The Matt Laurie-trained Prince Of Sussex (Toronado {Ire}) demolished his rivals in the Avenue Press Gold Rush to be on track to chase a major pot of gold and Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet) provided Trust In A Gust with another fillip at Meydan.
Thunder Snow became the first horse to win two Dubai World Cups with his successful title defence of the 2000 metre feature in the hands of Belgian superstar jockey Christophe Soumillon for trainer Saeed bin Suroor.
The Godolphin representative is a grandson of Red Slippers (USA) (Nureyev {USA}), who is a half-sister to the dam of Trust In A Gust. The millionaire G1 Sir Rupert Clarke S. and G1 Toorak H. winner retired to Swettenham in 2016.
“He was impressive and produced what we thought him capable of.” – Matt Laurie.
Laurie was left deflated after Prince Of Sussex could finish only fourth on debut at Pakenham at the end of January and was both relieved and elated at Bendigo to see the 2-year-old show his true worth.
He produced a dominant performance to win with ease and one that has him heading to Caulfield next month for the $1 million The Showdown.
“He was impressive and produced what we thought him capable of,” Laurie said. “It was a mediocre start to his career, but it’s played out the way we had hoped now.
“He had trialled up well and his training went to plan. He never led in his trials, but he jumped to the front so easily at Pakenham and travelled well. When it came time to let down he just didn’t at all.
“He had two quiet jump-outs and he’s showed what he can do.” – Matt Laurie.
“We went back to the drawing board and a bit of a spell. He had two quiet jump-outs and he’s showed what he can do.
"I think this horse is going to be high class in another six months so to see him perform like that is very exciting."
Prince Of Sussex was the number one draft pick for Laurie and long-time stable client Paul Dugan, of Melbourne, at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale and they secured him out of Swettenham Stud’s consignment for $145,000.
Prince Of Sussex as a yearling
“Paul has been with me for years and he made a list of lot numbers and we liked this bloke the best on type,” Laurie said.
“I thought he would be a $200,000 horse to be honest so we’re glad we got him.” – Matt Laurie.
“I thought he would be a $200,000 horse to be honest so we’re glad we got him. Paul brought in a few old school mates to race him and the breeder, Chris Jackson, has also stayed in for part of the action.”
Laurie and Dugan have also enjoyed success with an earlier $50,000 Premier Sale purchase in Rainbow Girl (Pierro).
She has so far won two of her five starts and was spelled after finishing runner-up in the Listed Crockett S. in the spring. She is out of the Fastnet Rock mare Free Spirited, a half-sister to the G3 Illawarra S. winner King Of Danes (Danehill {USA}).
Prince Of Sussex is a son of Il Diamante (Testa Rossa), also successful as a 2-year-old, and she is a half-sister to the G3 Summer Cup winner Montauk (More Than Ready {USA}).
It is also the family of the G1 Allan Robertson Fillies’ Futurity winner Sydney’s Dream (Bletchingly) and her son Charge Forward (Red Ransom {USA}), the G1 Galaxy H. winner and Group 1 producer.
The winning connections of Prince Of Sussex
“He was one of the highlights of the draft last year and the mare resides with us.” – Sam Matthews.
Prince Of Sussex was bred by Chris Jackson, of Melbourne, with Il Diamante a permanent boarder at Swettenham.
“He was one of the highlights of the draft last year and the mare resides with us,” Sales and Nominations Manager Sam Matthews said. “She’s got a Toronado weanling filly that’s one of the nicest on the farm. She throws a really good type.
“She’s not in foal at the moment and she’ll have an early cover to Toronado again later this year. Chris is a long-time client and we race a few horses with him.”
