By Bren O'Brien
Ultra Thoroughbreds' faith in its G1 Cox Plate and Australian Guineas-winning stallion Shamus Award is starting to pay serious dividends after Flying Award not only became the first homebred by the stallion to win a stakes race, he was also the first 2-year-old stakes winner by the son of Snitzel.
Flying Award, with jockey Damien Oliver carrying the iconic green, black and white colours that his sire also carried with such distinction, charged from back in the field to claim the Listed Anzac Day S. at Flemington on Saturday, becoming the seventh stakes winner overall for his Rosemont Stud-based sire.
The race has proven an excellent launching point for a few stars in recent years, with subsequent G1 Caulfield Guineas winner Long John (Street Cry {Ire}) victorious in 2013, and G1 Coolmore Stud S. winner Merchant Navy having his stakes breakthrough in 2017.
Last year, Super Seth was third in the race and would then come out and win the Caulfield Guineas in the spring and Flying Award's trainer Danny O'Brien is keen to follow the same path with his colt.
O'Brien, who famously guided Shamus Award to an upset maiden victory in the 2013 G1 Cox Plate, even suggested the famous weight-for-age Moonee Valley event could feature on the spring radar of Flying Award, who like his sire, broke his maiden in a stakes race.
Trainer Danny O'Brien is keen to follow the same path as Shamus Award with Flying Award
Unlike his sire, Flying Award is a 2-year-old stakeswinner, becoming the first to do so by Shamus Award who has now had 15 juvenile winners in his first three crops.
Another Golden Grove stakes winner
The colt was bred by Golden Grove Stud, who hosted Ultra Thoroughbreds' broodmare band as part of a joint venture which also involved G & C Pastoral when Shamus Award was based at Widden Stud.
Golden Grove manager Grant Mackay recalls a colt with plenty of potential, which he looks to be fulfilling.
"He does look like he has a future, even coming through, when he was a youngster, he was the pick of the crop. It’s good to see him put it all together," he said.
"When he was a youngster, he was the pick of the crop. It’s good to see him put it all together." - Grant Mackay
Flying Award was initially entered in the 2019 Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale, to be sold by Golden Grove, but was withdrawn retained to race by Sean Buckley's Ultra Racing and sent to O'Brien.
Flying Award was the pick of the crop as a youngster at Golden Grove Stud Farm
He debuted with a fast-finishing second at Ballarat in February and was only narrowly beaten at Sandown before heading to Flemington on ANZAC Day. Oliver seemed in an impossible position before he got him to the outside and he rocketed home over the 1400 metres to win by 0.3l.
Second-placed Ironedge, trained by Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr, completed a stakes-quinella for Shamus Award, in an excellent advertisement for the stallion ahead of his second season at Victoria's Rosemont Stud.
"It was good to see Shamus get the quinella in that race," Mackay said. "He has got some momentum now and things are certainly looking up for him.
"You’d expect they would hit their peak at 3 and 4-years old. They seem to be very smart horses too. They just take their time to mature and it’s good to see this guy do it as a 2-year-old."
It was a Shamus Award quinella with Flying Award in first and Iron Edge in second
A smart family
Flying Award's dam Flying Dansino (NZ) (Fusaichi Pegasus {USA}) was stakes-placed in a Gimcrack S. and has already produced a stakes-performer in Snake Charmer (Pentire {GB}). Flying Dansino, a half-sister to multiple Listed winner Zagreb (Zabeel {NZ}), is out of a stakes-winning juvenile in Dansino (Danehill {USA}).
She has visited Shamus Award the past four times, with the yearling filly Embedded to be retained by Ultra Thoroughbreds, who have moved most of their mares in Victoria to be closer to the stallion.
That switch has meant a significant change for the Denman-based Golden Grove.
Shamus Award has moved to stand at Rosemont Stud in Victoria
"About 12 months ago, we had a change in business model. Now, rather than be privately owned and run, Ultra has moved a lot of their mares to Victoria," Mackay said.
"They've based a lot of mares down there now, so they can make it easier to get down to him. This farm is running as an agistment farm for seasonal mares, permanent residents and spellers. It’s been a big change with how we are operating in the Hunter."
Flying Award joins a fairly significant name as a recent addition to the honour board at Golden Grove, which also bred the now four-time Group 1-winning sprinter Nature Strip (Nicconi).
"It’s always good to have stakes winners. That's what we are in it for," Mackay said.
