TWENTY five years after his swashbuckling win in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic, the Gold Coast remains a happy hunting ground for Vinery resident Testa Rossa.
Progeny of the six-times Group 1 winner has built up an army of fans over the years thanks to an extraordinary level of consictency that is reflected in his 72.8 winners-to winners ratio.
Testa Rossa is the sire of 102 stakes-performers, 51 of those are stakeswinners including the likes of Ortensia, Rostova, Testafiable, Fontelina, Twilight Royale and reigning Magic Millions winner, now sire, Unencumbered.
Testa Rossa is represented by 16 sons and daughters at next month’s Magic Millions Yearling sale due to begin on January 7 at the firm’s Bundall complex.
Among the consignment are a colt and a filly from Glenn Burrow’s Willow Park Stud draft.
“Testa Rossa is such a good consistent stallion,” Burrows said.
”He’s just one of those horses that is priced in a good bracket for breeders where you can make some money but more importantly, you’re producing a racehorse. He’s having a good run right up until now. He almost won a Group 1 race in New Zealand last weekend with Wheregunnagetya and of course Unencumbered won the Magic Millions last year and is now a very exciting young stallion prospect,” he added.
Despite winning six majors, Burrows says Testa Rossa’s 4.5-lens win in the 1999 Magic Millions remains one of his important triumphs.
”Being a Magic Millions winner helped immensely,” Burrows began,” it was the same with General Nediym, and now to have to produced Unencumbered, that goes a long in buyers mind whether they be owners or trainers.
”You just get the feeling that you’re every chance of getting a chance of getting a horse that can run where conversely – and it’s a wonderful, wonderful group of first season stallions this year – but at the end of the day we don’t now if they are going to run or not but you know where you are at with a horse like Testa Rossa.”
