The disappointment of an unlucky debut is now nothing but a distant memory for the connections of Tornado Valley, who won Tuesday’s Maribyrnong Plate at Flemington.
The Ciaron Maher-trained son of Too Darn Hot rebounded from a third placing in the Listed Debutant Stakes at Caulfield on October 15 to win Tuesday’s $240,000 Group 3 under Ethan Brown.
Connections of the Bennett Racing-owned colt did have to sweat with Ben Melham, rider of runner-up Tales Of Time, protesting for interference in the middle stages of the 1000m event, but stewards dismissed the objection.
Maher was thrilled to see Tornado Valley have more luck at start number two and hinted that a trip to the Gold Coast could be on the cards for the $300,000 Magic Millions purchase.
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“It was just like a barrier trial, really,” Maher said of the debut.
“I thought he was a bit sleepy out of the gates, wobbled at the turn and was very good late.
“This colt is very well-bred and he’s got a bright future.
“Magic Millions is hard to pass up and he is progressive. (They’re) nice options to have.”
The $3 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m) will be run on the Gold Coast on January 11.
Tornado Valley ($5) had a short-half-head to spare over Pinatubo colt Tales Of Time ($18) at the line at Flemington with Luna Vega ($10), a daughter of Lucky Vega who, like Tales Of Time, sports the Yulong green and white 1-1/2 lengths further back third.
Brown took over from Mark Zahra aboard Tornado Valley at Flemington and was full of praise for the colt.
“He probably hit the front a bit soon, but I just had to use him just to get out in clear running,” Brown said.
“He’s very responsive, he had a good look at the crowd, and he won with a bit in hand.
“He was just very green his first-up run, and it’s a sign of a good horse. He’s taken the right improvement.”
