The richest race in Australia for country trained horses, the $1.3million ATC Kosciuszko is a realistic dream for every broodmare owner no matter what their budget for a sire and Saturday’s winner Art Cadeau will provide inspiration for many.
Trained by Terry Robinson on the South Coast of NSW for his owner breeders Mick and Joy Lils, Art Cadeau was first up from a spell the 1200m Kosciuszko and hit the line hard to win by a head over Handle the Truth.
A well backed favourite, Art Cadeau has an impressive record with six wins and six seconds from 12 starts with prizemoney of $1.3million.
Art Cadeau became the first horse to claim country racing’s two biggest prizes as he had won the $600,000 ATC Country Championships Final back in April.
“I never thought I would train a horse like him, but for my family, this is just an amazing story. He is a 1400m [horse] and we saw that at the end. I thought he was going to be strong and he was,” Terry Robinson said.
Art Cadeau has been a remarkable success story for one of Robinson’s longest standing owners in Mick Lill, who also bred and raced his mother Jewelled Gate.
“It is a wonderful feeling to be here. He is just a super horse. For Mick, you must have the greatest smile on your face. He has been a trainer, he bred this horse and it is a great result for him, my staff and my family,” Robinson added.
Art Cadeau is by well proven Group I sire Artie Schiller (USA), who was standing at a fee of $13,200 in the year he was conceived.
Now 20 years old, Artie Schiller is the sire of 55 stakes-winners worldwide including Australian Group I winners Flying Artie and Laser Hawk. He stands at Stockwell Thoroughbreds in Victoria this spring at a fee of $11,000.
Art Cadeau is the best of five winners from stakes-winning Hurricane Sky mare Jewelled Gate, who has a two year-old filly by Americain (USA) called Ulysses Blue and a yearling colt by Odyssey Moon. She appears to now be in foal to Astern.
