Boomer Bloodstock's Craig Rounsefell is hopeful the breakthrough win for high-profile and high-price colt Nordicus (Dundeel {NZ}) at Randwick this week is a sign of a big next six months not only for the colt himself but for Boomer's other purchases as well.
A $900,000 buy for Rounsefell at the 2017 Magic Millions, Nordicus, who is out of five-time Group 1 winner Miss Finland (Redoute's Choice), kicked off his 3-year-old campaign with an impressive maiden win at Randwick on Melbourne Cup day.
Speaking from Keeneland, Rounsefell, who put together a high-profile syndicate of owners in the colt, said expectations were that like both his sire and his dam, he would graduate to top-level racing.
"To do that over 1200m at Randwick was a big performance." - Craig Rounsefell
"We've always had a lot of confidence in the horse. Obviously coming into his first start back, it was just an outstanding performance from where he was back in the pack, along the inside, to quicken and again he did a lot wrong," Rounsefell told TDN AusNZ.
"He's going to be a horse that is going to be better over a mile and 2000m. To do that over 1200m at Randwick was a big performance."
While trainer Bjorn Baker has had to be patient with Nordicus, who has suffered small setbacks which restricted him to just one start as a 2-year-old, Rounsefell believes he is now ready to put his best foot forward.
"He has trialled well at every indication and he's still very green. Blake Shinn, who has been on him a few times as well as James McDonald and Jason Collett, all believe that he is top-line. He gives them a feel that he is a good horse."
'He knew he was good'
While a horse with that pedigree was always going to attract plenty of attention - he was just the third of Miss Finland's foals offered at the sales, and the first ever at Magic Millions - it was the physical type of Nordicus that appealed to Rounsefell.
"The shape he had. He had a huge shoulder girth, big rear end, but he also had that class factor." - Craig Rounsefell
"The shape he had. He had a huge shoulder girth, big rear end, but he also had that class factor," he said.
"When he stood up, he knew he was good. When you are looking at a lot of yearlings coming through, quality like him, the class factor stands out. He truly believes that he is something."
He was the only Dundeel that Rounsefell bought of the first crop, but he was back at the sales earlier this year to pick up a couple more.
"Dundeel was an outstanding racehorse. Physically he is not what you’d expect from a stallion in Australia, but as a racehorse, they don’t come much better pound-for-pound than him," he said.
"As a racehorse, they don’t come much better pound-for-pound than him." - Craig Rounsefell on Dundeel
"The stock that he's thrown, he's really putting size and substance in them."
"This year we bought a few with Matt Cumani and they are showing quite a bit too. They all need a bit of time, I think, and they are going to get better and better as they step up in distance."
Dundeel
Boomer's 2YOs excite Rounsefell
While like Nordicus, the second crop of Dundeel's will require some patience, Rounsefell is excited about the prospects of his remaining 2-year-old purchases from this year.
"Next year should be an exciting year with the firepower we’ve got." - Craig Rounsefell
He combined with John O'Shea Racing and China Horse Club in the $1.05m I Am Invincible colt at the Easter Sales now called Quantico. Across the major sales, he also bought two others by the Yarraman Park stallion, a filly and a colt he paid $525,000 and $475,000 for.
Quantico was a $1.05 million Inglis Easter purchase
His top buy at the Magic Millions was a Pierro filly sister to Outback Barbie (Spirit of Boom) for $550,000, while he also bought a Tapit (USA) filly out of the American mare Inventive (USA) (Dixie Union {USA}) for $525,000.
"Quite a few have had jumpouts and a couple of trials, but we don’t tend to try to push them too early," he said.
"Everything sets up towards the autumn. We have got a couple of I Am Invincibles there that are quite exciting, and the Tapit filly that is a half to a G1 winner here in America, who is with Archie Alexander, she's shown a bit," he said.
"In the past few years, we've spread our stock around. We’ve had most of our stock over there with Lindsay Smith in Western Australia. I felt this year, we’ve got some real bullets to fire over on the east coast in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane."
"Next year should be an exciting year with the firepower we’ve got."
