Sansom edged out Streets Of Avalon (Magnus) in a tight photo finish, securing the ninth win of a highly promising 21-start career for trainer Phillip Stokes.
Previously the winner of the G3 Chatham S. at Flemington, Sansom is one of five Southern Hemisphere stakes winners for Charm Spirit, alongside Fascino (NZ), Aretha (NZ), Scorpz (NZ) and Lilikoi (NZ).
Himself the winner of the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S., Prix Jean Prat and Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, Charm Spirit shuttled to Windsor Park Stud from 2015 to 2020.
“Sansom is very tough, just like his dad,” Till said. “He sticks his head out in a fight. Charm Spirit won a number of his races in a similar fashion.
“This horse has been very good for a couple of years now, with nine wins including a couple at Group level. He’s shown a lot right from his 2-year-old days, when Phillip Stokes reported that he had a very high opinion of the horse, and he’s proven to be very durable. As he showed today, he can be a pretty high-class horse in that 1200 to 1400-metre distance range when things go right for him.”
"This horse (Sansom) has been very good for a couple of years now, with nine wins including a couple at Group level. He’s shown a lot right from his 2-year-old days." - Steve Till
Sansom is out of the winning mare Bryony (Fastnet Rock), who is a full sister to the Group 1 winner and Raheen Stud stallion Heroic Valour. Another half-brother, Triple Honour (Honours List {Ire}), won the G1 Doncaster H.
Sansom was bred by Qatar Bloodstock, who have a close connection to Windsor Park Stud through Charm Spirit’s shuttling visits to the Cambridge nursery.
“He was bred by some of the Qatar royal family, who also own Charm Spirit,” Till said. “We worked with them in shuttling Charm Spirit, so that’s how it all came about.
“They wanted to support the stallion with some quality mares, and Bryony is certainly one of those – a big, strong Fastnet Rock mare from a very good family, being a half-sister to Triple Honour.
Sansom (NZ) as a yearling
“Sansom was a good-sized yearling, and a nice type of horse, very strong. We sent him over to the Gold Coast, where he was sold through the Kitchwin Hills draft in the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and Phillip Stokes bought him for $140,000.
“The mare had another Charm Spirit filly the following year. She’s called Chichibu, and she won a race earlier this year for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.
“The Qatar family is also involved with Zoustar, so the mare went to him after that and produced a couple more fillies (selling for $180,000 and $600,000 respectively in the last two editions of the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale).
“Following the success of Sansom, she came back to Charm Spirit again the next year and had another filly, who sold for $150,000 at the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale a few weeks ago.”
Charm Spirit (Ire) | Standing at Windsor Park Stud
Sansom has contributed to a successful season for Charm Spirit, who has sired 50 winners in the Southern Hemisphere since August 1. That includes 27 winners from just 44 runners in Australia.
“He’s having a good run, siring 50 winners across New Zealand, Australia and Hong Kong this season,” Till said. “There are some pretty smart ones, and plenty of them are winning metropolitan races.
"There are some pretty smart ones (Charm Spirits), and plenty of them are winning metropolitan races." - Steve Till
“Kirwan’s Lane and Nyami have been good performers in Sydney, along with Charmmebaby.
“In New Zealand, Allan Sharrock has a very promising filly called Catsacharmer who has won both of her starts so far and is being set for next Saturday’s Listed Ryder S.
“They’re very natural horses who all have that pace, and they show some real grit as well.”
Steve Till | Image courtesy of Windsor Park Stud
Spring countdown in full swing
Till is now eagerly looking forward to the new breeding season, when Windsor Park will unveil their exciting new shuttle stallion Circus Maximus (Ire).
The son of Galileo (Ire) won the G1 St James’s Palace S. and Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot, along with the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp. He is standing for an introductory service fee of NZ$20,000 + GST.
“We’re very excited about Circus Maximus, and the response from breeders has been incredible,” Till said. “We’re actually in the position of having to wait-list people, there’s been so much interest.
“We’ve also been really pleased by the performances of the first crops of our young stallions Turn Me Loose and Vanbrugh, so there’s a lot to look forward to.”
