IF Tasmania’s superstar threeyear-old Admiral makes it to Flemington for the Australian Guineas as planned, there’ll be a very recognisable face in the birdcage.

The son of Mossman and winner of eight of his 10 starts is part-owned by Star Thoroughbreds founder and proud Tasmanian Denise Martin.

On top of that, Admiral is trained by Martin’s brother-inlaw Barry Campbell.

Unarguably, the best three year-old to emerge from the Apple Isle since Alfa in the mid-nineties, Admiral won six of his seven starts as juvenile including the Elwick Stakes, Gold Sovereign and finally the Sires’ Produce Stakes by 3.5-lens with 60kgs on his back.

Admiral has taken up where he left off in this, his classic year with consecutive wins in the Launceston 3YO Trophy and again last Sunday taking out the Tasmanian Guineas by a cruisy 3-lens.

Martin is more than a partowner of Admiral, she effectively bred the horse.

Years ago, Martin bought a Jetball yearling filly in New Zealand for $20,000 that was eventually named, Entally, after one of Tasmania’s most historic houses.

While in Tasmania with Gai Waterhouse to support injured jockey Bev Buckingham, Martin was able to divide Entally among some of those attending the charity luncheon.

Entally was handy without being brilliant winning two races and placing on numerous occasions in Tasmania.

She proved to be a much more worthy broodmare with stakes placegetters National Trust and Reunification among her five foals.

“My brother-in-law Barry Campbell trained Entally and trained Reunification as well, she was a grand mare, she won about 12 races and was stakesplaced and won $190,000,” Martin explained.

“When she retired to stud, she produced her first foal — an unusually named colt by Elvstroem called Spud’s Pride.

“He won a couple of starts in Tassie and looked very promising and then in the middle of last year went to Sandown and very sadly died mid-race.

“The man who bought Reunificaiton to breed from was a Hobart based businessman called Dudley Clark and he wanted to develop his own training complex out of Hobart and bought a few horses,” Martin went on.

“So I got to talking to him and I said your mare (Reunification) deserves a chance in the Hunter.

“She’s a really grand performer, I said send her to Mossman because he’s an underrated horse and a really terrific sire.

“He is very moderately priced and he’s from a great family and I think he’s a horse that would produce a nice racehorse for you and if it’s a gelding they can train on till they’re seven or eight, they are really solid horses that like the wet.

“Well of course this is Admiral and unfortunately Dudley never saw because he was very ill with cancer and he sold Reunification in foal to Mossman to a great friend of mine, Bruno Calabro.

“Bruno asked me if I’d like to race the Mossman with him and another couple of friends and I sad ‘yes please’.

“He now looks to a very talented racehorse.”

 

Mossman is marshalling a Group 1 strike-force for the autumn carnivals with Golden Slipper Stakes winner Mossfun leading the team.  Co-trainer Michael Hawkes said it was still too early to pin-point a particular race but all the feature sprints in Melbourne and Sydney are in the mix.

“Mossfun had a good break after that virus in the spring and is thriving,” Hawkes reported.  “She looks magnificent and has grown a bit taller and a lot stronger.”

Mossman’s champion sprinter Buffering is having a break in readiness for another campaign after finishing sixth in the G1 Hong Kong Sprint last month.  “He started spelling at the Werribee quarantine centre and will rest for another three weeks before returning to work,” trainer Rob Heathcote said.   “He was off his game in Hong Kong and we’ve ruled out any further overseas campaigns.”

Heathcote bought a close relation to Buffering for $75,000 at the Magic Millions on Thursday.  The Mossman – Hussyanna yearling colt (Lot 319) is from a winning half-sister to his grand campaigner who has won 16 races and $4.88 million.