With
two new Northern Hemisphere stakes-winners in the past two days, Darley
shuttler Teofilo (IRE) has quietly cracked the milestone of 70 stakes-winners
with his latest success achieved by two year-old colt Mildenberger, who won the
Listed Stonehenge Stakes at Salisbury overnight.
Trained by Mark Johnston, Mildenberger won his first two starts before finishing
third in the Group II Vintage Stakes at Goodwood.
He bounced back from that loss to score a determined nose win in the one mile
feature as a short priced favourite after looking beaten two furlongs from
home.
"Obviously in time he is going to need further as he has got plenty of scope, but
it was not until the last 100 yards or so that I thought we might get there,"
said winning rider Franny Norton.
Bred by Godolphin and raced by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum,
Mildenberger has won three of four starts and is the 70th stakes-winner
for Teofilo , who sired his 69th the day before when Fleur Foryste won
a Listed race at York.
Mildenberger is the best of two winners from Belle Josephine, a half-sister to
stakes-winner Marsh Daisy from a prolific Black Type family that has achieved
success in Australia through Group I winning juvenile Pasadena Girl.
Teofilo has been a sporadic visitor to Darley in Australia shuttling in 2009,
2010, 2011, then 2013 and then 2016.
He will have three year-olds running for him this season and they include
highly promising Godolphin colt Sanctioned, who finished a good third in the
Group III ATC Up and Coming stakes last Saturday.
Teofilo stands at a fee of $44,000 this spring and has two Group I winning sons
also at stud with Kermadec at Darley at a fee of $22,000 and Palentino standing
at Sun Stud in Victoria at $17,600.
Teofilo is enjoying success as a sire of sires in the Northern Hemisphere this
year where his Group I winning son Havana Gold has made a great start to his
stud career.
With his oldest progeny just two year-olds, Havana Gold is the sire of 14
winners from 45 runners highlighted by two Group III winners in Havana Grey and
Treasuring while another son Headway was second in the Group II Coventry Stakes
at Royal Ascot.