US beckons Australian Bloodstock’s German Group 1 winner Toskana Belle
Murrell and Lovett win third Preis der Diana in ten years with Andreas Wohler-trained daughter of Shamalgan
Australian Bloodstock won its third Preis der Diana (Gr 1, 2200m) in a decade in Germany on Sunday, but don’t expect to see the victorious filly Toskana Belle (Shamalgan) venturing Down Under.
The lightly raced three-year-old, now the winner of three of her five starts, has proven to be another wise European investment by Australian Bloodstock directors Jamie Lovett and Luke Murrell who purchased the filly in May after her success in the Henkel Stutenpris (Listed, 1600m) at Dusseldorf.
Finishing third in the Diana Trial (Gr 3, 2000m) at Hoppegarten for trainer Marian Falk Weissmeier and her new connections, she was transferred to fellow German trainer Andreas Wohler after the June 8 race.
“We’re big on tracking all those European races and historically around that time of year we’re always looking for something that we can target at the Preis der Diana and we’ve had a bit of luck previously, so it’s a race that’s been good to us,” Lovett told ANZ Bloodstock News yesterday.
“Luke Murrell, my business partner, is very good at translating the times at different tracks. She ran a good time when she won in France and then when she won the Listed race in Dusseldorf, that’s when we thought she was definitely running the time that would be good enough to have her competitive in a Group 1 Preis der Diana.”
Australian Bloodstock won the 2012 Preis der Diana with Salomina (Lomitas) with trainer Peter Schiergen and the 2015 edition with Turfdonna (Doyen) with Wohler in charge.
“Andreas has probably had Toskana Belle for two months now and it’s an amazing training performance when you look at it for what it is,” Lovett said.
“She had no luck when she raced for us in the Group 3 and she got smashed on the turn and nothing went to plan. Andreas took her the next day and he was adamant we’d go into the Oaks without another run, which very few trainers would have done, I would have thought.
“He had her spot on and he was very confident about her chances.”
Kerrin McEvoy, who rode in the Shergar Cup at Ascot on Saturday, travelled to Germany to ride Toskana Belle for Australian Bloodstock.
Lovett said: “We initially had Jamie Spencer booked to ride but when the Freedmans decided they were going to run Artorius in another Group 1 race, we lost Jamie, but as luck would have it Kerrin McEvoy was over there for the Shergar Cup, so we got Kerrin to Germany and it panned out well for everyone.”
Spencer rode the Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained Artorius (Flying Artie) into sixth place in the Maurice de Gheest (Gr 1, 1300m) at Deauville in France on Sunday.
Lovett revealed Toskana Belle – the sole stakes winner for her sire Shamalgan (Footstepsinthesand) out of the winning mare Tristane (Teofilo) and a half-sister to the juvenile-winning stakes-placed colt Frohsim (Dabirsim) – could head to America in a bid to enhance her value.
“I have had a brief conversation with Andreas, there’s some quite lucrative fillies and mares races in the States and if she was able to be competitive over there it opens up another market [for her to be sold]. We’d be quite keen to explore that,” the Newcastle-based Lovett said.
“We always buy them with the intention to trade out of them, so there’d be no appeal to bring her down here.
“When you’re buying fillies trying to upgrade them to get a twist, winning a three-year-old Classic is the biggest prize, isn’t it?”
Australian Bloodstock has developed a reputation for being able to source quality racing stock from around the world, particularly Europe, to either race in the northern hemisphere to bring down to Australia to target races such as the Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m). The pair won the 2014 Melbourne Cup with Protectionist (Monsun), a European who was also trained by Wohler for the connections.
“You’ve got to build that database [of form] over time, but we look forward to Mondays. We watch all those European races,” Lovett said.
“It’s not as laborious as one may think. It’s a job, but it’s what we do, and it’s not as if it’s hard work. If you love your racing, you enjoy watching them looking for your next opportunity.”
Best Bloodstock embarks on Melbourne Cup dream with Camorra
Meanwhile, a relative newcomer to the international space is Best Bloodstock’s Jarred Magnabosco who yesterday confirmed his Australian agency had purchased last-start Curragh Cup (Gr 2, 1m 6f) winner Camorra (Zoffany) to run in this year’s Melbourne Cup.
Trained in Ireland by Ger Lyons to win four of his 16 starts, Camorra will finalise his Melbourne Cup lead-up with a run in the Irish St Leger (Gr 1, 1m 6f) on September 11 before flying out to Australia where he will immediately join the Lindsay Park stable of Ben and JD Hayes who will prepare him for his Flemington assignment from the Werribee quarantine centre.
“I first noticed him last year when he won a 2400-metre race carrying 61 kilograms and he led them up off a really strong tempo and he had no right to remain in contention with the outside trio who were starting to make their claim in the final furlong. He kept fighting right to the line, so I really liked his resilience,” Magnabosco told ANZ Bloodstock News yesterday.
“When he resumed this prep, he ran a strong fifth behind Kyprios who is now a multiple Group 1 winner, beating Stradivarius, and that’s pretty strong form. He was very good first-up that day and he’s since gone on to win the Curragh Cup, which is the race that really locked him in for me.
“He is a horse who can also show a turn of foot and you need a horse with a good turn of foot for the Melbourne Cup. He can be on-pace or he can take a sit and show that turn of foot that he’s got.”
David Spratt, Camorra’s existing owner, will retain 20 per cent of the horse while Magnabosco has purchased 80 per cent of the horse on behalf of Best Bloodstock clients.
Magnabosco called on the assistance of respected European agent Johnny McKeever, a figure well-known in the southern hemisphere, to inspect Camorra, a six-year-old gelding by southern hemisphere time, prior to the deal being finalised.
“I wouldn’t have bought this horse if I didn’t think he was a chance of winning the Melbourne Cup,” the Best Bloodstock principal said.
“With the 2021 quinella of Verry Elleegant and Incentivise both not going to the race this year, it presents a really good opportunity for anyone who wants to have a crack.
“Those two horses were standouts last year and I think it’s a really open year this year because we’ve got those two stars out of the race. We’ve bought the horse to win and hopefully that’s what we can do.”