Swettenham’s Toronado to miss breeding season
Toronado (High Chaparral), one of Victoria’s leading stallions, will miss the 2025 breeding season as he battles a significant infection and lameness, Swettenham Stud confirmed on Sunday.
“The stallion has suffered a significant infection, which in turn has caused him lameness. On the advice of some of Australia’s leading veterinarians, the decision was taken to give him a complete rest, so that he has every opportunity to make a full recovery,” said Adam Sangster, the operation’s principal.
“Toronado has played a huge role in the history of Swettenham, as well as in the Victorian industry, and we really see him as part of our family. His health and wellbeing come first to everyone at the farm, so this was a straightforward decision.
“We are very grateful to the understanding shown by all the breeders who had mares booked to him. While it is unlikely he will cover again this season, we are confident that, as a 15 year-old, he still has many promising years ahead of him.”
Toronado is the sire of 44 stakes winners, a cohort headed by six Group 1 winners: Masked Crusader, Mariamia, Bois D’Argent, Shelby Sixtysix, Victor The Winner and Tribhuvan.
The stallion finished 12th on the sires table last season, while earlier this year he enjoyed his first seven-figure sales ring success when Andrew Williams shelled out $1 million for his son out of Hardly Surprising (All Too Hard) at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.
Having covered 170 mares last season, the stallion had been due to stand his fourth consecutive season at a fee of $88,000 (inc GST).