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Still A Star shines in Rose Of Kingston and Masked Crusader storms into the Everest frame
Swettenham Stud shuttler Toronado (High Chaparral) sired a stakes double on Saturday, with Still A Star (5 m ex Lita by Casino Prince) taking out the Rose Of Kingston Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) at Flemington while at Randwick, Masked Crusader (5 g ex She’s Got Gears by Invincible Spirit) won the Premier Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) and stormed into the Everest (1200m) frame.
Settling last, Masked Crusader faced a wall of horses when he balanced for home. As Rothfire (Rothesay) began to weaken, Tommy Berry was able to present the Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes-trained gelding to that horse’s outside and he ran on to score by a neck from Standout (Exceed And Excel).
"I felt John's hands around my neck just loosen when that run came," Berry said.
"He hasn't had the best of luck this horse.
"He jumped OK today, but he still didn't muster speed. I never travelled really for most of the race. They did go quite quick.
"Because he wasn't dragging me up to the corner, I let him cut the corner and come through them a little bit and he sprinted very well.
"I'll tell you what, he's got improvement this guy. He had a good blow when he pulled up."
Masked Crusader firmed from $8 into $6 for the Everest.
At Flemington, Tasmanian raider Still A Star (5 m ex Lita by Casino Prince) recorded her seventh stakes victory and first at Group Two level when the Bill Ryan-trained mare won the Rose Of Kingston Stakes.
Monica Ryan, stable representative and daughter of Bill Ryan, said that the Empire Rose Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) would be the dream for the mare.
"It's the big dream at the end of the day. That was just totally awesome. I can't believe that one (the win) but the Empire Rose would be the icing on the cake.
"JD Hayes has been absolutely brilliant. He's been absolutely fantastic around the stables because she is a bit of a handful at times and if I need a hand they're right there to help me saddle up which took three of us today. It's been great."
Still A Star was bought for just $13,000 by Monica Ryan from the draft of Alva Stud at the 2018 Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale and the mare took her career earnings to over $825,000.
Toronado is standing his seventh season in Australia this year at an increased fee of $49,500, up from $27,500 (inc GST) last year when he covered a book of 210 mares. The son of High Chaparral (Sadler’s Wells) has sired 17 stakes winners to date, with Masked Crusader and Tribhuvan winning at Group One level, while Still A Star, Tactical and Affair To Remember are all Group Two winners.