Okita Soushi out for Caulfield G1 win, just like mum

When Coolmore bought Amicus in 2016, it did so with the dream of seeing the daughter of Fastnet Rock create offspring capable of winning some of the world’s best races.

It was around the time Coolmore bought a number of well-bred Australian mares to join some of their own stock in heading to Ireland to be served by supersire Galileo.

The exercise created an Epsom Derby winner in Anthony Van Dyck (who is out of Belive’N’Succeed), Hong Kong star Russian Emperor (Atlantic Jewel) and Warm Heart (Sea Siren), who has won two Group 1s in Europe this year.

This Saturday, on the other side of the world, Okita Soushi will aim to add the Caulfield Cup to the list when he contests the $5 million Group 1.

The Joseph O’Brien-trained six-year-old is the first foal for Amicus, whose crowning glory came at the 2014 Caulfield Cup Carnival, where she won the Group 1 Thousand Guineas.

Coolmore is not part of the ownership of Okita Soushi, who was sold as a young horse and carries the colours of Japanese owner Toshihiro Matsumoto, but he is further validation of the exercise and the global giant is as keen as anyone to see Okita Soushi win given it still owns Amicus.

“Those mares who were purchased here in Australia to go up to be covered by Galileo, it’s all coming to fruition now,” Coolmore marketing manager Tom Moore said.

“There was Anthony Van Dyck, who won an Epsom Derby – he’s out of Believe’N’Succeed – you’ve got Warm Heart, a multiple Group 1 winner this year, who is out of Sea Siren, and now Okita Soushi is running in a Caulfield Cup.

“It certainly was a worthwhile exercise.”

Amicus was bought privately by Coolmore at the completion of her racing career, the highlight of which was her win in the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m), while she also won the Let’s Elope Stakes (1400m) and Breeders Classic (1200m) at Group 2 level and the Group 3 Toy Show Quality (1300m).

That record ensured her purchase price would have been substantially more than the $500,000 her trainer Chris Waller paid for her at the 2013 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Amicus is out of the El Moxie mare Gold Chant, who is a half-sister to Starspangledbanner, whose biggest Australian successes also came at Caulfield – in the Caulfield Guineas (1600m) and Oakleigh Plate (1100m).

She had Galileo waiting for her at her first five trips to the covering shed and it was that first meeting that produced Okita Soushi, who won a 2414m maiden at Fairyhouse on debut and ran second in the Listed Orby Stakes (2414m) two starts later.

Okita Soushi didn’t win again until February this year, in a modest four-year-old-and-up race on the Dundalk synthetic at his eighth start, but followed that up with another victory at the same track and two starts later won the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes (2414m) at Royal Ascot.

The entire booked his trip to Melbourne with a third placing in the Group 1 Irish St Leger (2816m) at The Curragh on August 20.

Okita Soushi, who has 51.5kg in the Caulfield Cup, has drawn barrier 12 and will be ridden by Kerrin Mcevoy, who won the 2008 Caulfield Cup aboard All The Good.

Amicus’s only other foal to race is Chief Little Rock, who Coolmore has retained and saw win a Leopardstown maiden at start number two before finishing second in both the Group 2 Beresford Stakes (1609m) and Group 3 Autumn Stakes (1609m) at his only two subsequent outings.

Amicus also has a yearling colt by Galileo, the last of her foals by the legendary stallion before his death in July 2021.

Galileo’s passing prompted Coolmore to revisit their strategy with their Australian mares and Amicus was last year served by Frankel before returning to Australia, alongside Sea Siren.

Amicus delivered a colt early in September and at the start of this week was covered by St Mark’s Basilica, who carries Galileo blood being out of one of his daughter’s Cabaret.

“Amicus has only had two to race and they’re both Black Type performers by Galileo and St Mark’s Basilica himself is out of a Galileo mare, so we thought it made sense to send her to St Mark’s Basilica,” Moore said.

“Particularly with her being a Fastest Rock mare, because we’ve already seen a number of highly rated St Mark’s Basilica foals out of Fastnet Rock mares.

“She comes from such a great family, the family of Starspangledbanner, so she’s an important mare for us.”