Thomass Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 (edited) Sir to you...training for the Vella Fella... ...who instead of retiring Frankel's son EMINENT...decided he deserved a chance at The Championships in Sydney... already a G 2 winner in France beating AVILIUS and 4th in The Derby beaten 2L Its a big risk to flatten his record if he fails down under...that's the TRICKY question! Edited February 13, 2019 by Thomass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomass Posted February 17, 2019 Author Share Posted February 17, 2019 Finally the mainstream media catch up OLYMPIC LEGEND TRAINING EMINENT February 17, 2019 Eminent and jockey Jim Crowley return to the winner’s enclosure after victory in the Craven Stakes Racingfotos.com Sir Mark Todd, New Zealand’s greatest Olympic eventer, has taken on a new challenge and is training regally-bred racehorse Eminent and plans to run the five-year-old son of Frankel at Group One level in Sydney in autumn. Eminent, a Group Two winner for UK trainer Martyn Meade, is owned by New Zealand Bloodstock principal Sir Peter Vela, who has owned a number of event horses with Todd. “Sir Peter and [bloodstock agent] Hubie de Burgh bought Martyn Meade out of the horse with the idea of sending him to stud in New Zealand – he’s got a great pedigree and is a Group Two winner,” Todd told horseandhound.co.uk. “They sent him to me to do something with before going to New Zealand, and then I got a phone call, saying they were thinking of taking him to Australia to run in a couple of races before retiring. ‘And we want you to do it!’ they said. “I had a think about it – and I can never resist a challenge! I’ve had to take out my training licence in a hurry. The plan is to run him in two Group Ones over 2000m in Sydney – the Ranvet Stakes on March 23 and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes on April 13, although he does have an entry in the Doncaster Mile (Gr.1, 1600m) as well as an insurance.” By outstanding racehorse and emerging sire Frankel, Eminent is a son of the Group One placed Kingmambo mare You’ll Be Mine. The winner of the Gr.3 Craven Stakes (1600m) at three, Eminent finished fourth in the Gr.1 Derby (2400m) and later won the Gr.2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano (2000m) at Deauville before finishing third in the Gr.1 Irish Champion Stakes (2000m). Last season the entire’s form dipped and he was unplaced in all of his four runs, three of them at Group One level. “He’s a lovely horse – on the ball, and he is still an entire of course, but he has a great nature,” said Todd, who has done all the riding work apart from the fast galloping work on the horse himself. “I played around with a bit of flatwork when he first came and popped him over a few fences – letting him be a horse, not just a racehorse. He’d probably be a nice event horse, although I don’t think that is what his owners have in mind! “He has worked on the gallops here at Badgerstown [Todd’s yard in Wiltshire] and I have also taken him to other gallops to work alongside other horses. The snow and the equine flu virus have upset our plans a bit and we’ve had to resort to plans B, C and D, but he is now in quarantine in Newmarket and he flies to Australia on 28 February.” “The plan is that I will be over there for six weeks if all goes well,” Todd said. “If everything goes right and he is able to reproduce his best form, I think he could be competitive. Beating Winx in the Queen Elizabeth would be a pretty tall order – but you’ve got to be in it to win it. “Sir Peter is one of the great sporting owners of the world – he embraced it when I started eventing again and has never been afraid to think out of the box. What other owner would give me a chance to do this?” Todd is no stranger to training thoroughbred racehorses, having successfully taken up the profession after the Sydney Olympics in 2000. His biggest successes came when training Bramble Rose to win the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks in 2003 and Willy Smith to win the Gr.1 Wellington Cup (3200m) in 2007, but he hung up his stop watch shortly after the Cup victory. “I’ve toyed with the idea of getting back into training,” Todd said. “But I don’t think it is something I want to do full-time. My wife Carolyn and I would like to have a few horses of our own, and maybe it will develop a bit, but I am not giving up eventing just yet. “It is a great privilege to be allowed to train Eminent, and winning a Group One for Sir Peter would be wonderful.” – NZ Racing Desk and Horse and Hound Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freda Posted February 17, 2019 Share Posted February 17, 2019 Awesome. A helluva nice bloke, aside from his well documented equestrian skills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Posted February 17, 2019 Share Posted February 17, 2019 He even trained one for me -and answered the curly questions -she was slow! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomass Posted February 17, 2019 Author Share Posted February 17, 2019 Oh yes...CURLY!! Wheres Laurie Laxon nod? Did Vella say he was giving the big L a number to train? Or has he got the retirement bug where the feet go up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomass Posted February 28, 2019 Author Share Posted February 28, 2019 Toddy's on the job...early bird gets the Winx LATEST NEWS THE CHAMPIONSHIPS LATEST NEWS SOCIAL CONTENDERS MEDIA RACE REPLAYS COMPETITIONS First International To Arrive On Saturday By Brad Gray Quarantine will start early this year for the Sydney autumn carnival, with British five-year-old Eminent set to arrive on Saturday. Trained by decorated former Olympian Sir Mark Todd, Eminent has been set for the G1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) before a clash with star mare Winx awaits him in the $4m G1 Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m). The son of Frankel will have a companion at Canterbury Park Quarantine, Kim Waugh’s retired racehorse His Majesty.Eminent (Pic: Racing Post)“We have been very proactive in trying to get horses participating at the start of the carnival,” said ATC’S James Ross, General Manger of Racing, Wagering and International. “Eminent had sensational form as an early three-year-old and if he can recapture that he will be very competitive. If you go back to his early runs he has genuine Group One form around horses like Decorated Knight and Poet’s Word. His connections are specifically targeting the Ranvet with him, that’s a key part of their plan.” Eminent ran fourth in the 2017 G1 Epsom Derby behind Wings Of Eagles and The Cliffsofmoher before three months later running third in the G1 Irish Champion Stakes (2012m) at Leopardstown. “We have been speaking to a lot of connections about bringing horses to enhance their stallion appeal if they target multiple Group One races. There are also a number of horses that in the future will potentially end up in Australia and it is pleasing to see trainers using the Sydney Autumn as a pathway. Connections obviously can consider that option pending how they run.” The Championships saw strong international entries this year, with 21 from Japan and 10 from Great Britain and Ireland. “It is exciting to see internationally trained horses keen to take on Winx in the flagship race, the Queen Elizabeth Stakes,” continued Ross. “Our goal has been to continually build the profile of the international races throughout the entire Sydney Carnival and it is encouraging to see the investment in races like the Sydney Cup rewarded with increased entries again this year, 128 overall including eight Japanese entries in particular.” On the Sydney Cup, Godolphin’s Charlie Appleby is eyeing off the race again, having won the $2 million staying feature with Polarisation in 2017. Appleby has nominated Dubhe, a four length last start winner over two miles at Meydan, and Ispolini, also a last start winner in Dubai, for the Sydney Cup. Mythical Magic has been nominated for the G1 $3m The Star Doncaster Mile (1600m) while D’Bai is being considered by the stable for the G1 All Aged Stakes (1400m). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomass Posted March 12, 2019 Author Share Posted March 12, 2019 J Mak up this morning for his besty Vella Fella...must be a moral to take the mount https://mobile.twitter.com/atc_races/status/1105567852499595265 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomass Posted March 12, 2019 Author Share Posted March 12, 2019 Toddy's as happy as a Jock dressed in jodhpurs in the back of a float...on him https://mobile.twitter.com/racing_nsw/status/1105590607123107840 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomass Posted March 20, 2019 Author Share Posted March 20, 2019 (edited) Wtf!! A name change to HE'S EMINENT'S Makes no sense whatsoever!! The wag who changed it probably thought 'His Eminence' ...a Catholic with some standing...A Cardinal even Lord Eminent's...way better..lazy Arstrailians! Good walking walkout though...if it was a walking race he'd win hands down.. https://mobile.twitter.com/racing_nsw/status/1108475572286423040 Edited March 20, 2019 by Thomass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomass Posted March 21, 2019 Author Share Posted March 21, 2019 And this is Toddy's and the Vella Fella's secret recipe They toped in Bruce Herd...ex dope smoker who roped in Opee to pee for him so he could escape a pesky dope test...but that's bygones be bygones... He can still ride...Lisa will be missing him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomass Posted March 21, 2019 Author Share Posted March 21, 2019 (edited) And the Oz media are going nuts over Sir His Eminence...Toddy Lets hope they're not asking too many curlies And where will Vella Fella stand E when he spanx Winx?? Edited March 21, 2019 by Thomass 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
von Smallhaussen Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 Thomarse do they allow helicopters to land inside the 'gardens' ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomass Posted March 22, 2019 Author Share Posted March 22, 2019 32 minutes ago, von Smallhaussen said: Thomarse do they allow helicopters to land inside the 'gardens' ? Certainly do von....then they'll provide Vella Fella with a golf vehicle upon embarkation and a travel escalator to the top of the Royal Box...with complimentary horse durves and schnapps chasers along the way...to keep him interested You flying in with J mak? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
von Smallhaussen Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 40 minutes ago, Thomass said: You flying in with J mak? no - got the boot as his bodyguard after Glynny gave him the shove in the weigh ins area ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freda Posted March 24, 2019 Share Posted March 24, 2019 No comments about the tremendous training effort of Mark Todd to turn this horse's form around? What an effort, fresh from the N.H and out of form, to run as he did over 2000m on a testing track...proof yet again of the superb horseman Sir Mark is. Time will tell if that run has knocked his socks off, or whether he can come on from that...it will be a grand Queen Elizabeth if he has. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomass Posted March 24, 2019 Author Share Posted March 24, 2019 Superb effort...you have to imagine he trained him to European standard training faire... .And Bruce Herd as his workout wallah... Toddy was getting real excited on film...would have needed a few Durries after that...and a stiff whiskey Vella Fella will be making plans in other Oz group 1's after that..a Brisbane easy kill if not in the next few weeks.. Cambridge Stud bound? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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