News

Year-long plan pays ultimate dividend in Inglis Challenge

12th May 2023

A plan devised at last year’s HTBA Yearling Sale to purchase a horse and target the 2023 Inglis 2YO Challenge at Scone today paid the ultimate dividend as Love Shuck (Mikki Isle) saluted in the $200,000 feature.

Canberra trainer Todd Smart and Wagga-based bloodstock agent Peter Twomey of Wattle Bloodstock teamed up to purchase Love Shuck out of the draft of his breeder Bowness Stud 12 months ago with one specific target – today’s Inglis 2YO race on Day 1 of the Scone Cup Carnival.

So you can imagine the delight of the connections when the juvenile won narrowly on the track – and then defied a protest hearing in the stewards’ room – to be crowned the winner.

“This is the ultimate. You come up with a plan a year earlier to win a specific race, I mean people do it but it’s bloody hard to actually achieve but we’ve done that today and it’s a bloody great feeling,’’ an elated trainer Smart said.

“These owners, they’re from Canberra and Gundagai, we’re just country blokes, and to be able to targe a race like this that only horses from certain sales can run in, it’s a big thing for them and it’s a big thing for me.

“But that’s what the Inglis Race Series allows, it gives everyone a chance to win big prizemoney and to walk away today with a cheque of more than $100,000 for first, it’s massive.’’

Smart also received a pair of Swarovski Optik binoculars for being the winning trainer of an Inglis Race Series event.

Love Shuck’s part-owner Matt Gafa – who played 120 top level rugby league games for the Canberra Raiders in the NRL and then Harlequins in the English Super League – was rapt with the result.

“Toddy bought the horse purely to target this race and unbelievably here we are winning it, it’s awesome,’’ Gafa said.

“We love the Inglis Race Series, we’re all here today running for great prizemoney at a sensational country carnival in Scone and it’s just so fun.

“The race series gives us all hope that we can compete on these big days in a restricted race like this for big prizemoney. It’s just such a thrill to be here and to be involved.’’

Love Shuck’s Bon Hoffa half brother is being offered as lot 123 at Sunday’s Gold Yearling Sale at Oaklands, again by Bowness Stud.

To view the Gold catalogue, CLICK HERE.