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Tuscan Falls Again

Yet to hit the track on race day, Laurel Oak Bloodstock’s now three-year-old Tuscan Falls produced another exciting trial effort on Monday at Rosehill, taking his heat by one-and-a-quarter lengths over the 900m.

Trained by Gary Portelli, the Nicconi gelding has had three trials to date and looks one to watch as we hopefully head to the races with him in the coming weeks – you can read about his previous trial win by clicking here.

Partnered by Tye Angland on Monday, Tuscan Falls went forward after jumping away well from the gates and settled in second place.

Wearing blinkers, Tuscan Falls came up on the outside of the leader who was under pressure and allowed to coast to the line in fine style (pictured below).

As his pedigree does suggest, he looks a smart horse in the making.

A graduate of the Turangga Farm draft at the 2013 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, the Nicconi gelding is the first living foal of the General Nediym mare mare Queen Of The Falls, herself a half-sister to the Group Two -winning, Group One placed Elite Falls, both daughters of the Group Three-winning Danehill mare Niagara Falls.

TF Trial

First Up Third for Out Of The Night

Back from a spell, and having just turned three, Fastnet Rock colt Out Of The Night travelled to Bairnsdale on August 3 for the 1200m Four’n Twenty Maiden Plate.

With a small field to contest with, the Tony Noonan–trained colt finished third over what many may suggest an unsuitable distance based on pedigree.

Although by Champion Sire Fastnet Rock, Out Of The Night (pictured below with Louis) is the first foal out of the dual Group One Winning New Zealand bred mare Zarita, a winner of the South Australian Derby and South Australian Schweppes Oaks double.

Zarita was one of the best of her age group not only being a dual Group One winner, she was also successful in another five stakes races.

With nine wins from 33 career starts and over $1.6 million in earnings we hope that Out Of The Night can be half as good as his mother – and fingers crossed we are heading that way!

Louis and Out Of The Night

Rock Looks Ready To Roll

Trained by Tony Noonan in Melbourne – our three-year-old filly was sent to Sydney and after a barrier trial at Rosehill Gardens a week back where she finished fourth, Posh Rock headed to Wyong on Tuesday for the Pure Blonde Maiden Plate over 1350m.

Ridden by leading jockey Blake Shinn, Posh Rock settled back in the field with only a few behind her but made her run like a good horse, to narrowly go down, beaten a half-head margin by the Les Bridge-trained Myladyluck.

The first two cleared out from the remainder of the field, with the third placed Crimson Ruby three-and-a-half-lengths way.

Secured from the draft of Newhaven Park at Magic Millions Yearling Sale, Posh Rock (pictured below as a yearling) is a full-sister to the Group One performer We’re Gonna Rock, as well as being related to Group One winners Bluebird The Word and Porto Rocca, who is in turn the dam of Group One Dubai World Cup winner Monterosso.

Posh Rock (2)

With an impressive pedigree, the filly is clearly one to watch on the track as her residual broodmare value will increase if she continues to perform.

Congratulations to the owners and at this stage it is likely she will head to a similar style of race to break her maiden in the coming weeks.

Consistency plus…

While winning is everyone’s ultimate goal, finishing second is better than finishing third and our rising four-year-old War Pass gelding Warinda finished an agonisingly close short neck second – his third successive second place, and sixth overall.

Racing at Moruya in the Moruya Panel And Paint Class Two over 1300m on a Dead rated track, Warinda, who started the race favourite settled back in the field and just failed by a whisker to defeat Pendragon three-year-old Dragon Affair.

Having had 11 starts to date for eight top three finishes, the connections of the Keith Dryden-trained galloper can’t complain, but we are all excited to see him cross the line in front in the coming weeks.

Having never finished further back that fifth in all of his runs so far, Warinda was secured from the draft of Widden Stud at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale back in 2012 and is fifth runner and winner out of the Woodman mare Tolinda, herself a half-sister to South Africa’s Champion Two-year-old Male Tytola (Last Tycoon), both out of the dual Group Three-winning, Group One placed Tolanda.

WARINDA_731044

Tuscan Trials In Style

While most at the Warwick Farm barrier trials on Friday were expecting Rebel Dane to set tongues wagging, it was in fact his stablemate Tuscan Falls that produced the goods.

The veteran of only one prior trial – back in October where he finished third, two-year-old Nicconi gelding Tuscan Falls impressed all at Warwick F arm with a very impressive performance in his trial.

Jumping from the middle of the line in Heat 11 over the 800m, jockey Brenton Avdulla hunted him forward to take the lead. Sporting a pair of blinkers, the gelding maintained his lead of about a length until the home turn.

As they came wide when teh field rounded the home turn, Avdulla asked his mount for more, and he really extended to take the heat by an impressive three length margin from the Clarry Conners-trained He’s A Given.

Secured at the 2013 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale as Lot 473 from the draft of Turangga Farm, Tuscan Falls (pictured below as a yearling) is the first living foal out of the winning General Nediym mare Queen Of The Falls, herself a half-sister to the Group Two -winning, Group One placed Elite Falls, both daughters of the Group Three-winning Danehill mare Niagara Falls.

Tuscan Falls

Trainer Gary Portelli was suitably impressed by the rising three-year-old and will wait to see how he pulls up before he decides on which direction to take.

Earlier in the day, Laurel Oak Bloodstock’s Group One winner Rebel Dane was in action, contesting Heat 7 over 800m.

Ridden by Hugh Bowman, Rebel Dane settled out wide in a mid-field position during the run. Pulled even wider on the turn, he worked home well to take third, beaten a head x half head by Celtic Prince and Dear Demi with the beaten brigade including Laser Hawk, Bull Point, Tougher Than Ever and My Kingdom of Fife.

After the trial Portelli was pleased with the effort but stated on Twitter that “he pulled up really big and that he had only had one decent gallop since Stradbroke Handicap.”

With Portelli also indicating that since Rebel Dane is older, he requires more work to get fit.

In what was a great day at the trials for the Laurel Oak Bloodstock horses, we really look forward to the coming weeks and months of the Spring Carnival when we see these two, plus a host of other runners head to the track!