Toronado (Ire) leads Europe’s first-crop sires with 41 lots catalogued for the Tattersalls Foal Sale. All roads lead to Newmarket for the ‘World’s Most International Thoroughbred Sale’ with 2,395 yearlings, foals and breeding stock catalogued from November 21 to December 1. Toronado dominates the Foal Sale commencing on November 23. The Swettenham Stud shuttler covered 152 mares in his initial northern book at the English National Stud and there will be as many foals again from his first crop conceived at Nagambie. Swettenham received another Group 1 update when Prized Icon won the Victoria Derby on Saturday. His half-sister Circus Polka (Stravinsky) foaled a Toronado colt at Nagambie in A

Swettenham Stud can win a fourth Group 2 Sandown Guineas since the turn of the century with class filly Sweet Sherry. She will target the Sandown feature after flying home to win the Listed Crockett Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday. “We were all set for the (Group 1) Thousand Guineas but she got sick and I thought we would have to tip her out,” co-trainer Troy Corstens said. “It usually takes them a few weeks to recover but she got over it pretty quickly.” Swettenham bred Sandown Guineas winners Moon Dragon (2001) and Cayambe (2005). The Danehill fillies were followed by Schilling (2007), a son of Swettenham stallion Bianconi. Sweet Sherry will run in a stakes race at Flemingto

Former Victorian shuttler Marju has died, aged 28, at Derrinstown Stud in Ireland. Marju (Last Tycoon) sired 56 stakes winners starting with Group 1 winners Sil Sila (Prix de Diane) & My Emma (Yorkshire Oaks) and he followed up with superstar filly Soviet Song. Sheikh Hamdan had purchased Marju at the 1989 Goffs yearling sale just days after winning the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac with his 2yo half-sister Salsabil. He was runner-up to Generous in the G1 English Derby and then defeated subsequent Sussex Stakes hero Second Set to win the G1 St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot. His southern shuttle career included a one-off book at Collingrove Stud, the forerunner of Swettenham Stud, in 2001.

“He is the most precocious son of High Chaparral and looks the perfect horse for Australia,” renowned bloodstock agent John Warren said on a recent visit to Nagambie. “High Chaparral is emerging as a major influence and one of the biggest attractions for Toronado is his compatibility with Danzig line mares in Australia." Unbeaten at two and a champion miler at three, Toronado trained on at four with a brilliant performance to win the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes (1600m) in a time faster than the mighty Frankel. “I’ve never gone as fast over a mile at Royal Ascot,” jockey Richard Hughes declared. “We were going a five or six-furlong pace!” High Chaparral (Sadler’s Wells) was taken all too soon

Master Of Design sired stakes filly Kinetic Design first-up at Flemington 12 months ago and there was more black-type to kick-start his second crop at Caulfield on Saturday. Swettenham Stud’s Group 1 stallion unearthed another filly with potential when Miss Wahoo finished third on debut in the LR Debutant Stakes (1000m). The Tony McEvoy-trained youngster was a long way from the leaders on the corner and was doing her best work in the final stages. “She ran really well,” jockey Kerrin McEvoy said. “The speed was quick and she stayed on nicely.” Swettenham-bred colt Valliano was placed in the 2015 Debutant Stakes and he went on to claim Super VOBIS Horse of the Year honours following wins in

Sunshine Coast trainer Stuart Kendrick was rapt to buy an Americain colt for $80,000 at the Inglis Ready2Race Sale on Tuesday. Swettenham Stud’s Group 1 freshman sired him from Year Of The Cat (NZ). “He was one of the nicest types on the grounds and I loved his breeze-up,” Kendrick said. “He’s just about sold among my clients.” Kendrick won the 2015-16 Queensland Provincial Trainers’ Premiership with 58 wins at a top strike-rate of 18%. “I did hear good things about the Americains when I was in Melbourne last week,” he said. “And Adam Sangster told me after the sale that trainers down south really like them.” Trainers like Stuart Gandy who is prepping Americain colt Geegee Blackprince for

In a coup for Swettenham Stud’s new sire Trust In A Gust, Love and Emotion (the dam of French Emotion) has been booked in to him this season. Millford Thoroughbreds product French Emotion scored a career highlight at Flemington on Sunday taking out $200,000 Group 2 Blazer Stakes (1400m) for mares. It was a first stakes win for the Chris Waller trained mare who is owned by her breeders Valda Klaric & Ivan Cajkusic. The win rounded out a good weekend for Valda and Ivan with another of their mares raised at Millford Thoroughbreds, Kaniana, coming second in the Group 2 Stocks Stakes at Moonee Valley on Friday night. “It was a tremendous thrill … I certainly haven’t had a weekend like that for a