One to Watch – Bendigo

Tara Madgwick - Wednesday April 22

He’s the highest priced yearling ever sired by Swettenham Stud’s in form young sire Toronado (IRE) and he returned from a spell to score an impressive win at Bendigo on Wednesday.

Advertisement

Masked Crusader - image Racing Photos

Prepared by Team Hawkes, three year-old gelding Masked Crusader bolted in at his second start at Caulfield last December and was immediately sent to the paddock.



He reappeared today in a Benchmark 70 event over 1000 metres as hot favourite and hit the line hard after being held up to score a soft length victory.

$340,000 Inglis Premier purchase Masked CrusaderA $340,000 Inglis Premier purchase from the Gilgai Farm daft for Hawkes Racing / Cameron Cooke Bloodstock, Masked Crusader has been given plenty of time and with two wins from three starts looks primed to have a great career next season.

Bred by Gilgai Farm, who have had previous success selling to Team Hawkes with Champion 3YO All Too Hard, Masked Crusader is a half-sister to stakes-placed Outlaw Kate and is from speedy stakes-winner She’s Got Gears, a daughter of Invincible Spirit (IRE).

Gilgai Farm had a big result at Magic Millions earlier this year selling a Sebring colt from She’s Got Gears for $825,000 to China Horse Club/Newgate Bloodstock/ Stonestreet.

She’s Got Gears had no foal last year and is now in foal to another son of Toronado’s sire High Chaparral in Dundeel.

Toronado has been in hot form of late siring 10 winners since the start of the month.



 

Advertisment

Race Result - Smartline Finance (Bm70) 1000m

Bendigo Track: Good(4) Time: 0:57.71
1
Masked Crusader
- 3g Toronado (IRE) x She's Got Gears (AUS) (Invincible Spirit (IRE))
Tnr: M, W & J Hawkes Rdr: J Winks 58
2
1.0
Ididitforlove
- 3c Foxwedge (AUS) x True Doubt (AUS) (Redoute's Choice (AUS))
Tnr: Patrick Payne Rdr: Laura Lafferty 57.5
3
1.2
Kiata
- 3f Kuroshio (AUS) x Lascelles (AUS) (Man Of Illusion (AUS))
Tnr: R G Symons Rdr: Regan Bayliss 56
4
1.4
Bray Street Boss
- 3g Street Boss (USA) x Cardannic (AUS) (Bel Esprit (AUS))
Tnr: Will Clarken Rdr: Jamie Kah 57.5
5
3.4
Truffle House
- 3g Smart Missile (AUS) x Ocelot (AUS) (Tale Of The Cat (USA))
Tnr: Brent Stanley Rdr: M Zahra 59.5
6
4.6
Dinga
- 3g Safeguard (AUS) x Macchiato (AUS) (O'Reilly (NZ))
Tnr: Symon Wilde Rdr: D Yendall 58.5
7
5.4
Our Free Spirit
- 3g Unencumbered (AUS) x Our Spirits Bay (NZ) (Stravinsky (USA))
Tnr: A W Noonan Rdr: J Noonan 56
8
5.6
Red Impulse
- 3f Redente (AUS) x Fast Impulse (AUS) (Fastnet Rock (AUS))
Tnr: Russell Osborne Rdr: Madison Lloyd 54
9
7.3
Smokin' Salmon
- 3f Redente (AUS) x Lion's Kiss (AUS) (Lion Cavern (USA))
Tnr: Russell Osborne Rdr: Lewis German 56
10
10.1
Honorable Spirit
- 3g Charm Spirit (IRE) x Z'honor (NZ) (Zabeel (NZ))
Tnr: Henry Dwyer Rdr: Ben Allen 57
More Reading...
Pride’s Outsider Estadio Mestalla Wins Winter Stakes
The lone stakes race on Rosehill’s ten-race card on Saturday saw Joe Pride’s race outsider Estadio Mestalla (Galileo Gold) take out the $200,000 Listed ATC Winter Stakes (1400m) in a boilover.
Sires With Winners - Friday July 4
Here is the full list of 38 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
New Juvenile Stakes-Winner Wootton Bassett
A two year-old Wootton Bassett  colt bred to stay, Daytona made it two wins as many starts when scoring a dominant win in the Listed Pat Smullen Stakes (1m) at Naas in Ireland overnight.
Sweet Redemption for Stable Favourite Jimmy the Bear
Patrick and Michelle Payne enjoyed a red letter day at Flemington on Saturday with their rising star Buccleuch winning the Listed VRC Taj Rossi Series Final and then later in the day stable favourite Jimmy the Bear won the Listed VRC Winter Championship Series Final (1600m).
Sixth Winner for Anders
First past the post at Wyong on June 24, talented Anders filly Sapling lost that race on protest, but quickly made amends when returning to the same track on Saturday to score her first actual victory.
Divine Prophet’s Fortunate Kiss Captures Elusive Black Type Win
With nine top five finishes in previous black type races, it was better late than never as 6yo Divine Prophet mare Fortunate Kiss charged along the inside to win the $300,000 Listed Glasshouse Handicap (1400m) at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday – her first black type victory.
Sword Poised to Strike
When the first crop yearlings by a young stallion are well received and go into the right stables that’s always a good sign and then a few months after that is when things start to get really interesting.
Lisa Kennedy Recognized for Thoroughbred Welfare
Lisa Kennedy has always had a passion for thoroughbreds, and her efforts in guiding retired racehorses into new careers through EventStars were celebrated at Entain’s Industry Excellence Awards last Sunday as the winner of the Care and Welfare Excellence Award.
Invincible 3YO Wins G3 Winx Guineas
The $300,000 Group III Winx Guineas (1600m) at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday featured a big field of 16 up and comers and following the late scratching of favourite Mister Bianco, Angela Jones took luck out of the equation on I Am Invincible gelding The Three Hundred.
2026 Golden Slipper Entries – Sortable, Sale Mail – Find Out More
The new season is nearly upon us and that means all over the country a new crop of rising two year-olds are taking baby steps in the best stables in the land with the Australian Turf Club announcing this week they had received 1927 entries for the 2026 Golden Slipper, so who is in the race?