Star filly Tropical Squall has timed her second Group 1 victory to perfection as Kooringal Stud's online yearling sale looms large.
Tropical Squall added the $750,000 Surround Stakes (1400m) at Randwick to her outstanding record which also includes success in the blue riband Flight Stakes (1600m).
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Above: The daughter of Prized Icon, Tropical Squall, winning the Group 1 Surround Stakes.
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Watch Tropical Squall win the 2024 Group 1 Surround Stakes.
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In doing so, Tropical Squall emulated the feat of her sire Prized Icon.
Prized Icon was a dual Group 1 winner of the Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington and the Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Randwick.
Kooringal bred Tropical Squall - selling her as a weanling to Gooree Stud for $16,000 - and was delighted with the latest win leading up to its yearling sale on the Inglis Digital platform.
Prized Icon will be represented by a number of youngsters when the online auction runs from March 8 to 13.
"Tropical Squall was a bargain buy who has proven herself to be a top-class filly," Kooringal's Angus Lamont said.
"To win four of her first seven starts and more than $1 million in prizemoney is incredible .... she has been a great advertisement for Prized Icon.
"He has some cracking yearlings in the online sale and we are excited by the overall quality of the draft."
Among the standouts will be Prized Icon's colt from Embecee Lil, who won five races to 1400 metres in Adelaide and almost $140,000 in prizemoney.
Embecee Lil is a half-sister to the Group 3 winner Li'l Kontra and the stakesplaced Cashed.
Prized Icon will also be represented by a filly from the proven broodmare Any Other Day.
The daughter of Redoute's Choice has a perfect record of producing seven to win from as a many to race, including the stakeswinner Everyday Lady.
Any Other Day's three-year-old by Prized Icon is Lindrum, who has been victorious at two of his past three appearances.
Another of Kooringal's resident stallions Sandbar is set to make his mark on the Inglis Digital sale.
Sandbar will have a colt on offer from Aquada, making him a half-brother to the $2.7 million earner The Astrologist.
The Astrologist has won eight races and proven himself against the best sprinters in Australia, the United Kingdom and Dubai which included a close second in the Group I Al Quoz Sprint.
Sandbar will also have a filly from Chorus Of Angels in the catalogue.
This youngster is a half-sister to last-start Doomben winner Anythink Goes, who was sold by Kooringal at the 2020 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
Kooringal is confident on building on the excellent winning strike-rate from its online auctions over the past three years.
"From our inaugural digital sale there have been 72 per cent winners-to-runners, averaging $40,000 each in prizemoney - a return of almost four times their average purchase price," Angus said.
"Overall, there has been 24 starters with 22 of them either winning or placing.
"We are rapt with these results and are expecting to see a number of happy buyers coming back this time around.
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Tropical Squall's win in the Surround Stakes capped off a big day for Kooringal Stud.
Just five minutes earlier the Kooringal bred and part-owned Duped By Spin claimed the $75,000 Country Mile Series Heat on Wangaratta Cup Day.
Duped By Spin has won four races and topped $100,000 in earnings for astute Wodonga trainer Craig Widdison.
February was a memorable month for Kooringal, with Callmeanicon also winning at Sale.
Callmeanicon is out of the Zabeel mare Albakoor and may now head towards the Adrian Knox at Randwick over 2000m for three-year-old fillies.
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Above: Duped By Spin winning impressively at Wangaratta. The win secures her spot in the Country Mile Series Final at Caulfield (Credit: Jay Town).
Below: Callmeanicon, trained by Bill Papazaharoudakis, winning at Sale in February.
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The Lamont family and Kooringal Stud staff were extremely saddened to hear of the sudden passing of long-term client John Woods.
John grew up in the Forbes district and has been involved in the racing and breeding industry throughout his life, including riding as an amateur alongside his very good friend Chris Hardy.
John’s most recent success occurred when he bred his Hinchinbrook mare Tibidabo to The Brothers War to produce the highly talented Bandi’s Boy.
There were emotional scenes at Moruya on March 3 when Bandi's Boy secured the $150,000 SERA Country Championship Qualifier (1400m).
Many of John's family members, who had held a memorial service two days earlier, had travelled to the coastal town to see the win.
Goulburn trainer Danny Williams struggled to hold back the tears as he spoke of John's love for Bandi's Boy and the high regard in which he was held.
The victory as favourite took Bandi's Boy record to four wins and three placings from only nine starts, accruing more than $350,000 in prizemoney in the process.
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Above: The late John Woods (far right) with Danny Williams (second from left) after Bandi's Boy won at Randwick in January.
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Kooringal Stud will be viewing the Country Championships final from a new direction this year.
For the first time, Kooringal will be in the ownership of a contender for the $1 million event at Randwick over 1400 metres on April 6.
Promising mare Asgarda made her way to the final when she was a brave second in the SDRA Qualifier at Albury on February 18.
Asgarda gives Kooringal's warrior The Brothers War a second chance of winning the lucrative final after Bandi's Boy also qualified.
The bay is raced by a sizeable syndicate, including her Wagga trainer Doug Gorrel and Griffith personality Lance Gilbert.
Asgarda had impressed in registering three wins from her four outings heading into the Albury assignment.
The four-year-old is now likely to be aimed at the $75,000 City Hcp (1175m) at the Albury Cup Carnival as her final lead-up to the Championships final.
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Above: Asgarda will be heading to the Country Championships at Randwick on April 6.
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Staunch Kooringal Stud supporter Joslyn Summerhayes celebrated one of her greatest deeds as a breeder when Big Shots landed the $250,000 Magic Millions WA 2yo Classic (1200m) at Pinjarra.
Joslyn bred the Sizzling youngster from former handy Wagga mare Pintupi and sold him for $27,500 at the Perth Winter Sale.
Pintupi is a daughter of Alert, who was imported to stand at Kooringal and left a trail of winners.
Retired in 2016, Pintupi produced three foals on the east coast before heading west with a Prized Icon filly at foot.
That chestnut is now a three-year-old named Prized Jewel and is showing staying potential in WA.
Perth-based owner Kim Doak had a healthy opinion of Prized Jewel, prompting the trip to the sales to purchase Big Shots.
The gelding has rewarded Doak for a modest outlay by collecting almost $200,000 in stakes from just five appearances.
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