Windsor Park Stud boss Rodney Schick admits he is on edge as two of his new stallions attempt to gild their stud credentials in interstate Group One features in Australia this weekend.
Schick is looking forward to welcoming Encosta de Lago four-year-old Vanbrugh and Street Cry four-year-old Rageese later this winter to Windsor Park, where they will serve their first book of mares in the spring.
But first there's the opportunity to enhance their stud value with further Group One assignments pending.
Rageese will tackle Saturday's Gr.1 Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville in South Australia for trainer Darren Weir, while the Chris Waller-trained Vanbrugh contests the Gr.1 Doomben Cup (2000m) in Queensland just under 20 minutes earlier.
"It's a huge thing to have these two young stallions running in Group One races on the same day. Hopefully it can all come together," said Schick, whose parents Nelson and Sue Schick first took a financial interest in Windsor Park Stud in 1970.
"It's exciting but bloody nerve-racking at the same time. Mum's going over to Brisbane to watch Vanbrugh but we've got a bit going on at the farm so I'm staying home. It's probably the best place for me."
Rageese, to be ridden by Damian Lane, was a winner of the Gr.3 L'Oreal Paris Stakes (1400m) at Flemington during Melbourne Cup week and Group One-placed in the ATC Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) at Randwick at just the third start of his career.
"He won the Listed Nitschke Stakes at his only previous start at Morphettville by four or five lengths last year as a three-year-old so he's been there and done it before," Schick said.
"Morphettville suits him and Darren's happy with him. He's a good chance."
Rageese holds an entry for the Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm on June 10, a race in which Thorn Park claimed his ninth win and first at Group One level at his final start before retiring to Windsor Park in 2004.
Vanbrugh already has a Group One win to his credit, having claimed the Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick last season on a good track.
"With the right ground on Saturday, he'll be right in the race. I spoke to Chris last night and he was thrilled with his work last Thursday and again on Tuesday. He was just hoping the track wasn't too bad," Schick said.
"Either way, they've both done enough and will make terrific stallions. It's the first time I can remember that we've had three new stallions coming in.
"We bought these two horses early on and the opportunity to buy Turn Me Loose after that was a huge one for us and one too good to pass up. To have three horses of this quality coming in is very exciting."
Vanbrugh, a winner at two and hailing from the family of Group One winners Diademe and Sacred Star, would take his earnings past $1 million with success on Saturday.
"We've invested heavily in stallions in the last three or four years," Schick said.
"We lost Thorn Park a few years ago when he was right at the top of his game and that hit us pretty hard. But rather than letting it affect us, we've really worked on getting the right stallions on the farm with Charm Spirit, Mongolian Khan, Shamexpress and Rip Van Winkle before these new three.
"With the industry's commitment to increasing prizemoney, there are bigger incentives to race horses in New Zealand. There are positive things happening in New Zealand racing and we think it's a good time to be backing the industry. It all starts with breeding - that's where the early investment lies.
"Vanbrugh's got all the credentials and in Rageese, you've got a son of Street Cry, the hottest blood in the world at the moment, and from the family of Emancipation. He's out of a Dehere mare, who's out of a Sunday Silence mare who's out of a Danehill mare. It's a great genetic structure."
