The Magnus stallion left the relative warmth and dry of Victoria and arrived at his new home at Grassyards Farm, near Mosgiel, late last month.
Though his plane landing itself was relatively smooth, the stallion was about to encounter a whole new world, 24 hours after he arrived at his new home.
The Taieri region faced devastating flooding and Prince Of Brooklyn was caught in the middle of it. It was hardly the introduction to the region Grassyards Farm owners Jason Coutts and Charlotte Young had wanted for their new purchase, but there was one slight bonus amidst the chaos.
Prince of Brooklyn gave his new owners a first-hand insight on his temperament and he was not in the slightest bit bothered by everything going on around him.
"His attitude has just been amazing," Coutts said.
"The reason he was kept a colt for so long was because of his brain."
As the water has receded, the horse has continued to settle in well. What is also going well is the early interest in the stallion, both locally and further afield, as the official start of the thoroughbred breeding season, September 1, looms.
"It’s quite funny. The first service I sold was to the North Island," Coutts said.
"There has been a lot of interest. Things couldn’t have begun better, really, apart from the floods."
Helping spur that interest is the good recent form of Prince Of Brooklyn’s siblings.
The stallion’s seven-race-winning full brother, Duke Of Brunswick, comes of a second placing in the Bletchingly Stakes and takes on a star-studded field in the P.B. Lawrence Stakes at Caulfield tomorrow.
A win over his glamorous rivals, including Hartnell and Black Heart Bart, would only further the momentum the traction the family is gaining.
"You can judge a stallion on pedigree and everything else, but when the family is up and running it creates a lot of interest," Coutts said.
"They are all similar on type, but have all gone at different stages of their life."
Prince Of Brooklyn’s dam, Tristabeel, has left seven winners who have all won races including Princess of Queens, also trained by Mick Price, who won at Sandown on Wednesday.
Coutts expects Price to train some of Prince Of Brooklyn’s progeny for the stallion’s previous owner.
"The other good thing is that . . . Chris Marks, who I bought [Prince Of Brooklyn] off, he is going to send mares over — that was part of the deal."
The sire is Coutts and Young’s first foray into thoroughbred stallion ownership and they are enjoying the ride so far.
- Jonny Turner
