One to Watch – Bendigo

Tara Madgwick - Tuesday February 26
If you thought Lonhro was having a good season with his two year-olds, you would be right and it got better on Tuesday when Godolphin unleashed another superbly bred debut winner at Bendigo.

Like a fine wine, Lonhro is getting better with age!The James Cummings trained filly Varda was a short priced favourite for the 1000 metre juvenile maiden and coasted home to win by nearly three lengths in a slick 57.60 seconds.

She settled just off the pace on the fence for Damian Lane and needed some encouragement to get going at the furlong, but once she hit top gear the race was over.

Varda is certainly bred to be good as she is a three-quarter sister-in-blood to Lonhro’s Group I winning son Kementari. She is the fourth winner from Group III winner Wild Queen, a half-sister to Group II winner So Gorgeous, the dam of international Group I winning sprinter Sterling City.

Wild Queen has a weanling filly by Kermadec and was covered last spring by Lonhro’s Group I winner Impending.

Varda is the fifth winner from just eight two year-old runners this season for Lonhro and those winners are all well above average, the others being Group I MRC Blue Diamond winner Lyre, Group III ATC Widden Stakes winner Amercement, Group II placed Athiri, who was fourth in the Blue Diamond and Pin Sec, who won on debut at Randwick on Boxing Day and won a barrier trial at Canterbury on Monday in preparation for her autumn campaign.

As a racehorse, Lonhro was better at three and beyond, in part due to his late foaling date (December 10), but his offspring have proven very adept at two.

Lyre is the third juvenile Group I winner sired by Lonhro joining Golden Slipper winner and Champion 2YO Pierro and Benfica among a total of 21 juvenile stakes-winners by the champion son of Octagonal.

Turning 21 this year, Lonhro was popular last spring covering 117 mares at a fee of $55,000, which was the lowest fee at which he has stood since 2009 when he was priced at $33,000.

Lonhro is riding high on the Australian General Sires List this season in eighth place with progeny earnings topping $6million and five stakes-winners including his VRC Oaks winner Aristia.

Like a fine wine, Lonhro is just getting better with age!


Advertisment
More Reading...
Juvenile Trial Watch – Rosehill
Five heats for juveniles at the Rosehill trials on Monday included  some eye-catching winners including Godolphin’s Lonhro colt Beyliks, who was placed in the Group III ATC Breeders Plate.
Inglis and Yulong Confirm Magic Time for Everest Slot
Inglis will partner with worldwide racing and breeding powerhouse Yulong for the running of the 2025 The Everest, with the combination to be represented by Magic Time in the $20m contest.
Darley Blueblood Salutes
When Darley sent Group I winning Redoute’s Choice mare Anamato to the Northern Hemisphere to start her stud career, they probably had high hopes of success, but after producing one stakes-winner from four foals, she is now back in Australia and had a winner on Tuesday.
Lonhro Blueblood Colt Wins Listed Dulcify
At the start of August we ran a story about the 3YO’s that were entered for this year Cox Plate and aside from the usual suspects there were some ‘Cox Plate’ dreamers and one of them was unraced Lonhro colt Attica, who scored his first stakes win at Randwick on Saturday when taking out the Listed ATC Dulcify Stakes (1600m).
Miraval Rose Impresses With G2 Rose Of Kingston Stakes Win
Already a Listed winner at 3 and 4, Grahame Begg’s Grunt mare Miraval Rose added her third black type victory to her record, winning the $300,000 Group 2 VRC Rose Of Kingston Stakes (1400m) in style at Flemington on Saturday.
Derby Options Alive For Godolphin’s Colt
Tony and Calvin McEvoy look to have a smart 3yo on their hands as Impending colt Options wins the Listed VRC Super Impose Stakes (1800m) at Flemington and could now be aimed towards the $2m Group 1 VRC Derby (2500m) on November 1.
Lindsay Park Love Their Per Incanto's
Ben, Will and JD Hayes know a thing or two about the juvenile progeny of Per Incanto (USA), and they unveiled another exciting son of the Little Avondale Stud stallion in Melbourne’s first two-year-old race of the season on Saturday.
Nicks That Click - Two Darley Champions Combine
A powerful nick between champion Darley sires Lonhro and Exceed and Excel produced it's tenth stakes-winner on Saturday.
Too Darn Hot’s Shiki Wins G3 Gimcrack Stakes
Winning her heat in good time at the official 2yo trials saw the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained Too Darn Hot filly Shiki jump away the race favourite in Saturday’s $250,000 Group 3 Keeneland Gimcrack Stakes (1000m), a race she duly won with a fighting performance.
So You Think Filly Wins G2 Edward Manifold
Danny O’Brien believes he has the Group I VRC Oaks in his sights with So You Think filly Getta Good Feeling breaking her maiden in the best way possible with a last stride win in the Group II VRC Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday.