Cover image courtesy of Lime Country
With three stakes winners in three weeks, the team at Lime Country Thoroughbreds are buzzing, but it could get more exciting with runners in the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes and G1 VRC Derby on Saturday, and So You Are (So You Think {NZ}) getting into the G1 Melbourne Cup on Tuesday.
“This coming weekend, we've got Icy You in the Derby. Marffiano’s made it into the Coolmore and now So You Are makes the Cup, it’s very exciting. And then we've got Raging Blizzard backing up in the Hong Kong sprint next week,” Lime Country Thoroughbreds’ Jo Griffin said.
“I think you have to celebrate that you even got horses into those races. Look at the whole yearling crop for the year and to whittle it down to iconic races like these.
Jo Griffin | Image courtesy of Caroline Searcy
“Sometimes when we're beavering away on the farms, we forget to just enjoy that we had something to do with a horse that's got that far.
“It's a lift for the guys at the farm. The next crop of yearlings are in already. We've got one mare left to foal and the lights have been on since the end of July. It's important we celebrate things like this as well. The staff’s work means something.”
Aussie breeders can produce stayers
Last year’s G1 Melbourne Cup winner Half Yours (St Jean {Ire}) will miss this year’s Cup after falling in the G1 Caulfield Cup. He’s gone out for a spell and will be set for next year’s version. His victory was the second year in a row that an Australian born stayer won our biggest race with Knight’s Choice (Extreme Choice) successful in 2024.
Wednesday’s G3 Bendigo Cup demonstrated this again with the trifecta for the 2400 metre event going to Australian-born horses. Bjorn Baker-trained So You Are took his record to four black type staying wins in succession with a three-quarter length victory over Dan O’Sullivan-trained Berkeley Square (Territories {Ire}) and Danny O’Brien-trained Litzdeel (Dundeel {NZ}).
“What a good boy! If a horse ever deserved a start in the Cup, it’s him. How many wins in a row has he had now?” Griffin asked rhetorically.
“What a good boy! If a horse ever deserved a start in the Cup, it’s him (So You Are). How many wins in a row has he had now?” - Jo Griffin
Four, all in black type. The Listed City Tattersalls Club Cup, the G3 Colin Stephen Handicap, G3 St Leger and now the G3 Bendigo Cup.
“And not on shabby days. Everest day. And Bendigo Cup day where everybody's trying to make it into the Cup. It would be a crying shame if a homebred horse like that, who is sound and well, and on an upswing, can't make it into the bottom of the field,” Griffin said.
So You Are | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
On Wednesday, So You Are was 28th in the order, but a 1kg penalty for winning the Bendigo Cup and the scratching of Saint George (GB) (Roaring Lion {USA}) on vet’s advice, means So You Are sits in 24th in the order and has made the field for Tuesday’s G1 Melbourne Cup.
“Yesterday’s win, based on weights and the quality of opposition, was the best of So You Are’s recent victories, carrying 58.5kg and proving too strong for all rivals,” RV’s Head of Handicapping, David Hegan, said.
“He is a difficult horse to assess, having been extremely well placed recently while not winning by extensive margins.
“He is a difficult horse to assess, having been extremely well placed recently while not winning by extensive margins.” - David Hegan
“However, based on his overall profile and handicap performance ratings that are benchmarked internationally, a 1kg penalty to 54kg is the appropriate re-assessment against his potential competitors on Tuesday when considering the raised weight scale in this year’s Lexus Melbourne Cup.”
A dream come true
Bred and raced by Stuart Ramsey of Turangga Farm, So You Are has won eight of his 28 starts and over $1.2 million.
“I can’t believe it. You breed and race horses all your life, hoping to get a runner in the Melbourne Cup. It’s a dream come true,” Ramsey said.
“I can’t believe it. You breed and race horses all your life, hoping to get a runner in the Melbourne Cup. It’s a dream come true.” - Stuart Ramsey
So You Are was passed in at 2023 Magic Millions National Yearling Sale by Lime Country Thoroughbreds on behalf of Ramsey Thoroughbreds.
“We prepared and consigned him for Turangga Farm and he wasn’t the type of horse that people go to Magic Millions to buy. He's a big rangy staying horse. He was a very handsome horse. He looked exactly like a So You Think horse.
“The forelock, the colour, the style. We had a buyer there at around $80,000, $90,000 but Stuey was dead set adamant that he wanted his reserve. And to his credit it has paid off.
Stuart Ramsey | Image courtesy of Turangga Farm
“This will be our first Melbourne Cup runner. We have a special thing as well with So You Think, having been at Think Big Stud, and we just loved the horse forever.”
So You Are is the third foal of Tornado Gal (Hard Spun {USA}) who died in 2023. She has produced three winners in total, with Stormageddon (So You Think {NZ}) being a five-time winner and has twice run fourth at Listed level in Western Australia.
Tornado Gal won four times, up to 1800 metres, and is a daughter of G3 Queen's Cup victrix Sky Trist (NZ) (Sir Tristram {Ire}) who also produced Listed Tasmania Derby winner Skyt (Nicconi). This is the family of the immortal Northern Dancer (Can) whose dam Natalma (USA) (Native Dancer {USA}) is So You Are’s sixth dam.
Tornado Gal | Image courtesy of Sportpix
So You Are debuted as a January 3-year-old, placing at a mile, then winning his maiden over 2150 metres at his third start. The shortest distance he’s even raced over is 1400 metres, and only once when seventh.
Australian breeders can produce stayers, but selling them is another challenge.
“You need the market to have the appetite to buy them, if breeders are going to be breeding them," Griffin said.
“You need the market to have the appetite to buy them, if breeders are going to be breeding them." - Jo Griffin
"It helps when you've got an owner like that that can afford to sit and wait and who believes in their product. Stuey is a very good breeder and a deep pedigree analyst. He was bang on the money. The horse is a November foal who looked exactly like his pedigree.”
A pair of pinhooks head to Saturday’s big tests
Last start G3 Blue Sapphire Stakes winner Marffiano (Home Affairs) heads to the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes for the Hayes brothers at Lindsay Park. On the same card, Icy You (Pinatubo {Ire}) will run in the G1 VRC Derby for Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young.
Both were pinhooked as weanlings and sold through Lime Country Thoroughbreds’ Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft of 2025.
“While they were pinhooks and we took shares in them, both were selected by James Bester. He can always pick a horse,” Griffin said.
“While they were pinhooks and we took shares in them, both were selected by James Bester. He can always pick a horse.” - Jo Griffin
“I hate pinhooking and Greg will be the first to say, I'm always the no girl, so we always want to be involved with something that you can have faith in (to race if it doesn’t sell again). You aren’t buying a pretty pony that didn't have the pedigree behind it or the performance behind it.”
Marffiano was bought by James Bester Bloodstock for $280,000 from Pepper Tree Farm’s Magic Millions National Weanling Sale, and sold for $475,000 to Laurel Oak Bloodstock (FBAA) and Lindsay Park Racing.
Marffiano | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“He was purchased from Pepper Tree at the Magic Millions National sale and was very low slung. You get the wobbles when you’re spending that much money on a colt like that. He had this huge action, really good bone and lots of muscle but was a long way up behind. And you never know how their action is going to play out as they even up,” Griffin said.
“As a yearling he was very babyish at the sale and he got tired. He did a lot of parades, potentially he could have sold for even a bit more, but he was just tired on some of those last day parades. From very early on, the stable has had a very high opinion of him.”
James Bester Bloodstock paid $200,000 for Icy You from Three Bridges Thoroughbreds’ Magic Millions National Weanling Sale draft, and then Busuttin Racing paid $250,000 for him as a yearling.
Icy You as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“He was such a beautiful, beautiful horse, with a massive walk on him. The mare had produced previously. We always look for high numbers of runners to winners with mares, and winners at city or stakes class, and he was certainly one of those.
“He’s not your typical looking Pinatubo but he had this smashing big walk. He’s an example of not wanting to pigeonhole horses at sales. Here he is, a 3-year-old running in the Derby from our January Magic Millions draft, and I thought he was great buying at that price.”
“He’s (Icy You) not your typical looking Pinatubo but he had this smashing big walk.” - Jo Griffin
Icy You is a half-brother to G1 King’s Plate and G1 Greyville Gold Challenge Stakes winner Al Muthana (Deep Field) and G2 AV Kewney Stakes winner Wawail (Lonhro) who is the dam of Listed winner Desi Prince (I Am Invincible). Their dam, Redoute’s Choice mare El Daana won the G2 Edward Manifold Stakes, as well as the Listed Queen Adelaide Stakes on her debut. El Daana is a full sister to G1 Australasian Oaks-placed Grand Daughter who is the dam of Listed placed city winner Maxwhooshtapin (Pride Of Dubai) and Group 3-placed Down Low (Deep Field).
Headliners in Hong Kong
Selling into the Hong Kong market has long been an important source of income for breeders across Australia and New Zealand. It is a trans-Tasman partnership that led to Lime Country Thoroughbreds consigning recent G2 HKJC Premier Bowl winner Raging Blizzard (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}).
Put through their 2021 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale draft, Raging Blizzard sold for $225,000 to John Foote Bloodstock. His seven wins have netted him HK$26.2 million (AU$4.7 million).
“He was a spunky, stylish type, with a big action on him. We have a relationship with Jamison Park in New Zealand, James Chapman, who we've been selling for over here,” Griffin said.
Raging Blizzard (NZ) | Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
“I always go over in the winter and have a look at the weanlings in the paddock with James and his team. We have a walkthrough and a talk, and obviously the sales companies are there as well, and we try and find those horses that we think will really be able to stand up at the sales over here.
“From not many horses that we have had the opportunity to sell over here, the partnership that we have with Jamieson Park is really performed over and above.”
Olympic Park (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}) placed in the G2 WA Guineas at three, before breaking his pelvis and having two years away from the track. He returned to the winner’s circle in July this year. Another is G3 Black Opal Stakes-placed Sanctified (NZ) (Super Seth).
“We've got two going to Classic again for them this year, and they will arrive to us on the 9th of November, ready for prep to kick off the following week.
“He's got Mr Mozart standing at stud this year. This is his first crop of yearlings that'll be sold and we're bringing one of his fillies over by the stallion, beautiful filly. We'll be taking her to Classic. And the Madame Zoolander colt by Hello Youmzain is coming as well.”
Olympic Park (NZ) | Image courtesy of Western Racepix
Mr Mozart is a Group 2-winning son of Snitzel who was raced by Jamieson Park and partners and stands at Highview Stud in New Zealand.
“We always want to do a whole prep, that way the horses are settled. We go through our quarantine process, and everything is an even line. We never let horses come in mid-prep and upsetting the other horses in the draft,” Griffin said about the timing of client’s horses arriving at Lime Country Thoroughbreds.
“The last horse that we did as a favour that arrived late for us to consign, struck Greg in the head and injured him badly. That’s why we don’t do it anymore. You run with our program or you run with another farm.”
Their method of consignment works, whether the horse is passed in by the breeder like So You Are, or a pinhook like Marffiano and Icy You, or sold on behalf of a client like Raging Blizzard. There are many pathways to the sale ring, and just as many to the race track.
Saturday could prove to be a huge day for Lime Country Thoroughbreds. Regardless of how they run, just getting into a Group 1 field. let alone three of the most iconic Group 1 races on the calendar, is a massive achievement.
