By Breednet
October 25, 2023

The $100,000 Super Maiden for three year-olds at Randwick over 1300m on Wednesday produced an eye-catching last to first winner for leading Victorian sire Toronado (IRE) with Sly Boots arriving on the line for a valuable victory.

Trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, Sly Boots was placed in two of three starts earlier this year, but was gelded ahead of this preparation and that may prove a good decision. Tuned up with a couple of recent trials, Sly Boots was well fancied and ran accordingly unleashing a big finish from last on the turn for Regan Bayliss to win by three-quarters of a length running away.

A powerful bay gelding, with a good turn of foot he is reminiscent of Toronado’s G1 sprinter Masked Crusader, who has won over $4million in prizemoney.

Sly Boots was a $375,000 Magic Millions purchase.

A $375,000 Magic Millions purchase from the Newhaven Park draft for Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott/Kestrel Thoroughbreds, Sly Boots is the first winner for good metro winning bel Esprit mare Miss Softhands, a half-sister to stakes-placed Kazio and to the dam of Group III winner Hellova Street and stakes-winner Streetwise Savoire.

Miss Softhands has a yearling colt by Toronado (IRE) and was covered last spring by Russian Camelot (IRE).

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Toronado in upcoming sales:

by Mark Smith, Breednet
Monday October 2

Trainer Matt Cumani will search for some black-type at the Flemington Carnival for Manchego after the son of Toronado (IRE) made a winning career debut over 1200m at Ballarat on Monday.

Black-type beckons (image Pat Scala/Racing Photos)

Ridden by Declan Bates, Manchego was hung up on the fence halfway down the straight but did not flinch when the gap appeared to deny The Autumn Sun filly Alectrona by a half-neck with the Written Tycoon colt Fury a length back in third.

Cumani said they arrived with the expectation of a forward showing.

Manchego bursts through the pack to claim the first at Ballarat ??

— Racing.com (@Racing) October 2, 2023

“It’s always a relief when there’s a bit of talk about them, and everyone at the track here for the last week has said you have a good one there,” Cuumani said.

“You wonder how it gets out; although his trial form has been impressive, he had every right to come here and do something good.

“He saved a bit of ground on the rails. It was a brilliant ride by Declan; I was worried the gap might not open up.

“I think he has the right sought of brain for it. He is tough, with a big action and uses it well. It’s difficult to know at their first start, so it was good to see him do it.

Toronado has put his stamp on Manchego (image Pat Scala/Racing Photos)

“I would like to give him a couple more races. There is a 1400m during Melbourne Cup week and we will try and aim for that.

“I think this was a good maiden, it’s a bit difficult to know; we will see in hindsight.”

Bred by Ken Breese, Manchego was a $95,000 purchase for Cumani Racing from the Armidale Stud draft at the 2022 Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale.

Manchego a $95,000 Tasmanian Magic Millions yearling

He is the second winner from as many foal for the winning Snitzel mare Dream Food a half-sister to Group II SAJC Euclase Stakes winner and Group 1 Goodwood Hcp third I’ll Have a Bit (Smart Missile), and a three-quarter sister to Listed winner Snitz (Snitzel).

Matthew Williams Racing/ Sheamus Mills Bloodstock (FBAA) shelled out $160,000 for a brother to Manchego from the Armidale Stud draft at the 2023 Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale.

Dream Food has a yearling filly by Ghaiyyath (IRE).

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Toronado in upcoming sales:

By Lewis Lesbirel, TDN

TDN AusNZ can reveal that a lifetime breeding right in Swettenham Stud’s stallion Toronado (Ire) will be offered at auction for the very first time at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale on May 4. Fresh from siring another stakes double on Friday, we caught up with Marcus Heritage, nominations at Swettenham, to discuss Toronado’s continued ascent through the Australian stallion ranks.

Just a few hours after his son Beltoro made it back-to-back stakes wins with an emphatic 4l romp in the Listed Albury Gold Cup on Friday, Toronado was provided with his 33rd individual stakes winner and seventh of the season when his talented 3-year-old daughter Papillon Club made a mess of her rivals in the G3 Alexandra S. at The Valley.

Less than a week earlier, Toronado sired the winner of the G1 The Galaxy H. for the second year in succession, with rejuvenated mare Mariamia following in the footsteps of the hugely popular Shelby Sixtysix in winning the sprint feature.

Mariamia | Image courtesy of Sportpix

Add into the mix another eye-catching win for his unbeaten son Kovrov (Fr) in France and a runner in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan on Saturday night, and it has been quite the week for the Swettenham Stud stallion.

His recent run of racetrack success, combined with another stellar season in the sales ring in which his progeny have once again sold for up to $850,000, has prompted Swettenham to take a leap of faith with their flagship stallion, offering a lifetime breeding right in one of Australia’s hottest sires for the very first time.

“Such is the market’s demand for them, at the Chairman’s Sale this year we’ll be offering a lifetime breeding right, which has never happened with Toronado before,” Hermitage revealed.

“We’ll just sit back, leave it unreserved and I’m sure that Lot 1 of the Chairman’s Sale will be a very popular lot.

“It’ll be very interesting to see where the market values him at. He’s still a young sire, he’s only 13 years old so they’ll get value for money with whatever they spend on it.

“Everything that the stallion has done to date has been off a $20,000 service fee, so with the quality of mares that he received last season off the $88,000 fee, it’s very exciting.”

A season to remember on and off the track

Having stood last season at a career-high fee of $88,000 plus GST, Toronado has more than justified his fee increase this season, siring more stakes winners than the likes of Zoustar, Written Tycoon and Fastnet Rock, all of whom commanded significantly higher fees in 2022.

Toronado (Ire) | Standing at Swettenham Stud

What has pleased Swettenham the most, however, is the diversity among his stakes winners, an area in which Heritage feels that Toronado doesn’t get the credit he deserves.

“The run he’s having is super and it’s across the board,” he said. “The market’s appetite for them is strong and they’re great sales horses.

“His colts and geldings are flying in Hong Kong and in Australia, it seems to be the fillies that are flying the flag for him recently. The High Chaparral sireline is typically colt biased, but his fillies are absolutely flying.

“I think he’s had more Australian stakes winners that are fillies than colts and geldings, so he’s a very good stallion and he’s consistently producing good sorts and good runners – male and female, speed horses and staying horses.

“He can produce anything, but there’s certainly no type of horse that’s better than the other. I think it’s a great trait for a stallion to have where you can buy any horse by Toronado and the chances are they’re going to have ability.”

Toronado’s long-lasting purple patch could hardly have come at a more welcome time for the Swettenham Stud team, who announced only last year that he’d be staying in Australia permanently instead of shuttling Down Under from his previous base at Haras de Bouquetot in the Northern Hemisphere.

His progeny have been as sought after as ever in the sales ring ever since the announcement was made, providing many of Swettenham’s biggest clients with a huge windfall in the process.

“For Adam (Sangster) it’s a great reward, he really backed this stallion a few years ago and sent all of his best mares to him,” Heritage added.

“He also bought some mares and sent them to him to give him a start, and now we can sit back and watch it all unfold. Everyone else seems to be jumping in and grabbing a bit of that pie and it’s great to see some of our good clients have success.

“Three Bridges with Beltoro having back-to-back stakes wins on Friday was a great success. He has their brand and they’ve been a big supporter of ours.

Marcus Heritage with partner Charlie White

“They sold a colt by Toronado for $850,000 in January and it’s just great to see these clients of ours that have backed the stallion get some reward for what they’ve put down on him.”

Increase in quality

Further proof of Toronado’s ever-growing popularity will be evident at next week’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, where the dual Group 1-winning miler will see by far his largest contingent of Easter yearlings go under the hammer at Riverside Stables.

Having been represented by just one yearling at Easter in 2021 and only three last year, an impressive 11 of Toronado’s sons and daughters are set to be offered for sale next week, and with the likes of Group 1 winner Commanding Jewel(Commands) and the dam of Vinery Stud stallion Ole Kirk featuring among his book of mares last season, Heritage is adamant that the best is yet to come.

Commanding Jewel | Image courtesy of Sportpix

“This year’s crop of yearlings were conceived off a $25,000 plus GST service fee. For a horse to be standing at that fee and get 11 horses in the Easter Yearling Sale is an incredible performance and it’s a great reward for our clients,” he said.

“I’ve been visiting a few farms in the Hunter Valley this week and they’ve been very impressive, they’re as good a group of yearlings by Toronado as I’ve seen.

“The quality of mares that we’ve received the last two seasons as a result of his well-earnt fee rise means that we’ve got better things to come as well.

“This year he covered Group 1 winners, Group 1 producers and siblings to Group 1 winners. He covered pretty much as good a book as you’ll see across the board.”

One of the standouts in this year’s crop of Toronado yearlings is undoubtedly the half-brother to last year’s Doomben 10,000 winner and The Everest placegetter Mazu (Maurice {Jpn}), who will be offered by Parsons Creek Farm as Lot 69 on the opening day of the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

The colt is out of the evergreen Flying Spur mare Chatelaine, whose five winners to date also include G1 Coolmore Stud S. winner and Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Headway (Charge Forward).

“He’s a very exciting yearling for Parsons Creek,” Heritage said of Lot 69. “Obviously the mare has been a great producer, she’s had two Group 1 winners and this colt is sensational.

Lot 69 – Toronado (Ire) x Chatelaine (colt) | Image courtesy of Inglis

“He’s got muscle on muscle with great scope and I’m sure between the Australian buyers and the Hong Kong market they’ll be very strong on him.”

Heritage also reserved particular praise for Lot 186, a colt out of the winning Rip Van Winkle (Ire) mare Karmic (NZ), who is a half-sister to G1 Rosehill Guineas hero Zabrasive (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) from the family of last year’s G1 Queensland Oaks heroine Gypsy Goddess (NZ) (Tarzino {NZ}).

The colt will be offered by Kitchwin Hills and, according to Heritage, is a perfect example of the quality that Toronado’s stock possesses.

Lot 186 – Toronado (Ire) x Karmic (NZ) | Image courtesy of Inglis

“He grew up at Swettenham Stud and he’s gone on leaps and bounds,” he said.

“He was always a standout on our farm, but to see how he’s come along in the last six months, he’s a sensational-looking animal and I think he’s got more improvement to come.

“Across the board, with the yearlings, I did see, they all had plenty of quality and I think they get that from the old man. They’ve got that good skin, they’ve got kind eyes and from what I’ve been told by all the vendors, they’ve got big raps on how well they prep up.

“They’re hard to fault, they do everything they’re asked and they’re horses that love to please. I think that’s why trainers are so keen to get them in their stables because they’re not hard horses to train.”

Debunking the myths

Whilst the vast majority of Toronado’s stock continues to get better with age, the son of High Chaparral has proven on more than one occasion that he is capable of siring a handy 2-year-old.

In the Northern Hemisphere, his son Tactical (GB) provided the late Queen Elizabeth II with a memorable Royal Ascot winner in the Listed Windsor Castle S. as a 2-year-old, before going on to land the G2 July S. at Newmarket on his next outing, while closer to home, promising juvenile Shesallshenanigans (Toronado {Ire}) followed up her impressive recent maiden win at Bendigo with a stakes placing on just her third career start earlier this month.

Those examples may not be enough to earn him a reputation as a regular source of elite juvenile talent, but Heritage remains unequivocal in his belief that Toronado is far more than a one-trick pony when it comes to his progeny.

“Toronado himself trained on, he was undefeated at two but he won his Group 1s as a 3-year-old and a 4-year-old,” he said.

“I think his progeny are very much the same, the trainers know to give them time and they’ll get their rewards.

“I wouldn’t say they’re slow maturing because they’re so well muscled and they’re easy to do things with from day one, but it’s definitely the 3 and 4-year-olds that are flying the flag for him.

“Only a few weeks ago he had a 2-year-old stakes placegetter and he can get a precocious one, but I think it’s just a matter of the trainers knowing not to push them too hard early.”

Another criticism that has previously been put against Toronado’s name is that his progeny are only effective in Australia, an assertion that Heritage believes is way short of the mark.

“I saw a graphic this morning that he’s a top-three sire in Europe on winners,” he added.

“He had Kovrov win again in France during the week and he’s now three from three. He’s out of an Exceed And Excel mare and that cross has been very successful in Australia, so to see it work up north as well is great.

“I think the word was that he’s an out-and-out Australian sire, but that’s a bit wrong because he’s having winners all across the world, but it just seems to be Australia where he’s really found a home.

“He’s had Group 1 success in Australia and there’s not too many weeks of racing going by without a stakes performer for him.”

by Mark Smith, Breednet – Saturday March 18

The Toronado (IRE) mare Mariamia completed her rapid ascent to the top rung of sprinters when successful in the $1,000,000 Group 1 Kia Ora Galaxy (1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday.

Easy for Mariamia and Tyler Schiller (image Steve Hart)

Tyler Schiller celebrated his first Group 1 winner as Mariamia defeated the Cable Bay gelding Uncommon James by a lengths with the 3yo Capitalist colt Cannonball a half-length back in third.

The Group II Expressway Stakes winner on January 28, the Joe Pride-trained mare, bounced back after a slightly disappointing fourth in the Group II Millie Fox Stakes won by Electric Girl.

“She didn’t see the 1300m out the other day but freshened up and back to a sprint trip, she was really dynamic there today,” Pride said.

 

“That’s her crowning moment, she’s won a Galaxy now.

“It’s a long process, but it’s about having the right team around your horse. There’s plenty of very good trainers out there that are doing their best with their horses as well. For me, we specialise in taking these horses on that maybe need a little bit of rejuvenating, getting the right people around them, and I just relish the task of taking on a horse who maybe someone else has given up on.

“She’s a bonny mare, just great to see her do that there today to state the obvious. She’s been going so well all preparation, and just that run at 1300m it stretched her out with a really quick tempo, and she didn’t really get her chance to finish off that day.

A first for Tyler Schiller (image Steve Hart)

“Given that quiet run in behind them today with no weight on her back and a great reward for Tyler (Schiller), I know he’ll really appreciate that. He rode more winners for me last season than anyone else, and to be able to give him a reward like that it’ll be pretty special for him, and it’s certainly special for us.”

Tyler Schiller revealed the victory had extra special meaning.

“My dad, he’s got cancer. All he wanted to see was for me to win a Group 1 and to come out and do it today, it was unreal,” Schiller revealed.

“It’s the best feeling in the world, to do it on a mare like that. She’s come through the grades really sharply and Joe (Pride) has turned her around, but gee she’s a good mare.

“She jumped well, put herself in the spot. When I quickened up on the inside of Eduardo I thought I was home, she did the rest.

“I thought it was inevitable at 100m, she was doing it easy, no one was catching her. To see her freeball for the last 200m, she’s a super mare, and I am very grateful to Joe (Pride) and the connections for putting me on. I can’t believe I won a Group 1.”

 

Newhaven Park Stud’s six-year-old Toronado mare Mariamia advances her record to eight three seven from 37 starts with earnings of $1,135,510.

Mariamia, was purchased by Newhaven Park for $335,000 off Shane Stockdale at the 2022 Inglis March (Early) Online Sale. She was an $18,000 purchase from the Swettenham Stud draft from book 2 of the 2018 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.

Mariamia is the best of two winners from three to race for the Encosta de Lago mare Quinta Lago.

A sister to Group II-placed Halekulani and a half-sister to the dam of Group 1 VRC Derby hero Warning (Declaration of War), Quinta Lago was dropped from official records in 2020.

Bred by Adam Sangster, Mariamia is the second consecutive winner of the Galaxy for Toronado (IRE) after Shelby Sixty Six and is the fourth Group 1 winner for the son of High Chaparral (IRE).

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Toronado in upcoming sales:

James Tzaferis – Racing.com

13 February, 2023

 

Caraman Park team with their Toronado colt (Image: Inglis)

The timely online purchase of broodmare Devil In Her Heart in 2021 paid handsome dividends for the family-run Carramar Park at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale on Monday.

Carramar Park’s Tim Alchin paid $27,500 for the unraced Star Witness mare via Inglis Digital, with the mare nursing a Palentino foal at foot and also in foal to Toronado.

Months later, Devil In Her Heart’s siblings Wandabaa and Malkovich emerged as Stakes winners, while Toronado’s stocks have continued to rise via the deeds of Masked Crusader

The Toronado colt caught the attention of several prospective buyers once he stepped into the ring at Riverside Stables before eventually being knocked down to Hong Kong-based Legend Bloodstock and Dullingham for $270,000.

Alchin said Monday’s result was a dream come true.

“Growing up with the horses, I always wanted a mare so I was looking online and this girl came up,” Alchin said.

“The family was active – it had Seewhatshebrings and then Malkovich emerged and then Wandaba started winning.

“Toronado had Masked Crusader at the time.

“The rest is history.

“It really is a dream result, it’s unreal.”

 

 

The result continued solid Inglis Classic Sale for Swettenham Stud’s Toronado, who had 10 yearlings sells for an average $211,000.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club paid $420,000 for Lot 256, a Toronado colt from SA’ Cornerstone Stud, while the stallion’s progeny were also snapped up by Mick Price, Michael Kent and Michael Hickmott.

 

 

Mark Smith, Breednet – Saturday January 28

Joe Pride has the Midas touch in rejuvenating older horses and has worked his magic on Newhaven Park Stud’s six-year-old Toronado mare Mariamia.

Mariamia in full flight (image Steve Hart)

With Tim Clark in the saddle, Mariamia opened her stakes account in Saturday’s Group II Furphy Expressway Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill.

Enjoying a cosy run, one out one back, Mariamia increased her margin at every call in the straight to defeat the Caulfield Guineas winner Golden Mile (Astern) by two and three-quarter lengths with Nicolini Vito (Nicconi) a further one and three-quarter lengths back in third.

 

A dual Group III placegetter, Mariamia, was purchased by Newhaven Park for $335,000 off Shane Stockdale at the 2022 Inglis March (Early) Online Sale.

She has won three of seven for Pride, advancing her overall record to seven wins, three seconds, and seven thirds from 35 starts with earnings of $573,610.

Mariamia was a late entry for the race when nominations were extended.

“It’s not very often I late nom horses if you think you haven’t got the right race, you probably shouldn’t be there. But it looked like an opportunity for her, and I was surprised how well she went today,” Pride said.

“I will take a mare anywhere there is some opportunity, and that presented itself early on in the week.

“I have a lot of time for that mare, but she pinged there today. It was only off a two-week break after a really good first up run. A really good performance.”

“Based on what she did today, there will be some really nice races for her over the carnival.

“She came to the stable less than 12 months ago and has done really well in that time. I love these tried horses. They’ve been great, the Kellys, to source some really good horses over the years for me. The job is not done yet. She will definitely go to stud at the end of this season but hopefully, some more fun before then.”

Mariamia an $18,000 Inglis Premier yearling

An $18,000 purchase from the Swettenham Stud draft from book 2 of the 2018 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, Mariamia is the best of two winners from three to race for the Encosta de Lago mare Quinta Lago.

A sister to Group II-placed Halekulani and a half-sister to the dam of Group 1 VRC Derby hero Warning (Declaration of War), Quinta Lago was dropped from official records in 2020.

Bred by Adam Sangster, Mariamia is the 30th stakes-winner for Swettenham Stud’s High Chapparal (IRE) stallion Toronado (IRE).