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...
Pride’s Outsider Estadio Mestalla Wins Winter Stakes
The lone stakes race on Rosehill’s ten-race card on Saturday saw Joe Pride’s race outsider Estadio Mestalla (Galileo Gold) take out the $200,000 Listed ATC Winter Stakes (1400m) in a boilover.
Snitzel Filly Bridal Waltz Wins A.R. Creswick Stakes
While many felt the winner of Saturday’s Listed $175,000 VRC A.R. Creswick Stakes (1200m) had raced two weeks prior in the Shop Flemington Handicap (1100m) – and they would’ve been correct – but it was not the result many punters felt it would be!
Lonhro's Ranier in Heartstopping Festival Stakes Win
An inspired rail hugging ride by Brenton Avdulla had supporters of Live And Free counting their money in the closing stages of Saturday’s Group III Iron Jack Festival Stakes at Rosehill when down the outside came Kathy O’Hara on Godolphin’s honest Lonhro gelding Ranier to spoil the party.
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.
Sires With Winners - Saturday July 5
Here is the full list of 112 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Buccleuch - First Stakes-Winner for Peltzer
The $175,000 Listed VRC Taj Rossi Series Final (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday was won back in 2020 by Cherry Tortoni, who went to on to become a multiple Group winner of nearly $1million and the same colours were carried by this year’s winner Buccleuch.
85th Stakes Winner for Lonhro
A bit of shrewd placing by the Godolphin team resulted in the 5-year-old Lonhro mare Soothing earning a valuable black-type win in Saturday’s Listed W H Wylie Hcp (1100m) at Morphettville.
Sweet Redemption for Stable Favourite Jimmy the Bear
Patrick and Michelle Payne enjoyed a red letter day at Flemington on Saturday with their rising star Buccleuch winning the Listed VRC Taj Rossi Series Final and then later in the day stable favourite Jimmy the Bear won the Listed VRC Winter Championship Series Final (1600m).
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.
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.