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Shelby Cobra and Affair To Remember strike at Flemington
Swettenham Stud shuttler Toronado (High Chaparral) enjoyed a great day at Flemington on Saturday, siring a stakes double taking his total tally of stakes winners to seven.
The first leg of the double was kicked off by the Mike Moroney-trained Shelby Cobra (3 g ex Segenhoe Valley by Dane Shadow) landing the The Amanda Elliot (Listed, 1400m), before Affair To Remember (4 m ex St Trinians by Black Hawk) added to his haul in the Matriarch Stakes (Gr 2, 2000m).
Shelby Cobra was last seen breaking his maiden at Sale on his second attempt and he built on that performance when beating Tommy Gold (Sacred Falls) by a length, while Deep Speed (Deep Field) was another length and a quarter further afield in third.
Moroney has not ruled out backing up in next weekend’s Sandown Guineas (Gr 2, 1600m), but will wait and see how the gelding comes out of the race before making any decisions.
"We won't say no but we don't usually make decisions on raceday and we'll see how he pulls up. We'll consider all avenues,” said Moroney.
"Paul Moroney spotted him at the Inglis Premier Sales. I go and follow Paul around and we make the final decisions but when I saw this one he was such a beautifully balanced horse. I saw Toronado race at Ascot when he was racing there. He (looks like) his father probably more than any other I saw that year. We purchased him and got a good group of owners in him.
"He was a little bit stirry as a colt and we had to geld him. He's surprised us how professional he is in such a short time.”
Purchased by Paul Moroney and Ballymore Stables for $130,000 at Book 1 of the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale in 2019 from the Maluka Thoroughbreds draft, having been snapped up by that same operation for $70,000 at the Inglis Great Southern Sale from the draft of Makybe the year before, Shelby Cobra has now won twice and his career earnings now tally $150,150.
The gelding is the only winner out of Segenhoe Valley (Dane Shadow) and she is herself out of dual winning Zabeel (Sir Tristram) mare Scone.
Scone herself is out of Nothings Secret (Secreto), whose 14 winners are headed by Listed scorer Sunrise Silence (Squill), while her five-time winning daughter Discretion (Canny Lad) is the dam of Group 3 winner Royal Discretion (Royal Academy) and Listed winner Roulettes (Flying Spur), who in turn produced Group 3 winner and now Telemon Thoroughbreds-based sire Sun City (Zoustar) and Listed winner Parlophone (I Am Invincible).
Meanwhile, Nothings Secret is also the grandam of 2014 ARC Easter Handicap (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Albany Reunion (Fastnet Rock) and Listed-winning duo Fast Dragon (Fastnet Rock) and Rock Robster (Fastnet Rock).
In 2020 Segenhoe Valley foaled a sister to Shelby Cobra.
Later on in the afternoon, Group 1 placed mare Affair To Remember stayed on impressively to beat Paradee (Epaulette) by a nose, while Toffee Tongue (Tavistock) was the same distance away in third.
The Dan O'Sullivan-trained mare is out of Listed-winning Black Hawk (Nureyev) mare St Trinians, who has produced four other winners, including stakes-placed pair Bahamas (Teofilo) and Exodus (Bernardini).
St Trinians produced a sister to Affair To Remember in 2019, but she missed to Sioux Nation (Scat Daddy) last season.
Toronado’s progeny is headed by Group 2 winner Tactical and he is standing at a fee of $25,000 (plus GST).
