In The Congo Completes Newgate Knockout in Golden Rose

Two group 1-winning stallion prospects were created in the space of 24 hours, and it might not even be the best weekend Newgate Farm has experienced over the last 12 months.

That's how well the Henry Field-run stud is faring at the moment, as the Hunter Valley operation touched gold once more in ending the weekend in possession of two of the most coveted stallion prospects by champion sire Snitzel . 

Adding to Wild Ruler's sensational victory in the Charter Keck Cramer Moir Stakes (G1) Sept. 24, 3-year-old colt In The Congo led from start to finish to claim the first stallion-making classic generation contest of the season, posting the fastest time of any previous running of the XXXX Golden Rose Stakes (G1) at Rosehill Sept. 25. 

"It's not bad when you're getting group 1 winners by the champion stallion," said Newgate managing director Field. 

"It's been a special 24 hours. Wild Ruler has been a horse that Peter and Paul Snowden have always believed was a heavyweight sprinter, and to see him prove himself last night in the Moir was just sensational. 

"In The Congo, he's an incredible horse. A really good one."

Pressing forward from barrier 6 to take the lead ahead of Remarque, In The Congro set ferocious sectionals under Tim Clark and, after beating off that rival who relented to finish second last, the XXXX San Domenico Stakes (G3) winner repelled the closing Anamoe to reverse the placings of the XXXX Run To The Rose (G2), posting a time of 1:21.46 for 1,400 meters (seven furlongs) to beat the previous record set by Exosphere  in 2016 by :0.37.

Co-trainer Adrian Bott, who was celebrating his 12th group 1 win in partnership with Gai Waterhouse, declared it a plan well executed.

"Every start he's surprised me and continued to improve. We just kept raising the bar from when he stepped out in the off season in the winter and through the early stages of the spring here. He just kept delivering," he said.

"We weren't concerned by the 1,400 meters, he's got that high cruising speed and has the ability to sustain that. And that's what we wanted to do today. Make it a real test for some of those and take away some of their brilliance and bring in some of his assets; that high cruising speed and toughness that he's got.

"He has a fantastic pedigree behind him and he's a fantastic type himself. He's always had that raw natural speed and we're in a fortunate position to be able to get the opportunity from Newgate Farm and Henry Field and connections to make these stallion prospects and he's well and truly stamped that today."

Perhaps a measure of the success Field and partners have had in recent times is the fact they lined up four contenders for the group 1 feature, after targeting four juveniles at the Longines Golden Slipper (G1) last season, which was won by their Stay Inside. 

"He broke their hearts. He was fast early, fast in the middle and fast late," Field said.

"The confidence that was coming out of the Waterhouse-Bott camp in the last few days, you could feel it bubbling.

"They couldn't see him getting beaten today, and they weren't wrong. He just crushed a very good field of colts.

"He's broken the race record in his first preparation. He's just a very, very fast horse. He's out of a champion sprinter, he's by a champion stallion, and he's on his way to being one of the best colts in the land."

In The Congo takes his record to three wins from six starts since his AU$350,000 (US$215,959) purchase from the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale last year from the Newhaven Park draft. 

Following his debut success on the Kensington track as a late season 2-year-old in May, the horse returned a bob-of-the-head second in his next appearance before continuing through his preparation as a 3-year-old. He finished second in the Fujitsu General Rosebud to Paulele before reversing that form in the San Domenico, running a track-record time of 1:05.69 for the 1,100 meters (5 1/2 furlongs) at Kembla Grange.

The Coolmore Stud Stakes (G1) now beckons for the 3-year-old on Oct. 30, for which Anamoe is the market leader. 

"We thought this was a good form race going down to the Coolmore and it would be a good lead up for that. We are mindful that he has been up for a while and he's kicked a big goal now," Bott added.

"We'll see how he comes through that now. It's a tough race today and expect him to bounce out well as he's that type of horse. We want to do the right thing by him."

The Chris Waller-trained Coastwatch finished third, 1 1/2 lengths from the winner, but the story could have resulted much better still for Field and Newgate, with Artorius running an unlucky fourth having been taken wide in the straight by Moridan. 

"Artorius's run was phenomenal," Field said. "He was the run of the race outside of the winner. It's been a great day."

The Waterhouse and Bott-trained In The Congo is, like Wild Ruler, a yearling purchase for the Newgate Farm and China Horse Club colts syndicate, with the former a AU$350,000 buy and the latter a AU$525,000 ($374,220) purchase from the Kia Ora Stud draft at the 2019 Inglis Easter sale. 

The pair add to group 2 winner Tiger Of Malay and Moet & Chandon Champagne Stakes (G1) winner Captivant, who finished fifth and seventh, respectively, in Saturday's contest, as stallion prospects for Newgate purchased as yearlings, with the pair bought for AU$255,000 ($155,217) and AU$550,000 ($379,477), respectively, while they are joined by current rostered stallions Russian Revolution and Cosmic Force as yearling purchases-turned-stallions, with connections parting with AU$320,000 ($244,256) and AU$180,000 ($140,634) to secure that duo.

Newgate has never gone to seven figures in securing a yearling colt.

"We're lucky to have a terrific budget to work on, but we feel that we'd rather try and find horses that we think we can buy at some value," Field said.

"Maybe you've got to crystal ball them a little bit more and see what they're going to be like in six month's time. 

"The million-plus-dollar colts, they're not for us, the downside on them is too great for us. We look to try and buy horses that we think can develop and go forward rather than the ones that are the obvious seven-figure colts in the market. We've always done that. Sometimes you've got to forget about the fashion and buy what you like."

In The Congo is the second foal out of South African champion mare Via Africa (Var), who was brought over to Australia by Nordic Racing and Breeding, the Australian arm of South Africans Markus and Ingrid Jooste. 

Via Africa, a 10-time winner, including three times at grade 1 level, is a half sister to the stakes-placed Elusivenchantment.

"I actually looked right into her (Via Africa) form. She was the real thing. By Var, who is a proper stallion, and if you look at her form properly she was the best of the best over there. The fastest horse in the country," Field said.

"In The Congo was a horse that literally walked four steps out of the box, and myself and Gavin Murphy and Steve O'Connor of Go Bloodstock, we drove to Boorowa, and he took four steps out of his stable and we said 'we're going to buy this colt.'

"He's everything I look for in an animal. His proportions, his muscle definition. As a yearling, the athleticism he possessed was extraordinary."

Field and Newgate launched the stud careers of Capitalist, Flying Artie, and Extreme Choice all in the same season in 2017, while Snitzel pair Russian Revolution and Menari began their stud careers 12 months later. 

Menari landed his first winner at Toowoomba Saturday, as Menari Magic won the Toowoomba Truck Spares Pat O'Shea Plate for Paul Butterworth, and could now be set for the Magic Millions in January. 

Menari, like Extreme Choice, has battled fertility issues, and produced just 19 live foals from his first crop.  

"It's a good problem to have, and Menari already had a winner today, which is great. Someone said to me 'oh no, you've got another one (with fertility problems),' but I said 'it's better that way than him being no good!'"

"The word on the 'Russians' is pretty strong. Any time you have the opportunity to stand a son of an elite stallion, you're already ahead," Field said.

Meanwhile, Newgate and Yulong Investments tied up a deal for Wild Ruler to run in their AU$15 million The Everest slot on Oct. 16. 

"Myself and my old mate Sam Fairgray, we hammered it out through the morning and between China Horse Club and Yulong and the whole team of partners, it's going to be a great occasion," Field said.

"It's an important race. It's probably the best sprint race on the planet and when the opportunity presented to run him we felt it was the right play. 

"If it's good ground in The Everest he'll really run a blinder, mark my words."

Zaaki Cruises in Underwood

They don't give away group 1s but Saturday's Quayclean Underwood Stakes (G1) at Sandown might have been as close as it comes to being that way. 

The Annabel Neasham-trained Zaaki  made his Melbourne debut on the back of four consecutive wins in Australia and made light work of his four opponents, with jockey Craig Williams never getting into top gear on the Channel 7 Doomben Cup (G1) winner, who stepped up in trip and grade from a dominant win in the Fujitsu General Tramway Stakes (G2) at Randwick on Sept. 4.

"I just love the preparation and the planning that Annabel has done for Zaaki," Williams told Racing.com. "I would say after his gallop that Annabel has got him right where she wants him for his main target."

That main target will be the Cox Plate (G1) at Moonee Valley on Oct. 23, for which he remained the favorite after this two-length defeat of three-time group 1 winner Probabeel. Superstorm finished 3 3/4 lengths behind the winner in third. 

"Obviously, he covers the ground that well—he's that athletic—that you don't actually realize what he's doing to his opposition," Williams said, who gained the ride from James McDonald with Sydney jockeys unable to travel to Melbourne.  

"Probabeel, the four that lined up today, they're all group 1 winners.

"He's really exciting and I'm grateful for the opportunity."

Zaaki will bid to become the fourth horse to accomplish the Underwood Stakes—Cox Plate double in the same season, after Northerly, Ocean Park, and So You Think . 

"It was always going to be a concern, a bit of a tactical affair. There wasn't a lot of speed in the race and it was interesting to see Fifty Stars take them up," said Neasham's stable representative Todd Pollard.

"We thought we might have to do all the leg work and have something come over the top of us late. He's such a good horse, he just tries every time. He's a marvel to have in the stable."

"It's onto the Caulfield Stakes (G1) then the Cox Plate, that's the grand final. It's pretty exciting, he's 2-from-2 this prep. You talk about the Cox Plate being the grand final, but when he's winning first-up over 1,400 meters and doing it again second-up, we just want to see him keep the ball rolling."

A 150,000 guineas ($205,119) buy for Stuart Boman of Blandford Bloodstock, Zaaki is one of three group 1 winners for his sire Leroidesanimaux .