Some stallion purchases are the result of months of research, careful negotiations and meticulously considered plans.

Kemosabe’s involved three bottles of Prosecco, a sleeping husband and a rapidly escalating string of text messages.

Fortunately for Emma and Ben Rossiter and their good friends Hayley and Andrew Warden, there was considerably more substance behind the decision than the circumstances of the purchase might suggest.

By Metallic Cat and out of EBS Triticale, Kemosabe was already a horse they knew exceptionally well. They knew his ability, his temperament and his family, and increasingly they were seeing evidence that he could pass those qualities on.

The striking stallion was bred by Grant and Dru Quigley of Q Stud and trained by Grant, but his competition career didn’t start as planned with COVID arriving just as Kemosabe should have been heading to the NCHA Futurity. He missed the Futurity year but made the NCHA Breeders Incentive Derby final and DDCC Derby Final (winning the second round).

Around this time, Rob Leach had returned from the United States and was initially training out of Grant’s facility. Which gave Kemosabe an opportunity to show in cowhorse events, winning both the 2022 GSOH Two Handed Cutting and Boxing (with scores of 77 and 76).

It was, however, campdrafting that would ultimately bring Kemosabe into the Rossiters’ lives.

Grant and Dru live just over the hill from Emma and Ben, and Grant asked Ben whether he would consider taking Kemosabe along to a few campdrafts to give him some exposure and see how he handled the transition.

“We took him to a few drafts around the place, and then he came on a run up north with us,” Emma said.

“We never imagined Quigs would ever want to sell him.”

From then on, whenever Ben was heading to a campdraft, he would ring Grant and ask whether Kemosabe could come too.  “We knew he had talent and we thought he was bound to win something,” Emma said.

Three bottles and one very important phone call

By June 2026, Kemosabe had become a horse the Rossiters knew well and had a lot of admiration for.

Then Emma caught up with close friend Hayley Warden at Hayley and Andrew’s home.

Hayley and Andrew had been considering buying a stallion, but nothing they had looked at appealed to them quite like Kemosabe. Somewhere over a bottle of Prosecco between the two friends, the conversation turned to the obvious question: what if they could buy Kemosabe?

Andrew, a stock and station agent, was away buying cattle at the time. After the first bottle, the friends rang him and suggested he call Grant and ask the question: ‘Would he consider selling Kemosabe? ’

Andrew made the call and came back with an intriguing answer: Grant would consider it.

Meanwhile, Ben was blissfully unaware that his horse ownership situation was changing rapidly. He was at home taking a break, watching a movie on the lounge. He had fallen asleep, and his phone was on silent.

“While he was asleep, he was missing my calls, and I was sending him messages,” Emma laughed.

“It all escalated pretty quickly. The messages went from, ‘I think we should put an offer in to buy Kemosabe’ after the first bottle of wine, to ‘we should definitely take him’ by the third bottle.

“Then it was, ‘OMG, we just bought Kemosabe!’”

Fortunately, when Ben eventually woke up, he was very happy with the outcome.

The syndicate’s name was decided then and there. The Last Bottle Syndicate had officially entered the stallion business.

More than a good story

While Kemosabe’s purchase makes for a great story, there were serious reasons behind the decision.

Emma and Ben already had two mares in foal to him, while the Wardens had purchased a 2yo Kemosabe filly at the 2026 Nutrien Classic Sale.

They were also watching his wider family and early progeny with interest. Kemosabe’s full brother Black Ops had made an NCHA Futurity Final, while Kemosabe himself was beginning to have progeny appearing in major events, including the NCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity.

For Emma, there was another important piece of first-hand knowledge.  “We own the mare Miss Lerena Wood, who is out of the same mare as Kemo, EBS Triticale,” she said. “We know that mother’s side comes through and produces really good horses.”

It gave the syndicate confidence that Kemosabe offered much more than an impressive pedigree on paper. His own ability had already convinced them, and his family and progeny were reinforcing that belief.

The whole package

Spend time around Kemosabe and it isn’t difficult to understand his appeal. Emma describes him as the type of horse that endears himself to everyone he meets.

“He is incredibly quiet,” she said. “He runs in a paddock with a colt and a gelding. He’s just super casual and calm.”

Kemosabe is an eye-catching stallion with the presence to make people stop and take notice – something his owners have quickly discovered wherever they take him. “Everywhere he goes, he draws attention,” Emma said.

Kemosabe is a natural cow horse, something perhaps unsurprising given the strength of the performance genetics behind him. He rates cattle exceptionally well and is as good outside as he is in the camp.

That versatility is becoming an important part of his appeal as a sire. Rather than being pigeonholed as purely a cutting or campdraft stallion, Kemosabe is attracting breeders from both disciplines.

The next generation

For the Last Bottle Syndicate, perhaps the most exciting chapter of Kemosabe’s story is only just beginning.

The Warden family’s 2yo filly is already giving them an indication of what he may consistently produce.

“She is very sweet and has natural cow sense,” Emma said. “She is super quiet. Their young kids ride her.”

Similar reports are beginning to arrive from other breeders. Owners regularly send the syndicate videos of Kemosabe’s 2yo’s and other young progeny, with several showing a lot of promise in the cutting pen.

Among the older progeny is Feathered Indians, who is already winning cutting events.

Perhaps even more telling is the number of breeders returning to book more mares. During Kemosabe’s first breeding season under the Last Bottle Syndicate, a considerable proportion of the bookings came from people who already had his progeny on the ground and wanted to breed to him again.

Enjoying the ride

At 10 years of age in 2026, Kemosabe still has plenty ahead of him.

With his breeding career gathering momentum, the plan is also to give him more opportunities and get him to more drafts.

There are no grand declarations from the Last Bottle Syndicate about what has to happen next. They bought Kemosabe because they liked him. They wanted to breed their own mares to him, campaign him and enjoy having a horse of his calibre around.

The enthusiastic response from other breeders has simply been an unexpected bonus.

 “We bought him for the syndicate to have some fun with and to produce progeny for ourselves,” Emma said. “If he wins along the way, that’s a bonus. The aim is to breed from him ourselves, and if other people want to get in on that, that’s awesome! We’re just enjoying the ride.”

The Last Bottle Syndicate might have been named in humour, but there is nothing accidental about the horse at its centre.

With the bloodlines, ability, temperament and now progeny beginning to make their own mark, Kemosabe has given his owners plenty to look forward to.

And this time, Ben will probably keep his phone off silent.

2026 

• Liverpool Plains Campdraft with Ben Rossiter. [View Video on Facebook]
• Kemosabe is proving to be successful for all the family in both Challenge & Campdrafting.
  Watch Ben & Cade in action.  [View Reel on Facebook]
• Walgett Novice with Ben Rossiter.  [View Video on Facebook]
• Plainsman Challenge Novice Final with Ben Rossiter. [View Video on Facebook]

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PROGENY

• 2yo mare (o/o One Time Royalty mare) destined for the cutting pen.  See her in action with Lane Pendergast.  [View Video on Facebook]

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PEDIGREE

Maternal half sister: Elsa Dutton

• 2026 Solo Select Spring Spectacular Open ClassicFinal (219) [View Video on Facebook]
• 2026 NCHA NP Classic Challenge with Dru O’Keefe [View Video on Facebook]
• 2026 Armidale Cuttin’ For Cash 5,6,7 YO Open with Grant Quigley [View Video on Facebook]
• 2025 Solo Select Spring Spectacular Open 4YO GR1 [View Video on Facebook].
• 2024 Balonne River Cutters Open Futurity [View Reel on Facebook] 
• 2024 NCHA Open Futurity Rd1 with Grant Quigley [View Video on Facebook]