Prominent Australian owner Aziz “Ozzie” Kheir and global thoroughbred giant Coolmore won the world’s richest turf race, the A$14 million The Everest (1200m), in 2019 with Yes Yes Yes, and six years on they are teaming up once more in the hope of taking out another slot race.
Last year, Kheir purchased a slot in the $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m), to be run at Ellerslie on Champions Day, March 8, in the hope of running his own horses in the southern hemisphere’s richest three-year-old race.
While he had a number of leading contenders, he felt none of his team were up to winning the inaugural running of the NZB Kiwi and cast his eye further afield, landing on the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained Public Attention (NZ) (Written Tycoon).
From New Zealand thoroughbred royalty, Public Attention was bred by the late Sir Patrick Hogan and Lady Justine Hogan out of Legramor, a daughter of their dual Group One winner Katie Lee.
They offered him through Carlaw Park’s 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft where he was purchased by Coolmore’s Tom Magnier for $160,000.
Public Attention is raced by Coolmore, in association with several partners, including Sir Peter Vela, and has won two of his six starts to date carrying Coolmore’s iconic silks, including the Gr.3 Eskimo Prince Stakes (1200m) at Randwick earlier this month.
Believing Public Attention was the perfect candidate for the NZB Kiwi, Kheir approached Magnier and was delighted to pen a deal to contest the New Zealand three-year-old feature next week with the son of Written Tycoon.
“It is a huge coup for the race, and it is great to be partnering up with good friends in Coolmore and their partners,” Kheir said.
“We have done a lot of trade and business together in the past and have had some good success with Sir Dragonet when winning the Cox Plate (Gr.1, 2040m) and we had Yes Yes Yes win The Everest, and let’s hope we can win The Kiwi with Public Attention in its inaugural year.
“I had a couple of horses in-mind of my own, which was always the intention when securing a slot, but they probably didn’t perform worthy enough to be a top three chance in the race.
“I saw Public Attention run in Sydney over the weekend and I thought his run was very good, so I reached out to Tom Magnier and Coolmore and asked whether they would consider it.
“We spent a couple of days waiting to hear back from them. They came back and we ran through all the pros and cons of the race, and we agreed it was a good idea, and here we are getting everything ready to go to the race.
“I am looking forward to it and I think he is the right horse for the race. It is great for the race itself to have Coolmore involved and having a stable like Price and Kent Jnr involved, and I think he is a genuine winning chance. We won’t be there to just fill the numbers, which is one of the concerns when you buy a slot.”
Kheir is the final NZB Kiwi slot holder to show his hand and make his announcement, and he believes the wait has been worthwhile.
“I have been wanting to have a horse that was a winning chance,” he said. “We had to wait, and it could have easily backfired. If we didn’t get him, we probably didn’t have a winning chance, but the fact that we have secured him now, I am very much looking forward to it.
“Speaking to Tom Magnier, he is very happy and is looking forward to his horse going to the race with his partners.”
Kheir is hoping to be trackside at Ellerslie on Champions Day to take in the action, just six days after watching his filly Leica Lucy contest the Gr.2 Jennian Homes Lowland Stakes (2100m) at Trentham on Sunday.
“I will be doing everything I can to get there,” he said. “I might bring the family over, we will see how we go. I have got Leica Lucy (NZ) (Derryn) running on Sunday and it would be nice to spend the week over there, but I have got to convince my wife.”
Kheir, a notable purchaser of New Zealand bloodstock, bought into the Robbie Patterson-trained filly following her back-to-back stakes victories in the Gr.3 Eulogy Stakes (1600m) and Gr.3 Desert Gold Stakes (1600m), and was immediately rewarded with victory in the Gr.2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies Classic (2000m) at Te Rapa earlier this month.
Kheir is enjoying racing Leica Lucy with her breeders, Peter and Heather Crofskey, and is excited about her prospects heading towards the $1 million Gr.1 Al Basti Eqiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) next month.
“It has been a great start to the relationship with Heather and Peter, and having Robbie Patterson train her has been fantastic,” Kheir said. “I have been speaking with them regularly and enjoying the journey with them.
“I am looking forward to her running on Sunday and hopefully in the Oaks, all going well. She looks like a quality filly and I am very much looking forward to seeing her not only in the Oaks, but continuing her career towards potentially a Brisbane carnival as well.”
Kheir is enjoying a golden run with his New Zealand thoroughbred purchases, including his latest Group One success with New Zealand-bred gelding Jimmysstar (NZ) (Per Incanto) in the Gr.1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield last Saturday.
“There is no secret here in Australia that I love New Zealand racing, I love what they breed,” Kheir said.
“I have got Jimmysstar and Gringotts (NZ) (Per Incanto), and I have had some amazing talent come out of New Zealand with Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed) and so many more. I really love the New Zealand thoroughbred.”
Kheir is hoping Jimmysstar can add to his Group One haul at short notice, with trainer Ciaron Maher weighing up between a couple of sprint features, with an eye towards a potential tilt at a rich slot race in the spring.
“I didn’t think I bought a sprinter out of New Zealand (in Jimmysstar), I genuinely thought I bought a miler,” Kheir said.
“Ciaron and I were laughing on Saturday night after a few drinks at my place and he said ‘I know you think you might have bought me a miler, but you might have bought me an Everest horse’.
“At the moment we are either going to go to the Newmarket (Gr.1, 1200m) or William Reid (Gr.1, 1200m). We will see how we go, but we are enjoying this nice run that we are having.”
