Stormy Marco secured a Group 1 victory in the Victoria Derby at Flemington, leading an all-Inglis-bred trifecta after defeating Cold Shower and Quick Finish. The three-year-old colt, trained by Chris Waller, delivered a significant result for his connections and highlighted the quality of graduates from the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.
Purchased by Waller, Guy Mulcaster and Hermitage Thoroughbreds for $300,000 from the Coolmore draft at last year’s Easter Sale, Stormy Marco became the latest high-profile graduate of the auction to capture a major race. He was originally purchased by Tasman Bloodstock for $70,000 at the Australian Weanling Sale from the Rathmore Lodge draft.
The colt was bred by Rathmore Lodge and its partners and had competed exclusively in black-type races since winning the Clarendon Stakes on debut as a two-year-old.
Stormy Marco Victoria Derby Victory Highlights His Versatility
Stormy Marco demonstrated his versatility throughout his career, recording victories over distances ranging from 1,400 metres to 2,500 metres. After finishing as a Group 1-placed two-year-old, he secured his first Group 1 success at three.
Waller credited the Easter Yearling Sale for offering horses capable of succeeding across different distances and race categories. He described Stormy Marco as a well-bred colt who had shown considerable ability but had encountered some misfortune during the spring campaign.
The Spring Champion Stakes had originally been the colt’s target, but an unsuccessful run prompted connections to consider another opportunity. With the horse maintaining his fitness and condition, Waller decided to send him to Melbourne for the Victoria Derby.
For Rathmore Lodge’s Ross Hatton, the result represented a major milestone. He described the experience at Flemington as surreal and acknowledged the significance of the victory for his family and breeding operation. Hatton also revealed that Stormy Marco’s half-brother by Dirty Work was scheduled to be offered at next year’s Inglis Premier Sale.
Coolmore’s Paddy Oman praised Wootton Bassett, noting that the stallion had produced Group 1 Derby winners from each of his first two Australian-bred crops. He also credited Guy Mulcaster for identifying Stormy Marco as a potential Derby prospect at the Easter Sale.
The victory made Stormy Marco the 129th individual Group 1-winning graduate of Inglis since 2018.
Stormy Marco won the Group 1 Victoria Derby at Flemington, completing an all-Inglis-bred trifecta ahead of Cold Shower and Quick Finish. His victory marked another major achievement for Chris Waller, Hermitage Thoroughbreds and the Inglis Easter Sale.
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