Widden Stud have plenty of speed sires on their quality packed roster, but they also have a proven source of stayers in Melbourne Cup hero Fiorente (IRE), who closed out the season in style with a metropolitan treble on Saturday.
Morphettville trainer Travis Doudle is having plenty of fun with his five year-old Fiorente gelding Not Usual Glorious, who scored an all the way length win for Damien Oliver in the Benchmark 100 handicap over 2040m.
Not Usual Glorious did his early racing in New Zealand and has now won four of his past five starts with his overall record an impressive 10 wins and four placings from 24 starts with prizemoney just shy of $340,000.
A $32,000 Inglis Premier Book 2 purchase for Horse Feng Bloodstock from the Willaroon Thoroughbreds draft, Not Usual Glorious is the first winner for stakes-winning Hold That Tiger (USA) mare Temper Tantrum, whose dam is a half-sister to Group III winner Shelbourne Lass.
Fiorente made it a Moonee Valley double when the Patrick Ryan trained five year-old gelding Ferago scored a commanding three length win for Craig Williams in the 2500m Benchmark 78 event.
The win ended a frustrating run of minor placings and Ferago has now won four races and placed four times from 17 starts earning nearly $180,000 in prizemoney.
A $41,000 Inglis VOBIS Gold Yearling Sale purchase from the Sun Stud draft, Ferago is the best of two winners from Vodissa, a winning half-sister by Encosta de Lago to stakes-winner Umaquest, the dam of Group III winner Yattarna.
The metro treble came up for Fiorente at Morphettville when the promising Jake Stephens trained five year-old gelding Melody Man was able to win over 1600m at his second run back from a lengthy spell indicating better wins may be in store this spring.
With four wins and five placings from just 12 starts, Melody Man has always looked a promising horse and might be ready to blossom this season when he gets up in distance.
Fiorente is priced this spring at just $9,900 which is great value for broodmare owners looking to breed a horse with stamina.
Also worth considering is the fact he has two big crops of rising two and three year-olds to run for him conceived off fees of $17,600 and $27,500, so we can expect Fiorente to be on an upswing as these horses come into their maturity.
