Lord Kanaloa’s champion daughter Almond Eye will not make the trip to Sha Tin for the Hong Kong Cup after spiking a temperature however Lord Kanaloa’s 2yo son Tagaloa did make it to Moonee Valley on Saturday to open his winning account in the Strath Haven Preston Plate (1000m).
Third when making his career debut in the Group III Maribyrnong Plate at Flemington on November 7, Tagaloa was quick into stride for Michael Walker, Tagaloa sat outside of the pacesetting Yulong Island before taking control before the home turn and was strong to the line.
The Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained colt defeated the I Am Invincible filly Baaqyah, who was just in front of him at Flemington, by a length with the Exceed And Excel debutant Yulong Island hanging on bravely for third a further two and a quarter lengths back.
Michael Walker said the son of Lord Kanaloa has a bright future.
“He’s a beautiful horse, a lovely type with a lovely stride, he’s been well-schooled. He had a lot up his sleeve, he was having a good look around and he’s a horse with a lot of class, Walker said.
"The Japanese horses are the best in the world and I think this horse has a very, very bright future."
Trent Bussuttin said the experience of having a previous run made all the difference.
“He was very wound up at Flemington, the day got the better of him and he was on the wrong side of the track. Today he was a lot calmer, taking everything in his stride, had the barrier draw to capitalise and he did it nicely, he said.
“He’s been a calm good-natured colt at home but Cup week just got the better of him so you can forgive him for that.
“We will look at the Blue Diamond but the Magic Millions (2yo Classic) may be hard to turn down.
"There's six weeks to the Magic Millions, it's a $2 million race and there's nothing wrong with that, Bussutin told racing.com.
"Just looking at past two-year-olds, Sunlight went up to Magic Millions and then came down for a (Golden) Slipper but she's a different beast altogether isn't she?
"And Capitalist as well won the Magic Millions and then ran in the Golden Slipper but from what I've seen I don't think, from what I've seen, you can go up there and come back in the timeframe."
Bred by Arrowfield Group and Jungle Pocket Pty Ltd, Tagaloa is a product of two of Japan’s greatest living stallions. Lord Kanaloa will assume the mantle of Japan’s most expensive stallion, while Tagaloa is out of a daughter of the champion Heart’s Cry who sired last week’s Japan Cup hero Suave Richard.
Purchased by Busuttin Racing for $300,000 out of the Arrowfield Stud draft at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Tagaloa is the first foal of the winning Heart’s Cry mare Vasilissa (JPN) who is a half-sister to stakes-winner Tricolore Bleu (Stay Gold) and the Group II placegetters Danon Gelato (Deep Impact) and World Impact (Deep Impact) out of the Group III Fred Darling Stakes winner and Group 1 Irish One Thousand Guineas runner-up Penkenna Princess (Pivotal).
Vasilissa (JPN) has a filly foal by Not A Single Doubt after her 2018 filly foal by Not A Single Doubt died after birth.
Lord Kanaloa has two colts in the Arrowfield draft at the Magic Millions. They are a colt out of the stakes-winning Danetime mare Dimenticata who was runner-up in the Group 1 Irish One Thousand Guineas and a colt out of the well-related Special Week mare Guinevere.
