‘Party time for in-demand colt’s breeder

As the managing owner of untapped colt Steparty, Greg Baldwin hasn’t been short on for advice in the last couple of weeks.

The Artie Schiller two-year-old created a huge impression with a 3-1/2-length Flemington win on June 10, which followed a soft debut victory at Ballarat, initiating a flood of eye-popping offers from both Australia and abroad.

Plenty have urged Baldwin and his co-owners to take the cash, but the fact Steparty is lining up for another start at Flemington this Saturday underlines their commitment to keep him in Horsham trainer Paul Preusker’s care.

“I did a ring around about the Tuesday after he ran (at Flemington) and there was hardly any interest in selling whatsoever,” Baldwin said.

“A lot of the people involved have been in horses all their lives and they’ve been trying to get one of these, not sell one.

“One bloke said he’d just gone into a syndicate that spent $900,000 trying to get (a good) one and another bloke said, ‘I’m 75 years old and I’ll never get another one like this’.”

Baldwin felt no need to try and change their minds as retaining Steparty means he gets first-hand enjoyment out of the ride with the horse he describes as the best he has bred.

He has experienced victory at the highest level via Australian Guineas winner Lunar Fox, whom he houses on the family’s 500-acre property at Gre Gre, around 20m west of St Arnaud, but he was a colt Baldwin and partners bought as a yearling.

Baldwin bought Steparty’s dam, Watch Your Step, from Mick Leonard, who paid $13,000 for the daughter of Sepoy at the 2019 Great Southern Sale, when Leonard was looking to downsize his broodmare band.

That was the year after Watch Your Step had given birth to her first foal, Scissor Step – a son of Toronado who also runs at Flemington this Saturday – and when she was carrying a filly by Adelaide.

Baldwin turned to regular breeding confidants Tim and Brian Kelly for advice on who to send Watch Your Step to and settled on Artie Schiller, who stood for $11,000 at the time.

Steparty was an impressive foal, developed well and handled his education process so adeptly that Preusker saw no need to suggest he be gelded.

Baldwin was keen to race Steparty but wanted some co-owners to share the ride and with the help of Ric McIntosh brought in a number of owners and syndicates who have small percentages.

“Ballarat was almost a relief, just to get a win, and now whatever he does is a bonus,” Baldwin said.

“We know we’ve got a good horse and we’re all happy.”

Saturday’s 1420m Rod Johnson Handicap, in which last-start winners Blazing Harry, Bolted In and Sandual are also engaged, presents a new challenge with Steparty racing beyond 1200m for the first time.

“We’re hoping he’ll get 1400, it looks like he will,” Baldwin said.

“Time will tell, but Paul just wants to feel him out and see. If you go back through the breed, they get to 1400 – after that there might be a bit of query – but we’ll just have to see what this bloke’s like.”

Proving himself at 1400m would open extra avenues in spring for Steparty and only heighten Baldwin’s excitement around eight-year-old Watch Your Step’s progeny to come.

“She’s got a really nice Rich Enuff filly that’s at the breakers at the moment and is a week away from coming home, I was hoping to retain her for breeding, and she’s in-foal to Fierce Impact,” Baldwin said.