OUTSTANDING Testa Rossa son Testa My Patience is striving to commemorate his sire’s most memorable career win when he tackles a hot field of milers in tomorrow’s Group 1 Emirates Stakes (1600m) at Flemington.
Champion sprinter/miler Testa Rossa won 13 races in total, 6 of them at Group 1 level, but none were better than his 2000 Emirates win.
The Dean Lawson trained galloper started from the outside alley in the field of 16, carrying topweight of 59kg and was giving away a huge start at the top of the straight yet powered away to win by 1.3-lens.
”My horse is no Testa Rossa,” Mick Price said,”I don’t think he’ll win six Group 1s, but he is like most of the breed, they are good tempered, they are tough and they train on.
”It is a $1 million race staring you in the face so you’ve got to take your chance and if he can get not too hard a run in the race he should run well.
”He’s just been a horse that has gone through his grades and kept improving. I think he might have been right time, right place at Moonee Valley, he goes up in grade but he is a pretty honest, consistent, horse.”
Meanwhile, star Testa Rossa mare Ortensia returned to racing after her six-months on the sidelines with a stirring win in yesterday’s Listed H.D. Mumm Stakes (1100m) at Flemington.
Now with trainer Paul Messara, Ortensia made light work of her rivals to win comfortably.
Thursday’s triumph was the ninth of Ortensia’s career highlighted by The Group 2 QTC Cup and WATC Winterbottom Stakes which has since been upgraded to carry Group 1 status.
