Late Blooming Rose Quartz Repaying Owners’ Patience

Rose Quartz ridden by Michael Dee wins the RUBAROC HANDICAP at Flemington Racecourse on December 18, 2021 in Flemington, Australia. (Scott Barbour/Racing Photos)

A $300,000 investment looked a worry before Rose Quartz made it to the races but the mare gave trainer Grahame Begg another reward for patience at Flemington.

Rose Quartz fetched the six-figure sum back in 2019 when purchased from the Mill park Stud draft, but she soon provided Begg with plenty of headaches.

“She’s had a few ups and downs,” Begg said.

“From the time we bought her she went over the fence in the paddock and took the front of her near fore knee out.

“She had a setback and was very highly strung.”

Rose Quartz’s issues meant Saturday’s Rubaroc Handicap (1200m) was only her fifth start but the four-year-old posted her third win in strong style.

Jockey Michael Dee, fresh from an earlier win on Squid Game, parked Rose Quartz ($4.20) in behind the leaders to gain cover against the headwind, before the mare dashed home to score by three-quarters of a length.

“It’s great. We earmarked this race a few months ago and it was good she got the job done,” Begg said.

While Rose Quartz banked another $71,500 for her Flemington win, taking her stakes tally to more than $125,000, the city win also sharply boosted her broodmare value.

She is a half-sister to the Group 3 winner Seradess while Rose Quartz’s speedy dam Obsidian Dragon was also stakes placed.

Begg was convinced Rose Quartz could continue to return her owners’ investments of money and patience.

“They (owners) have been a great bunch of guys because they’ve been very patient with her and they’ve been patient with us, too, because they haven’t given us too much pressure,” Begg said.

“I know when you’ve paid a lot of money for them there’s always pressure.

“This time around she’s come back a different horse.

“She’s more receptive to doing things we want her to do and going about it the right way.”

As a Magic Millions graduate, Rose Quartz is eligible to race at next month’s rich Magic Millions raceday at the Gold Coast.

But Begg said a trip north was not on the cards this season.

“Maybe the next year or the year after,” Begg said.

“Hopefully she’s still on her feet but we’ll keep peppering away with her and try to get her record going north and try to get a great result for the owners.”

Rose Quartz is closely related to Mill Park’s Lot 47, with the Epaulette x Fire And Glory colt (pictured below) set to sell on the opening day of the 2022 Magic Millions Yearling Sale.