Second-season G2 winner O’Lonhro heads the Larneuk Stud roster for 2011. The Chelmsford Stakes winner is one of Victoria’s value sires at a $6,600 (inc gst) fee.
“O’Lonhro is a magnificent thoroughbred,” Larneuk’s Neville Murdoch said this week. “He’s a perfect horse for commercial breeders and owner-breeders alike. He’s hard to miss and impresses everyone.”
A horse built very much in the mould of his sire, O’Lonhro was purchased by John Hawkes for $220,000 at the Gold Coast Magic Millions. Hawkes, who prepared Lonhro to 11 Group 1 victories, rated him very highly.
O’Lonhro (5h Lonhro – Mamzelle Pedrille by Zoffany) also impressed jockey Glyn Schofield when he won on debut at Canterbury in February 2009. The colt settled well back in the field but charged through the pack in the straight to win, easing down, by one and a half lengths.
“That was the best first-up effort I have ridden in a very long time,” Schofield said. “He a natural and put them away in a couple of strides.”
O’Lonhro reached a career high the following spring in the G2 Chelmsford Stakes at Randwick thus emulating his old man who won the same race in 2002 and 2003.
O’Lonhro returned last year for an autumn campaign that targeted the G1 Doncaster Mile and G1 Champions Mile in Hong Kong. Unfortunately, he went amiss and owner Ray Gall decided to retire the horse after just 9 starts.
O’Lonhro is from Mamzelle Pedrille, a mare with enough talent to win 11 races highlighted by the G2 Theo Marks Hcp in Sydney and the G3 VATC Sandown Stakes in Melbourne. Her Listed victories in Brisbane included the Qld Tatts Winter Stakes which has since been elevated to G1 status.
The family also includes G3 winning sprinter I Am Invincible who stands at Yarraman Park.
O’Lonhro is the best credentialed son of Lonhro standing in Victoria. The Darley champion has four crops of racing age and has already sired 205 winners of 477 races at a stunning 71% strike-rate.
At that rate, he is heading in the right direction to be a Champion Australian sire within the next five years.
O’Lonhro will stand at Larneuk alongside Bramshaw (Encosta de Lago) who is available at $4,400 and Tsigane (Anabaa) at $3,300.