Torture (NZ)
2 f Sword Of State – Ruthless Lady by Keeper
O: Lindsay Park Bloodstock, Mr J A O’Neill, A K Racing, Go Bloodstock Australia, Australian Chinese Jockey Club Racing 10, Friends of the Dame, Malivale
B: Go Bloodstock Australia Pty Ltd
T: Ben, Will & JD Hayes
S: 2025 NZB Karaka National Yearling Sale V: Curraghmore P: Lindsay Park Racing / Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock (BAFNZ), $250,000
W: Debutant Stakes, Listed, 1000m, Caulfield, October 15
Cambridge Stud’s first-season sire Sword Of State (Snitzel) got his stallion career off to a brilliant start when he chalked up his first individual stakes winner courtesy Torture’s dominant display in the Debutant Stakes (Listed, 1000m) at Caulfield on Wednesday.
Trained by Lindsay Park, the juvenile filly showed talent in spades to finish 0.5 lengths ahead of her well-related stable companion Free Flying, who is by Sword Of State’s sire, Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice).
The Ciaron Maher-trained Toronado Valley (Too Darn Hot) finished the same distance away in third.
Ben Hayes said he was not expecting Torture to be so early.
“It was nice to run one-two in the race, and to get some black type with a filly is very important,” he said.
“I thought she won very well. She loomed into it and hit the front and did everything right today, so it’s a big thrill for the whole team. Two-year-olds are something that we really enjoy doing, and coming out and winning the first two-year-old stakes race of the season is a big thrill.
“She is well-bred and now a stakes winner, so there are a couple of big ticks there and she is a beautiful looking horse with much more improvement to come, which is exciting.”
Bred and co-owned by Sir Owen Glenn’s Go Bloodstock, Torture is a half-sister to Robert Sangster Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Ruthless Dame (Tavistock), with the pair out of the stakes-placed Keeper (Danehill) mare Ruthless Lady. Ruthless Dame was bought by Kasumi Yoshida for $2 million at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale last year.
Torture was raised and sold by Gordon Cunningham’s Curraghmore, with Lindsay Park and Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock going to NZ$250,000 to secure the filly at the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Book 1 Yearling Sale earlier this year.