Russian Emperor set to the fly Australian flag in Epsom Derby
Owner-breeder Lauri Macri details how the son of champion mare Atlantic Jewel came to be
In a time of uncertainty and gloom, there will be something for Australians to cheer for in tonight’s Epsom Derby (Gr 1, 1m 4f) as Russian Emperor (Galileo), the third foal produced by champion mare Atlantic Jewel (Fastnet Rock), heads into the race with a legitimate chance.
The Aidan O’Brien-trained colt is the result of a long–range plan stemming from 2011. He was bred by Coolmore along with former ATC chairman Laurie Macri, who both raced Atlantic Jewel after teaming up to purchase her at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2010.
“Since I’ve been involved in racing, just about every good horse that I’ve raced has been selected by James Bester,” Macri told ANZ Bloodstock News on Thursday. “So the year before, James and I bought a really nice Fastnet Rock filly called Upon This Rock which won a couple of Listed races.
“And James had Identified what he said was an absolutely outstanding filly at the Magic Millions and I happened to be on holiday over in Perth and obviously had the book with me. At the time you could look up some of the dam’s races online and she had three starts for two wins and probably an unlucky placing on debut and we didn’t quite know why she didn’t go on with it.
“So James and I said ‘let’s see if we can buy the filly’. As it turned out, Coolmore also thought she was the best filly at the complex and so out of that we decided that ‘we’re all friends, lets actually buy her together.’ So it was quite fortuitous that we didn’t decide to outbid each other.”
In an era that has seen some incredible mares grace the Australian turf, Atlantic Jewel had the potential to add her name to the list, winning ten of 11 career starts including elite-level victories in the MRC Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m), All Aged Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m), Memsie Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) and Caulfield Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m).
But her career was hampered by injury and culminated with a tendon problem which saw her retired just days out from heading into the 2013 Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) as the firm favourite.
“We probably didn’t realise how good she was,” Macri said. “She didn’t race at two but she was getting ready to race at two and I looked at some of the progress reports that Mark Kavangh had put together and clearly she was running some very good sectionals at track work at Flemington.
“As bad luck as it seemed to be with Atlantic Jewel, as she was coming off the track one morning, she got kicked by another horse and didn’t actually start as a two-year-old.
“Clearly she had some great success at three but had an injury there so she missed the Oaks and she missed all of her four-year-old season. Patience and the journey became really important and to be fair, no one in the group was pushing Mark Kavanaugh to get her back to the races.
“We were delighted that we got another chance to run her in the spring of 2014 and I’ve got to say, and I think I speak for everyone in the group from Mark Kavanagh down, we were shattered to be the firm favourite going into a Cox Plate and it was maybe the one that got away. That’s no disrespect to Shamus Award who actually won the race, but that was a pretty trying time.
“I think almost immediately and universally we decided that we would retire the mare. It was one thing to bring her back a couple of times from injury but I don’t think anyone thought it would be fair to the mare to bring her back a third time.”
Atlantic Jewel has spent the best part of her career at stud at Coolmore’s base in Ireland, producing five foals, including Russian Emperor, by champion stallion Galileo (Sadler’s Wells). Macri said that the decision to send her to the northern hemisphere was made long before her retirement.
“We agreed to send her to Ireland on the night after the Thousand Guineas back in 2011. Michael Kirwan who was an owner, Tom (Magnier) obviously representing his family, and a couple of others were having dinner after it, and landed on Galileo.
“Clearly Coolmore are a fan of Galileo and we sort or hatched a plan, albeit with no guarantees, that she would head to Ireland at the conclusion of her racing career.”
Fast forward eight and a half years and a couple of foals later, the plan hatched over a celebratory dinner has produced an impeccably bred Epsom Derby runner.
Atlantic Jewel’s half-sister, Commanding Jewel (Commands), was also a Thousand Guineas winner, while her granddam Nanshan (Nashwan) produced Lady Beckworth (General Nediym) who is responsible for this year’s Galaxy Handicap (Gr 1, 1100m) scorer I Am Excited (Snitzel) and Group 3 victor Flippant (Hinchinbrook).
Further down the page is Cheveley Park Stakes (Gr 1, 6f) winner Pass The Peace (Alzao), who also produced a Cheveley Park scorer in Embassy (Cadeaux Genereux), as well as Group 1 victors King’s Apostle (King’s Best) and Pacific Trader (Sail From Seattle).
As a proven stallion making race, a win in the Derby almost guarantees a spot at stud upon retirement, and while winning the the Classic is no easy feat, a placing could be enough to secure the son of Galileo, who himself is a renowned sire of sires, a slot on a roster somewhere in the world.
With a pedigree so familiar to Australia and a lack of staying blood on offer to southern hemisphere breeders, Macri said Russian Emperor could one day relocate to his mother’s country of origin to target the ‘cups’ and market himself to local studs in the process.
“There is quite a lot of success particularly on the female side of the family here in Australia and clearly Galileo speaks for himself,” the former ATC chairman said. “So he would appear to have a stallions pedigree, albeit he probably doesn’t have a race record that would put him in elite company or at an elite farm. But he might have appeal to those who understand the pedigree and the strength of the pedigree on both sides.
“If he runs well on Saturday, he may well be a horse that runs in a handicap like the Caulfield Cup. I’m lucky enough to have probably the best breeder and the best stallion manager certainly of my time. With respect to John Messara, please John, don’t be offended.
“John Maginer would appear to know how to make a stallion and where to place a stallion. I would’ve thought, given Atlantic Jewel is the dam and Australian breeders are very familiar with her and with Fastnet Rock, we might try to commercialise the colt and send him to Australia to race.
“That’s a double edge sword, he may not be successful, but I think that would be an opportunity and without preempting anything that John and Coolmore think, they have some outstanding sons of Galileo already in Ireland, so that’s a pretty competitive roster.
“And potentially either in Australia or New Zealand, a horse of his profile and pedigree and hopefully improving race record, could hopefully find a home.
“That’s why we sent Atlantic Jewel to Ireland, that’s we sent her to Galileo to try and get a dual hemisphere stallion and I’m not saying we have one, but that’s been the long range plan and there’s all of that to play out but race record would dictate whether he makes the trip to Australia.”
After producing her first five foals in Ireland, last year Atlantic Jewel relocated back to Australia and is now in foal to American Triple Crown-winning shuttler Justify (Scat Daddy) and Macri said the decision to bring her home was an easy one.
“I’d like to say we debated it for hours but I had one conversation with Tom (Magnier) and he suggested that we might bring the mare home and send her to Justify,” he said.
“I was fortunate enough to be at the stallion parade last season and I did see Justify. He is a remarkable physical specimen and obviously his race record speaks for itself.
“It seemed to be a really smart commercial move for us to send Atlantic Jewel to arguably, maybe leaving aside Frankel and some of the other standouts, one of the best credentialed stallions and certainly one of the best overseas stallions to come to Australia.
“It fell into place very quickly over a very short period of time. I dare say, if the horse wins on Saturday, John Magnier might want the mare back, but that’s a conversation we can have later. I’m saying that tongue in cheek, but who knows.”
Coming off the back of an emphatic win in the Hampton Court Stakes (Gr 3, 1m 2f) at Royal Ascot two weeks ago, Russian Emperor was at odds of 6/1 at the time of writing for tonight’s Derby.
Lining up against him will be Lingfield Derby Trial Stakes (Listed, 1m 3.5f) winner English King (Camelot), who is the current favourite, 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) victor Kameko (Kitten’s Joy), Mogul (Galileo), the brother of Group 1 scorer Japan, as well as 12 other rivals.
Seamie Heffernan has been booked for the ride after taking out last weekend’s Irish Derby (Gr 1, 1m 4f) aboard Santiago (Authorized), with Ryan Moore electing to remain loyal to Mogul.
The excitement of having a runner in one of the world’s most prestigious races has not been lost on Macri, who will be sitting up until the early hours of 1:55am AEST to watch his colours go around in the Epsom classic for the first time.
“I think maybe with the exception of John and MV Magnier, no one in the ownership group has had a Derby runner, so we’re all excited,” he said. “It is one of those extraordinary privileges and thrills that maybe only come along rarely in your racing career and I’ve been very fortunate to have such an opportunity.
“I’d be thrilled to finish in the top five but I’ll take a win if it’s on offer!”