Blue Gum Farm

Blue Gum Farm has entered into an exciting new partnership that will see South Africa’s Equus Champion Two-Year-Old Colt of last season, Argonaut, race here in Australia in 2008. After just four juvenile race starts, Argonaut’s performances to date have drawn rave reviews from respected international racing observers and he is widely regarded to be the most exciting prospect to come out of South Africa since the four-time Group 1 winner Horse Chestnut eight years ago. And since then, South Africa has provided International Group 1 winners the likes of Ipi Tombe, Irridescence, Perfect Promise, London News and Crimson Palace as well as a host of other International Group winners! “Argonaut is a very exciting young horse indeed.” commented Philip Campbell recently. “A small group of farm clients had specifically asked me to find a colt with racing and future stud potential to invest in and when Paul Guy of Heritage Bloodstock told me about this fellow, well it wasn’t to difficult to get excited about him. The fact that we have become partners with his original owners, Mr and Mrs Robert Muir from the US, has proven to be tremendous as well. They really are wonderful people”.

Argonaut winning the Group 1 Premier’s Champion Stakes by five lengths

Having easily won on debut over 1,400 metres at Turffontein in March, South Africa’s Champion trainer Geoff Woodruff next produced Argonaut some eight weeks later in the Group 1 Gold Medallion Stakes over 1,200 metres at Scottsville. In a stirring finish, Argonaut burst from the pack to charge at the leader Seventh Rock, an Australian bred colt by Rock Of Gibraltar out of Rubiton’s former Champion South African race filly Ruby Clipper. Full of running, Argonaut closed rapidly but just failed (by a neck) to catch the leader who stopped the clock in 67.72 seconds. Interesting to note that both first and second in this race would have won any running of the Golden Slipper and Blue Diamond Stakes!

Six weeks later Argonaut claimed his first Group 1 win at Greyville in the Schweppes Golden Horseshoe over 1,400 metres. On the biggest day in South African racing, July Day at Durban, Argonaut was sent out 14/10 favourite in a field of 15 and according to SAHorseracing.com, South Africa’s leading horseracing website, “he turned in a hair-raising performance. Racing handily enough early on, (Champion Jockey) Mark Khan asked the son of Western Winter to go about his business soon after turning for home. The response was immediate and electric as the favourite accelerated clear of his field. Stablemate Profit Report came out of the pack to try and make a race of it but had to settle for second as Argonaut brushed him aside. There looks to be something special about this chestnut colt and if this is a sign of things to come, Woodruff has a future champion on his hands”, they stated. Argonaut won this contest by a widening two and a half lengths.

Well if the racing world needed further proof that this colt was something special and that his connections did have a future champion on their hands, it came just three weeks later on July 28. The fourth and final start of Argonaut’s juvenile season was in the Meydan Premier’s Champion Stakes over 1,600 metres at Clairwood and jumping from barrier three in a field of 14, Argonaut gave a galloping exhibition. Jockey Mark Kahn actually lost his off side iron on the 5/10 favourite as the gates flung open and for a number of strides he was just trying to get balanced. This didn’t faze Argonaut however who under his own persuasion just hacked to the front of the field. Showing his amazingly high cruising speed, Argonaut stretched his lead to four lengths along the side of the course and swinging into the long Clairwood straight, the prospect of a challenger never, ever got warm. Accelerating again, Kahn and Argonaut had their rivals off the bit as they got out by eight lengths and won by a facile five in the amazing time of 1:34.48. Pretty incredible really when one considers that he was basically in a race of his own and yet was able to run a time that would have won any running of an AJC Champagne Stakes! In summarising the race South Africa’s leading turf publication, the Sporting Post, stated; “Wow! That is about the only word that comes close to adequately describing the Meydan Premier’s Champion Stakes for two-year-olds over 1,600m at Clairwood on Saturday. Argonaut put up one of the most eye-catching displays of the entire season when he made all the running at a strong pace to destroy a high class field of juveniles and stamp himself as potentially the next genuine superstar of South African racing - assuming, of course, that he actually stays in South Africa.”

Well Argonaut hasn’t stayed in South Africa and we genuinely believe that South African racing’s loss is Australian racing’s gain. A magnificent looking colt, the result of tremendously successful male and female lines, the proof will be in the pudding as the old saying goes. “I’ve only bought into three other racing slash stud prospects before and they have all been good results”, commented Philip Campbell recently. “Umatilla raced on well and has been a fantastic sire, Kenvain won an Oakleigh Plate for us before doing a fair job at stud and Elvstroem, well I guess on all fronts he is going to be a very hard act to top. There is no doubt in my mind though that Argonaut is an exceptional athlete and all of us at Blue Gum Farm look forward with great anticipation to watching him strut his stuff here in the not too distant future”.


		Argonaut Sails In
Six weeks later Argonaut claimed his first Group 1 win at Greyville in the Schweppes Golden Horseshoe over 1,400 metres. On the biggest day in South African racing, July Day at Durban, Argonaut was sent out 14/10 favourite in a field of 15 and according to SAHorseracing.com, South Africa’s leading horseracing website, “he turned in a hair-raising performance"		Blue Gum Farm has entered into an exciting new partnership that will see South Africa’s Equus Champion Two-Year-Old Colt of last season, Argonaut, race here in Australia in 2008. After just four juvenile race starts, Argonaut’s performances to date have drawn rave reviews from respected international racing observers and he is widely regarded to be the most exciting prospect to come out of South Africa since the four-time Group 1 winner Horse Chestnut eight years ago. And since then, South Africa has provided International Group 1 winners the likes of Ipi Tombe, Irridescence, Perfect Promise, London News and Crimson Palace as well as a host of other International Group winners! “Argonaut is a very exciting young horse indeed.” commented Philip Campbell recently. “A small group of farm clients had specifically asked me to find a colt with racing and future stud potential to invest in and when Paul Guy of Heritage Bloodstock told me about this fellow, well it wasn’t to difficult to get excited about him. The fact that we have become partners with his original owners, Mr and Mrs Robert Muir from the US, has proven to be tremendous as well. They really are wonderful people”. Argonaut winning the Group 1 Premier’s Champion Stakes by five lengths Having easily won on debut over 1,400 metres at Turffontein in March, South Africa’s Champion trainer Geoff Woodruff next produced Argonaut some eight weeks later in the Group 1 Gold Medallion Stakes over 1,200 metres at Scottsville. In a stirring finish, Argonaut burst from the pack to charge at the leader Seventh Rock, an Australian bred colt by Rock Of Gibraltar out of Rubiton’s former Champion South African race filly Ruby Clipper. Full of running, Argonaut closed rapidly but just failed (by a neck) to catch the leader who stopped the clock in 67.72 seconds. Interesting to note that both first and second in this race would have won any running of the Golden Slipper and Blue Diamond Stakes! Six weeks later Argonaut claimed his first Group 1 win at Greyville in the Schweppes Golden Horseshoe over 1,400 metres. On the biggest day in South African racing, July Day at Durban, Argonaut was sent out 14/10 favourite in a field of 15 and according to SAHorseracing.com, South Africa’s leading horseracing website, “he turned in a hair-raising performance. Racing handily enough early on, (Champion Jockey) Mark Khan asked the son of Western Winter to go about his business soon after turning for home. The response was immediate and electric as the favourite accelerated clear of his field. Stablemate Profit Report came out of the pack to try and make a race of it but had to settle for second as Argonaut brushed him aside. There looks to be something special about this chestnut colt and if this is a sign of things to come, Woodruff has a future champion on his hands”, they stated. Argonaut won this contest by a widening two and a half lengths. Well if the racing world needed further proof that this colt was something special and that his connections did have a future champion on their hands, it came just three weeks later on July 28. The fourth and final start of Argonaut’s juvenile season was in the Meydan Premier’s Champion Stakes over 1,600 metres at Clairwood and jumping from barrier three in a field of 14, Argonaut gave a galloping exhibition. Jockey Mark Kahn actually lost his off side iron on the 5/10 favourite as the gates flung open and for a number of strides he was just trying to get balanced. This didn’t faze Argonaut however who under his own persuasion just hacked to the front of the field. Showing his amazingly high cruising speed, Argonaut stretched his lead to four lengths along the side of the course and swinging into the long Clairwood straight, the prospect of a challenger never, ever got warm. Accelerating again, Kahn and Argonaut had their rivals off the bit as they got out by eight lengths and won by a facile five in the amazing time of 1:34.48. Pretty incredible really when one considers that he was basically in a race of his own and yet was able to run a time that would have won any running of an AJC Champagne Stakes! In summarising the race South Africa’s leading turf publication, the Sporting Post, stated; “Wow! That is about the only word that comes close to adequately describing the Meydan Premier’s Champion Stakes for two-year-olds over 1,600m at Clairwood on Saturday. Argonaut put up one of the most eye-catching displays of the entire season when he made all the running at a strong pace to destroy a high class field of juveniles and stamp himself as potentially the next genuine superstar of South African racing - assuming, of course, that he actually stays in South Africa.” Well Argonaut hasn’t stayed in South Africa and we genuinely believe that South African racing’s loss is Australian racing’s gain. A magnificent looking colt, the result of tremendously successful male and female lines, the proof will be in the pudding as the old saying goes. “I’ve only bought into three other racing slash stud prospects before and they have all been good results”, commented Philip Campbell recently. “Umatilla raced on well and has been a fantastic sire, Kenvain won an Oakleigh Plate for us before doing a fair job at stud and Elvstroem, well I guess on all fronts he is going to be a very hard act to top. There is no doubt in my mind though that Argonaut is an exceptional athlete and all of us at Blue Gum Farm look forward with great anticipation to watching him strut his stuff here in the not too distant future”.