Big Apple Provides Plenty of Bite for Two Bays

Big Apple ridden by Jamie Mott returns to the mounting yard after winning the Winsec Savings & Loans 3YO Maiden Plate at Wangaratta Racecourse on August 21, 2021 in Wangaratta, Australia. (David Thorpe/Racing Photos)

With a second at his first start and then victory at Wangaratta last Saturday, a decision not to sell a Manhattan Rain colt out of Antique (Metal Storm x Bonny Guest) could prove to be a good decision by Two Bays owner Ross Ferris.
The then colt was offered at the 2019 Inglis Great Southern Weanling Sale, but Ferris told his Stud Manager Rob Carlile to bring the horse home if he didn’t make an $80,000 reserve.
The horse reached $60,000, and the decision was made before the sale that Two Bays would race the son of Manhattan Rain if no one was prepared to part with the asking price.
The nicely named Big Apple, trained at Mornington by Matt Laurie, ran second on debut at Echuca over 1100m earlier this month, but scored by two lengths in the three-year-old maiden (1170m) at Wangaratta.
Two Bays paid $45,000 for the now 22-year-old Antique at the 2015 Australian Broodmare and Weanling Sale after she was offered by famed Western Australian breeder and owner Bob Peters.
Carlile said they are desperate to get a filly out of Antique who under Peter’s ownership had produced eight successive fillies – and a not a single colt. Five of the fillies were by Redoute’s Choice, one was by Anabaa and the other two were by Snitzel.
Two Bays first mating with Antique was to Redoute’s Choice but the filly she produced died shortly after birth.
Since then the mare has produced a colt (Arcadia Power) by Pride of Dubai; then came Big Apple, followed by a Toronado colt.
Now ready to foal to Manhattan Rain, Carlile said they are desperately hoping for a filly that they can race and then breed from.
But in the meantime, they couldn’t be happy with the now gelded Big Apple.
“He broke through and broke through well,” Carlile said.
“We were very, very happy.
‘’It was always the plan if he didn’t make his $80,000 reserve that we were going to race him. We liked him a lot and that was the deal with the reserve.”
“We never reoffered him as a yearling. We brought him home, took our time and broke him in.
“Sam White came back an offered just under reserve, but we were never going to let him go as he was too nice a horse and that was the plan from the start, can’t get $80 we bring him home.”
Carlile said Manhattan Rain could certainly get a good horse and they took the mare to him because of the cross Antique had with Redoute’s Choice.
“Redoute’s is no longer, and we were thinking is it the Redoute’s factor or the Canny Lad factor of the crossing with the mare, maybe it was Shantha’s Choice?” he said.
“We have been trying to get a filly out of the mare ever since.”
Carlile said Antique was due to foal to Manhattan Rain in three weeks and they had not done any testing to reveal whether they would get their long-awaited filly.
“It will be a surprise, and we are hoping for a filly, but you’d never know,” he said.
“The mare’s Toronado colt is also with Matt Laurie and has just been broken in, and he’ll race for Rob Cummings who bought him as a weanling (for $60,000).
“He is different style of horse, but is still very big and athletic, just a bit more raw then Big Apple”
Carlile said the weanling was sold on an Inglis online sale during COVID-19 and they didn’t think about keeping the colt.
“All we want out of the mare is a filly,” he said.
“If we get a filly she won’t even see a sale ring.”
“She has been a bit of an old marvel, best looking mare on the farm” he said.
“The thing is Bob Peters raced her and did most of the nurturing of the family, and he has still got most of her daughters. They are getting bred to Pierro and all those sorts of stallions and so it short it bodes well for us.”
Antique’s foal Arcadia (Redoute’s Choice) produced Arcadia Queen (Pierro), winner of six stakes races, including the Group 1 Kingston Town Classic, Caulfield Stakes and Mackinnon Stakes for prizemoney of $3.9 m.
Carlile said Antique had been pencilled in to go stud to this year, but it all depended on how she handles her latest foaling.
“She won’t be forced and she’ll let us now and if she pulls up okay and lets us now she can do another one, we’ll look at it, first thing first is her health” he said.
“She will have a home for life here, whether it’s in foal or retired as a nanny.”
Carlile said that Antique had been earmarked to go to Darley stallion Impending, if everything goes to plan.
He said Two Bays already has three goals on the ground so far this breeding season and had another 13 to go – six of those are for clients.
The soon to be born foals are by leading stallions, including Brazen Beau and Snitzel.
Carlile said one of the foals on the ground is by Spendthrift Australia’s stallion Omaha Beach, out of Edge Away (Hinchinbrook x Devoirs) and “ I couldn’t be happier with the foal, has a great head, shoulder and hip, much like himself.”
Edge Away is a half-sister to Jedastar (I Am Invincible) who sold for $1 million, in foal to Zoustar, at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale.
And Phil Campbell, who stands the Group 1 winning Manhattan Rain at his Blue Gum Farm, said the stallion covered 112 mares in the first year he stood at the Euroa property in 2017.
He got down to 80 the following season and around 60 for the past two seasons and Campbell suspects the stallion will stay around that number this season.
Campbell said while Big Apple won well, it would have been nice if another son of Manhattan Rain – three-year-old Jigsaw – had hung on in the Listed McKenzie Stakes at The Valley.
The Cindy Alderson trained colt just got nailed on the line by He’s Xceptional after leading in the $161,000 race over 1200m.
He said hopefully for Two Bays, Big Apple could go on.
“He is a big strong horse,” Campbell said.
He said it was going to be another big season at Blue Gum.
Manhattan Rain stands alongside Turffontein and Campbell said there was no doubt that both stallions could produce a decent horse.
“They have both been around for a little while and what you see is what you get, but absolutely they have got the capacity to throw a good one,” he said.
“It’s great to see horses like Jigsaw and hopefully something like Big Apple can take steps forward.

Thoroughbred Breeders Victoria Inc.