Twice-raced Tassort a surprise addition to Newgate Farm stallion roster

Godolphin colt Tassort has been announced as a surprise addition to Newgate Farm’s stallion roster for 2020, with the farm - in conjunction with partners Emirates Park Stud - banking on the former star juvenile’s X-factor, his top-notch pedigree and his commercial appeal at an affordable price to attract breeders.

Tassort, the half-brother to Group 1 winners Alizee and Astern will stand for A$11,000 (inc GST), with Newgate’s director of stallions Bruce Slade admitting that the farm is taking a chance with a colt who appeared capable of achieving anything on the racetrack.

“I think it's going to come as a little bit of a shock and a surprise to the market that he is standing under the Newgate banner, but he’s a horse we just felt deserved his chance,” Slade said.

“Obviously, he raced in the Godolphin colours and I think everyone’s first memory of the horse is that he is that X-factor horse who was the early favourite for the Golden Slipper. Everyone was so excited after his debut to see where he’d go and where he’d get to, but unfortunately, due to injury, he was never able to fulfil the potential that he had shown on debut.”

That debut was an electric five-and-a-quarter-length victory in the Golden Gift at Rosehill in November 2018. It was a win that saw Tassort assume early favouritism for that season’s Golden Slipper, with form analysts rating his performance through the roof.

The Rating Bureau’s Daniel O’Sullivan declared it a “Group 1 class” performance that was “stamped by a sharp turn of foot, terrific late strength and fast overall time”, placing him in rarefied company.

Unfortunately, the colt only raced once more, when he was sent out as an odds-on favourite in the Silver Slipper at Rosehill. Slow from the stalls, he settled near the rear in an evenly-run race, making ground late into second but unable to reel in Time To Reign.

“We had key indicators through this horse’s career that told us he was elite and he just never had the chance to show it,” Slade said.

“We are big on time ratings and data. Daniel O’Sullivan from The Ratings Bureau gave this guy a 103 on debut when he won. He was impressive to the eye that day but when the time data came back, it said, listen, this is as impressive a two-year-old debut that we’ve seen since the likes of Estijaab and Extreme Choice.

"To be honest, at the time, we thought we had a colt to be really concerned about on the racetrack, wearing our Newgate cap!

“Obviously we never got to see that ability but on the back of that debut, James McDonald came out and said he was the real deal and James Cummings was very much of the same opinion, he had a very high opinion of the horse. Everyone who had something to do with him plus the time data suggested he had the ability to be that real elite performer.

Slade continued: “At the end of the day, for all of us, our key criterion for any young stallion standing at Newgate is that elite race performance. Horses don’t have to win their Group 1s, but if they showed elite performance, they generally are your best chance of becoming an important stallion.

“I just feel you only have to look at the general sires list to see that. They are either proper, proper Group 1 horses, or they were horses who had that ability but didn’t get to showcase their true potential.

“They were horses of the ilk of I Am Invincible, who had exceptional speed. Every trainer that had him would tell you he was a Group 1-class horse, he just had his own issues with his feet.

“Not A Single Doubt was an unbelievable two-year-old, as good as we have probably ever seen without winning his Group 1. Both of them have turned out to be really important stallions.”

Tassort followed a very similar career trajectory to his dam Essouaira. She was backed into Golden Slipper favouritism in 2009 after a six-length win on debut at Moonee Valley, but at her second start in a Listed race at Caulfield, she bucked soon after the jump and finished down the track. She never raced again.

However, at stud, she has become a valuable commodity, producing two Group 1 winners in Alizee and Astern, as well as stakes-placed Tassort and Mogador, from six foals to race.

“That pedigree really stands out to us,” Slade said. “He’s by Brazen Beau who’s doing such a great job, he’s a grandson of I Am Invincible, and he’s also out of that great mare Essaouira who has been such an elite producer already in her short broodmare career. She’s done it twice with Alizee and Astern, who's to say she won’t do it again and again?

“He’s got the pedigree, he’s a good-looking horse too, he’s 15.3, square, great-actioned horse, great jowl, he’s exactly what you’d like to see in a horse that’s going to leave two-year-olds and then horses that can train on at three.

“Physically and commercially I think breeders are going to find him very easy to mate to. He’s got the good looks to be a nice commercial prospect for breeders at that fee, where there is plenty of upside.

Tassort represents a partnership between Newgate Farm and Emirates Park Stud, with Slade saying that they are basing a breeding rights deal for the three-year-old on a similar offer that was given to early investors in I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit).

“The way we’re going to structure his deal is going to give him a terrific opportunity at stud,” Slade said. “He’s a horse that was purchased by Emirates Park from Godolphin. We were then very grateful to be given the opportunity to buy into the horse with Emirates Park and stand him at Newgate Farm.

“We have committed 20 mares to match Emirates Park’s 20 mares and I’d suggest somewhere closer to 50 good mares is closer to the figure that he’ll reach between our two operations. That should give him a really good start to his career.

“On top of that, we’re going to do a breeding rights deal on the horse, very similar to what was done with the Yarraman Park boys, the Mitchells, with I Am Invincible.

“We will essentially be selling breeding rights to good breeders who have been supportive of us over the years. The way they will secure their breeding right is to send a mare in his first season at that fee and then send a mare in his second season at that same price and then pay both service fees per the terms and they will secure a breeding right in the horse for the long-term upside of the young stallion.

“Hopefully, people see that as a really nice opportunity whereby, at a very low level, they not only have the chance of commercial success in the short-term but in the long-term they have a share of Tassort’s upside as he goes on and proves his worth as a stallion.”

Tassort will be available to inspect next week along with Newgate’s Inglis Chairman’s Sale draft.

“He’s a really exciting horse, I can’t wait to show him to breeders,” Slade said. “I think we’ve really learnt that those good-looking horses that can produce good-looking stock, they not only increase the breeder’s short-term commercial prospects but it also helps them to get into the right stables and gives them their chance from there on.”

Tassort is the first of Newgate’s freshman stallions to have his fee announced for 2020, with Doncaster Mile winner Brutal among those to be unveiled in the coming weeks.

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