Chasing Spring Carnival Glory
Australian Bloodstock is bringing serious firepower to this spring carnival, with two European raiders on their way and a local star who's never looked better.
Spring is shaping up to be something special for Australian Bloodstock, and if you love thoroughbred racing, this is a story worth following closely.
The team has two credentialed horses flying in from Europe over the next month, targeting the Caulfield Cup and the Melbourne Cup respectively. But here's the thing, it might just be a horse they purchased two years ago out of Europe who ends up being their strongest card to play across the entire carnival.
That horse is Royal Supremacy, and by all accounts, he's a different animal to the one who finished fifth in last year's Caulfield Cup.
Australian Bloodstock director Jamie Lovett wasn't holding back when he spoke about Royal Supremacy this week.
"He's the best we've ever had him," Lovett said. "I am really excited about him. He's starting to relax. He's on that traditional Caulfield Cup path and he's got a bit of residual fitness coming out of Queensland."
Royal Supremacy claimed a Group 2 win in Brisbane over winter in the Q22, and Lovett watched him closely at a recent trial in Newcastle. What he saw left a strong impression.
"I went to the trial at Newcastle and watched him and he's a different horse to look at," Lovett said. "We bought him as a three-year-old northern hemisphere horse and he was pretty light, but he's now had 18 months to furnish and mature."
The plan is to kick him off at Caulfield this Saturday in the Naturaliam Stakes, using it as a stepping stone rather than a grand final. Lovett is measured about expectations for that run, suggesting a finish within four or five lengths of the winner would have the horse spot on for the Caulfield Cup itself.
Last year's Caulfield Cup run tells part of the story. He was in the finish but pulled hard throughout and arrived at the Melbourne Cup a spent force. This time around, the horse carrying the Australian Bloodstock colours looks relaxed, mature, and ready.
"I'd be shocked if he didn't run well in a Caulfield Cup," Lovett said simply.
Now to the European reinforcements, and they're both worth knowing about.
Wine Dark Sea is already in quarantine in the United Kingdom and is scheduled to fly into Melbourne in late September. He won his most recent start, a Group 3 at Newbury, and is trained by English handler Harry Charlton. The plan is for him to stay in Australia after the Spring Carnival and continue racing here under a new local trainer.
Lovett is quietly confident Wine Dark Sea can make an immediate impact in the Caulfield Cup, a race run over 2400 metres on 17 October.
"He profiles like one of those horses that doesn't have a ceiling so we don't know how good he is just yet," Lovett said. "He comes through the handicaps and he's a horse that can put himself on speed, so he certainly profiles as a Caulfield horse."
The only note of caution is the travel itself. Wine Dark Sea is still a young, developing horse who hasn't done a lot of flying. Lovett is realistic about that.
"You are always a bit guarded until they get here," he said. "But if he takes the trip well and arrives on the day in good shape, I can't see how he won't run well."
The second European import, Defiantly, goes into quarantine at the end of this month with one race on his mind, the Melbourne Cup.
Defiantly won the Group 2 Prix Kergorlay in France, beating out the top stayer in Scandinavia over 4000 metres. That win changed the conversation around him significantly. Lovett admits he had doubts not so long ago.
"Before he won a five-horse Kergorlay, I thought he'd be getting here with 51 kilograms," Lovett said. "If you'd asked me two months ago, I'd have thought he'd be lucky to be on the plane because I thought he was too slow, but he's had a really good reaction from the blinkers."
The blinkers have switched something on in Defiantly. He races on pace, has what Lovett describes as a very big engine, and prefers fast ground conditions. Those are useful traits for a Melbourne Cup contender.
The longer term plan is equally interesting. After the Spring Carnival, Defiantly is expected to head back to Europe to target the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in June next year. Given he's already proven he can stay 4000 metres and beat quality competition, that shapes as a genuine tilt at one of the world's great staying races.
So to recap the Australian Bloodstock spring team:
• Royal Supremacy, Caulfield Cup hope, Group 2 Q22 winner in Brisbane this winter, proven local galloper who has matured significantly over the past 18 months
• Wine Dark Sea, European raider targeting the Caulfield Cup, Group 3 Newbury winner at his most recent start, to be based permanently in Australia after the carnival
• Defiantly, Melbourne Cup sole target, Group 2 Prix Kergorlay winner in France, with a potential Royal Ascot Gold Cup campaign to follow in 2027
Australian Bloodstock has form when it comes to the big spring races. The team has been part of Melbourne Cup winning ownership groups with Protectionist in 2014 and Gold Trip in 2022. That kind of experience at the highest level doesn't happen by accident.
It comes from a genuine passion for thoroughbreds, rigorous selection processes, and a willingness to look globally for the very best horses. The team uses advanced biomechanical analysis alongside a well-developed methodology for identifying top quality horses before they reach their peak. It's a system that has earned Australian Bloodstock its reputation as the country's leading thoroughbred syndicator.
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For those who want to be part of something bigger this spring, whether you're in Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne or anywhere else across Australia, this is a team that knows how to find horses capable of winning at the highest level. π
This carnival, three very different horses with three very different stories are all carrying the hopes of a passionate group of owners. Royal Supremacy the local hero who's finally putting it all together. Wine Dark Sea the unknown quantity with an apparently limitless ceiling. Defiantly, the converted sceptic who's made believers out of everyone.
Spring racing in Australia doesn't get much better than this.
