Wadham Park trainer Dale Sutton maintained his lead for the inaugural Magic Millions Trainers’ title (non-metro winners) when General Calm scored a first-up victory in the Geelong Advertiser Maiden Plate on Tuesday.
Sutton has prepared 35 non-metro winners so far this season with graduates from Magic Millions. He holds a healthy lead over Tasmanian trainers David and Scott Brunton, Toowoomba based Mark Webb and Patinack Farm’s John Thompson.
General Calm (3g General Nediym – Becalm by Danzero) was a $110,000 buy out of the North West Bloodstock draft at the 2008 Gold Coast Magic Millions. He is by deceased Widden sire General Nediym from a half-sister to Melbourne stakes winner Fluoro (Rory’s Jester).
Sutton has enjoyed a career-best season in 2009-10 with winners the calibre of G2 MRC St. George Stakes winner La Rocket (Rock Of Gibraltar) and Flemington Listed winner Wind Shear (Flying Spur).
The winners will continue on an upward curve when Sutton rolls out the first Econsul juveniles in 2010-11. A Group 1 winner of the 2004 Caulfield Guineas, Econsul is a son of the NZ based Snippets sire Pins.
Econsul was popular at the 2010 Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale when his yearlings averaged $46,000. An eye-catching Econsul half-sister to the Group 1 sprinter Bank Robber topped the draft when selling for $130,000 to trainer Andrew Noblet.
“She moves well and broke in nicely,” Noblet said this week. “She’s got the right attitude and it’s only a matter of time at this stage. I think she will be ready to get cracking in the New Year.”
Former Toll Holdings chairman Peter Rowsthorn developed Wadham Park into a state-of-the-art facility at Nagambie. It served as the horse-racing arm of Woodside Park which is located on 130 hectares at Tylden in central Victoria.
Econsul will stand for a $7,700 (inc gst) service fee at Woodside this year alongside Irish Derby winner Grey Swallow.
Sutton is confident the winning run will continue despite the imminent sale of Wadham Park’s rearing and pre-training property. The proceeds of the sale will help consolidate Woodside’s Tylden facility.
The sale comes in the wake of Queensland Racing’s decision not to go ahead with its planned acquisition of Rowsthorn’s Wadham Park property in the Gold Coast hinterland.