The Australian Bloodstock colours are no stranger to success in the Melbourne Cup and they are potentially going to be in contention again this year with progressive stayer Wine Dark Sea staking his claim with an overnight win in the Group III Geoffery Freer Stakes (1m 5 ½ f) at Newbury.
A four year-old Ulysses gelding trained by Harry Charlton, Wine Dark Sea was purchased as a possible Cups contender by Sonny Grebe and Australian Bloodstock after winning a handicap race at Carlisle in June by 13 lengths.
At his next start, Wine Dark Sea was only fifth at Newmarket, but burst back to top form with a clever ride from Hector Crouch, who led and set the tempo before kicking clear to beat Table Talk by a length and a half with the mighty Dubai Honour, who started favourite, in third place.
Sonny Grebe is the majority owner (51%) with Australian Bloodstock holding 29% of Wine Dark Sea, who has won four of 10 starts and will now go into quarantine before he heads to Australia for a tilt at our rich spring staying races.
Harry Charlton is looking forward to the challenge.
"We've got a story!" said Harry Charlton.
"People will latch on to the fact my brother Tom in Oz also has a Cup horse this year in King Pedro. When we sent Quest For More and Withhold to Melbourne, it was Tom who took them down but he then stayed in Australia and never came home. I've never been to Australia, so I had better go down there to see him."
Australian Bloodstock’s Jamie Lovett is hopeful he may have a horse that can follow in the footsteps of his past Cup winners Protectionist (Ger) and Gold Trip (Fr).
"With a nice light weight over the two miles of the Melbourne Cup, I think he'll run us a race," said Lovett.
"The key to our race is that you have to find a horse who is effective at a mile and a half, which Wine Dark Sea is.
"The dour staying types don't work in a Melbourne Cup. You also have to beat the handicapper, which we failed to do with Al Riffa last year. You need to get in with a winning weight, which he'll do. He's also a young horse on the up who probably doesn't yet have a ceiling."
Wine Dark Sea is certainly bred to stay all day and pedigree gurus will be excited about the 3 x 3 double cross of Arc winning blue hen Urban Sea.
He is the first winner from Ajwibah, an unraced sister-in-blood to Group I winning staying sire Sea the Moon from a family packed with elite staying stakes-winners and just for good measure, his second dam is by Monsun, a stallion that has left three Melbourne Cup winners – Fiorente IRE), Protectionist (Ger) and Almandin )Ger).
Wine Dark Sea is the tenth stakes-winner for Galileo’s Group I winning son Ulysses.
