Bluegrass Bloodstock principal Lenny Russo looks to have unearthed another treasure from his regular forays into the New Zealand tried horse market with Struck Gold (NZ) (Castledale), a three-year-old son of Castledale who romped home by four lengths at Echuca on Friday when making his Australian debut.
Bred by Tim Harrison, who has retained a share in the horse, Struck Gold finished an eye-catching third in his only New Zealand start at Avondale for trainer Darrel Lang, a performance keenly noted by Russo after he had been alerted to the horse over twelve months earlier by close friend Wayne Larsen who stands his sire Castledale at his Te Runga Stud property.
“I got the information on him about a year ago when I was speaking with Wayne Larsen, who told me that Darrel Lang had a very nice young Castledale that he really liked,” Russo said.
“I have a great relationship with Wayne and I trust what Darrel says as he is a straight shooter, looks after his horses and I’ve had a fair bit of luck buying from him.
“Lucky For All and Netanyahu both won in metro company while Open Minded was a stakes winner at Caulfield so our strike rate has been very good.
“When I spoke with him, he told me he felt this guy was as good as the ones I have mentioned and possibly would turn out the best of them.
“That got us pretty interested but we had a few hiccups along the way, so I ended up waiting until he had his first raceday start where he went super running third without the benefit of a trial beforehand.
“I spoke to Anthony and Sam Freedman who helped put a few of their clients together along with some of mine and we purchased him. Wayne and Tim are also in the horse and I think on what he did at Echuca we are all in for a great ride.”
Struck Gold is out of Harrison’s Pins mare Gold Charm and a half-sister to dual stakes winner Zilzie and a sister to ten-race winner Pinsgold who was placed at stakes level. His extended family includes a rich northern hemisphere pedigree including Canadian Group One winner Basqueian.
“We were pretty confident he could go a good race first up as he had trialled nicely at Taralgon and he certainly justified that confidence with the way he just extended away from them in the run home on Friday,” Russo said.
“It is a three-and-a-half-hour drive from my home to Echuca, so I made the seven-hour round trip and was rapt that I did.
“His attitude really stands out as he just loves being a racehorse and nothing fazes him which I have found is a common trait amongst the really good ones by Castledale.
“The Freedmans will set a programme for him as they are masters at putting horses in the right races, but I would like to think he can make his way through the grades and get to a better level.”
Photo: Trish Dunell
Russo has established a strong link with the New Zealand thoroughbred breeding and racing industry having worked in New Zealand for several years before returning to Australia and establishing his Bloodstock business.
One of his abiding memories is purchasing his first New Zealand tried horse, six-year-old gelding Faaltline (NZ) (Faltaat), a one-race winner who went on to find Australian success with a further eight wins and more than A$446,000 in prizemoney under the name Count Da Vinci.
After winning his first five Australian starts, he took out the 2017 Gr.3 Hobart Cup (2400m) and the Moe Cup (2050m) in the same year.
“Count Da Vinci really set me on my way and is a hell of a good story,” Russo said.
“He was the first horse I bought off the track in New Zealand where he was already six and had won only one race.
“He just appealed as a tough staying type with a good turn of foot. He was out of a Shinko King mare and I had looked after Shinko King when I worked in New Zealand and knew how tough he was.
“One of my clients, Wayne Notman, had come to me and told me his lifelong wish was to win a Hobart Cup.
“I think we paid overs for him at $60,000 but I told Wayne I had bought him a horse that might just be able to fulfil that wish and thankfully he did just that.
“Wayne has sadly passed on now, but I know that day he got the thrill of his life.
“The horse provided me with the impetus to do more of that type of work and I have been very lucky to have met some great people who I trust when I’m in the market.
“I like to do my own homework and source horses from the videos I study, so with the help of people like Wayne, Darrel and Peter Didham in the lower North Island, I have managed to do pretty well and I like to think that will continue, especially with this latest one.”
