Champion trainer Chris Waller and champion jockey James McDonald enjoyed a G1 double at Flemington on Saturday with two special horses in the Hermitage Thoroughbreds colours and the first of them to salute was classy Wootton Bassett (GB) colt Stormy Marco, who won the $3million Group I VRC Victoria Derby (2500m).
A winner at two last season, Stormy Marco has been running against all the good colts in Sydney this spring racking up the necessary miles for a staying trip and running on in all of his key lead up races.
When his grand final arrived, Stormy Marco was cherry ripe and produced a text book effort to travel sweetly back in the field before rounding up his rivals to win running away.
He scored by two lengths over the long shot Cold Shower, who ran out of his skin, but in keeping with his pedigree given this Too Darn Hot (GB) colt is from a half-sister by So You Think to G1 Victoria Derby winner Rebel Raider.
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Stormy Marco has the overall record of two wins and two placings from eight starts with prizemoney of $2.1million and the Victoria Derby has been on his radar since the start of spring.
“Pretty much since his first run back, based on the fact that the ownership is obviously the same as Tron Bolt and that colt was always Guineas bound, so we had to try and split the two colts for Hermitage,” said stable representative Charlie Duckworth.
"The Derby was the plan, they obviously won the Hong Kong Derby with an ex-horse of ours, Cap Ferrat, they race competitively up there and down here.
"Winning the Derby is a massive thrill. I know the Derby gets a bit of criticism but being a pom, the Derby is everything. So I actually quite like the fact that Chris (Waller) goes to the Golden Eagle and I get to go and do the Derby because it means way more to me than a Golden Eagle.”
Stable Darren Beadman is also a fan of Stormy Marco.
“Fabulous effort, he's a really, really lovely colt. I actually said to Lizzie, who is Chris's assistant down here, I said, 'he's got such a lovely, kind eye, this horse',”Beadman said.
"Eyes are the window to the soul and he's just got a really nice eye that you can look at, it's very soft and he's got an engine to go with it.
"His only real blemish was in the Golden Rose and he drew wide but his run in the Spring Champion, which is always a good form race leading into this showed his nice turn of foot."
Stormy Marco was the first leg of a G1 double for Hermitage Thoroughbreds, who later won the Group I VRC Empire Rose Stakes with Lady Shenandoah.
Stormy Marco was a $300,000 Inglis Easter purchase from Coolmore for Chris Waller Racing / Mulcaster Bloodstock / Hermitage Thoroughbreds and was a successful pinhook having been sourced from Rathmore Lodge at the Inglis Weanling Sale for $70,000.
Bred by Rathmore, Avesta and partners, Stormy Marco is the best of four winners from five foals to race from Rose Memory (IRE), a placed half-sister by Elusive City to Group II winner Hard Dream.
Rose Memory has a yearling colt by Dirty Work, but no foal this year after having a season off in 2025.
Stormy Marco is the 25th Group I winner for much missed Coolmore shuttler Wootton Bassett, who died tragically in Australia last spring.
