With the betting suggesting the Anthony and Sam Freedman stable would win the $750,000 G1 MRC Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield on Saturday, it was the outsider of their two runners in the race that produced the goods as Too Darn Hot 4yo Tropicus was simply too strong.
While 3yo filly Point Barrow (Blue Point) started favourite for the father and son training duo with just 50kg’s on her back, it wasn’t meant to be as the she settled back in the field, and while she made up ground late, she could only manage fifth.
Simon Zahra’s Don’t Hope Do went forward along with Matthew Smith’s last start Listed winner Way To The Stars to take up the lead, with Craig Williams aboard Tropicus planted three wide before making up ground to be in a challenging position leading into the home turn.
Making light of his 58.5kgs, Tropicus hit the lead at the 200m mark and although the entire drifted towards the inside rail, he held a length and a quarter winning margin over recent G2 Australia Stakes winner Hedged as the line was reached.
After some recent solid form, the Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman trained Gallant Son (Written Tycoon) did his potential stallion prospects no harm, finishing third, just ahead of the Brad Widdup trained Jedibeel (NZ).
Proving to have an affinity at the Caulfield track, winning the G3 Zeditave Stakes at this meeting 12 months ago as well as the Listed Heath 1100m Stakes in the Spring, connections may have to look at what other features are available at the track in the near future.
Speaking post-race, Sam Freedman was full of praise for the 4yo.
“He's a proper horse, he deserves that,” said Freedman. “As a three-year-old he raced against some of the best, Broadsiding and a few really proper colts.
“He's got better as an entire and one of those horses that just trains on and on and on, we’ve seen him get better this prep, you wouldn't rule out him going to another level again.
As for where he may go next, Freedman felt they needed to steer clear of straight track racing.
“I don't think he's a straight horse, to be honest. He's generally good around a bend, he's so good here.
“So we’ll chat to the team at Kia Ora, they've been great supporters of ours for such a long time. Luke and Shane and the whole team, they're leading an amazing group of horses. This horse was largely unwanted as a yearling, Brett Cavanagh did a lot of his early work as a yearling and a two-year-old, he’s ultra tough.”
“I'd say we may end up in a G1 William Reid, something like that, but we'll have a chat and let the dust settle.”
Williams recorded his first victory in the Oakleigh Plate, and second G1 winner of the day after the Futurity win on Pericles.
“I didn't realise until they mentioned it,” said Williams. “My father was having a chat with me the other day and he's trying to realise that he's not getting too old about how many group ones I’ve won and all the races. And he said, 'Oh, you’ve done it all?' I said, 'No, Dad, there's never all.'”
“I've still got tomorrow at Caulfield, the next day at Pakenham, and just love riding winners. And, again, I can only do it when I've got the right team around me, so my manager, Jason Breen, my family. Everyone in my team does an amazing job to keep me on the track and focused, and I love what I do.
“And then again, I've got to have the horses underneath me, so Sam and Anthony Freedman have done a great job. He's a lovely horse to ride.
“So I got given a really good gift today. They rang me up early and said, 'We think he's the right horse for the race.' Manager agreed, so he gets credit for that and even his jump outs that I haven't been a part of, but watched him, they've left the headgear off him and just saved it for the race day today.
“I had a horse that I could do so many options with. With the barrier draw and the way the race was run.”
With four wins and three placed efforts from 12 starts with earnings of $1,030,300, the Kia Ora Stud bred and raced Tropicus is the second winner out of the stakes placed Exceed And Excel mare Extensible, a full-sister to the Listed winner Cathay Lady and a half-sister to the dam of Listed winner Cutadeel.
Fashion Diva, the 3yo half-sister to Tropicus was covered by Broadsiding in the spring while Extensible has an unnamed 2yo full brother to Fashion Diva, with the current yearling filly by Coolmore’s Justify set to be offered at the upcoming Inglis Easter yearling sale as agent, selling as part of Tyreel Stud’s draft as Lot 301.
Extensible foaled a filly by Home Affairs in the spring before being covered by I Am Invincible.
With previous winners of the Oakleigh Plate including Fastnet Rock, Snitzel, Starspangledbanner and in recent years Russian Revolution and Portland Sky, it would not surprise to see Tropicus join Farnan, Prague and Capitvant on the Kia Ora Stud stallion roster in the years to come.
Tropicus becomes the fifth individual G1 winners for Darley’s Too Darn Hot, joining fellow Australian G1 winner Broadsiding.
Shuttling to Darley Kelvinside, Too Darn Hot covered 110 mares last season at a fee of $275,000 (inc. GST) while Broadsiding covered 160 mares at a fee of $66,000 (inc. GST), highlighting the popularity of the Dubawi (IRE) sire-line here in Australia.
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