Cover image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
Last week was a big one for Torryburn Stud. On Friday afternoon, their Diddums (Snitzel) colt by star sire Written Tycoon realised $200,000 at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, with Best Bloodstock signing the ticket. Then, two days later, Diddums’ half-brother, Voyage Bubble (Deep Field), who was bred and sold by Torryburn Stud, laid a marker for the prestigious Hong Kong 4-Year-Old Series, after making all in the Class 3 Ping Shan H. (1600 metres) at Sha Tin.
Voyage Bubble was Torryburn Stud’s top-priced lot at the 2020 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, with Hong Kong-based trainer Ricky Yiu going to $380,000 for him.
Voyage Bubble as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Mel Copelin – stud manager at Torryburn Stud – told TDN AusNZ it was an exciting 48 hours.
“It was a great couple of days, very satisfying,” Copelin told TDN AusNZ.
Torryburn Stud was formerly run by John and Pam Cornish and their horses race in the distinctive white jacket with a red heart. Sadly, Pam passed away in February 2020 – on the eve of the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
“Voyage Bubble is a lovely horse. He is from one of the Cornishs' (John and Pam) old racemares, so it’s nice when he does something, it makes me smile,” Copelin said.
“Voyage Bubble is a lovely horse. He is from one of the Cornishs' (John and Pam) old racemares, so it’s nice when he does something, it makes me smile.” - Mel Copelin
“He wasn’t much of a yearling to look at, he was a bit of an ugly duckling. His mum’s nickname is Ugg Boot because she’s always hairy and he had a really plain head like his mum.
“He just scraped into the Classic Sale, but he had the best walk ever and the best temperament. Once we got him to the sale and he started walking, everyone kept coming back to look at him over and over again, so we thought, ‘This could be exciting’.
“Unfortunately, Pam Cornish died the night before (the sale).”
Voyage Bubble will next contest the Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600 metres) on January 29.
“We thought he would get 1600 metres, because Brettan (his Commands half-brother) ran a mile,” Copelin explained.
“He’ll have to step up, but it’s all exciting.”
“He’ll (Voyage Bubble) have to step up, but it’s all exciting.” - Mel Copelin
Yiu is confident his charge will be competitive in the Classic Mile.
“Front-running horses always have more of an advantage than the backmarkers,” he said.
“We’ll go step by step and I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets 2000 metres, but (we’ll concentrate on) a mile and 1800 metres first.
“This was his first run over a mile and when I bought him, it was expected that he would get a mile as he has a big, long stride and is a free-running type.
“The jockey did well on him. His trial before this was a very impressive trial. I asked the jockey in the trial to get him to the front and rolling along.”
Happy Together (Ire) (Dragon Pulse {Ire}) was a close second, while La City Blanche (Arg) (Cityscape {GB}) placed third.
Copelin said the Written Tycoon-Diddums yearling “is a lovely colt” and his owners would be rapt to get a nice pedigree update, on the back of Voyage Bubbles’ Sha Tin triumph.
Diddums has a Zoustar filly on the ground and was covered in the spring by Maurice (Jpn).
The Written Tycoon x Diddums (colt) that sold for $200,000 at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast to Best Bloodstock | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Tuchel returns in style
Redwood (GB) gelding Tuchel (NZ) was another to announce himself as a serious 4-Year-Old Series contender, with the John Size-trained galloper resuming from injury with a first-up win in the Class 2 Yuen Long H. (1400 metres) under Zac Purton.
After scoring in a Class 3 in his seasonal return in September, Tuchel was found to be lame in October, before his impressive victory off barrier 14 on Sunday.
Purton said: “He deserves his place, for sure. I knew he had that ability but whether he was going to be able to produce that (on Sunday), that was the question. He did it the tough way so that was a good effort.
“He (Tuchel) deserves his place, for sure. I knew he had that ability but whether he was going to be able to produce that (on Sunday), that was the question. He did it the tough way so that was a good effort.” - Zac Purton
“He had a setback with the injury, he drew the outside gate and I wasn’t able to get in. I had to cop my medicine and just try to keep him nice and balanced and in a rhythm.
“He just enjoyed being back to the races. His attitude behind the gates, during the run – he was happy to be back and when he had to dig deep, he waited for me to ask him and he went and he didn’t change his leg either. It was a very big effort after such a long time off.”
Tuchel was bought by Simple Bloodstock Services for NZ$130,000 when offered by Westbury Stud at the 2020 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale (Book 2).
The gelding is from the Testa Rossa mare Trista Rossa – a three-time winner and half-sister to the stakes performer Raudkivi (Spinning World {USA}). His grandam is the Listed victress Alstrista (NZ) (Sir Tristram {Ire}) – a three-quarter sister to the stakes winners Capestad (NZ) (Kaapstad {NZ}) and Zalinda (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}).
Galaxy Witness (Star Witness) was 0.8l away in second, with Mr Ascendancy (Ire) (The Gurkha {Ire}) a further 0.3l back in third.
Russian Revolution on the board in Singapore
Just hours after his 2-year-old, Red Resistance, won impressively on debut at Rosehill, Russian Revolution celebrated his first winner in Singapore, when Petrograd triumphed over 1000 metres on the Poltyrack.
Trained by Michael Clements, Petrograd was his sire’s first runner in Singapore, and the gelding is owned by Kuldeep Rajput Singh’s Gandharvi Stable (he has horses in some of Australia’s leading stables).
Petrograd was bought by Kingstar Farm for $18,000 at the 2020 Inglis Great Southern Sale, when offered by Noorilim Park, before Kuldeep Singh Rajput and Bevan Smith Bloodsock paid $145,000 for him at the 2021 Inglis HTBA May Yearling Sale.
The 3-year-old is from the unraced mare Lucinda’s Moon (USA) (Malibu Moon {USA}) – a sister to the G3 Jessamine S. victress Moonwalk (USA).
Sol Oriens enters Classics calculations
Japan hosted three Group races across the weekend, with Art House (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}) taking out the G3 Aichi Hai at Chukyo on Saturday, while on Sunday, the G3 Keisei Hai at Nakayama was won by Sol Oriens (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) and the G2 Nikkei Shinshun Hai at Chukyo saw Weltreisende (Jpn) (Dream Journey {Jpn}) prevail.
The Takahisa Tezuka-trained Sol Oriens is now two for two and looks a live chance in the G1 Satsuki Sho.
Sal Oriens (Jpn) | Image courtesy of Horsephotos
A Shadai homebred, Sol Oriens is a half-brother to the G2 Fuji S. hero Vin De Garde (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who has placed in the past two editions of the G1 Dubai Turf at Meydan.
Sol Oriens is the fourth black-type winner - each at Group level - for Kitasan Black (Jpn), with two each coming from his first two crops.
