With Schwarz now securing his first Group 1 victory, the focus has shifted to determining his next steps before he transitions to stud. A potential campaign in England is among the possibilities being considered.
Co-trainer John O’Shea stated on Monday morning that Rosemont Stud would ultimately decide the path forward for the Zoustar colt, but the timing suggests he may have one last run before his retirement.
The leading domestic option is the $1 million Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm on May 31, formerly known as the BTC Cup. However, connections are also weighing the prospect of sending him to Royal Ascot for the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (1200m) in June.
“The options for him will be to run in the BTC sprint in Brisbane and then there’s also an option to dally with the concept of giving him another try down the straight, but with a better preparation,” O’Shea told RSN927.
“Come to Melbourne, try him down the straight in a trial and if he was to trial well then there’s obviously the option to run him at Ascot.
“They would be the two options for the horse, if he is going to run again.
“He’ll definitely go to stud this year, he’d be well-patronised, he’s got an amazing pedigree and he’s an outstanding-looking individual.
“He ticks a lot of boxes in terms of a future stallion prospect.”
Schwarz claimed his maiden Group 1 win in the William Reid Stakes, marking his sixth career victory from 12 starts. While he has previously won at Flemington, his only straight-track attempt resulted in a seventh-place finish in last year’s Group 3 Rising Fast Stakes (1200m), where Maharba took the win.
Although that performance was below expectations, O’Shea believes Schwarz could perform much better with a different approach.
“I’m a great believer in historical precedents and I think that the right horses to take to Ascot are horses that have run well in a Lightning or a Newmarket,” O’Shea, who trains in partnership with Tom Charlton, said.
“In that sense, he doesn’t meet the criteria but the one time that we did run him down the straight, if I had my time over again I would have done it differently.”
Schwarz’s victory was a significant achievement for the Rosemont-led Victorian Alliance, which has invested over $20 million across yearling sales in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
A $1.25 million acquisition at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Schwarz is out of Not A Single Doubt mare Summer Sham, whose granddam is a half-sister to Redoute’s Choice.
