Sangster has air of confidence with Oaks filly Queen Air
Toronado’s maiden daughter chasing breakthrough Group 1 for Swettenham and trainer Smith
Breeder and co-owner Adam Sangster had more than an inkling that his VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) bound filly Queen Air (Toronado) might have been above average – and that the three-year-old’s bargain basement dam might also be a bit special.
Firstly, the Swettenham Stud principal received multiple offers from senior staff over a period of time to buy the unraced mare Rain Cloud (Domesday) – a $6,000 purchase in 2017 from the Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale – and more recently Queen Air’s trainer Lindsey Smith insisted Sangster send the filly’s dam back to Toronado (High Chaparral) this year.
That call came before Queen Air, a maiden filly of just three starts, had raced. Her first start was at Geelong in a maiden on September 29 when eighth over 1447 metres.
At her last two runs, both at Group 2 level, she has finished fourth, firstly in the Moonee Valley Fillies Classic (Gr 2, 2000m) and then again in last Saturday’s Wakeful Stakes (Gr 2, 2000m) after being held up for a run until about the 300-metre mark.
“[Rain Cloud] was purchased by Brian Gorman, who was my manager at the time, and, it’s funny, over the past three years, I’ve had various staff members wanting to buy her off me,” Sangster said yesterday.
“Queen Air’s still got to do it, because she’s still a maiden, but it’s been interesting because her dam throws some very nice stock.
“When your senior staff start asking if they can purchase the mare, then you start to think that she should remain in the Swettenham broodmare band.
“This is her first runner and she looks like she’ll be a better filly in the autumn.”
Understandably, Rain Cloud, a half-sister to Sweet Embrace Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) winner Shared Reflections (Umatilla), was covered by Toronado this season after producing back-to-back foals by young Swettenham Stud sire I Am Immortal (I Am Invincible).
“The trainer did phone up and say a while back before she had her first start saying, ‘you should be sending her back to Toronado’, so that was a very good sign that Queen Air could be talented,” the breeder revealed.
Sangster has gradually been increasing his racing interests in recent years, predominantly focusing on fillies who are capable of joining the Swettenham Stud broodmare band after their racing careers.
“You don’t get many chances to run in an Oaks and if she runs a drum, I’ll be very happy,” he said.
“We were very conscious, and this is why staff wanted to buy the mare, that she’s thrown good-looking stock and it is my business plan to race fillies, as you’ll see a lot of the Sangster family colours racing around at the moment.
“John Foote buys my fillies through the sales ring, but if I’ve got nice enough fillies from my own broodmare band, I’ll lease and race them and that’s what we’ve done with Queen Air.”
Blaike McDougall, who rode Queen Air in the Wakeful Stakes, retains the ride today and if he can cross the line first, it would be another accolade for her sire Toronado, who has been relieved of shuttling duties to remain permanently at Swettenham Stud.
On Tuesday, another Toronado three-year-old filly, the Luke Fernie-trained Laced Up Heels, broke through for her maiden stakes win in the Burgess Queen Stakes (Listed, 1400m) in Perth.
In the process, the lightly raced filly, now the winner of three of her five starts, defeated Western Australia’s boom horse Amelia’s Jewel (Siyouni).
“It was a massive win, that,” Sangster said of Laced Up Heels, a $100,000 purchase by agent Craig Rounsefell from the 2021 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.
“She was bred by Supreme Thoroughbreds, Neil Shaw and those guys, and she was bought by Boomer Bloodstock. Toronado has got his best years ahead of him, he really is.
“They’re great sales horses, he’s very fertile. I’m very lucky with all my stallions, they’re all very fertile and I’ve got a good team up there (at Nagambie).
“You hope for fertile stallions and Toronado loves the caper and he’s got an incredibly strong book of mares again this year.”
A brother to Laced Up Heels was sold by Supreme Thoroughbreds at this year’s Melbourne sale for $110,000 to Hawkesbury trainer Edward Cummings.