Windsor Park Delighted with First SW Circus Maximus

Media Release - Monday May 5

Promising youngster Towering Vision crowned a successful couple of days for Windsor Park Stud when he credited resident sire Circus Maximus with his first Southern Hemisphere black-type winner.

The farm graduate claimed top honours in Saturday’s Listed Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre Stakes (1400m) at Te Rapa a day after the farm hosted another top edition of their annual Rugby, Racing and Beer Sale at Riccarton.

Towering Vision credited his sire Circus Maximus with his first Southern Hemisphere black-type winner at Te Rapa on Saturday.  Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)

Trained by Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, Towering Vision is a first crop representative of Galileo’s triple Group One winner Circus Maximus.

“This is the time of the year you want to be doing it with this type of stallion, Ha’penny Hatch was stakes placed the previous weekend, and this is what we really want going into the breeding season,” Windsor Park’s Rodney Schick said.

“The favourite, Engine Of War, was scratched and he’s an exciting horse and then Rufus will also be running in the Champagne Stakes in a couple of weeks as well.

“It’s really starting to happen for Circus Maximus, so we’re really excited.”

Towering Vision was offered by Windsor Park at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale and Te Akau’s David Ellis purchased the son of the unraced Iffraaj mare Qiji Vision for $105,000.

“He was off the farm, I bought him from a client as a weanling,” Schick said.

“The Circus Maximus’ are not really bred to be out and out two-year-olds, but you want to see them start to operate at the back end of the season.”

Advertisement

The weekend was kick-started by Windsor Park’s Riccarton Sale, which again featured 10 yearlings.

“It was fantastic and we sold all 10, highlighted by the filly that went to Ben Kwok for $100,000,” Schick said.

“She is a lovely, sharp filly and very much in the mould of Sword Of State.”

She is a daughter of Sword Of State and the Charm Spirit mare Paper Dragon, a sister to the Listed Ryder Stakes (1200m) winner and multiple Group placegetter Pacific Dragon.

“That was our fourth sale and we’ve taken 40 horses down there and sold them all, so it’s been a great clearance rate,” Schick said.

Steve Davis again auctioned off the lots with a pair of high-profile guest speakers complementing the occasion.

“We had All Black legend Kieran Read come to speak as well as Will Hayes from Lindsay Park, and what an outstanding young guy he is,” Schick said.

“We had a great day and a lot of fun, the weather turned it on for us at the end after the weather bomb, so it all went to plan.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

Visit the profile page for Circus Maximus

Circus Maximus in upcoming sales:
Advertisment
More Reading...
Sires With Winners - Saturday September 6
Here is the full list of 106 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Pedigree Watch – 3YO Plus That G1 Late Bloomer
Saturday delivered another exciting instalment of early spring racing with three stakes races for 3YO’s and once again all of them were won by new first time stakes-winners that were virtually unsighted at two and we also had a new G1 winner, whose path to the top has been anything but smooth.
Stakes Goals Ahead for Supido Mare
Astute trainer David Payne is no stranger to G1 success and has always held Supido mare Shohisha in high regard and she showed the potential of better things to come this spring when powering home to win the Benchmark 94 event over 1600m at Randwick on Saturday.
Ka Ying Rising Straight to Everest Quarantine after Return Romp
Hong Kong Champion Ka Ying Rising was headed straight to quarantine to prepare for the Group I The Everest after another stunning performance when resuming for the new season on Sunday at Sha Tin.
G1 Haydock Sprint Cup Upset
Wathnan Racing were expecting to win the Group I Haydock Sprint Cup (6f) overnight with short priced race favourite Lazzat, but the best he could manage was fifth behind progressive three year-old colt Big Mojo.
More Stakes Success for Impending - Cool Memory Wins Listed Farnley
A son of Larneuk Stud's value Lonhro stallion Impending, five year old Cool Memory bolted in to claim his second stakes win and bring joy to favourite backers on a rain-drenched Saturday at Belmont Park.
Derby Dreaming for Crown of Russia
Danny O’Brien already has one promising winner by his former G1 star Russian Camelot (IRE) in the stable in Censori and on Sunday at Bendigo he unleashed another.
Pericles Turns Back the Clock
Six year-old Street Boss (USA) gelding Pericles won the Group II ATC Tramway Stakes (1400m) two years ago in 2023 when trained by James Cummings and he repeated the effort at Randwick on Saturday, but this time he is in the care of Bjorn Baker.
First Stakes-Winner for Circus Maximus
Handsome two-year-old Towering Vision broke his maiden status in the best possible fashion when he took out the Listed Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre Stakes (1400m) in a torrid finish at Te Rapa to become the first SW for his sire Circus Maximus (IRE) anywhere in the world.
Sires With Winners - Sunday September 7
Here is the full list of 67 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.