Cranbourne trainer John Moloney has supported All Too Hard from his early days at stud prepping the winners of 14 races by the Vinery sire going back to Imperial Lad’s 3yo maiden at his home track in November 2019.
Imperial Lad is now within touch of $800,000 in prizemoney with the most lucrative pay-day coming in last year’s $250,000 VOBIS Gold Mile at Caulfield. “He’s a ripper,” Moloney said after the front-running victory. “He’s a happy horse and just keeps turning up.”
Moloney turned up with another two winners by All Too Hard last week when Nation State and Dictionary were successful at Sandown and Mornington respectively. The former had won second time out at Ballarat before going back-to-back around the Lakeside circuit on Wednesday.
Nation State is repaying the Moloney stable after presenting with a problem or two early on. “We’ve had some issues managing his temperament,” Moloney explained. “He’s been in trouble kicking in the box or injuring himself in the paddock. He will come around, the more experience he gets the better he will handle it.”
A $180,000 buy from Blue Gum Farm at the 2022 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, the emerging 3yo was bred by Fremantle-based Phil Wilton and is a half-brother to VOBIS Gold Rush winner Starry Legend (Zoustar).
Their dam Savsenga (Reset) descends from Champion European 3yo Filly Intrepidity (Sadler’s Wells) who won at Group 1 level in the 1993 English Oaks and Prix Vermeille for Sheikh Mohammed.
Winning jockey Damian Lane agreed the best is still to come from Nation State. “He’s high-spirited and it’s just a big game to him. He doesn’t realise he’s supposed to be a professional athlete so hopefully he will get the hang of it.”
Dictionary is bred to stay and he knuckled down to score a determined victory in the Homes & Acreage Hcp (2460m) at Mornington on Friday. After coasting to the lead turning for home, he was forced to fight for every metre in the closing stages when tackled by King Of The World (Animal Kingdom).
“I wasn’t sure whether we had lasted,” apprentice Jaylah Kennedy admitted. “It was a genuine pace up front and he was travelling like a winner when I popped off the fence.’
Dictionary (4g All Too Hard – Collins by Desert King) is from a full-sister to Melbourne Cup heroine Maybe Diva. “He’s lightly-raced and won his maiden over a mile at Pakenham in February,” Moloney said. “This could be a confidence-booster now that he’s up in trip.”
All Too Hard sired his 400th individual winner on the weekend and only four of them, including Dictionary, have saluted beyond 2400m.
Dictionary was bred by Tony Santic and sold through Lime Country Thoroughbreds for $110,000 at the 2021 Gold Coast Magic Millions. His dam Collins had another All Too Hard colt make $200,000 when purchased by Boomer Bloodstock agent Craig Rounsefell for a Hong Kong client at the Inglis Ready2Race Sale in October.