Matings Mix: Torryburn sending their mares far and wide

Cover image courtesy of Torryburn Stud

The Cornish family’s Torryburn Stud is always looking to take things to the next level. The 2025/26 racing season saw the stud’s flag flown by graduates Idle Flyer (Dundeel {NZ}), winner of the G1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes, and multiple Group performer Payline (Shooting To Win), while homebred Stardom (Zoustar) picked up a second Listed win in the Listed Crockett Stakes.

Ciaron Maher and David Redvers bought their top-priced yearling, a Zoustar colt, for $825,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale to get their sales season off with a bang, and it is with all these high points in mind that the team has concocted this year’s matings with the aim of even better results in the future.

“We have reached far and wide this time round, I feel more so than any other year,” said Stud Manager Mel Copelin. “Brett (Cornish) has looked into all the stallions in every category and price point. Hopefully we have created a diverse selection to continue to improve our record, and get some young mares off and running.”

How good is Home Affairs?

One stallion who Torryburn had no hesitation in returning to is Home Affairs, whose fee lifts to $176,000 (inc GST) in 2026 in recognition of his feats as Champion First Season Sire in both Australia and New Zealand, his G1 Golden Slipper Stakes-winning son Guest House, and his battle with Snitzel for the juvenile sires’ premiership coming down to the wire.

The Coolmore sire was born and bred at Torryburn out of the late Miss Interiors (Flying Spur), who has left a full sister named Grand Designs (I Am Invincible) as her final foal. It’s a high point for any farm to breed a Group 1 winner, and to see Home Affairs have such a flying start at stud has been very special for the Torryburn team.

“How good is he!,” Copelin said. “We are fortunate to have five yearlings by him on the farm and three in the belly. Fearing we may not be able to afford him in the coming seasons, we are aiming to send three mares this year.”

Top of that list is Diddums (Snitzel). A homebred winner of the G3 PJ Bell Handicap, Diddums is a half-sister to Hong Kong Champion Miler Voyage Bubble (Deep Field) and has been a knockout in the sales ring for Torryburn, with all four yearlings offered at public auction selling for six figures with a top price of $350,000.

“Diddums is to see Home Affairs, and physically she is perfect for him, she’s a well built pocket rocket,” Copelin said. “It’s definitely a full circle moment to send him one of our favourite girls from a family who has given up so much enjoyment in the sales ring and on the track.”

Diddums has a Zoustar yearling colt bound for the sales next year, and is due to foal to the Widden sire again this spring. Both offspring are full siblings to Stardom, who has also been pencilled in for Home Affairs. A Listed winner at two and three, the 4-year-old mare lines up in the G3 Toy Show Quality on Saturday for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott in the hopes of enhancing her record.

“Stardom also has a date with Home Affairs in her future,” Copelin said. “Again, she is a beautiful, sharp type and they are extremely well suited to each other.”

Torryburn has retained a Home Affairs half-sister to Diddums, the last foal of her dam Raheights (Rahy {USA}), who is now a 2-year-old. The Bubble will fly the Torryburn flag from the stable of Michael Freedman.

Two for Toronado

Two mares who have been the headliners for Torryburn over the last few months are Progressive (Street Cry {Ire}), dam of Idle Flyer, and Slots (Casino Prince), dam of Payline. Both diversify from who they have patronised before to visit Toronado (Ire) at Swettenham Stud.

“Progressive has found herself now towards the top of our broodmare band,” said Copelin. “She is beautifully bred, and has a very active and current page. She is an extremely reliable mare fertility-wise and had 8 foals in succession, so she earned herself a well deserved break and we purposely left her unbred last spring.”

A four-time winner in the city, Progressive hails from one of Australia’s favourite families. Her full sister Transfers is responsible for multiple Group 1 winner Tom Kitten (Harry Angel {Ire}) and the Listed winners Va Via (Astern) and Promotions (Exceed And Excel).

Progressive descends from Twyla (Danehill {USA}), a half-sister to Shantha’s Choice (Canny Lad) whose other daughters and granddaughters are responsible for this year’s G1 Goodwood Handicap winner Desert Lightning (NZ) (Pride Of Dubai), G1 Queensland Oaks winner You Wahng (So You Think {NZ}), and four-time Group 1 winner In Italian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}).

Progressive’s four runners have turned out three winners, with Idle Flyer being the best of them to date. En route to her Queen Of The Turf title last season, Idle Flyer won the G3 Angst Stakes and the G2 Emancipation Stakes, giving a valuable boost to her Tassort yearling brother ahead of the 2027 sales.

“Dundeel may have seemed the logical choice and Home Affairs has been on her list every year, but the mating with Toronado has been one we have liked top to bottom and it has just been sitting in the file there for a few years,” Copelin said. “At the end of the day, the foal will be a three-quarter-relation to a Group 1 winner, and this is the time to send her down without having to worry about a foal at foot.”

It has been a similar story for Slots. The Listed Just Now Handicap winner has produced her best work so far with seven-time winner Scalextrics, by another High Chaparral (Ire) son in So You Think (NZ), and five-time winner and multiple Group-placed Payline.

She traces her damline to Oaks-winning Champion 3YO Filly Savana City (New Regent {Can}), whose other active descendants include dual Group winner Coeur Volante (NZ) (Proisir), dual Group 3 winner Matias (Snitzel), and G3 Epona Stakes-winning Torryburn graduate Mare Of Mt Buller (Dundeel {NZ}).

Woppitt Bloodstock invested $340,000 into Slots’ Ole Kirk filly at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale this year and she was also left empty last year.

“This was another mating we had tossed previously and JJ Atkins Plate winner Tron Bolt being out of a Casino Prince mare made the choice easy this year,” said Copelin. “We love the stallion, he’s super fertile, he leaves smashing types, and we have had a lot of success with the horse in the sale ring.”

Chasing more Extreme results

Torryburn have also retained a Dundeel (NZ) half-sister to Home Affairs in 5-year-old Domain, who will deliver her maiden foal by Extreme Choice in early November. Torryburn will send her back to Newgate Farm’s super sire - who covers into January to accommodate his full book while only covering one a day. The proof was in the pudding for late covers at the end of last racing season, when December-born Omolong scored twice at metropolitan level as a 2-year-old.

“Domain will go back to Extreme Choice,” Copelin said. “He’s a sensational stallion who gave us a Group 1 winner in his first crop. We heavily supported the horse in his first season and we were granted one, but she was a really good one!”

Torryburn bred G1 Coolmore Classic winner Espiona (Extreme Choice), who amassed over $3.3 million on the track - plus four more stakes wins - for Star Thoroughbreds, before selling to Yulong for $4.15 million in 2024.

“On and off we have tested the waters with the horse again, and have Domain in foal to him, so we will try again,” Copelin said. “There is nothing to lose.”

But there is only so many spots in Extreme Choice’s book, and with that in mind, the stud will also patronise his newest son at stud, G1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Devil Night.

“Chasing the sireline, we are also having a chance at Devil Night,” Copelin said. “Brett was suitably impressed with the horse, and I have been as well on a recent visit to Yulong Segenhoe. He is very much in the mould of his sire, so we are sending three mares to him including Countess Jenni.”

Countess Jenni (NZ) (Tavistock) was an Inglis Digital purchase for Torryburn, who secured her for $85,000 in 2024. A two-time winner on the track, she is a half-sister to Capital Diamond (NZ) (Lucky Unicorn), the Group-performed dam of G2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes winner Gift Of Power (NZ) (Power {GB}), and Passion Cut (NZ) (Pins), dam of G3 Wellington Stakes winner Devastate (NZ) (Vadamos {Fr}).

Her dam Diamond Smile (NZ) (Savabeel) is a full sister to G1 Australian Derby-winning sire Don Eduardo (NZ), and a three-quarter-sister to the great Octagonal (NZ) and Group 1-winning, Group 1-producing mare Tristalove (NZ) (Sir Tristram {Ire}).

Countess Jenni delivered her first foal, a Home Affairs filly, in 2025 and is currently in foal to another Extreme son in Stay Inside.

Valuing brilliance

One established sire who has put his hand up for a mare this year is All Too Hard, and Torryburn will be sending him De Chorus Line (The Factor). A half-sister to Hong Kong Champion Sprinter Hot King Prawn (Denman) and dual Group victress Siren’s Fury (Myboycharlie {Ire}), De Chorus Line has visited the likes of Toronado, Ole Kirk, Maurice (Jpn), and Stay Inside in the beginning of her stud career.

Her first foal, Upstage (Toronado {Ire}), got the ball rolling strongly when selling for $300,000 at Magic Millions to Rohan Hughes and Grahame Begg, and won twice in the autumn.

“De Chorus Line will go to All Too Hard,” said Copelin. “We have been eyeing this horse off for a long while, and he’s had a brilliant season, so our unraced homebred grey mare will visit him this spring.”

All Too Hard’s 2-year-olds were particularly eye-catching, led by Listed Talindert Stakes winner Hard Kick who added the G3 Vain Stakes to his resume on Saturday and G3 Black Opal Stakes winner Music Time who ran third in the Golden Slipper.

“She's thrown us some glamour types, and we are excited for the resultant foal.”

For the rest of the broodmare band, the emphasis is on the younger generation of stallions on offer.

“We will also be using Wild Ruler, In the Congo, Wodeton, Shinzo, Switzerland, Delacroix, Tentyris, Stay Inside, and Ole Kirk,” Copelin said. With the variety of stallions on offer in the Hunter Valley, Torryburn’s net can be cast quite wide.

Table: Mating plans for some of the Torryburn Stud mares in 2026