After a week of watching the big bangers at the commercial top end on the Gold Coast, a winner at Wyong on Thursday shone a light on a stallion as a great option for those breeding to race.
Norton Road is a four-year-old gelding by Stratum Star from Ransack (Lonhro) that won impressively on debut on Thursday at Wyong.
He now looks a brilliant bargain buy for his trainer, Rod Bailey who purchased him online as a yearling through the Inglis Digital platform at the March (Late) sale in 2021 for $7,500.
Norton Road as a yearling
Patience has obviously been required, however he went out a short-priced favourite off the back of an impressive trial win at Rosehill in December and was a class above his opposition when leading throughout to win at Wyong and collect $21,000.
Given the nature of the performance it’s hard to imagine he won’t progress nicely through the grades to earn significantly more if all goes well.
His sire, Stratum Star was a top class and tough racehorse who retired to Widden Stud after a career which saw 37 starts, eight wins and 15 placings including Group One wins in the Kingston Town Classic and Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes along with placings at the highest level in the Australian Guineas, Futurity Stakes, Toorak Hcp and Memsie Stakes.
He never met with the commercial support required by an operation such as Widden though and subsequently moved on to Ryland Thoroughbreds at Lethbridge in Victoria, between Geelong and Ballarat, where he stood the latest 2023 season at $3,300.
With six seasons at stud prior to the 2023 season he averaged around the 90% fertility mark, with his progeny of racing age thus far amounting to 116 to the races for 59 winners.
So while his commercial figures might not have stacked up, those same figures have him looking a mighty appealing option for those breeding to race.
