Polish Derby winner has roots in Australia

6 min read
After being exported to Europe to be covered by Sea The Stars (Ire), the Redoute's Choice mare Rezyana found herself back in Australia at Anthony Mithen's Rosemont Stud after having produced the recent Polish Derby winner, Nemezis.

Picture this, if you will. A daughter of the irrepressible Redoute’s Choice, who cost $300,000 as an Inglis Easter Yearling a dozen years ago, goes on to become the dam of a Derby winner.

Not entirely surprising.

More unexpected is the fact that said broodmare was exported to Europe, was covered in 2015 by the outstanding European racehorse and sire, Sea The Stars (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) and is responsible for the 3-year-old filly Nemezis (Ire), who jumped out of the ground in the final 70 metres to beat the boys in the A$85,000 Polish Derby (2400m) July 7 at Sluzewiec Racecourse in Warsaw.

Watch: Nemezis winning the Polish Derby

Aussie roots

A foal of 2005, Rezyana was bred in New South Wales by Arrowleave Joint Venture and was purchased out of the 2007 Easter Sale by Bavarian-born Renata Coleman, who raced the filly to wins at Muswellbrook, Cessnock and Newcastle and to a runner-up effort in the G3 Rough Habit S. at Doomben in May 2009.

Retired following an unplaced run at Canterbury in October 2009, Coleman bred Rezyana to Charge Forward and the result was Good News, a $30,000 graduate of the 2012 Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale who was sent to Singapore, where he has recorded 10 wins and has amassed nearly S$600,000.

Coleman elected to send Rezyana to Europe the next year, where she was bred on a late cover to Sea The Stars in 2011. That colt, foaled May 27, 2012, caught the eye of John Ferguson, who went to €150,000 at the 2013 Goffs Orby Sale. Not bred in 2013, Rezyana produced a colt by So You Think (NZ) in April 2014--who sadly died as a yearling--and the filly Victoria Drummond (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who fetched €80,000 as a foal at the 2015 Goffs November Sale.

Victoria Drummond is currently in training with trainer Mark Johnston in England and recently won for the third time in eight starts, taking a 14-furlong handicap when racing first-up for six months at Newmarket June 22.

Sea The Stars (Ire) | The Aga Khan Studs

Nemezis matched the sales price of Victoria Drummond when she was purchased by Witold Miedzianowski at the 2017 Orby Sale, a fair sum for a horse to be campaigned in Poland, where prize money is fairly modest. Nemezis took her record to three wins from six starts in Sunday’s Derby, with races like the Nagroda St Leger and the Wielka Warszawska (Great Warsaw Race), Poland’s most prestigious race, potentially on her dance card going forward.

Back to the beginning

Coleman offered Rezyana in foal to 2014 G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas and G1 Lockinge S. hero Night of Thunder (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) at the 2016 Arqana December Sale. When the hammer fell at €48,000 on the Capucines consignee, Anthony Mithen’s Rosemont Stud was the name on the docket.

And why not? After all, Rezyana is a half-sister to the Rosemont-owned Sunday Service (Sunday Silence {USA}), dam of the Hong Kong Group 3 winner and Group 1-placed Winner’s Way (by Rosemont’s stalwart Starcraft {NZ}), and of the late Come Sunday (Redoute’s Choice), dam of G1 Victoria Derby hero Ace High. Another half-sister to Rezyana, SW & GSP Express Power (Snitzel), is the dam of the Peter and Paul Snowden-trained Enforcement (I Am Invincible), a $360,000 graduate of the 2018 Easter Sale who won the $125,000 Australian Turf Club H. at Rosehill June 15 for his second straight victory.

“I have to give credit to our good mate Ed McKeon for selecting Rezyana on type at the sale, as he was there for me as I had business in Australia and had to be at home,” Mithen explained. “He gave her a big tick on physical, as she had a bit of length and scope for a Redoute's. We had a bit of the family back home and liked what we were seeing out of Sunday Service so she ended up quite high on our overall shortlist.

“I have to give credit to our good mate Ed McKeon for selecting Rezyana on type at the sale." - Anthony Mithen

He continued, “It’s a family that keeps improving with the likes of Ace High, so it’s no surprise there is another in the family in Europe performing at stakes-class level.”

After foaling a colt by Night of Thunder (Ire) which was sold for €45,000 at the 2017 Arqana December Sale, Rezyana was returned to Australia and dropped a filly by Tarzino (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) on Aug. 28, 2018.

"When you can pick up a mare, and get out what you put in with her first foal, it's a good trade all around," Mithen said. "She was the perfect fit for Tarzino, and that year we were looking for mares to go to him."

"We couldn't resist the temptation of a Redoute's Choice stakes-placed mare and we knew the family."

"She was the perfect fit for Tarzino, and that year we were looking for mares to go to him." - Anthony Mithen

"I was only with Ed McKeon yesterday, looking at his stock and we were out in the paddock, and we came across the Rezyana-Written Tycoon foal and had a really good look at her. We were both quietly impressed."

“Given the strength of the family and our want to stay more heavily involved, we will most likely retain her to race.”

Rezyana was most recently bred to Written Tycoon on an Oct. 28 covering date, with a likely to date to Rosemont resident Starcraft (NZ) this upcoming season.

Bolstered Rosemont roster ready

Rosemont is preparing for its busiest ever season with the addition of Shamus Award and the return of Starspangledbanner to the roster in 2019.

"It's the calm before the storm at the moment." Mithen said. "We haven’t stood four stallions at the farm before."

Mithen said the two new additions have both been very well received, with Shamus Award's first book since arriving from Widden Stud just about full.

"He's proven really popular with his surge in recent months with his 3-year-olds getting to full maturity and stakes winners coming out every second week," he said.

Starspangledbanner's homecoming from Coolmore this year has been met with great enthusiasm.

"He's got his 100 mares booked up now, we’ll restrict him to that number. He’ll arrive in the next couple of weeks and we can't wait to have him back. It’s great to work in with Coolmore again and service Victorian breeders who have really been his biggest supporters," Mithen said.