Darley stallion Storming Home sired a stakes winner with his first southern hemisphere runner when Lion Tamer scored a last-to-first victory in the Listed Murdoch Newell Stakes (1100m) at Pukekohe on Saturday.
Lion Tamer (2c Storming Home – Lioness by Generous) will now be set for the Karaka Million at Ellerslie on January 25 by trainers by Murray and Bjorn Baker. Their colt nailed last start winners Sirrio (Captain Rio) and Everlasting (General Nediym) by a long neck and a neck over 1100m.
“You don’t see two-year-olds win like that very often,” Murray Baker said. “He’s a very smart horse and has looked promising at home.”
The Bakers won the 2009 Karaka Million with The Heckler (Lucky Owners) and will be hoping their latest star can make it a running double for owner-breeder Phil Bayly.
In 2006, Bayly sent his unraced mare Lioness to Storming Home who shuttled to Stoney Bridge from Darley’s Japan base. The mare is a direct descendant of My Blue Denim who was a G1 winner of the STC Tancred Stakes, Auckland Cup and AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Lion Tamer is one of 34 foals from Storming Home’s sole season in New Zealand. He has been prevented from making the trip again by travel restrictions imposed by Japanese authorities in the wake of EI.
Storming Home (Machiavellian) is by the same sire as Darley champion Street Cry and his dam Try To Catch (Shareef Dancer) is a winning daughter of Champion US Filly It’s In The Air (Mr. Prospector).
Trained in England by Barry Hills, Storming Home was a 2yo maiden winner at Newmarket and he returned the following year to win the G2 King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot and was he was also placed in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes behind Galileo and Fantastic Light.
At four, Storming Home recorded his first G1 win in the Champion Stakes at Newmarket where he defeated Dubai World Cup winner Moon Ballad. He was transferred Stateside to win the G1 Charles Whittingham Hcp and was all set to make it a G1 double in the Arlington Million when he propped and unseated jockey Gary Stevens just metres from the post.
Storming Home made amends to beat Johar in the G1 Clement Hirsch Memorial at Santa Anita but any hopes of a winning farewell were dashed when he was galloped on in the Breeders’ Cup Turf.
Storming Home was retired to Shadwell’s Nunnery Stud in England before moving to Japan. His European bred stock have built up a 66% winning strike rate and they include the stakes winners Flying Cloud (G2 Royal Ascot), Atlantic Storm (South Africa), Captain Webb (LR Hamilton) and Mary’s Precedent (LR Chantilly).