Ocean Park’s outstanding daughter Tofane was scheduled to be sold at the National Broodmare Sale last year, before the decision was made to give her one more season on the track.
The Mike Moroney-trained mare vindicated the decision by winning the $1,500,000 Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm and the $600,000 Group 1 Tatts Tiara (1400m) on the same track.
Last spring she placed in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes, Group 1 Toorak Handicap and was fourth in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes.
Off the scene for since finishing seventh in the Group 1 Empire Stakes at Flemington last October, Tofane looked a treat in the paddock before Saturday’s $750,000 Group 1 Neds CF Orr Stakes at Caulfield and raced accordingly.
Sent to the front by Mark Zahra, the 6yo daughter of Ocean Park led them a merry dance to defeat the American import Lighthouse (USA) (Mizzen Mast) by one and a half lengths with a further short neck back to Cascadian (GB) (New Approach) in third.
The winner of the Group 1 ATC All-Aged Stakes (1400m) at Randwick, Tofane advances her record to eight wins, four seconds, and three thirds from 27 starts with earnings of $3,388,970.
“She came out this morning and looked really on her game. It was a really good ride by Mark,” Moroney said.
“I think he (Zahra) is heading to the airport to head over to watch the Superbowl, so he won’t even have time to make his speech.
“We thought the three-year-old (Lightsaber) would lead and we’d go and sit outside it and if something wanted to come around three-wide, we’d get in the running line. The three-year-old was slow away and it was a good front running ride.
“She was never going to be beaten from a long way out.”
“I think if you look at her record she is always better after Christmas. Mares generally are. She’s got the dapples out in her coat now. She had a pretty short break in Queensland, and she was tired which was disappointing going into that Group 1, the mares race, the Group 1.
“She’s done a really good job to recuperate because they don’t get a lot of time between the spring and the autumn, so a great job by her.”
“We’ll go to the Futurity and then we’ll either stay here or head up to Sydney. Sydney would be her swansong I would say and then she will go through the sales, at Magic Millions.”
Bred by Curraghmore Stud's Gordon Cunningham, Tofane did her early education at Moroney's Matamata property. She won an 820-metre trial at Te Teko and was purchased by a syndicate of Moroney's clients, including Rupert Legh and Neil Werrett.
Tofane is the best of three winners from as many to race out of Galileo mare Baggy Green.
Consigned to the 2010 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Baggy Green was knocked down to Dermot Farrington Bloodstock for $110,000.
She won a 1600 maiden at Goulburn for Guy Walter.
Galileo's daughter was back in the ring at the 2013 Inglis Australian Bloodstock Sale, where Gordon Cunningham purchased her for just $23,000.
Baggy Green's three-quarter sister Funstar (Adelaide) won the Group 1 ATC Flight Stakes, and half-sister Youngstar (High Chaparral) claimed the Group 1 BRC Queensland Oaks.
John O'Shea Racing / Laurel Oak Bloodstock went to $220,000 at Karaka in 2020 for Baggy Green's Reliable Man (GB) colt named Benaud.
Now in the ownership of Valachi Downs Stud, Baggy Green has a yearling sister to Tofane and revisited Ocean Park in 2020 after missing to an earlier cover by Savabeel.
