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SIr Mark Todd To Train Import For Winx Clash

New Zealand’s famous Olympian Sir Mark Todd will prepare an imported son of Frankel for a clash with champion mare Winx in her swansong race at Randwick in April.

Todd, one of the world’s most accomplished equestrians and a two-time Olympic gold medallist, will be the rookie trainer of the New Zealand-owned 5YO Eminent.

Raced by New Zealand’s influential owner/breeder and New Zealand Bloodstock founder Sir Peter Vela, Eminent is set to race twice at the Sydney carnival in the G1 Ranvet Stakes (200m) at Rosehill and G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick.

Eminent
Eminent Picture: Pat Healy Photography

The entire has raced only 11 times for three wins in Europe with his form of the highest standard for Australia due the horses he beat as a 3YO in Group races in the UK and France in 2017.

He won the G3 Craven Stakes over the famous Newmarket mile beating the classy Godolphin star Benbatl into third place and left another crack Godolphin import Avilius 4.75 lengths behind in third place when he won the G2 Prix Prix Guillaume d'Ornano (2000m) at Deauville.

He was then G1 placed when third in the 2017 Irish Champion Stakes won by Decorated Knight with the likes of Churchill, The Cliffsofmoher, The Taj Mahal, Zhukova and The Grey Gatsby unplaced.

Eminent, who has been trained at Newmarket in the UK for Vela by Martyn Meade, raced only four times in 2018 in top Group company without a placing.

Todd, currently based in the UK, has made a rushed application for a renewal of his training licence after he was approached by Vela to prepare Eminent for his Sydney campaign.

“Sir Peter and Hubie de Burgh bought Martyn Meade out of the horse with the idea of sending him to stud in New Zealand,” Todd told UK media.

“They sent him to me to do something with before going to New Zealand, and then I got a phone call saying they were thinking of taking him to Australia to run in a couple of races before retiring.

"I had a think about it and I can never resist a challenge.

“I’ve had to take out my training licence in a hurry. The plan is to run him in the two Group Ones over 2000m in Sydney – the Ranvet Stakes on March 23 and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes on April 13.

“The snow and the equine flu virus upset our plans a bit but he is now in quarantine in Newmarket and he flies to Australia on February 28.

“Winx is in the Queen Elizabeth and beating her would be a pretty tall order but you've got to be in it to win it

“If everything goes right and he is able to reproduce his best form, I think he could be competitive.”

Eminent has also been nominated for the Doncaster Mile (1600m) on April 6.

Todd is no newcomer to training thoroughbreds as he ran a successful stable in NZ 15 years ago, wining more than 50 races including the 2003 NZ Oaks with Bramble Rose and 2007 Wellington Cup with Willy Smith.

He gave up training to return to his stellar equestrian career in 2008.

Todd has represented New Zealand at eight Olympic Games, winning five medals including two golds at Los Angeles in 1984 and Seoul in 1988.

He has also won the Badminton Horse Trials on four occasions, the Burghley Horse Trials five times plus 20 other international events and was a member of New Zealand's World Championship gold medal teams in 1990 and 1998.
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