Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)
A sensational few weeks for Stephen Marsh’s three-year-olds kept rolling on at Tauranga on Saturday when Swiss Prince (El Roca) led home a quinella for the Cambridge trainer in the Gr.2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m).
Marsh had previously won the Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) with Magic Carpet on September 27 and the Gr.2 Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) by almost seven lengths with Well Written on October 18.
Well Written is unbeaten in two starts and is a $2.50 favourite for the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton. For good measure, stablemate Little Black Dress ran second in the Soliloquy to book her own ticket to Christchurch for the 1000 Guineas next Saturday.
Marsh also holds a strong hand for the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) a week later, with Swiss Prince tightening from $14 into $4.50 following Saturday’s emphatic win.
The Sarten continued a campaign of constant improvement for Swiss Prince, who made his debut with a fifth over 1200m at Avondale on July 16. He followed that up with a second at Rotorua behind his highly talented stablemate Churmatt, whose future now lies offshore.
Swiss Prince went on to finish third behind Platinum Diamond and Churmatt in the Listed Wanganui Guineas (1200m) at the end of August, then ran second to Churmatt again at Ellerslie on September 20 before returning to the same venue to score an overdue maiden win on October 18.
Marsh had no hesitation in stepping Swiss Prince up against the best of his age group on Saturday, and his faith in the ever-improving gelding proved to be well placed.
Jockey Joe Doyle slotted Swiss Prince into a handy position in third along the rail as Too Darn Sweet set the early pace from the Marsh-trained filly To Cap It All.
All eyes were on To Cap It All at the home turn as she shook free of Too Darn Sweet and suddenly kicked right away from the field.
Romanoff and He Who Dares gave chase down the outside, but To Cap It All never came back to them and clearly had them both covered.
Instead the big challenge came through along the rail as Doyle drove Swiss Prince up alongside his stablemate. They fought a head-bobbing battle through the last 50m, with Swiss Prince pulling ahead in the final few strides to score by three-quarters of a length.
As well as being a quinella for Marsh, both Swiss Prince and To Cap It All also race in the turquoise, white and gold colours of owners Rosemary Carter and Brett Kendall.
“I watched the race with Brett and Rosemary, who are massive owners with us,” Marsh said. “I joked to them before the race, ‘Who knows? We might run the quinella.’
“Both horses have run great races today. Swiss Prince just keeps getting better and better and his condition is amazing. He won a maiden last start and stepped up again today and delivered again.
“I reckon he stamped Churmatt’s passport, he was the happiest one to see him go. But racing against a good horse like that probably helped him to learn his trade.
“He’s still getting better and I think he can certainly take the next step to the 2000 Guineas. He’ll wander back now, get hosed, go home, and nothing will worry him. He has to get on a plane now and go to a new environment, but he’ll be all over that too. Two weeks between runs is perfect and I’m really looking forward to getting him there.”
Doyle is equally enthusiastic about Swiss Prince’s 2000 Guineas prospects.
“He keeps showing us that there’s more there,” he said. “Well done to Stephen and his team. They’ve done a super job with him, although I’d say he doesn’t take a whole pile of looking after.
“He’s a real improver, he’s so honest, he has a great way of going and I think he’s going to eat up a mile in two weeks. I don’t think I’d swap him. I’m really looking forward to the Guineas, and whatever the weather is won’t worry him – he’ll go on any ground.”
Swiss Prince was bred by Westbury Stud owner Gerry Harvey and is by El Roca out of the Swiss Ace mare Phoenix. Westbury Stud offered the Sarten winner in Book 2 of Karaka 2024, where Rosemary Carter bought him for $130,000.
From a six-start career, Swiss Prince has now recorded two wins, two seconds and a third, earning $124,275.
While Swiss Prince’s initial focus is now the 2000 Guineas on November 15, Saturday’s win has also made him eligible for the $1 million bonus pool on offer in the NZB Kiwi (1500m) alongside its $4 million stake.
The Sarten Memorial was the first of nine races this season that are designated as Bonus Eligible. The winner of any of those races is eligible for a share of the lucrative bonus pool if they go on to finish in the top three in the NZB Kiwi at Ellerslie on March 7.
Marsh was also delighted with Saturday’s return to top form by Sarten runner-up To Cap It All. The daughter of Capitalist won the Listed Wellesley Stakes (1100m) on debut in January and later placed in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) and Gr.2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m). Her first three starts as a three-year-old had produced a third at Taupo, fifth in the Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) and fourth at Rotorua, beaten by more than three lengths on all three occasions.
“She was great today,” Marsh said. “We wanted to take bad luck out of the equation this time and put her in a forward spot to get an idea of how she’s tracking. She really kicked and it took a good horse to run her down.
“She’s nominated for both Guineas, but we’ll have a good think and talk to the owners about that. I’m just not totally sure if the Riccarton mile will be her friend at this stage.”
