Land of Plenty After Winning The Gr.1 Aquis Toorak Handicap (Racing Photos)
Clive Smith wasn’t letting the trophy wander too far from his line of sight. Matter of fact, it was tucked up nicely on the back seat as he drove to Warrnambool on Sunday afternoon to show it to the crew at Darren Weir’s stable: a grateful nod to those who couldn’t make it to Caulfield on Saturday to watch Land of Plenty win the Group One Aquis Toorak Handicap over 1600m.
And while Land of Plenty came from the clouds to capture his first win at racing’s elite level, Smith hasn’t left cloud nine since the moment his pride and joy crossed the line.
“To win a Group One is truly something special,” an elated Smith points out. “I always knew this horse had a tonne of ability but you never really know what it feels like until dream becomes reality. On Saturday it did!”
Bred and sold by the Esplin family (operating under Tartan Fields) for $80,000 at the 2015 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Land of Plenty was subsequently placed in the 2017 Inglis Chairman’s Sale Racing Prospects where Smith secured his majority share for just $32,000.
“I really liked the look of Land of Plenty at the yearling sale and he showed plenty early on (winning at his second start – as a 3YO – over 1400m at Geelong),” Smith explains. “We had numerous offers from Hong Kong but I didn’t want to sell him and, after completing his 3YO campaign, one of the owners decided to put up his 30% share at the Chairman’s which I was fortunate enough to buy. I’ve now got 55% of the horse and the other part-owners are all good friends.”
Despite Smith’s show of faith, Land of Plenty had failed to win for 580 days – 15 starts, 19 months – since Geelong, prior to winning comfortably at Bendigo in April this year.
“He (Land of Plenty) has had a new lease of life with Darren (Weir) and, since that win in April, has won four including the Toorak, the Group Three RA Lee and Listed Chandler Macleod, plus running a lip second to Osborne Bulls in the (Listed) Regal Roller and a head third in the Group One Sir Rupert Clarke three weeks ago,” Smith adds. “He was actually unlucky in the three Group Ones he competed in as a 3YO, but now he’s finally cracked it and hopefully he can double up in the Kennedy Mile (Cantala Stakes) at Flemington on Derby Day (3 November) before heading off for a well earned rest. A long range plan would be the ($3 million) Doncaster Mile next April.”
With a background in information technology and currently developing software for the thoroughbred industry, Smith has always had a keen interest in horses: initially taking a 10% share in a $10,000 horse back in the mid 1990s.
Considering himself a “keen hobbyist”, Smith also owns a property at Strath Creek, in Victoria’s north east, where he keeps a handful of mares including a close relation to Group One winner Tavago and the dam of Sydney Group winner, Moss Trip.
“I have no intention of ramping it up that much even after Land of Plenty eventually heads to the breeding shed,” Smith reveals. “Given that he’s a 5YO entire by Stratum – who has several sons at stud including Stratum Star at Widden – I’ve been fielding a number of enquiries from interested farms since he won his Group race in Adelaide.
“One stud told me ‘he’ll have to win a Group One first’ and I actually saw them in the stand at Caulfield on Saturday and said ‘well, there’s his Group One’, but certainly nothing has been finalised as yet.
“Like a lot of the Stratums – Takedown, Stratum Star, Streama, Miss Wilson – he’s getting better with age. He ran some amazing splits in the Toorak and his time was a second quicker than that of The Autumn Sun in the Caulfield Guineas. What’s more, he’s as sound as a pound.
“I have no idea of his worth but all I know is that it doubled after the Toorak and would likely double again if he wins the Kennedy Mile.
“For the moment though, I’m just enjoying the ride … and the trophy!”
Land of Plenty is out of the Spectrum mare, Dancing, a Group Two winner in the USA who has had eight winners from eight to race. Land of Plenty’s Street Cry half brother, Macduff, was a stakes winner in South Africa, while another daughter is the dam of a Group winner in Brazil.
Dancing is also closely related to dual Group One winner Zavite, plus Champion 3YO and sire, Suave Dancer, along with 4-time Group One winner, Hartnell, second to Land of Plenty in the Toorak.
“We purchased Dancing at a broodmare sale at Fasig-Tipton and she had already produced three straight fillies in the States,” Hamish Esplin points out. “However, five of her first six foals in Australia were all colts and we sold her first Street Cry filly (Sikeleli Afrika) fairly cheaply. However, she now has an Office Bearer filly and, after we had her tested earlier in the year, is due to foal down a Charge Forward filly any day.”
A Group One winning sprinter, Charge Forward was bred and raced by the Esplin family, while Office Bearer – also bred and raced to stakes success by the Esplins – stands alongside Charge Forward at Murrulla Stud in NSW.
“He (Officer Bearer) is actually a very well bred horse but doesn’t really stand commercially,” Esplin adds. “There is no way in the world we are giving up his Dancing filly after Land of Plenty’s Group One success, particularly as the mare is getting on a bit and every filly out of her is now a half to a Group One winner. She (Dancing) will head to Office Bearer again this spring.”
While Tartan Fields has enjoyed a golden run of success in the last 18 months via homebreds Land of Plenty, Slightly Sweet, Pedrena and White Moss, Esplin was quick to praise Smith’s patience.
“Clive really liked the colt as a yearling and has persisted throughout and he was definitely proven right on Saturday,” Esplin enthused. “A lot of owners want success ‘yesterday’ but it’s worthwhile noting that in terms of this spring carnival, with the obvious exception of The Autumn Sun, it has really been about the older horses so far: Winx (7YO), Redzel (6YO), Ball of Muscle (8YO), Santa Ana Lane (6YO) and Viddora (6YO). Land of Plenty is ‘lengths’ better now that he’s a 5YO.”
