All Too Hard Wins Stallion Making Race For Patinack Farm
Patinack Farm’s serious three-year-old colt All Too Hard lived up to his potential in Melbourne on Saturday, running down the previously undefeated Pierro to take out the stallion making Group 1 MRC Caulfield Guineas over 1600m.
All Too Hard ($1,025,000 2011 Easter, 3c Casino Prince-Helsinge) has always had a high profile as the half-brother of world champion sprinter Black Caviar and being a $1million Easter Sale topper. The colt duly delivered for his owners on Saturday.
The Gilgai Farm bred galloper jumped cleanly today and although was still last on the fence at the 800m mark jockey Dwayne Dunn was always confident on the valuable entire. He came with a storming run down the centre of the track to defeat champion Pierro by half a length with Group 1 winner Epaulette a further length and a half behind in third.
“This was always the grand final, his main king pin race,” said Dunn. “John was very adamant that if he jumps then we’ve got a race on our hands.”
All Too Hard (pictured) was purchased by John, Wayne and Michael Hawkes for Nathan Tinkler’s Patinack Farm for $1,025,000 from the draft of Makybe as agent for Gilgai Farm at the 2011 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. His trainers have always maintained the colt was something special.
“He’s a serious horse this one, he always has been,” Wayne Hawkes told TVN after the Guineas.
“He’s probably the best [colt] I’ve touched. This bloke’s like Pierro’s dad Lonhro, he is in that class this horse.
“Thursday morning you watched him work and I was just shaking my head, it was just too easy.
“He’s got so much ability this horse and it’s the race that makes stallions isn’t it?
All Too Hard is the eighth Inglis yearling sale graduate to win the Caulfield Guineas since Lonhro’s win in 2001. The other seven are Anacheeva, Starspangledbanner, Whobegotyou, Weekend Hussler, God’s Own, In Top Swing and Helenus.
Dwayne Dunn knows what it means for Patinack Farm to win the Guineas with their star colt commenting “obviously Patinack is a big supporter of our industry and it’s really good to see them get a really top line horse like this.”
Connections of All Too Hard have always been keen to aim higher with the galloper since a dominant victory in the Group 2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes as a two-year-old. Patinack Farm’s CEO Peter Beer was on track to accept the trophies for today’s time honoured race.
“Winning the Caulfield Guineas is what you want when you want to make a stallion and we couldn’t have asked for anything more. He’s run them down fair a square,” Beer said.
“He [Nathan Tinker] well be watching this now, well done you deserve it.”
The win shoots Patinack Farm’s resident stallion Casino Prince clear on top of the Australian Leading Second Season Sires table.
All Too Hard’s dam Helsinge is proving to be one of Australia’s best ever broodmares, having produced dual Australian Horse of the Year Black Caviar along with this exciting colt.
Helsinge’s second foal Moshee is covering his first book of mares at Eliza Park Stud this season, while her fourth foal, a filly by Redoute’s Choice, was sold for $2.6million at this year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Gilgai Farm have a yearling by Redoute’s Choice from Helsinge on the ground and are expecting a sister to Black Caviar in the coming weeks.
Photo: ultimateracingphotos.com.au