Watson has high hopes for ‘classy’ Herbert Park
Daughter of Toronado will step into stakes company for the first time when she tackles Cockram Stakes
Breeder Daniel Watson is hopeful his progressive mare Herbert Park (Toronado) can echo the feats of her dam Elite Elle (Sharmadal) when she bids for a fourth straight win in the Cockram Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
Back in 2012, Elite Elle kicked off her career with a quartet of victories culminating in her black-type breakthrough under Damien Oliver in the Quezette Stakes (Listed, 1100m) at Caulfield.
Twelve years on from that memorable win, Elite Elle’s breeder is keen to see how her daughter measures up against some high-class mares on the opening day of Victoria’s Spring Racing Carnival.
Herbert Park has risen rapidly through the grades and is thoroughly deserving of her place in Saturday’s $200,000 contest, where she is generally rated a $17 chance behind the $4 favourite Expressiveness (Shamexpress).
After breaking her maiden at Echuca in the middle of June, the four-year-old swiftly strung together back-to-back metropolitan wins, most recently accounting for Team McEvoy’s smart mare Sunset Dreaming (Impending) at Caulfield at the end of July.
The mare’s trainer Tony Noonan kept her ticking over with a trial at Cranbourne at the start of this week, when she beat home all bar Ciaron Maher’s speed machine Estriella (I Am Invincible).
That hit-out has topped her off nicely and Watson is confident Herbert Park can make her presence felt on Saturday – particularly if the track gets into the soft range.
“She has surprised us all with how well she has performed,” said Watson. “She had a niggling injury earlier in the year but that’s behind her now, and she’s been a different horse this prep.
“We definitely head to Caulfield more in hope than expectation on Saturday, and she would probably need a bit of rain to fall to stand any chance of winning because like her dam, she is much more comfortable with some give in the track. It’s obviously a pretty big step up for her, but she’s fit and winning form is always good form.”
The mating between Elite Elle and Toronado (High Chaparral) came about largely by chance, after a casual conversation between Watson and Swettenham Stud’s supremo Adam Sangster at an owners’ function held at Melbourne’s Crown casino some six years ago.
A deal was struck on the spot and the resulting foal made her debut in late-December 2023, running fifth at Mornington. She was spelled after finishing second-last three weeks later at Flemington – albeit in a field featuring subsequent Group 1 winner Stefi Magnetica (All Too Hard) – but returned a fully furnished product this preparation and has flourished during the winter months.
“We all like to think we know what we’re doing but you need a little bit of luck in the breeding game, because it can be a bit of a raffle sometimes,” Watson confessed.
“We sent the mare to a number of different stallions, including Zoustar, but with fairly limited results. Given her pedigree and her career on the track, I must admit I was hoping she might’ve had a bit more success as a broodmare, but at least Herbert Park looks to have a bit of ability. So we’ve had to wait a while for a good one, but hopefully it’s been worth it.”
Team Noonan, comprising trainer Tony and his jockey son Jake, are also realistic about the mare’s prospects of springing a surprise on Saturday. However, Noonan Snr believes that her residual fitness could give her an edge on some of her rivals, who may be better credentialled but are having the first run of their campaigns.
“Her record and data might suggest she is at her best on wet tracks but I couldn’t have her going any better, so if the rain doesn’t come now is as good a time as any to test her on good ground,” he said.
“Mares with some fitness on their side have traditionally performed well in the Cockram, so we’re hoping she might have a bit of an advantage on some of the other runners in this race. She had a nice solid hit-out at the trials on Monday which was perfect for her, because she’s quite a strong mare.
“She’s still only lightly raced and she’s definitely open to further improvement, so I’m not sure whether or not she can win on Saturday but I am very confident that she will be up to this grade at some point in her career. She’s obviously in great form so we’re very happy to roll the dice and see if she can measure up.”
The only other last-start winner in the field is the Maher-trained mare Extratwo, who is also by Swettenham’s marquee stallion Toronado.
Swettenham’s flagbearer has flown out of the blocks this season to sit inside the top five on the current Sires Premiership table by earnings. He has produced 24 winners from his 104 runners so far, which sees him sit second, one win away from the current leader, three-time champion sire I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit).