Circus Maximus 2YO rounds of fun time for stud

[Wandering Eyes]

Promising youngster Towering Vision (NZ) crowned a successful couple of days for Windsor Park Stud when he credited resident sire Circus Maximus with his first Southern Hemisphere black-type winner.

The farm graduate claimed top honours in Saturday’s Listed Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre Stakes (1400m) at Te Rapa a day after the farm hosted another top edition of their annual Rugby, Racing and Beer Sale at Riccarton.

Trained by Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, Towering Vision is a first crop representative of Galileo’s triple Group One winner Circus Maximus.

“This is the time of the year you want to be doing it with this type of stallion, Ha’penny Hatch was stakes placed the previous weekend, and this is what we really want going into the breeding season,” Windsor Park’s Rodney Schick said.

“The favourite, Engine Of War, was scratched and he’s an exciting horse and then Rufus will also be running in the Champagne Stakes in a couple of weeks as well.

“It’s really starting to happen for Circus Maximus, so we’re really excited.”

Towering Vision was offered by Windsor Park at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale and Te Akau’s David Ellis purchased the son of the unraced Iffraaj mare Qiji Vision for $105,000.

“He was off the farm, I bought him from a client as a weanling,” Schick said.

“The Circus Maximus’ are not really bred to be out and out two-year-olds, but you want to see them start to operate at the back end of the season.”

The weekend was kick-started by Windsor Park’s Riccarton Sale, which again featured 10 yearlings.

“It was fantastic and we sold all 10, highlighted by the filly that went to Ben Kwok for $100,000,” Schick said.

“She is a lovely, sharp filly and very much in the mould of Sword Of State.”

She is a daughter of Sword Of State and the Charm Spirit mare Paper Dragon, a sister to the Listed Ryder Stakes (1200m) winner and multiple Group placegetter Pacific Dragon.

“That was our fourth sale and we’ve taken 40 horses down there and sold them all, so it’s been a great clearance rate,” Schick said.

Steve Davis again auctioned off the lots with a pair of high-profile guest speakers complementing the occasion.

“We had All Black legend Kieran Read come to speak as well as Will Hayes from Lindsay Park, and what an outstanding young guy he is,” Schick said.

“We had a great day and a lot of fun, the weather turned it on for us at the end after the weather bomb, so it all went to plan.”

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