Stud tour sparks successful venture

[Wandering Eyes]

Attending a New Zealand stud tour could turn into a lucrative payday for Queensland trainers Maddysen and Tony Sears.

Maddysen Sears was invited on an Australian Young Trainers Tour hosted by New Zealand Thoroughbred Marketing in December, 2022, and the trip across the Tasman was the catalyst for the pair attending New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sales a month later and purchasing $1 million TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) contender Beau Dazzler (NZ) (Ardrossan).

“Dad (Tony Sears) is a Kiwi, so I have been over there quite a few times to see family, but last year I was invited on the young trainers tour (with New Zealand Thoroughbred Marketing),” Maddysen Sears told RadioTAB.

“I haven’t done anything like that, I haven’t even done a stallion tour here in Australia. The hospitality of each stud was second to none, they could not have been more accommodating. Every stud we went to, whether that be morning, mid-day or afternoon, there were caterers. Anything you could possibly need or want they had.

“The different type of horse they have over there compared to Australia, they are big, strong horses. It was very interesting and is something I will cherish and take with me through my career.

“We went over for the Karaka sales and brought home six yearlings. It is very exciting in our first year of buying from there that we are able to take one back for the race (Karaka Millions).”

One of those six was Beau Dazzler, who the father-and-daughter training partnership, along with bloodstock agents Paul Moroney and Catheryne Bruggeman, went to $85,000 to secure out of Mapperley Stud’s 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 2 Yearling Sale draft.

He has gone on to win one and place in two of his three career starts to date, including claiming the Listed Phelan Ready (1000m) at Eagle Farm last month.

While only facing three other contenders in the race, Sears was pleased with his performance, which was franked by a second placing behind Magic Millions Wyong 2YO Classic (1100m) runner-up Spywire (Trapeze Artist) at the Gold Coast last Saturday.

“He has always shown a lot. He is a very quirky horse, he is quite cheeky,” Sears said.

“Even though it was a small field in the Phelan Ready, his sectional times were fantastic, which is what you go off.

“On the weekend, we didn’t think we could beat Spywire, but all we wanted to see was him doing exactly what he did because he is going to 1200m. Paul Moroney, who we work closely with, said a Karaka Millions horse is a 1300-1400m horse the way the race is run.

“To see him attack the line how he did was fantastic. I think over 1200m it would have been a closer finish because he ran really fast sectionals.”

Sears is now looking forward to crossing the Tasman with the son of Ardrossan and tackling the Karaka Millions 2YO at the newly revamped Ellerslie Racecourse on January 27.

“We are really looking forward to taking him over there. We are staying at Pukekohe Park with Sarah Fahy,” Sears said.

“We are lucky enough that Waikato Stud is going to take him for the week after he races. They are picking him up from the racecourse and he is going to experience the high life in a nice, big paddock in the Waikato for a week before he flies out.”

The Sears are pleased to have secured regular jockey Robbie Dolan for the ride.

“He was really excited about him after he won the Phelan Ready and then after the race on Saturday, Dad and I pulled him aside and had talk with him,” Sears said.

“We said ‘if you want to go and ride the horse, we would like you to go and ride him’ and he is more than happy to go over. He has got a pretty high opinion of the horse, as do we.”

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