Villa Verde To Be Sold Following BTC Cup Flop

Trainer Anthony Cummings has revealed that Villa Verde will be sold at the 2015 Gold Coast Magic Millions Broodmare Sale after she finished at the tail of the field in the 2015 BTC Cup at Doomben on Saturday.

Villa Verde is likely to be retired to begin a new career as a broodmare following her poor effort in the BTC Cup. Photo by: Steve Hart

Villa Verde is likely to be retired to begin a new career as a broodmare following her poor effort in the BTC Cup. Photo by: Steve Hart

Villa Verde started the BTC Cup at big odds after she failed to beat a runner home in the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on April 11 and she was one of the first horses beaten in the BTC Cup after jockey Glen Colless rode her aggressively in the early stages of the race.

Cummings told Racing Ahead this morning that connections had elected to sell Villa Verde and he said that he expects the Not A Single Doubt mare will be retired to begin a new career as a broodmare.

“From the outside gate she needed to be in the second or third set of pairs, but he was caught deep, elected to go forward and sit outside the lead,” Cummings said.

“That really told in the last furlong for her and she has an appointment at the broodmare sale in Queensland at the end of this month.

“For us she has run her last race and she is now being prepared for sale.”

There was a sprinkling of money for Fontelina in the lead-up to the BTC Cup after he produced strong efforts in the Group 1 T.J. Smith Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on April 6 and the Group 1 All Aged Stakes (1400m) at the same venue a fortnight later, but he tired in the final stages of the race to finish tenth.

Cummings said that jockey Jim Byrne rode Fontelina too aggressively in the early stages of the BTC Cup and he revealed that he will be instructing whoever rides the Testa Rossa gelding in both the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1350m) and Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) to let the six-year-old find his feet in the early stages of the race.

“Fontelina ran the better of the two, but in the run he was just settled too close,” Cummings said.

“Next time the instructions will be to get him on the bit, travel and give him a base to accelerate from.

“I think that Jim tried to make too much use of the gate and at the end of the day it wasn’t to his advantage.”

Fontelina is currently available at 2015 Doomben 10,000 odds of $26 with Ladbrokes, while he is available at a quote of $61 to take out the Stradbroke Handicap.

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Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.