Swettenham Stud’s Toronado (IRE) enjoyed a great weekend with two new stakes-winners on Saturday in Masked Crusader and Solaia bringing his tally of stakes-winners to 10, as well as an impressive winner at Sha Tin on Sunday in Master Montaro.
Good looking four year-old gelding Masked Crusader has always promised to win a stakes race and got the job done in style at Randwick on Saturday winning the Group III ATC Southern Cross (1200m) – click to read about him.
On the other side of the country, his three year-old filly Solaia won the Listed WATC Challenge Stakes (1500m) at Ascot in Perth – click to read about her.
The David Hayes trained gelding Master Montaro won his fourth race from just six starts when scoring a half length win at Sha Tin on Sunday over 1400m.
“First time at 1400m, blinkers off and Vincent rode him a treat,” Hayes said.
“He’s a bit of a slow learner, so I think he’ll get better with racing.
“I think he’ll go up in class – he won’t go crashing through with five wins in a row – but he’ll get there because he’s got the big engine and good constitution and I think he can run a mile, which is another string to his bow.”
A $300,000 NZB Rady to Run purchase for Laming Racing from the Woburn Farm draft, Master Montaro was a super successful pinhook for Woburn Farm, having been bought from the Swettenham Stud draft at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale for $80,000.
Master Montaro is a half-brother to Group II place Modoc and is the third winner from Circus Polka, a half-sister by Stravinsky (USA) to Group I winner Prized Icon and stakes-winner Matras, the grand-dam of stakes-winner Whispered Secret, who is by Toronado’s sire High Chaparral.
Circus Polka has been a regular visitor to Toronado having been covered by him for four seasons in a row and has yearling colt that will be offered at Inglis Easter by Coolmore as Lot 251.
