Smart colt First Settler (Written Tycoon) added a new dimension to his CV when he was exposed early down the vast Flemington straight but found enough in hand to defeat a host of well-credentialed rivals, including Just Like Gaby (Pierata), the daughter of multiple Group 1 winner Loving Gaby (I Am Invincible).
Saturday’s performance followed his debut effort at Caulfield, where he stamped his class over 1000 metres on 29 June.
Trained by Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr, Price was on course to witness First Settler keep his unbeaten record intact. In his usual style, Price underplayed his opinion but indicated that the colt will head towards the G1 Coolmore Stud S. in the spring.
X-factor shown
The son of Written Tycoon was bred by Gerry Harvey and presented by his Baramul Stud at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale, where he attracted a bid of $750,000 from Yulong and Mick Price Racing and Breeding.
Baramul Stud’s racing manager Luke McDonald reflected on the colt from his early days, “Those good horses always stick out, even from birth.
“He was an exceptionally well-muscled horse that kept progressing, and we kept coming back to him. That year, and every year, Baramul Stud has a good draft, but there were three colts that stood out in 2023, and First Settler was one of them.
“Physically, he was just a ball of muscle. Very robust, strong, and well-proportioned. For a colt, he had this real intelligence about him. So, we sort of knew from an early age that he had a bit of x-factor about him, and he used to walk around with a bit of confidence and looked the part.
“If you lined First Settler up with a hundred horses, nine times out of ten, the good judges would put their finger on him, and we were thrilled with the price of $750,000.”
First Settler races in Yulong’s bottle green colours, and his other owners include Yu Long Investments, R & C Legh Racing Pty Ltd, R Smith, M T Greenhalgh, N A Greenhalgh, Gerry Harvey, R G Mulcaster, and G1G Colts & Breeding Pty Ltd.
“That year, and every year, Baramul Stud has a good draft, but there were three colts that stood out in 2023, and First Settler was one of them.” – Luke McDonald
“The ownership group speaks for itself. It doesn’t take a genius to work out who’s in it, and it’s a very collective group. So, it’s onwards and upwards; very exciting stuff.”
Stallion-making family
First Settler is the third colt from the Street Cry (Ire) mare Graciousness, who won over 1600 metres. She is a daughter of the Listed-placed Lady Capel (Last Tycoon {Ire}), a sensational broodmare and full sister to Palia, the dam of the G1 Champagne S. victor Onemorenomore.
Lady Capel is the dam of the G1 Chipping Norton S. winner Casino Prince, now a Group 1-producing sire at Vinery Stud. Her son Tagus (Encosta De Lago) won 10 races, including the G3 Tramway H., and Lord Of The Land counted the Listed Aspiration H. and Listed Christmas Cup among his seven victories.
Another son, Metallurgical (Redoute’s Choice), kept the family tradition going, winning six races, including the Listed Hinkler H., and his full brother Reflectance won eight and was stakes-placed.
Lady Capel’s daughter, Chateau Cheval (High Chaparral {Ire}), won three races but has been better at stud, producing Best Of Bordeaux, a winner of the G2 Silver Slipper S., the G2 Roman Consul S., and the G3 Canonbury S. He was also placed in the G1 Golden Slipper and the G1 Manikato S. before retiring to Coolmore.
Like her half-sister Chateau Cheval, Graciousness has also proved more adept in the breeding barn than on the racetrack. Her first foal, Vienna Princess (Snitzel), won the Listed Twilight Glow S. and the Silver Eagle. Graciousness’s second foal, Cordiality (Zoustar), is also a winner this season, followed by the unbeaten First Settler.
“First Settler hails from an outstanding family. His pedigree is as good as you can get—a stallion-making family.
“First Settler hails from an outstanding family. His pedigree is as good as you can get—a stallion-making family.” – Luke McDonald
“His sister, Vienna Princess, is a stakes winner, and he looks like he’s going to contribute black-type down the track. First Settler has been running exceptionally good times, and on Saturday, he was exposed from a long way out. He really was entitled to get beaten, but he was so tough to the line.
“I think that’s a real feather in his cap and means he’s going to be versatile. It appears he’ll be able to go back, go forward, and switch off wherever he is. That’s also just part of his natural intelligence, which he has exhibited from an early age.
“The conditions were rain-affected, but I think on top of the ground, he’s going to go to another level.”
Debut delayed but worth the wait
Patience is a virtue, and the connections of First Settler have shown plenty of it. The son of Written Tycoon was set to make his debut in the Listed Debutant S. at Caulfield, a race won by Coleman (Pierata). However, his debut was put on hold when barrier antics saw him scratched from the contest.
Instead, he made his debut at Caulfield on 29 June. Although there were initial disappointments, McDonald admits that the delay didn’t hurt the colt. “Everything happens for a reason. We were disappointed because personally, I think if he had lined up in the Debutant S. he would have already ticked that black-type box.
“But look, the time was fantastic. He stayed mostly in work and had a little break. When he returned, he came back taller. So, it definitely didn’t hurt him but at the same time, it would have been nice to get that stakes performance on his CV as a stallion prospect.
“However, I think he’s done enough to stamp himself as a horse to watch for the spring, and of course, if he’s good enough, he’s going to get that black-type. As Mick outlined in the Racing.com interview, a few races have been circled with the hope of getting to the Coolmore Stud S. in the spring.
“We see no reason why we wouldn’t try. He’s executed his races exceptionally well to date and he deserves a let-up now. When he comes back, he’s going to have enough prizemoney to contest these better races.”
Street Cry mares worth their weight in gold
Graciousness is currently in foal to Snitzel, carrying a full sibling to Vienna Princess. She has a colt by Zoustar on the ground, while her 2022 Snitzel colt was passed in at this year’s Magic Millions National Yearling Sale.
“She’s a daughter of Street Cry, and they’re just worth their weight in gold. Gerry’s got a huge broodmare band, and we’ve got a lot of Street Cry mares, and I find they’re the best ones.
“They stamp their foals with length of body; mind you, they are in proportion, but the length creates this huge overstep. If you lined up Vienna Princess with First Settler, they are different horses.
“They are by two different sires that stamp their progeny in their own way. First Settler is a really well-muscled Written Tycoon. They can tend to be more athletic, but he’s just a bull. Interestingly, Vienna Princess actually has more scope than First Settler.
“But she has shown to be more of a 1400-metre horse. It is going to be interesting what her next foal by Snitzel looks like. She’s also got a Zoustar, and that was a completely different horse.
“So, Graciousness foals aren’t exactly the same models. But she passes on similar attributes mentally. She definitely puts her intelligence into these animals, where they just know what their role is and get on with the job; they eat, they sleep, and they repeat.
With Written Tycoon serving a closed book Graciousness will not return to the union that created First Settler.
“Written Tycoon is a closed book. But she’ll go either to Zoustar, I Am Invincible, or Snitzel. She’s got a 2023 Zoustar model on the floor, and she’s in foal to Snitzel and due to foal pretty early.
“She’s a blueblood, and they’re hard to come by. With Gerry’s matings, we tend to do our blueblood broodmare matings first and work down from there. Graciousness is probably one of the top of the pile, her and Chateau Cheval.”
This article was written by Keely Mckitterick for TTR AusNZ.
