Rommel expat in command at Sha Tin

The Westspeed breed notched its latest Hong Kong win on Sunday when Rommel expat Tourbillon Prince produced a commanding front-running performance at Sha Tin.

Tourbillon Prince was bred and sold by Ridgeport Farm owner Santo Guagliardo for $34,000 and the latest of three off-shore victories in the Lukfook Jewellery Hcp (1400m) increased his earnings to the equivalent of AUD986,000 for clients of trainer Benno Yung.

He had banked over $200,000 in prizemoney for trainer Ted Martinovich and his daughter Simone Maloney when racing as Pale Rider in Perth.  Wins at Ascot and Belmont were followed by a Group 2 second in the 2022 WA Derby (2400m) before being purchased by the Tourbillon Prince Syndicate.

“It’s lovely to have another winner because I’ve been waiting for a long time,” Yung explained.  “I’m still working from home because I can’t have too much close contact with people yet.”

The stable has suffered for the last six months without Benno being hands-on.  He has been receiving treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia but expect results to turn around now that he’s on the way back to full health.

Ridgeport stallion Rommel (Commands) sired Tourbillon Prince from blueblood mare Colleges (Elusive Quality) who is from a sister to the Sadler’s Wells Group 1 luminary In The Wings (Breeders Cup Turf, Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud & Epsom Coronation Cup).

Rommel and Colleges also produced Steve Wolfe’s $300,000 earner Catch These Hands and their 2yo filly Final Flush was a $90,000 purchase for Martin Epis through agent John Chalmers at this year’s Magic Millions.

The mare’s most recent Rommel deliveries are a yearling filly and a colt foaled in October.  “We’ve entered the yearling for the Magic Millions and she’s a very athletic filly,” Ridgeport manager Marge Ojapold said on Monday.  “There are 11 lots in our consignment and they started the yearling prep last week.”