Prominent WA sire Maschino has got another good one!
Alwyn Park Stud's popular son of Encosta De Lago notched up his tenth stakes winner when Smooth Chino broke through for his first black type success in the Listed Black Heart Bart Stakes 1200m to remain undefeated in six career starts.
The now four year old gave indication that it would only be a matter of time before he got his first win in February this year, when he unleashed a startling turn of foot to claim the $250,000 Magic Millions 3YO Trophy (RL) at Pinjarra.
At the time, it was the biggest win his Albany based trainer Indianna Weinert had experienced in her career, and she had the satisfaction of winning the rich race with a horse she purchased as a yearling for just $40,000 at the 2023 Perth Magic Millions Sale from the Mogumber Park draft.
Now the trainer has her first stakes winner on the board and the highly progressive Smooth Chino looks capable of adding considerably to that record!
Originally from an eventing background, Indianna was bitten by the racing bug when she began riding trackwork for leading Albany trainer Roy Rogers.
Resolved to become a jockey, she upped sticks and moved from the Great Southern to commence her apprenticeship under the guidance of David Harrison in Serpentine.
Indianna rode in around 70 trials for the stable but like so many talented riders ,she struggled with weight and the dream took a new turn - to become a racehorse trainer, whose ranks she joined in 2021.
After Smooth Chino had blitzed them at Pinjarra, Weinert revealed she had purchased the chestnut son of Maschino out of “love at first sight.”
“I just liked his type,” she said at the time.
“He was getting walked up at the sales for another trainer at the sales. I didn't actually go and inspect him. I looked from a distance and said, I want that. I want him!”
A great advertisement for the merits of following your heart, because with his win yesterday Smooth Chino remains undefeated after six runs and has banked $327,630!
In the Black Heart Bart Stakes Smooth Chino started the hottest of favourites, while two speedy Sessions gallopers, the Tiarnna Noske trained mare Cessation and
the Gangemi Stable's Repossession had support from some quarters. Punters figured Dam Morton’s No Nay Never daughter Objectify would find the lightning fast track to her liking and she was backed late into second favouritism.
The small field jumped cleanly and immediately Luke Campbell on Cessation used the mare's blistering gate speed to shoot to the lead with Repossession (Brad Parnham) also firing out like a bullet to sit second.
Austin Galati and Smooth Chino parked in behind them as Cessation sped out to a clear lead at the 800m and set a cracking pace.
Smooth Chino was in cruise mode racing on his own in clear air as the small field hit the home turn and Campbell gave Cessation her head.
The mare kicked clear, drifting out to the centre of the track, leaving plenty of room for the big chestnut son of Maschino to roll through on the rail and they had cleared out from the rest of the field.
In a couple of strides it was all over!
Cessation tried her heart out but the powerful gelding had her measure and drew away to win easily by one and a half lengths from the mare, with the Frosted gelding Ice Pick Nick at 16/1 making up good ground from near last to grab third from the tiring Repossession.
No wonder Repossession got tired because when the clock stopped they had run just a fraction of a second outside Danny Beau's 1200m track record!
Yet Smooth Chino looked to have done it with absolute ease, this is an exciting racehorse!
Trainer Indianna Weinert seemed more relieved than anything..
“I was probably the most nervous I've ever been coming into today and a Listed race, but Austin rides him so perfectly, he's so patient , he times it so well and I'm so happy for him” she said graciously of her own first stakes race win in a young training career.
“Next prep this horse is going to be scary ….he's got a lot of talent there, and next prep he'll be even better” she said.
“ I'll put him out now for six or eight weeks and give him a spell - he's done a lot, he deserves it, and I haven't planned anything after that! We will see how he comes back and plan it run by run.
Maybe after today I might get some calls (for next year's $5m Quokka slot race) …..I think he'd be ready for that “ she said confidently.
Austin Galati rode a double on the day and the young hoop was thrilled, and somewhat in awe of the horse he is forging such an exciting partnership with saying
“He is a bit of a freak, it just feels like a bit of trackwork out there for him!”
Smooth Chino was bred by K and M Reilly and S Dunn from the unraced Amorei, a daughter of the very good WA sire Gingerbread Man (Shamardal). He was the second foal from the mare who first produced gelding Morerock (Awesome Rock) in 2019 who raced only once, and her third foal, a filly by Snitzel son Bondi sold for $26.000 to David Kelly from the Mogumber Park draft at the 2024 Perth Magic Millions.
Amorei's 2022 filly by Rommel is yet to race and after being given a year off from breeding the mare produced another Bondi filly in 2024.
Amorei had no foal this year. Her dam Moreish by the great More Than Ready was top class and dominated the three year old fillies of her generation with wins in the Listed Natasha / Ascot 1000 Guineas before taking the 2013 G3 WATC Oaks.
Moreish was the only foal bred by Gerry Harvey from his Danehill daughter Pink City in Australia before she was exported to NZ.
Her dam was the talented dual G2 winner stakes My Sienna by the under rated Marscay son Weasel Clause.
Pink City's half sister Piazza Del Campo (General Nediym) produced the dual Listed winning speedster Palazzo Publico by the unfashionable Conatus and she in turn has been a multiple black type producer.
Their dam was Etruscan (Opera Prince), Stakes placed in Tasmania and dam of eight winners with My Siena her standout and another daughter became dam of the Tassie stakes winning filly Rustia (Savoire Vivre).
This female line goes back to the Irish bred mare Fair Rosaleen by the minor Native Dancer son Hul A Hul (USA) out of the Red God daughter Pagan Slipper, a half sister to the champion UK sprinter Boldboy and to Dawn Echo, who became the dam of successful Australasian stallion Prince Echo.
Smooth Chino's ancestress Eastern Echo was a full sister to the grand dam of the champion sire Major Portion.
This family is a branch of 8c (taproot Violet from Woodbine )to which belong Last Tycoon, Storm Cat, Crafty Admiral, Fusaichi Pegasus, Assert, Be My Guest, Celtic Swing, Royal Academy and Red God to name but a few and leading sires of the modern day like Le Havre, Uncle Mo, Polar Falcon and American Pharoah.
His Majesty and Storm Cat appear in Smooth Chino’s pedigree and Blushing Groom's sire Red God is a linebreeding subject.
Smooth Chino is bred
Danehill 4m x 4f sex balanced
Blue Hen Dancing Show 5f x 5m sex balanced
Yet another spectacular example of inbreeding the Best In Show family!
His pedigree boasts a multitude of sex balanced lines to Almahmoud daughters Natalma and Cosmah and to Natalma's sire Native Dancer, boosted by many duplications of their fellow matriarchs La Troienne and Myrtlewood.
A major key to Smooth Chino's speed is Maschino's line to the elite Star Kingdom daughter Ritmar, who foaled his third damsire Taipan.
She sex balances the many male lines of Star Kingdom his pedigree carries
The road to further stakes success looks smooth indeed for Smooth Chino.
Maschino stands at Alwyn Park Stud in Serpentine on a fee of $8,800.
