Tornado Valley hits back at Flemington
The connections of Tornado Valley have quickly moved on from the disappointment of his luckless first race appearance, with the colt confirming his promise in Tuesday’s running of the Maribyrnong Plate at Flemington.
Prepared by Ciaron Maher, the well-bred son of Too Darn Hot showed smart improvement from his third in the Listed Debutant Stakes on October 15, stepping up to claim the $240,000 Group 3 with Ethan Brown guiding him to victory.
However, the result was briefly in doubt when Ben Melham, rider of second-placegetter Tales Of Time, lodged a protest alleging interference during the race. After reviewing the head-on vision, stewards dismissed the protest and allowed the result to stand.
Maher was pleased that Tornado Valley had the chance to show his genuine ability without the issues that hindered him at Caulfield, and suggested the colt may soon head toward the lucrative Magic Millions series.
“It was just like a barrier trial, really,” Maher said of the colt’s debut outing.
“I thought he was a bit sleepy out of the gates, wobbled at the turn and was very good late.
“This colt is very well-bred and he’s got a bright future.
“Magic Millions is hard to pass up and he is progressive. (They’re) nice options to have.”
The $3 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m) on January 11 is now firmly on the radar.
Tornado Valley ($5) prevailed narrowly over Tales Of Time ($18), with Luna Vega ($10) another length and a half away in third.
Ethan Brown, who picked up the ride from Mark Zahra, was impressed with how much the colt had sharpened up.
“He probably hit the front a bit soon, but I just had to use him just to get out in clear running,” Brown said.
“He’s very responsive, he had a good look at the crowd, and he won with a bit in hand.
“He was just very green his first-up run, and it’s a sign of a good horse. He’s taken the right improvement.”
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