He is, after all, not bred in Victoria, not trained in Victoria and is not the progeny of a Victorian sire.
But Greg Tobin, writing for Aushorse, uncovered quite the story about the dam of Suncraze who is now in the hands of Neville Murdoch's Larneuk Stud….
Suncraze (Henrythenavigator) is out of the unraced Xaar mare, Sunstyle who has
three winners from as many to race – two of those in town.And for one elated Victorian stud master in Larneuk's Neville Murdoch, she's proven to be a bargain buy at just $700 (in foal to Teofilo) when snapped up from the 2014 Inglis Weanling & Broodmare Sale in Sydney.
After producing a Teofilo colt (an unraced 2YO in New Zealand called Rhinestone Cowboy), Sunstyle then missed to Larneuk resident sire O'Lonhro, produced a colt last spring by Cluster and is now in foal to Ilovethiscity.
"Suncraze is a very good horse and that was a great win on Saturday," Murdoch enthused.
"(New Zealand trainer) Murray Baker has told me that Rhinestone Cowboy is a Group One horse, while the Cluster colt is a cracking type too. I'll be sending Sunstyle to my new stallion, Wolf Cry this spring."
(A Group Two placed son of Street Cry, Wolf Cry is out of a stakes placed Redoute's Choice mare, Starfish, in turn a half sister to the stakes winning 2YO, Brilliant Bisc, who was sold for $600,000 at the Turangga Stud Dispersal on Sunday).
Adding another stallion to the Larneuk roster this week via the arrival of Honorious – a Group winning half brother to South African Horse of the Year, Igugu – Murdoch is well aware of the swings and roundabouts in the thoroughbred industry, but is still marvelling at his good fortune with Sunstyle.
"Incredible … $700 for a mare like that!"
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