The Paul Preusker-trained Torranzino has come from near last to score a narrow victory in the A$500,000 Hyland Victorian Country Cups Final (2000m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
The five-year-old son of Tarzino was the first emergency and gained a start care of the scratching of You Betcha Woo.
Going back from the widest barrier of 15, Torranzino carried 52kgs with Celine Gaudray’s claim, and worked into the race at the right time, coming widest to defeat Charterhouse and the game Arran Bay.
Torranzino has been in work since May and the quirky yet talented galloper has now won A$512,540 in prizemoney.
“He’s been a handful,” the Preusker said. “He’s brutal tough. Emily who rides him all the time at home - I chime in every now and then - she does well persevering. Quite a difficult horse but in saying that a good galloper.
“He’ll go home tonight, he’ll eat, and he’ll be bucking tomorrow. That’s just him. Whether he’s mentally quite right, I don’t know, but anyway we’ll keep plodding along and I thought if he won today we might go to the Ballarat Cup.”
The A$500,000 Listed Ballarat Cup (2000m) is on December 7.
“They’ve done a terrific job with this horse,” Gaudray said. “He still does a bit wrong. He wants to over-race and wobble around. I had to do my best to keep him straight. He does want to lay in.
“We drew a sticky gate and we always planned to come out neutral but he had a bit of toe about him today so I had to get him to relax and the track is starting to deteriorate on the inside and I was probably on the better part of the surface.”
By Westbury Stud stallion Tarzino, Torranzino was bred by Payne Family Racing Pty Ltd. He is the first foal to race out of the Helmet mare Goldilicious, who is a half-sister to the Group Three winner Showbeel, who in turn is out of Champion Stayer Showella.
Torranzino was offered by Janine Dunlop’s Phoenix Park as a yearling in Book 1 of Karaka 2021, where Preusker bought him for $75,000. – NZ Racing Desk
