ROSTROPOVICH has been purchased by an Australian-based syndicate led by Mark Pilkington and will continue his career with David Hayes, Tom Dabernig and Ben Hayes, at Lindsay Park Euroa. A 1.1 million-guinea purchase, the Frankel half-brother to Zoffany who has a ready-made stallion’s pedigree, ran fifth in both the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup. “He was only three years old and doing that, his form is right up there,” said Hayes of the former Aidan O’Brien charge.

Hickmont on a German experiment