Monumentally picturesque, Torryburn Stud, was the inspiration for Doreatha Mackellar’s famous poem, ‘My Country’ – land of sweeping plains et al – but the farm’s run of success in recent years has hardly been confined to Our Country.
On Sunday in Hong Kong the Torryburn Stud bred and sold, Straight Arron, won the Group 3 The Queen Mother Memorial Cup over 2400m on Sunday and is poised for a showdown with superstar, Romantic Warrior, in the Group 1 Champions & Chater Cup.
Hong Kong has certainly been a happy hunting ground for Torryburn Stud in 2023 with Deep Field homebred, Voyage Bubble, taking out the Hong Kong Derby in March.
But the Hong Kong reach stretches even further as the NSW showpiece is also responsible for Champion Hong Kong Sprinter, Hot King Prawn, who won his first five and showed his incredible class for five years in the region.
Of course, there’s been plenty happening in My Country too with Extreme Choice mare, Espiona, winning the Group 1 Coolmore Classic in March (11 days before Voyage Bubble’s Derby success) while, speaking of Coolmore, dual Group 1 winning sprinter, Home Affairs, is also a graduate from Torryburn’s class of 2020.
“It really has been a remarkable few years for the farm,” Torryburn’s Stud Manager, Mel Copelin, points out. “Hot King Prawn had a real cult following in Hong Kong and his longevity is something we take great pride in.
“And I’m happy to say that Hot King Prawn now has a real cult following as a show horse!
“They need to be sound to race on in Hong Kong and that Voyage Bubble could be anything, while Straight Arron appears to be hitting his straps winning three of his last four. He was a Group winner in Sydney and, based on the quality of his win on Sunday, it will be very interesting to see where he goes from here.
“Straight Arron is out of the Group 1 placed mare, Imperial Lass, who has a Pierro filly that we intend to keep, while her Wootton Bassett filly is truly one of the best foals you’ll ever lay eyes on.”
As the late Ms Mackellar so aptly finished off her poem – ‘My home thoughts will fly’ – Mel is pretty confident that the Torryburn runners will continue to fly as well …
“Through the likes of Home Affairs and Hot King Prawn we’ve got a proven track record with sprinters and the milers are covered too with Group 1 winners such as El Dorado Dreaming and Dixie Blossoms, while a horse such as Straight Arron could well complete the trifecta for us by becoming a Group 1 winning stayer.
“We’ve got some very nice 2YOs coming through including the Justify colt, Californian, the 3YOs are good, and the 4YOs just keep on going.
“The bases are loaded.”
