Barham keeps it in the family

Joliestar (Zoustar) is set to contest Newmarket’s July Cup (Gr 1, 1207m) next month and to try Royal Ascot again next year, after running a brave but agonising third in Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (Gr 1, 1207m).

Her breeder Chris Barham – the Toowoomba chiropractor who’s now gone within inches of breeding two Jubilee winners – says Joliestar’s dam Jolie Bay (Fastnet Rock) will go to Home Affairs (I Am Invincible) once she bears her Too Darn Hot (Dubawi) foal this spring.

Waller said Joliestar “did us proud” in her first overseas start, running a narrow third in the Jubilee as a $1.90 favourite.

The UK’s premier sprint was won by $26 outsider Almeraq (Dark Angel), who scored by a nose to Japan’s Satono Reve (Lord Kanaloa), with Joliestar a further short head away after a torrid three-way battle up the running.

While plans for Joliestar were not set in stone, Waller indicated post-race the five-year-old mare would likely contest the prestigious July Cup, another weight-for-age sprint up the straight at Newmarket on July 12.

And regardless of her short-term future, Waller said Joliestar could well be back for another tilt at the Jubilee in a year’s time.

The master trainer said the mare’s owners – Cambridge Stud’s Sir Brendan and Lady Jo Lindsay – had greatly enjoyed their Royal Ascot experience in the past week. The couple won the Jubilee in 2020 as the new part-owners of their current-day shuttle stallion Hello Youmzain (Kodiac), but could not attend as spectators were barred due to covid.

“It’ll be an interesting conversation,” Waller said. “But she might be back next year. Sir Brendan and Jo have had a great experience. I think they’ll be back again.”

Speaking in the emotion-charged minutes following the Jubilee, Waller said Joliestar’s longer-term preparations for October’s The Everest (Gr 1, 1200m) were also on his mind, but that a July Cup start was a strong possibility.

Bookmakers have Joliestar among the top three in the market for the £600,000 ($A1.13 million) sprint at $6.50.

“It’s a big challenge to stay here for a mare,” Waller said. “We’ve got away with it to run so well today.

“It’s sweet to think that you could win in three weeks time in the July Cup. It’s also good to get back home. There’s some big races coming up in Australia.”

Joliestar battled bravely under James McDonald after hitting the front some 500m out, being swamped in the last 20m by Almeraq on her inside and Satono Reve to her left.

Asked if he felt the result could have gone more in Joliestar’s favour had the race been run differently, Waller said: “No, you think about that, but if we did that we wouldn’t be back ready to go next week.

“So we’ll bat her up next week and we’ll be charging. We’ve had plenty of good luck. The finish might have been against us today but we’ve had a lot in our favour.”

Waller said Joliestar had “gained admirers – she hasn’t lost any” through her Jubilee effort.

“On the world stage, we’ve run third. Honestly, fighting out a finish down the straight at Royal Ascot this week – we’ve come agonisingly close, but all I can say is I’m so proud.

“She’s done us proud.”

Another few inches would have meant a dream result for boutique breeder Barham.

Starting off with Joliestar’s second dam Legally Bay (Snippets) – whom he bought as a yearling from Highgrove Stud at the 2002 Inglis Easter Sale for $220,000 – Barham has enjoyed phenomenal success with what’s become one of the strongest families in the Australian stud book.

Legally Bay won two stakes races for the Barhams before they bred three stakes winners from her. The trio is headed by Merchant Navy (Fastnet Rock), who won Royal Ascot’s feature sprint – then known as the Diamond Jubilee Stakes – in 2018, having already claimed the Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) at Flemington.

Legally Bay’s black type winning trio also includes Jolie Bay, who took Randwick’s Roman Consul Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) for the Barhams in 2012, and ran second in the Coolmore later that year.

Jolie Bay has in turn borne six winners from as many runners headed by Joliestar. Bought by the Lindsays for $950,000 at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale in 2022, Joliestar has amassed more than $9m in earnings from 10 wins – five at G1 level.

All in all, and despite her Ascot defeat, her record warrants ranking her as a champion, says her proud breeder.

“She is a champion. You win five Group 1s, you’re a favourite going into the Jubilee, that’s a big deal,” Barham told ANZ News. “She’s a real champion.”

Barham has to pinch himself over the success he’s enjoyed with only a handful of mares.

The 65-year-old didn’t make the trip to Royal Ascot this year. Ironically, he was just up the road from Cambridge Stud in Auckland, where he chaired a chiropractic college board meeting, and “was up watching the race at 2.30am, as you do”.

“She got out of the barriers really well and got a good position,” he said. “She probably found herself in front a bit early, so she had to do a fair bit of work. That’s racing. It happens.

“But she didn’t disgrace herself – quite the reverse really. I was very proud of her. She was enormous really. It was a very big effort running up that straight. It’s a big hill to climb.”

He added: “Cambridge Stud have a museum, and they have the Jubilee trophy that Hello Youmzain won. It would’ve been lovely to have two of them there.

“Plus it would have been very unique if we’d bred a second Group 1 winner there as well. It’d be quite unusual for an Australian to breed a couple of horses that have won the Jubilee.”

Still, Waller’s words give Barham hope that dream isn’t over.

“Brendan and Jo could do anything – they’re extremely successful human beings – but when you watch them around that horse, they just love it,” Barham said.

“They don’t have to prove anything more with Joliestar, but they love it, and if she’s still running and loves to race, then why not keep going?

“We’ve seen a lot of successful older mares lately, like Winx, Via Sistina, Pride Of Jenni, Bella Nipotina. They sort of come of age a bit.

“And you just don’t get those horses, horses as good as Joliestar. So, when you get one and she wants to race – I’m a really glad they seem to want to race on.

“And I’d be keen to see her run in the July Cup.”

Barham sold two mares at the Inglis Chairman’s sale in May and is now down to five. Following the recent sale of his main associate Segenhoe Stud to Yulong, his mares are now mostly housed at Newgate Farm, and four come from the Legally Bay family.

“I’m trying to get back to just having that family,” he said. 

“I’m very happy Brendan and Jo have got two out of Jolie Bay. They’re great breeders so it’s good that they’re in good hands.”

Aside from Joliestar, the Lindsays have her yearling half-sister by Anamoe (Street Boss), who they bought at Magic Millions Gold Coast this year for $470,000.

The Barhams have Joliestar’s four-year-old full-sister Legacy Bay, who’s a Melbourne city winner with the Moody-Coleman stable. They also have a year-younger full-sister Jolie Eclipse, who’s retired unraced and will have her first cover this spring from Darley newcomer Tentyris (Street Boss).

Barham said a weanling full-brother would likely go to Inglis Easter next year, while he was “very excited” about the coming arrival of Jolie Bay’s foal by Darley shuttler Too Darn Hot, who’s currently bearing down on Australia’s third season sires’ title, to add to his first- and second-season crowns.

After that birth, Jolie Bay is booked for a date with Home Affairs, the runaway leader on Australia’s first-season stallions table for the current term, having sired Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Guest House.

Barham has already bred to the young Coolmore stallion. Jolie Bay’s full-sister Zara Bay (Fastnet Rock) delivered him a Home Affairs filly who sold to Waterhouse-Bott and Kestrel Thoroughbreds at this year’s Inglis Easter for $480,000.

Zara Bay, already the dam of a black type winner by Home Affairs’ sire I Am Invincible in ATC Premiere Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) hero Airman, is also currently in-foal to Too Darn Hot, but will return to Home Affairs this spring.

“We’ll have Zara Bay and Jolie Bay go to Home Affairs this year,” Barham said. “I think he’s a sire of the future, and he’s only going to get better. If you win a Golden Slipper in your first season, you’re off and running.

“He’s the next big thing. Everyone you talk to in the breeding game says he is. Peter O’Brien, who’s always been our mentor in the game at Segenhoe, rates him really highly.”

The Barhams also have an unnamed I Am Invincible filly out of Zara Bay who they’ll retain and race, and a yearling filly named Azure Bay (Blue Point) in work with Team Archibald, who’s out of Zara Bay’s first foal Saucey Horsey (So You Think).

“We’re trying to keep as many of the fillies as possible,” he said. “They’ll all be sisters or half-sisters to a champion in Joliestar.”

Though Australian-bred, Joliestar races in the colours of New Zealand’s most famous stud, is trained by one expat Kiwi in Waller, and is usually ridden by another in McDonald. In a further twist, Barham on Sunday revealed he was also part of the strong New Zealand flavour behind the mare.

“I was born in New Zealand but we moved to Australia when I was four,” he said. “But I still have a New Zealand passport. I’ve never got around to changing everything over.”