It's what dreams are made of, going to a sale, picking up a winning daughter of the all-conquering Galileo for $23,000, then seeing a three-quarter sister and half-sister come out and win at the highest level, then to top it all off, have a stakes-winning daughter of her own.
At the Inglis sale yards back in 2013, Curraghmore Stud's Gordon Cunningham purchased the Galileo filly Baggy Green fresh off the track, had her covered by Pierro and took her back to New Zealand.
Baggy Green is a three-quarter-sister to Funstar (Adelaide) who last week added the Group 1 ATC Flight Stakes to her win in the Group II Tea Rose Stakes, while her half-sister Youngstar won last year's Group 1 BRC Queensland Oaks has a stakes-winner in her own right in the Ocean Park filly Tofane.
If you could forgive her miserable last start run in the Group III How Now Stakes and backed her on her win over the future stakes-winner Haut Brion Her at Moonee Valley, then well done you because Tofane was dominant in Saturday's Bass Strait Beef Steaks (1200m) (Northwood Plume Stakes) at Caulfield.
Ridden by Dwayne Dunn, the 4yo daughter of Ocean Park came from near last, engaged in a bumping duel with Gift Of Power, but still won running away by a length over the favourite Manicure (Exceed And Excel) with Sweet Scandal (Sepoy) three-quarter of a length back in third. (image Grant Courtney)
Purchase privately by Ballymore Stables, trainer Mike Moroney was well aware of the significance of her close relations wins.
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A granddaughter of the champion
Covered by Reliable Man (GB), Baggy Green was sent back to Australia by Kevin Hickman's Valachi Downs where she foaled a colt last spring before being covered by So You Think.
Tofane becomes the fourth stakes-winner for Waikato Stud's Ocean Park who also sired last weekend's Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) winner Kolding (NZ).
