Tonto will go for a winter spell as one of the favourites for the G2 WA Guineas after a brilliant win at Ascot.
The untapped son of Vinery sire Onemorenomore cleared out for a four-length victory prompting trainer Dion Luciani to label him the stable’s classic horse for next season.
Tonto (2g Onemorenomore – Grier Garsonne by Arena) had opened his account with a last-to-first victory against a capacity field at Pinjarra on April 2 and he lifted to another level in the Westspeed Nursery (1600m) on Saturday.
“He was always going to win and it was great to see him put them away like that,” Luciani said. “He will definitely go out now – we were going to run him in the G3 Sires’ Produce Stakes after Pinjarra but decided to wait until today.
“There’s still a bit of meat on him but he’s such a clean-winded horse there was no worries about the time between runs. We will bring him back for the Guineas and there’s also the WA Derby in the autumn.”
Luciani and his premiership-winning father Lou prepare Tonto for Amelia Park’s Peter Walsh and owner-breeders Colin Hounsell and Colin Crossley. The trio lost his dam Grier Garsonne last September.
Jockey Jason Whiting is looking forward to Tonto coming back as a spring three year-old. “He felt incredibly strong,” Whiting said. “It almost felt like a track gallop down the straight.”
Onemorenomore is a son of Vinery foundation sire Red Ransom and he was a 2YO Group 1 winner of the 2009 Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Randwick. Vinery will stand him for a $13,200 (inc gst) fee this year.
