Darby Racing have had a lot of success with modestly priced yearlings, but raised their sights to purchase a colt by Hello Youmzain (Fr) for $325,000 at the Magic Millions Yearling Sale last year and Stormland made a winning debut at Randwick on Thursday.
Trained by Ciaron Maher and ridden by Jason Collett, Stormland finished second at his only previous trial and was easy in the market, but produced a good finish to surge home and win, while blue-blood Written Tycoon colt Grand Prairie was an eye-catching second with a flashing run up the fence to go down by half a length.
Bred and sold by Cambridge Stud and purchased by Darby on the advice of De Burgh Equine, Stormland is the second highest priced yearling sold in Australia from the first crop of Group I winning sprinter Hello Youmzain, who shuttles to Cambridge Stud from France.
Stormland holds an entry for the Group I ATC Sires Produce Stakes so is obviously held in high regard.
He is the first winner for Sienna Rose, a metro winning half-sister by More Than Ready (USA) to stakes-winner Ebhaar from the family of Group I winners Merchant Navy and Joliestar.
He’s got plenty of pedigree and is a great type with his yearling half-brother by Sword of State sold by Cambridge Stud at Karaka Book 1 this year for $180,000 to TAB Racing Club.
Stormland is the fourth winner from the first Southern Hemisphere crop for Hello Youmzain, who has sired 30 winners from his first NH cop headed by Group III winners Misunderstood and Electrolyte.
