Emirates Park are enjoying an exciting time racing their homebred fillies Manaal (Tassort) and Ameena (Tassort) with both fillies winning Group races early in the season and providing the quinella of Saturday’s G2 Furious S. We caught up with Bryan Carlson regarding the mating plans for their broodmare band this season.
Established by Emirates Park’s principal, His Excellency Nasser Lootah, in the 1980s, the farm in the Upper Hunter Valley has a long list of Group 1-winning graduates. Nasser has recently been joined by his son Hussain, who races in his own green colours, combining to continue the quality output by the farm.
“There’s an old quote ‘You don’t buy pedigrees, you make them’ and that is what we are trying to do here,” said Emirates Park general manager Bryan Carlson.
“While we usually sell most of our young stock, once they are sold, we lose control over their futures. For the ones we keep, we have full control and help with the management of them, and they come back to us for the next generation.
“Nasser Lootah and his son Hussain are very passionate with their racing and breeding and heavily involved with matings,” said Carlson.
“It’s not just me, they make the final decisions and are very much involved with the daily running of the operation. They’re having a lot of fun with their runners at the moment, especially Manaal, and Ameena who is a fifth generation Emirates Park-bred filly.”
Fifth generation talent
Ameena (Tassort) has won three of her six starts. She won her first two in succession at two, then placed in the G3 Thoroughbred Breeders S. Back at three, she won the G2 Silver Shadow S. first-up, and was second by a tiny margin to Manaal (Tassort) in the G2 Furious S. on Saturday.
Ameena | Image courtesy of Sportpix
Her dam, Emaan (Harbour Watch {Ire}) won twice, and her dam, Boom Time Savings (Secret Savings {USA}) ran second in all of her first four starts including the G2 Silver Slipper S. and G2 Reisling S. before retiring after running fourth in the G1 Golden Slipper.
Ameena’s third dam, Boom Boom Baby (True Hero {USA}) was unraced, while her fourth dam, Mahbooba (USA) (Diesis {GB}) began the family when she was imported by Emirates Park in 1993.
Ameena’s dam, Emaan, will return to Tassort in 2024.
“Between Tassort and Brave Smash, who Emirates Park both own a good chunk of, they are the two stallions we are focusing on and supporting heavily. The majority of our top mares will go to those two.”
Bryan Carlson | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Strong support for Tassort
Emirates Park raced Manaal (Tassort) became Tassort’s first Group 1 winner when she won last season’s G1 Sires’ Produce S. With her win in the G2 Furious S. on Saturday, she took her record to four wins from eight starts with earnings over $1.4 million.
“We have around 75 mares going to stud this year. The number we race depends on the year. For the first-crop of Tassort, we said we’d race them all to support him and that’s paid dividends. Nassar and Hussain committed 100 per cent to him and it’s paying off.
“We are big believers in Tassort with Manaal and Ameena racing at the moment. With that momentum and numbers coming through, he looks exciting. Momentum is a big thing for a sire, getting winners at the right time. It’s good to see a lot of breeders supporting him this year and he’ll cover a very good book.”
Tassort will stand for $38,500 inc GST in 2024 | Standing at Newgate Farm
G1 Golden Slipper winner Estijaab has returned from Europe and will support Tassort. “She has a Gun Runner yearling colt, that will likely go to the sales, and missed last year.”
Purchased by Emirates Park from Arrowfield Stud at the 2017 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale for $1.7 million, Estijaab won won three of her seven starts and over $2.5 million. Sent overseas, her first foal, 3-year-old filly Ejaabiyah (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is a Listed placed winner. She has an unnamed 2-year-old filly by Night Of Thunder (Ire) and the aforementioned Gun Runner (USA) yearling colt.
“Manaal’s dam is going back to Tassort. Red Lodge is by Midshipman, one of best 2-year-old sires in America. She’s the only mare we’ve been to America to buy lately, and hopefully will go back and buy some more. American horses are bred to be tough and that matters more than dirt versus turf. Over 100 Group winners in Australia are out of American mares. The big Japanese and European breeders go to America every year to buy fillies to take home and they know what they are doing.”
Red Lodge (USA) (Midshipman {USA}) was a stakes winner in America, and Emirates Park went to US$500,000 (AU$750,000) to buy her as a breeding prospect at the 2018 Keeneland November Breeding Sale. Manaal is her third foal.
Other mares Emirates Park are sending to Tassort are Ameena’s dam Emaan (Harbour Watch {Ire}), stakes placed Ana Jaahza (Better Than Ready), G3 Gimcrack S. winner Enthaar (Written Tycoon), G2 Sweet Embrace S. winner One More Honey (Onemorenomore), dual Group 2 winner Shumookh (Dream Ahead {USA}) and the dam of Bodyguard, Tumooh (Fastnet Rock).
Enthaar when racing | Image courtesy of Sportpix
Gallery: Some of the high-profile Emirates Park-owned mares who will visit Tassort in 2024
“Our decisions are type based. You’ve got to have type first, and pedigree second. The broodmare sire is very important too. We’ve got a few Exceed And Excel mares, who are precocious, early 2-year-old type mares, and have been sending them to 2-year-old producing sires.”
Brave Smash provides a strong outcross
“Brave Smash had two good horses who unfortunately died, and now he has Kimochi who is very tough. Her time will come and her run last start was very good. We liked Brave Smash when he was racing and when Yarraman Park bought him, we were keen to take a good percentage of him because he’s an outcross. Going through our mares, most have Danehill up close, so Brave Smash suits a lot of them.”
G1 Golden Slipper winner Mossfun (Mossman) leads the group heading to Brave Smash (Jpn) and her daughter Mathkhoora (I Am Invincible) also heads to him. “We’ve had five fillies from Mossfun already, and she’s a young mare still. Hopefully she can continue that on.”
Brave Smash will stand for $33,000 inc GST in 2024 | Standing at Yarraman Park Stud
“We have several I Am Invincible mares who are going to Brave Smash to repeat the mating of Kimochi.”
Kimochi, bred by Aquis Farm, is out of Summer Fun (I Am Invincible) was a last start winner in the G3 Toy Show H. and has three wins and nine placings (including three at Group 1-level) from 14 starts with earnings over $1.1 million.
Among the other I Am Invincible mares heading from Emirates Park to Brave Smash are Listed winner Ebhaar and Group 2-placed city winner Tajneed who “ran in the 1000 Guineas at Caulfield on a heavy ten and didn’t get to show her true ability.”
Balaabel (Not A Single Doubt) heads to Brave Smash. “We bought her as a yearling, it’s a very good female family that Catherine Remond bred.” Balaabel won twice in 10 starts and placed in the Listed Hill Smith S. Emirates Park purchased her for $520,000 from Milburn Creek at the 2018 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Mossfun when racing | Image courtesy of Sportpix
Gallery: Some of the high-profile Emirates Park-owned mares who will visit Brave Smash in 2024
“Liwa was a Group-winning filly in Perth for us. She’s a half-sister to Coleman and we could’ve gone to Pierata but felt it was too close to Danehill, so she’s off to Brave Smash.”
Liwa (Mulaazem) was bred by Emirates Park and trained by Simon Miller where she won three of her 16 starts including the Listed Supremacy S. and Listed Sir Ernest Lee-Steere Classic (which used to be run at Group 3-level). Emirates Park also bred Liwa’s dam Sboog (Redoute’s Choice) who is the dam of G3 Chairman’s S. winner Coleman (Pierata).
Group 3 winner Marboosha (Dream Ahead {USA}) also joins the cohort heading to Brave Smash. “She’s related to Ameena and will go to Brave Smash.” Marboosha’s dam Boomex (Exceed And Excel) is a half-sister to Ameena’s dam Emaan.
A wide range of choices
“One who is a bit outside the box is Hanseatic. He was a tough racehorse and reports so far are that there are some nice ones out there so we will take a risk on him.
“We will send a few mares to Extreme Choice.
“We are sending Najmaty to Farnan, and Mura Mura to Home Affairs.”
Najmaty when racing | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Dual Listed winner Najmaty (I Am Invincible) won four of her 14 starts and her first foal is a Russian Revolution colt born recently. She is a full sister to Group 3 winner Charm Stone who Emirates Park sold as a yearlings to Sheamus Mills Bloodstock for $1.55 million.
Winning mare Mura Mura (Not A Single Doubt) was bought by Emirates Park as a broodmare for $600,000 at the Magic Millions National Sale in 2022 and her dam, Mount Zero (Northern Meteor), is a stakes placed winning daughter of Listed winner Beauty School (Royal Academy {USA}). This is the family of Farnan.
| Mare | Sire | 2024 Booking | 2024 Foal | 2023 Yearling | 2022 2-Year-Old |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ana Jaahzr | Better Than Ready | Tassort | |||
| Balaabel | Not A Single Doubt | Brave Smash | Tassort or Capitalist | ||
| Ebhaar | I Am Invincible | Brave Smash | Proisir | ||
| Enthaar | Written Tycoon | Tassort | Tassort filly | ||
| Estijaab | Snitzel | Tassort | Tassort | Gun Runner colt | Night Of Thunder filly |
| Liwa | Mulaazem | Brave Smash | Extreme Choice | Tassort filly | |
| Marboosha | Dream Ahead | Brave Smash | Zoustar | I Am Invincible filly | |
| Mathkhoora | I Am Invincible | Brave Smash | |||
| Mossfun | Mossman | Brave Smash | Justify | Tassort filly | Capitalist filly |
| Mura Mura | Not A Single Doubt | Home Affairs | Tassort or I Am Invincible | Flying Artie colt | |
| Najmaty | I Am Invincible | Farnan | Russian Revolution colt | ||
| One More Honey | Onemorenomore | Tassort | Gun Runner filly | ||
| Red Lodge | Midshipman | Tassort | Justify | Zoustar filly | I Am Invincible filly |
| Shumookh | Dream Ahead | Tassort | Brave Smash | Tassort colt | I Am Invincible colt |
| Tajneed | I Am Invincible | Brave Smash | |||
| Tumooh | Fastnet Rock | Tassort | Capitalist colt |
This article was written by Renee Geelen for TTRAusNZ.
