Corumbene Stud

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When a farm with a track record for excellence like Corumbene sends what could be their best ever draft to the Gold Coast, buyers would be well advised to take their time perusing the quality on offer.

For two decades now the paddocks of George Altomonte’s Corumbene Stud have been a consistent source of Group winners, primarily Gr1 juveniles. Early results point to the trend continuing through the 2022/23 season with the farm preparing to take a quality draft of 13 yearlings to the Gold Coast, all primed to carry on the tradition.

If there is a farm with a better record in juvenile Gr1s when compared to foals bred than Corumbene, it doesn’t readily spring to mind. The Dunedoo farm gave the industry the Golden Slipper winners Sebring and Overreach and the Blue Diamond winner True Jewels, and as we prepare to head to the Gold Coast the Corumbene bred Empire Of Japan (Snitzel), offered out of the Gold Coast ring last January, is amongst the early favourites for this year’s Slipper on the back of a stunning display in the Gr3 Breeders’ Plate. It makes sense then to go through each of Corumbene’s draft endeavouring to identify next season’s star horse. To achieve that we enlisted the help of Corumbene’s Stud Manager Trent Hewitt who gave us his impressions of each lot.

The Corumbene draft kicks off with Lot 26, a daughter of first crop sire Microphone and Kathoros. “My favourite filly” said Trent. “A lovely type with a very nice hock and a good walk about her. She screams two year-old type. The few Microphones we have had have all been good types and this filly in particular has a presence about her.” That Katharos was a Flying Spur half-sister to Menari mean the odds were this filly was always going to be a stunner.
Amongst an outstanding draft most discerning buyers will be interested in Lot 931, a Too Darn Hot filly that Corumbene will offer on behalf of her breeders Peter Brown, Fred and Mary Moses and Bob Charley. And what a filly she is, a half-sister to In Her Time, the dual Gr1 winning sprinter from a few seasons back. Trent explained “I’ve had a bit to do with this mare and this filly is the nicest foal out of the mare in say the last five years. Generally the foals out of Hell It’s Hot have been tall, leggy and lanky whereas this filly looks a better athlete with the input of Too Darn Hot. She will make a two year-old for sure.”

This is a family that has been knocking out Gr1 performers back to as far back as the inception of the Pattern system in the 1970s. It’s an indication of how strong the pedigree is that just two dams appear on the page with the last two lines devoted to The Everest winner Yes Yes Yes. Also on the page are the short-course specialists and full brothers Hot As Hell and Flaming Hot while not on there, but from this family, is the speedy Salaam, winner of The Galaxy, now a Gr1 race. Hell It’s Hot is the dam of seven winners in total including this seasons three year-old Scorch, successful at Randwick at his only start to date. And being by Too Darn Hot out of Hell It’s Hot, the breeding certainly lends itself to plenty of cool naming options.

Despite passing on his crown as Champion Sire, Written Tycoon continues to do an outstanding job, particularly with fillies like Coolangatta and buyers get a chance to tap into his blood with Lot 717. Out of the More Than Ready mare Cheetara, this filly is a half-sister to Single Bullet who danced most of the two year-old dances in his year winning the Gr3 Pago Pago Stakes on his way to a start in the Golden Slipper. This is an excellent winner producing family, Cheetara is a half-sister to ten winners out of Danehill’s daughter Dashing Eagle who dead heated in the Gr1 Flight Stakes but didn’t need to share the prize in the Gr1 Thousand Guineas at her next start. Trent thinks she is “a nice filly with plenty of attitude and a great walk about her.”

For those impressed by the record Deep Field is building Corumbene send to market his daughter out of Cloak Of Night by Lonhro. The dam has had four foals of racing age all of which are winners including Science Path (Hinchinbrook) who only recently had more success in Hong Kong, and the Chris Waller trained filly Amati (Sebring) who has spent her last couple of starts chasing black type. In Trent’s opinion she is “Another very nice filly that will make into a two year-old, earlier than most by Deep Field. Certainly on the compact side but very nice, and one we would have been happy to keep.”

Then there is an impressive daughter of Lonhro and the Choisir mare Daytime who sells as Lot 775. Trent thinks she is “a robust filly with plenty of strength and a solid hindquarter on her. She’s a filly that will continue to improve through her preparation.” With Daytime two for two winners to runners, this is a family that continues to give. Even as the catalogues were being finalised Daytime’s half-brother Massimo was winning the Gr2 Lee Steere Stakes in Perth for a second time. Their half-sister Altitude shows up as the dam of Exosphere and it wasn’t that long ago he was such a dominant winner of the Gr1 Golden Rose.

In Lot 372 the farm will send for sale a Shalaa filly out of Snitzel’s daughter Sheer Style that comes with a strong association with Magic Millions. Amongst Sheer Style’s three wins came success in the Magic Millions Clockwise 2YO Classic before running third in the RL Magic Millions Wyong Classic. And amongst Shalaa’s four Stakes winning juveniles in Australia is Shaquero who won the Magic Million 2YO Classic. “A very strong, robust filly with an excellent temperament. This mare always throws a type and she hasn’t disappointed with this filly,” Trent explained.

Turning to the quartet of Book 1 colts the pick just has to be lot 955, the Exceed And Excel – Ichihara half to Empire Of Japan. Trent said of him “A really nice colt and my pick of the draft. Not just because of what Empire Of Japan did on debut, but because he is just a stunning colt with a good walk on him and everything about him just looks fast. He also comes with a good temperament to boot.” A Gr2 winner at two, Ichihara (General Nediym) is a sister to the Stakes winners Au Chocolat and Isurava, later the dam of Menari.

Another impressive youngster is the Capitalist colt out of the four time winning Hinchinbrook mare Lilith which will sell as Lot 65. Trent has taken a shine to him saying “He just looks and acts like Capitalist, has a really good walk about him with a nice shoulder and I think he can make it as a two year-old.” His grandam Loveday was a half-sister to both True Jewels and Wager who was placed in three juvenile Gr1 races.

Lot 608 is a Pride Of Dubai colt out of Anatola a Listed winning daughter of More Than Ready and the previously mentioned Wager. “This mare normally throws a smaller, more compact sort of horse, whereas this fellow has quite a bit of range about him. I think he will prep up really well.” He is offered for sale at a time when Pride Of Dubai is enjoying a hot streak thanks to the likes of Bella Nipotina’s Gr1 Manikato Stakes success and Sirileo Miss winning the Gr3 Ladies Day Vase for the second time.

The final colt to mention is Lot 796 a ‘boutique’ son of Menari out of Divinity by Sepoy from the family of Charge Forward. “A very nice colt that has been stamped by his father. Big and strong, everything about him from his walk to his presence is excellent. Whoever buys him will have some fun, that’s for sure,” Trent enthused.

Corumbene will also offer three lots through Book 2, a pair of Headwater colts Trent says have been well and truly stamped by their sire, and a Too Darn Hot filly who has impressed as she has grown.

When a farm with a track record for excellence like Corumbene sends what could be their best ever draft to the Gold Coast, buyers would be well advised to take their time perusing the quality on offer.