Breednet.com – Tara Madgwick – Tuesday January 7

Queensland farm Daandine Stud have bred and sold a lot of good horses including Golden Slipper and Magic Millions 2YO Classic winning sire Capitalist and a mare they purchased at the Magic Millions Broodmare Sale in 2023 for $250,000 produced a great result for them on Tuesday at the Gold Coast.

Lot 103, a flashy chestnut colt by Toronado (IRE) from Write the Score caught the eye of all the good judges and was duly knocked down to the Hong Kong Jockey Club for $400,000.

He is the first foal of young Written Tycoon mare Write the Score, who was purchased on the advice of Boomer Bloodstock in foal to Toronado with the star colt the result of the mating.

From the family of Group I winners Yell, Microphone and Holler, Write the Score had no foal last year after missing in 2023, but is now in foal to Russian Revolution.

Hong Kong bloodstock agent Willie Leung had a big hour at Karaka early on Thursday afternoon, spending more than $1 million to secure two well-credentialled colts at the NZB Ready to Run Sale.

Leung paid $400,000 under his Magus Equine banner to buy Lot 271, a Russian Revolution colt from the draft of Ohukia Lodge, then followed that up with a $625,000 purchase of Lot 288. The latter colt was offered by BMD Bloodstock and is by Toronado out of the Zabeel mare Attractive, who is a half-sister to Gr.1 Goodwood Handicap (1200m) winner Velocitea.

Francis Lui and Willie Leung at Karaka Photo: Ange Bridson

“I rated that colt one of the best horses in the sale,” Leung said. “Toronado is going very well in Hong Kong, and it’s great to secure such a high-quality son of that stallion for Francis (Lui, trainer).”

Toronado stands at Swettenham Stud for a service fee of A$88,000. He has sired 22 winners from just 37 runners in Hong Kong, headed by Gr.1 Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m) winner Victor The Winner, Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) and Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) winner Helios Express, and Group Three winner and Gr.1 Champions & Chater Cup (2400m) placegetter Senor Toba. Leung hopes his new recruit could develop into a candidate to join that black-type list.

“The type of horse that he is, the dream is a race like the Hong Kong Derby (2000m),” he said. “He’ll probably stay here in New Zealand through until the end of next winter, and then we’ll take things from there.

Lot 283, a colt by Toronado out of Attractive Photo: Trish Dunell

“Francis and I have had some great luck at this sale in the past with horses like Golden Sixty, so let’s hope for some more.”

Golden Sixty was a $300,000 purchase from the 2017 Ready to Run Sale and went on to win 26 of his 31 starts including 10 Group One triumphs. He broke Hong Kong’s all-time prizemoney record with more than HK$167 million (NZ$34 million).

Leung added another purchase to his list not long after that big-priced double, paying another $180,000 for the Embellish gelding catalogued as Lot 299.

Leung spoke highly about this week’s 2024 edition of the Ready to Run Sale.

“It’s been a strong sale,” he said. “There are some very good quality horses here, and you have to be prepared to pay quite a bit of money to get the ones that you want.”

View the full article here :  https://www.breednet.com.au/news/34606/million-dollar-hour-for-leung-at-nzb-ready-to-run

Theblade (AUS)

3 c Toronado – Brigite by Casino Prince

O: R & C Legh Racing Pty Ltd (Mgr: R P Legh), Exset Racing (Mgr: J Bartolo), R Smith, Gilgai Farm (Mgr: R R Jamieson), Glentree Racing (Mgr: B W C Wilson), Murray Thoroughbreds Pty Ltd (Mgr: P A S Murray) & Wright Racing (Mgr: P J Wright)

B: Gilgai Farm

T: Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes

W: Street Boss @ Darley Handicap, 1150m, August 14, Randwick-Kensington

Co-trainer Michael Hawkes believes bigger and better things lie in wait for Theblade (Toronado) after the colt made a hugely impressive debut at Randwick-Kensington on Wednesday.

Starting as the $3 favourite for the 1150-metre maiden handicap, the Team Hawkes-trained three-year-old streaked clear of his five rivals to beat Alpine Ski (Exceed And Excel) by 5.7 lengths, with a further 0.5 lengths back to Johnny The Kid (Trapeze Artist) in third.

Theblade had been set to make his debut in the final weeks of last season, but was scratched at the barriers for a two-year-old race at Warwick farm after hitting his head.

“It’s disappointing when you set horses for races and that happens,” said Michael Hawkes, who trains in partnership with his brother Wayne and his father John.

“It was all about trying to win as a two-year-old with him, but once that backfired two weeks ago, we’ve had to opt towards this race and we didn’t expect the rain.

“We’ve always said to the owners, the horse has got plenty of ability, we’re yet to see it. Today we’ve seen it, obviously on a wet track, which is another positive.

“He is the real deal and hopefully he can go on to bigger and better things.”

Hawkes said having another member of All Too Hard’s family in their care was special, especially given the involvement of Gilgai Farm’s Rick Jamieson, who bred Black Caviar.

“It is another generation and with these colts, we’re lucky enough to train them and have the patient owners that we do,” he said.

“But when you get a family we’ve had a lot to do with – and Gilgai [Farm] is in the horse as well and they’ve bred this bloke, Rick Jamieson obviously knows how to breed a winner – it’s exciting to think that a horse like this and of this calibre, could hopefully get to the top one day.”

Bred by Gilgai Farm, the son of Toronado (High Chaparral) is Black Caviar’s (Bel Esprit) nephew, being out of the champion sprinter’s unraced half-sister Brigite (Casino Prince), herself a sister to Team Hawkes’ former top-level racer turned successful sire All Too Hard.

Article written by Darcy Cosgriff from Racing.com on 27 July 2024:

Promising Toronado filly Herbert Park has claimed her third-straight victory at Caulfield on Saturday, relishing the tough going to post a gritty win for the Noonan team.

Trained by Tony Noonan, ridden by one of Noonan’s sons (Jake) and strapped by another (assistant trainer Tom), the three-year-old started a very well-backed ($16 into $5.50) chance third-up, having won her first two starts this campaign under apprentice Dakotah Keane.

Kate’s Tiara ($16) ensured a good tempo up front, but Herbert Park always looked comfortable cruising three-wide, and let down strongly upon straightening.

She hit the lead at around the 100-metre mark, and though Sunset Dreaming ($4.20) and Kundalini ($5.50) made good late ground, they ran out of time, as Noonan’s galloper scored her fourth win from four goes on the wet, and just six starts overall.

“She’s honest – very honest and tough,” Noonan said.

“I was a bit worried when the rain hadn’t come, but sometimes those Hail Mary’s help a bit, so we did plenty of them!

“She’s progressing really well… as I said to the boys, it’s just nice to train a half-decent horse that can progress, and she’s heading in the right direction.

“She always showed good ability, but at times she’s been a little bit hot, so we’ve just had to handle her carefully.

“Jake and Dakotah have done a terrific job with her, Tom, my son, has done a terrific job with her, she can be a bit tricky. It’s been a great team effort by everyone at home.”

The win doubled as a birthday present for Noonan’s mentor, two-time Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Mick Robins, who turned 94 on Saturday.

Robins trained Rain Lover to consecutive Cup wins in 1968 and 1969, with his horse carrying roughly 10 extra kilograms the second time around.

“A good mate of mine, Mick Robins, is 94 today. Mick worked for me for a number of years and trained Rain Lover to two Melbourne Cups,” Noonan said.

“Absolute champion of a bloke, and I’d love to send him all my love.”

Noonan said Herbert Park would likely head back to Caulfield in three weeks for a similar contest, where she will step out as a mare for the first time.