Toronado (IRE) four year-old Little Paradise led home an all Aussie bred trifecta in the Group III Premier Cup (1400m) at Sha Tin on Sunday.
Trained by Jimmy Ting Little Paradise roared through his grades earlier this year an contested the 4YO Classic Series winning HK Classic Mile before running unplaced in the Classic Cup and Hong Kong Derby.
Dropped back to a sprinting trip here, Little Paradise bounced back with Zac Purton to score a neck win over the late charging Wandjina gelding Galaxy Patch with Lucky With You (Artie Schiller (USA) in third place.
Jimmy Ting is looking to up the ante with Little Paradise next season and indicated Group 1 targets would be considered.
“I hope that after the break he gets a little bit of improvement, and hopefully the target will be to run in the (G1 LONGINES Hong Kong) Mile (1600m). I still think that 1400m or 1600m is the best distance for this horse, and I hope that he will improve,” he said.
With seven wins from 13 starts, Little Paradise was sourced from the Carramar Park draft at Inglis Classic for $270,000 by Dullingham (Chris McAnulty) / Legend Bloodstock (Bond Li).
Little Paradise was offered by Wayne and Pauline Alchin’s Carramar Park on behalf of their son Tim, who bred him.
It was a dream result for Tim Alchin, who had bought his dam Devil In Her Heart carrying Little Paradise for just $27,500 on Inglis Digital in February 2021.
Little Paradise is the latest stakes-winner in a very successful female family being the first winner for Devil in Her Heart, an unraced half-sister by Star Witness to Group winners Olentia, Wandabaa and stakes-winner Malkovich.
It’s the Asawir branch of the famed Easy Date family and both Olentia and Wandabaa have been retired to stud.
Olentia sold for $2.6million to Wathnan Racing in a Magic Millions Virtual Sale last year and has now been exported to the UK, while Wandabaa was snapped up by Yulong for $800,000 via an Inglis Digital boutique sale.
Yulong sold a yearling filly by Tagaloa from Wandabaa for $400,000 at Magic Millions this year.
Devil in Her Heart has a yearling colt by Farnan that was sold by Carramar Park at Inglis Easter for $200,000 to George Moore Bloodstock and she went to Shinzo last year after slipping to King’s Legacy the year before.
Little Paradise is one of 52 SW's for Swettenham Stud’s Toronado (IRE), who had a late start to the breeding season last spring due to injury, but recovered to serve 86 mares at a fee of $88,000.
