Tofane after crowning glory

Michael Moroney always thought a mile would be ideal for his dual Group One winner Tofane and that has proven to be the case.

She had previously only raced up to 1400m until last month where she ran fourth in her first start over a mile in the Gr.1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) before finishing runner-up to fellow Kiwi-bred I’m Thunderstruck in the Gr.1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield.

“We got a bit held up in the Toorak, her weight (58kg) wasn’t ideal, but she still went terrific,” Moroney told RSN927.

“The other horse (I’m Thunderstruck) didn’t have much weight (52kg) on his back and I thought she was terrific as it would have been an equal weight carrying record for a mare if she had won it.

“I am really proud of her and she has had a really good campaign considering she only had a short break from Queensland.”

Tofane will line-up against her own sex in the Gr.1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600) at Flemington on Saturday where she is a $3.30 favourite to add a fourth Group One scalp to her resume.

Moroney has been pleased with her work since the Toorak earlier this month and is expecting her to live up to her favourite tag this weekend.

“It is ideal for her weight-wise, she has drawn well (2) and she has trained on really well,” Moroney said.

“It is a strong race, the field is going to very good tomorrow. It is not going to be an easy race, there is never an easy Group One. We are well aware that we are going to need luck in the running, but the mare is really well.

“She has got a lot of gate speed. She flies the gates and sometimes that can go against her, but she will be able to use that draw and be up in the first four or five.”

Tofane was bred by Curraghmore’s Gordon Cunningham, who entrusted her to the care of Ballymore Stables’ Matamata barn, headed by Pam Gerard, for whom she won her 820m trial at Te Teko as a three-year-old.

She was subsequently sold to Australian-based stable clients, including prominent owner Rupert Legh, and transferred to Moroney’s Flemington barn where she has won seven races, three at elite-level, and more than A$2.9 million in prizemoney.

 

Go Racing goes big with fundraising efforts

This week South Island apprentice Yong Chew will receive just under $49,000 - money raised by Go Racing through their golf tournament and auction.

The 25-year-old is battling throat cancer, a fight compounded by the fact he has found himself completely isolated from his family and friends due to COVID-19 related travel restrictions.

Keen to support someone in obvious need, Go Racing hosted a golf tournament and auction earlier this month raising $49,000 that will be paid to Chew to help with travel and treatment costs.

“I had no idea how big the fundraiser would become,” Go Racing’s Matt Allnutt said. “We have a very generous bunch of owners and very generous people in the racing industry as a whole. It started as a social golf tournament but we wanted to have a purpose behind it and when we heard about Yong and his situation we wanted to help.

“We had great support from right around New Zealand and internationally with people donating some great items to be auctioned off. To nearly $49,000, it has certainly surpassed any expectations we had when we started out planning this and we are just happy we can do this for Yong.

“We couldn’t have done it without the support from everyone in the industry who donated or purchased at the auction and those who took part in the golf tournament. Thank you.”

Go Racing will continue their philanthropic theme this Saturday when stable star Atishu lines up in the A$7.5m Golden Eagle (1500m) on Saturday.

If she happens to win the rich Sydney feature, 10 percent of her winnings will be donated to Redkite, an organisation that provides emotional, financial and practical support for families who have a child with cancer.

“Hearing about people like Yong and what they are going through really puts things in perspective,” Matt said.

“We like to help out where we can and have an added reason now to cheer on Atishu on Saturday.”