Shalaa (IRE) will have a runner at Sha Tin on Sunday when his class sprinter Recommendation flies the flag for Australia in the Group I HK International Sprint (1200m) and closer to home he had a brilliant winner at Randwick on Friday in Raikkonen.
Trained by Bjorn Baker and ridden by Chad Schofield, Raikkonen blitzed his rivals to win the Benchmark 64 event over 1250m by four lengths and has now two of three starts earning just over $106,000 in prizemoney.
A half-brother to stakes-placed Crockett, Raikkonen was a $180,000 purchase for Darby Racing when consigned by Blake Ryan Racing to the 2023 Inglis Ready2Race Sale after being passed in when offered by Arrowfield Stud at the 2023 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Bred by Arrowfield Pastoral, Planette Thoroughbred, and Belford Productions, Raikkonen is the fourth winner from as many to race for the unraced Street Cry (IRE) mare Tuusula, a sister to Group I MRC One Thousand Guineas winner Stay With Me out of the 5-time Group I winner Miss Finland.
Tuusula has a yearling colt by St Mark's Basilica (FR) and missed last spring.
The Miss Finland family has many offshoots and has several entries in upcoming sales.
