“The cross had worked, and Pinatubo was a promising young stallion who was a champion on the track,” Munz says.

“I think he’s started ok. I look at him and I say, ‘He’s not a bad stallion’. It’s early days – a little bit like his daughter in this case.”