Uni's BC Bid Latest Vindication For Euro Venture

Their subsequent dealings make it seem very apt that Nicolas de Watrigant and Bradley Weisbord first sealed their friendship through a migrant as effective as Mshawish (Medaglia d'Oro).

Both men shared a patron, either side of the Atlantic, in Al Shaqab–and when that operation switched Mshawish to Todd Pletcher from Mikel Dezangles, for whom he had finished fourth in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club, de Watrigant naturally wanted to stay on top of his progress. After all, he had found Mshawish for €170,000 at the Arqana breeze-ups (as a celebrated $10,000 Keeneland pinhook by Johnny Collins). Mshawish proceeded to win Grade Is on both turf and dirt and, meanwhile discovering a strong personal affinity, de Watrigant and Weisbord began to ask each other whether they might replicate that success for other clients.

The results have been pretty spectacular, with Uni (GB) (More Than Ready) heading to the GI Breeders' Cup Mile after her recent success in the GI First Lady S. at Keeneland–a race won last year, moreover, by another European export recommended by de Watrigant, A Raving Beauty (Ger) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}). These two elite scorers are among no fewer than seven to have been at least graded-stakes-placed from just 17 horses acquired between the founder of Mandore International and Weisbord's BSW Bloodstock since 2016. Another four have either won or placed at stakes level.

All but one of the 17 have been fillies. The solitary exception is Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), who was third in the GI Belmont Derby this summer on his first start for Chad Brown, as another to have run very well in the Prix du Jockey Club for his previous connections.

Since Simone Brogi had originally given just €12,000 for Rockemperor at the Arqana breeze-ups, a good profit was plainly banked. But while prices have evidently been going up, even in the relatively short span of their partnership, Weisbord and de Watrigant have been getting top value, too. A Raving Beauty, for instance, was acquired for €230,000 in a private sale after failing to meet her reserve at the Arqana December Sale in 2017–and was sold on to Japan, within the year, for $2-million at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale, straight after her close third in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf.

“We stole that filly,” says de Watrigant with a smile. “She was second in a Group 1 [Premio Lydia Tesio] a few weeks previous to the sale, but she was selling as a broodmare prospect so maybe people thought she wasn't sound. Anyway I called Brad right away and said this was the filly, for the first time ever I said we had to keep shares. I went down [to the Monceaux consignment] after she was unsold at €220,000, and 10 minutes after we did the deal they were taking calls and had to say: 'Sorry, Nicolas has already bought her.'”

A Raving Beauty resurfaced to win a Grade III at Belmont the following May and then won the GI Just A Game S. at Belmont.

“It was the same day Justify won the Triple Crown,” recalls de Watrigant. “Apart from my wedding and my kids' births, that was the best day of my life.”

“This was a really special horse,” agrees Weisbord. “Because number one, I'd never heard Nic say we have to keep a share in one, so we own 25% together; and number two, he was able to come over, experience Justify, and walk A Raving Beauty into the winner's circle. For him to do that, not only as agent but as part-owner, it saw the whole program come together.”

Whereas A Raving Beauty arrived with plenty of miles on the clock, Uni had already been scouted–in her case at a much earlier stage, having just won her first stake as a 3-year-old.

Significantly, while hardly the most imposing of fillies, Uni made such an immediate impression on Chad Brown that he departed from his standard practice.

“Chad usually takes his time off the plane, like he did with A Raving Beauty, he's a master at that,” Weisbord says. “But when Uni breezed first time on the turf at Belmont, with an older filly, he turned and said: 'We got a new shooter in the division.' Like off one breeze, after 10 days, he could see her turn of foot. So we ran her in the Belmont Oaks, and she was third in a race of superstars, to New Money Honey (Medaglia d'Oro) and Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}). And since we cut her back to a mile, she's six-for-six against fillies.”

Both Uni's Grade I wins–in the Matriarch S. last winter and in the First Lady–showcased how she likes to chase down a strong pace, and that is one of the obvious pivots for certain European horses to thrive in the U.S. environment.

“Some of them are dying for pace in a race,” Weisbord says. “But the only thing I told Nic was that they need to be able to go a mile plus; that, and firm ground. There's no question the Europeans have the best sire power [for turf], the best pedigrees to produce turn of foot. And that's what wins these races.”

“I know the trainers, I know the way they work,” he says. “When you buy a horse in training, you need to have information from the stable; from the riders, too. Also some of the horses we've bought came from the south of France, where they race more like in America, with sharp bends; it's not like they've been running in a straight line at Newmarket.”

Unfortunately Uni's original supervisors in Europe neglected to nominate her for the Breeders' Cup, and her transatlantic blossoming means that a hefty supplementary fee will be necessary for her to line up at Santa Anita. But while her current spree of success was interrupted by her only encounter with American males, when third (actually to another filly) in the GI Fourstardave H., she hit traffic and Weisbord believes that the sky remains the limit.

“She's an exceptional talent, going a mile,” he says. “She got very unlucky at Saratoga, and if she gets pace and a trip, she'll be dangerous at the Breeders' Cup. I haven't spoken to the partners yet, but I think it would be a dream to come over and target the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot next year.”

That path was pioneered, of course, by Tepin (Bernstein)–who was subsequently sold through Elite Sales, operated by Weisbord with partner Liz Crow, for $8-million. “If you can win that race, it can take your value to the stratosphere,” Weisbord attests. “I was there when Tepin won, and we believe this filly is that sort of talent. She's running the same sort of numbers on my figures. And she likes any sort of surface, she's won on yielding, so it wouldn't bother her even if you were to catch a soft-ground year. I know she's five, turning six, but she's never run poorly in her life so there's no reason to think we're out of gas yet. The owners of Uni are sportsmen. Yes, it's very tough but we know it can be done.”

“And that's why it's great to work for them,” de Watrigant adds. “Because those guys like to give their horses a chance–and a challenge.”

Uni's grand-dam is a half-sister to Rafha (GB), so the Invincible Spirit (Ire) connection might ultimately see her returned to the European marketplace. But this business is all about a willingness to adapt. Increasing purses on turf in the U.S., for instance, may yet bring more colts into the BSW/Mandore program.

“My clients' stable consists 80-20 of fillies to colts,” Weisbord says. “That's because our goal is to keep them in the game, as racing guys not breeding guys, and if you win a stake with a filly, that goes a long way in terms of residual value. We need to trade them into the market like we did A Raving Beauty. With colts, Hong Kong is a popular market and it's hard to get people to pay $400,000-$700,000 if a listed or Grade III won't get you out. But after Rockemperor I think, going forward, we'll be looking for colts for this new series in New York.”

Unmistakably, business between Weisbord and de Watrigant is also a great pleasure. “Our families have become close, and it's so much fun to work with a contemporary, to travel the world together,” Weisbord says. “I'm a believer in knowing the market. Nic has the contacts, and he's so easy to deal with. And it's so important to know you're dealing with an honest counterpart. That's crucial for me. I don't have to check the channels. I trust what he says as bible.”