Rosemont celebrate as Schwarz grabs important Group 1
Rosemont Stud’s prolonged investment in colts received a golden dividend when lightly-raced million-dollar buy Schwarz (Zoustar) sealed his place at stud with a storming victory in Moonee Valley’s William Reid Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).
Sent out a $5.50 second-favourite under Jamie Mott, the John O’Shea-Tom Charlton-trained four-year-old raced on the pace, saw off the pressure from She’s Bulletproof (Shooting To Win) to his outside, and kicked clear in the straight to win by a length. Last-start Group 1 winner Jimmysstar (Per Incanto) rallied home for third as $2.90 favourite.
Schwarz is one of a host of colts bought in recent years by the Rosemont-led Victorian Alliance. Along with bloodstock agents Suman Hedge and David Redvers, they paid $1.25 million for him at Magic Millions Gold Coast in 2022, from the draft of his co-breeders Widden Stud.
Named routinely after famous AFL footballers, the Rosemont colts have had mixed success, though they do include Doull (Snitzel), a $1.2 million yearling who became a Group 2 winner who’s now standing at Rosemont.
No title seems better bestowed than Schwarz. Named in honour of former Melbourne hardman David Schwarz, the muscular stallion exudes power, as he showed in Saturday’s top-tier breakthrough, which followed two Group 2 wins, a Group 3 and a Listed success amid six wins from 12 starts.
Schwarz hails from one of Widden’s most prized mares in Summer Sham, a Group 2-winning daughter of Not A Single Doubt (Redoute’s Choice), who was bought by David Redvers for $650,000 at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in 2019.
She’s paired regularly with the stud’s flagbearing stallion Zoustar (Northern Meteor). Schwarz’s sister Silver Wedding fetched $800,000 when bought by Cambridge Stud at Inglis Easter 2023, while at the same sale last year, brother Tuscany sold for $1.55 million to the China Horse Club-Newgate axis.
And Rosemont and associates were on Saturday overjoyed their substantial top-shelf investment was rewarded with a Group 1 success which will be a highlight of Schwarz’s CV when he eventually stands at the Geelong stud.
“That’s an unbelievable performance from a horse that has got an unbelievable pedigree,” Rosemont principal Anthony Mithen said.
“He’s the best performed colt son of Zoustar there’s been. To win a weight-for-age Group 1 he’s become the winning-most son of Zoustar that’s still a colt. He’ll go to stud a very attractive prospect.
“The fact we paid yearling sale price, not the silly money these stallion syndicates put together, means everyone can enjoy that. That’s what this Victorian Alliance was about – giving back to breeders and the breeding scene. It’s emotional for a lot of reasons and God bless him.”
Mithen said the success was reward for perseverance from Rosemont and its backers in the colt-buying game, the major stakes pursuit which even required a respite this year.
Asked if he’d had moments of questioning whether to persist with the strategy, Mithen said: “Absolutely – the mere fact we haven’t bought colts this year.
“We’ve done four years and gone to the same people. There’s some great investors, not the least my brother-in-law Nigel Austen who has been an unbelievable support. For him to keep stumping up and saying, ‘Yeah, go again’, and his reaction being, ‘Oh, you’re not doing it again this year?’
“He’s such an enthusiastic part of what we do and a motivator for us all. The other investors, we thought we would get a stitch eventually, so we thought we would lay a bit of faith in those [already bought] horses. One of them was Schwartz and he’s delivered for us today.”
Charlton was delighted for the ownership group, and admitted to being stunned by the strength of Schwarz’s acceleration entering the home straight.
“It’s fantastic. I’m thrilled for the horse, the ownership group and all our staff that have put a fantastic effort into this horse,” Charlton said, who was winning his second Group 1 in partnership with John O’Shea, having toasted his first when Linebacker (Super Seth) landed the Randwick Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) earlier in the month.
“It was an interesting watch. I thought Craig Williams put a good bit of pressure on us on She’s Bulletproof and I was slightly surprised by the kick our horse gave at the top of the straight.
“It was a dominant win. He’s a big ticket stallion by Zoustar with a big pedigree. Team Rosemont will be very pleased.”
Held up to debut as a spring three-year-old, Schwarz’s longest campaign has comprised four starts. He resumed this preparation with a two-length victory in Moonee Valley’s Australia Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m), but then ran last in Caulfield’s Orr Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m). Two winning Sydney barrier trials then led into the Reid.
“He’s a relatively lightly-raced horse and we’ve learned quite a bit about him again this preparation,” Charlton said.
“He was dominant here fresh, didn’t quit back-up two weeks later over 1400 metres and we had in the back of our mind to target again here, fresh, 1200 metres.
“Credit to everyone and obviously my boss who is the mastermind of these things. I’m just very thankful to be in this position.”
After his third Group 1 win, Mott was thankful for the pressure from She’s Bulletproof and Craig Williams had seemed only to spur the dogged Schwarz on.
“We got pressure early from She’s Bulletproof,” Mott said. “He [Williams] wouldn’t go back from his wide draw, so he did pressure me and he gave me a really strong kick in that going [soft 6]. He was good enough to hold them and it was a terrific win.
“I have known Mitho and Nigel for a long time and we’ve had success but not at the top level. Really satisfying win.”
Schwarz is the first of three named foals for Summer Sham. Ciaron Maher’s three-year-old Silver Wedding is Sydney city placed among three starts, while Waterhouse-Bott’s Tuscany ran a close fifth in his only start to date in Randwick’s Breeders’ Plate (Gr 3, 1000m) as $2.50 favourite.
Another full brother will be offered as Lot 198 in Widden’s draft at next month’s Inglis Easter yearling Sale, while Summer Sham has a weanling full sister at foot and is yet again in foal to Zoustar.