Armidale Stud sire Tough Speed (USA) dominated the first half of the Hobart program on Sunday with a treble and he added a runaway winner later in the day at Cranbourne.
Free Shout (4g Tough Speed – Montalcino by Fearless Pride) opened proceedings with a one-length victory in the Darcenell Plate (2100m) at Tattersall’s Park. He settled midfield before jockey Brendan McCoull made a winning move 600m from home.
It was a landmark result for the new training team of Michael Voss and Chris Crook. Free Shout was their first starter among 25 horses currently in work. Voss spent seven years with leading trainer Charlie Goggin before joining Crook at her Campania stables.
“He’s a really good horse and is going to go a long way”, Voss said. “He is a dead-set stayer and will eventually be an Open Handicap horse”.
Free Shout is closely related to Free Beer (Fearless Pride) who won 13 races including a couple of G3 Launceston Cups in 1995 and ’96. He is raced by Sorell based Jim Scott after being passed-in for $7,000 at the 2008 Tasmanian Magic Millions.
Free Shout started a short-priced favourite and so did Tough Speed’s second winner Banca Mo. The Team Brunton galloper was an 8 length trial winner before scoring on debut in the Capone Plate (1100m).
Banca Mo (3g Tough Speed – I Gotcha Babe by Mukddaam) is a the first winner from a mare who won three races on the NSW north coast. Owner Mandy Gunn picked him out of the 2009 Tasmanian Magic Millions for a mere $2,100.
Jay Bee’s Gee Gee completed a running treble for the Armidale stallion with a surprise win in the Van Hardyards Hcp (1100m). He was resuming 14 weeks after finishing third in the G3 Tasmanian Derby (2200m).
Jay Bee’s Gee Gee (3g Tough Speed – Private Ensign by Personal Flag) is prepared by Stuart Gandy at Brighton for prominent owner-breeders Paul and Elizabeth Geard. His dam was a five-time winner in Tasmania and her half-sister Cafeteria (Lunchtime) was a Listed winner of the Tasmanian 1000 Guineas and Gold Sovereign Stakes
The Geards got him for $16,000 at the 2009 Tasmanian Magic Millions
Over in Victoria, Tough Future was a four length winner of the 2011 Luxbet Winter Championship at Cranbourne on Sunday afternoon. The gelding is close to breaking through the $100,000 barrier for trainer Mark Riley and owner Brian Rix after coming up short of a $14,000 reserve at the 2007 Tasmanian Magic Millions.
Tough Future (5g Tough Speed – Pride Of Shell by Strathmore Lad) had won four from five last year before transferring to the mainland. He scored first-up at Moonee Valley this year and followed up with fourths at Caulfield and in the Echuca Cup prior to the Cranbourne victory.
His dam is a sister to Future Shock, a Tasmanian Guineas winner who crossed Bass Strait to win the LR Bagot Hcp at Flemington.
Tough Speed is a USA bred son of Miswaki and is enjoying a career best season in 2010-11. He’s in equal second spot on the Tasmanian sires’ table in the winners category alongside his Armidale Stud associate Savoire Vivre. The have sired 23 individual winners apiece and are right behind Grenville Stud’s champion stallion West Quest (25).