Tarzino adds to Derby dynasty

Tavistock has been a supreme source of classic success with no fewer than six Derby-winning sons, and now one of those six has achieved something that not even the former Cambridge Stud star could.
The 2015 Victoria Derby winner Tarzino, who stands at Westbury Stud, sired his first Group One winner when Jungle Magnate impressively outstayed his opposition in Saturday’s South Australian Derby at Morphettville.
A member of the very first crop of Tarzino, Jungle Magnate has catapulted his sire into territory not even Tavistock could charter. The first three-year-old crop of Tavistock included Group One winner Volkstok’n’barrell, but no Derby winners.
Volkstok’n’barrell won the Rosehill Guineas and placed in both the New Zealand Derby and its Australian equivalent at Randwick. Another first-crop star for Tavistock was Werther, who placed in the Queensland Derby and South Australian Derby before going on to great things in Hong Kong – including a Hong Kong Derby triumph as a four-year-old and Horse of the Year honours.
Tavistock’s second crop featured Tarzino and the Australian Derby victor Tavago, along with Singapore Derby winner Infantry. More recent seasons have added even more to Tavistock’s Derby legacy, through the deeds of Victoria Derby hero Johnny Get Angry and this year’s New Zealand Derby winner Asterix.
Now Tarzino is taking over that tradition from his late sire, with Jungle Magnate an early Derby-winning headline act. Tarzino is also the sire of 14 other first-crop winners, including Gypsy Goddess, who won the Gr. 3 Grand Prix in Brisbane in December and has since placed in the Gr. 1 Australian Oaks and Vinery Stud Stakes. She is currently rated a $2.80 favourite for the Queensland Oaks on June 4.
“When you’re standing stallions, what happened in the South Australian Derby on Saturday was exactly the sort of result you dream about – an Australian Group One winner in the first three-year-old crop,” Westbury Stud’s general manager Russell Warwick told RaceForm earlier this week.
“We’ve always promoted Tarzino as a classic sire and have been hoping to see him fulfil those ambitions, so it was enormously satisfying.
“He also has the quality filly Gypsy Goddess, who ran second in the Australian Oaks and was probably unlucky not to go closer to winning the race – the extremely heavy track at Randwick that day didn’t particularly suit her.
“So to have a pair of Derby and Oaks performers in Australia from his first three-year-old crop really is an outstanding start.
“Tavistock had a Group One winner in his first crop with Volkstok’n’barrell, but it was a bit later on that he really started hitting those great heights – two Derby winners in Australia the following season, plus Werther in Hong Kong.
“Tarzino is by Tavistock out of a Zabeel mare, and both of those stallions probably didn’t do a great deal until their first three-year-olds got to about December. That was when they started to come out of the woodwork, and Tarzino seems to be following a similar trajectory. It’s exciting.”
Jungle Magnate was bred by Westbury Stud owner Gerry Harvey and is the first named foal out of the Casino Prince mare The Love Of Money. He was offered in Westbury’s draft at Karaka 2020, where co-trainer Mick Price secured him for $75,000.
“There are a few really nice touches around this result,” Warwick said. “Gerry bred Jungle Magnate and has 10 per cent of the ownership, and of course he’s in the stable of Mick Price, who trained Tarzino and has been a big supporter. So you could say there were a lot of omens attached, and it was special to see him deliver that result.
“The South Australian Derby has often been seen as probably being at the lower end of the main three or four Derby races in Australia, but I think this edition was a particularly strong one. You had Alegron, who placed in the Victoria Derby and Australian Derby, along with others like the Group Two-placed Commander Harry and Ciaron Maher’s very promising Detonator Jack.
“I think we’ll look back on the South Australian Derby in the future and say it was a pretty strong renewal of the race.
“Jungle Magnate was the first named foal out of the mare, who’s since produced a Telperion gelding who’s over in Australia, and then a Reliable Man filly that we’ve retained. Unfortunately the mare’s not in foal at the moment, but you can be pretty sure she’ll be going back to Tarzino in the spring.”
Meanwhile, the weekend produced another satisfying result for Westbury with Swiss Exile winning the Gr. 2 Spirit Of Boom Classic in Brisbane. The two-year-old filly, also bred by Harvey, became the first Australian Group winner for Swiss Ace as a broodmare sire.
“He’s going tremendously well as a broodmare sire, Swiss Ace,” Warwick said. “He has four individual stakes winners now, including that Group Two in Australia. He’s also the broodmare sire of Park Avenue, who won at Scone over the weekend. He’s tracking at just under 7 per cent stakes winners to runners, which is outstanding at such an early stage of his career as a broodmare sire. Anyone who has a Swiss Ace mare would be feeling quite comfortable at the moment.
“Now we’re hoping we can add to that in the weeks and months ahead, particularly with Sharp ’N’ Smart heading across the Tasman to contest the Gr. 1 JJ Atkins – he’s by Redwood out of a Swiss Ace mare.”