Top class racehorse
Toronado lived up to expectations when easily winning on his return from a long spell in the
Gr1 Queen Anne Stakes (1607m) at Royal Ascot in race one on the opening day.
TORONADO - Winning the Gr1 Queen Anne Stakes.
His jockey Richard Hughes had talked-up the
High Chaparral four-year-old pre-race, suggesting he would "take the breath away" (of racing fans) and the win was as promised, very dominant for a horse with still plenty of improvement in him.
Toronado travelled on the bridle early, allowing time to get back in the field before being angled towards the stand side of the straight. He charged to the front with a furlong to run before tiring near the line. He held on strongly to defeat
Coolmore’s US Gr1 winner Verrazano by three-quarters of a length with
Anodin 1-1/4 lengths back in third.
"That was like switching a light on," jockey Hughes said. "He was so relaxed and lazy in the race.
"I think any horseman in the world would believe he is a great horse that could win this before the race."
The win was the second Gr1 success for
Toronado having won the Gr1 Sussex Stakes at Goodwood last season.
“It is great - wonderful to get the meeting off to a start like that,” his trainer Richard Hannon said.
"
Toronado did it very well. He is settling much better this year and Hughesie rode him with all the confidence in the world.
"It was a pretty smooth success - he is a nice horse.”
"He probably needed that and got tired approaching the line. He was awesome today and will come on for the race - he had not run for a long time. It was important to get him back and winning.”
"I was nervous this morning, I feel a bit better now. It’s great to get a win. It’s great for the Sheikh, he’s put a lot of money in and it’s nice to see him get his reward.
Hannon said targets for Toronado are the Prix Jacques Le Marois or the Qipco Sussex Stakes then possibly the Prix Moulin, Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and the Breeders' Cup.
High Chaparral - Sire
Top class international
Coolmore sire High Chaparral (IRE) enjoyed a flying start to
Royal Ascot.
Being the sire of
Toronado and winning the
Gr1 Queen Anne Stakes was fantastic but in the next race, the
2yo Gr2 Coventry Stakes, High Chaparral was in the headlines again – this time as the sire of the broodmare
Muravka - the dam of the
Starspangledbanner 2yo colt
The Wow Signal.
"It’s lovely to get the meeting off to a start like that,” said Richard Hannon.
"He is every bit as good as any horse we have ever had. Just look at him, the stature of the horse. I was quoted saying that he looks like Superman. He does – almost superhuman – a hell of a horse. He is the real deal. He has shown a massive turn of foot today.”
Toronado was bought for 55,000 euros as a yearling at Arqana Sales (France). He was subsequently sold privately after winning the Gr2 Doncaster Champagne Stakes and now runs Al Shaqab Racing.
Toronado has the overall record of six wins and a second from nine starts.
He is the first stakes-winner for his dam
Wana Do, a half-sister to Gr1 winner
Casamento.
Interestingly for Australian breeders,
Toronado comes from a family steeped in Australian stakes performers including Group 1 winners
Heart of Dreams and
French Clock as well as stakes-winners
Dream About It, Rightfully Yours, Fast Future and
Red Typhoon.
Toronado’s sire
High Chaparral is set to cover for
Coolmore this spring at a fee of $60,500, standing alongside his 10-time Group 1 winning son
So You Think at $55,000.
With
56 Stakes Winners including 9 Gr1 Winners HIGH CHAPARRAL is one of the very few sires at stud in the southern hemisphere that can produce genuine champions at 1600m and further. He has the ability to inject speed into stout mares and toughness into speed mares.
With
20 Stakes Winners in Australasia –
14 of those in Australia it is interesting to note the dominance of his colts on the racetrack.
In Australia, colts and geldings by the sire show:
110 Runners
105 Earned Prizemoney
71 Individual Winners
12 Stakes Winners
Including 2 racetrack superstars – SO YOU THINK and IT’S A DUNDEEL.
It’s hard to understand why his colts have such dominance compared to the fairer sex however the observation supports the need to buy his colts rather than fillies at this point of his career.
Dynamic Syndications purchased a super colt by
HIGH CHAPARRAL ex QUEEN’S SUITE from the
Select Blue Riband Session of this year’s
Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sales. He’s a half-brother to 5 winners including
SW MY LADY’S CHAMBER.
The dam was a city winner herself and is a half-sister Gr2 Winning and Golden Slipper placed
REGAL CHEER – dam of Gr1 winner
REGAL CHAMBER and REGAL CHAMBER has produced multiple
SW KNOYDART.
Team Dynamic have placed the colt with the
CUPS KING – Barts Cummings and James Cummings who train in partnership at Randwick.
It made perfect sense to us, to give a brilliantly bred and equally well conformed son of the Champion sore to the Master Trainer since he did such a wonderful job with dual Cox Plate Winner
SO YOU THINK.
As luck would have it we launched our Colt with
Bart & James Cummings for sale on our website on Tuesday afternoon.
Also on the same day, we ducted out to Oakridge spelling farm to grab some updated photos of our colt.
We list them below: Note how much he has changed and grown in 4 months !
As a Yearling at the Sales 3 March
At Oakridge Spelling Farm 17 June 2014
Running in the paddock at Oakridge.
Make sure you review the full details on our website of our top col with
Bart and James Cummings.
5% Shares are $7,225 per share with Full Owners Privileges.