The Toorak Handicap is regarded as one of the time-honoured races on the Australian horse racing calendar.
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First run in 1886, the Group 1 kicks off the Melbourne Racing Club’s Spring Carnival at Caulfield on October 8.
The honour roll of the Toorak is littered with champions of the past.
Legends of the turf like Melbourne Cup winner Galilee, champion Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate winner Tobin Bronze, and the flying Tauto which won the 1970 Toorak before going on to win the Cox Plate, have their names engraved on the silverware.
In the ‘70s the mighty Goondiwindi grey Gunsynd, the unbeatable miler of his day, added the Epsom, the Doncaster and George Adams Handicap to his Toorak success, while superstar mare Leilani rocketed to fame also winning the Caulfield and Australia Cups. They all played an integral role in ensuring the Toorak would always hold a special place in Australian racing history.
The reigning Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Darren Weir runs a powerful operation around the country, so for his stable to claim a Group 1 feature would come as no surprise.
Weir is widely acknowledged as a great judge of horse flesh, and it doesn’t take him long to work out if one of the lodgers in his stable can run or not. But even the experts have been known to underestimate the ability and qualities of their horses.
Tasmanian-owned galloper Royal Rapture certainly fits into this category.
While Weir always thought Royal Rapture would pay his way, and may be capable of pulling off one of the better races in country Victoria, he never contemplated taking on the cream of the nation’s quality milers with him.
Weir is mesmerised by the meteoric rise of his new stable star, six city wins from his last seven outings including the last five in a row, and no end in sight.
“This horse has gone to another level over the past two months. He deserves a chance against the best. We will get a weight drop in the Toorak and with the form he’s in, they will know he’s in the race. One thing’s for sure – he will be giving 110%’” Weir said.
Royal Rapture was sent out favourite in Saturday’s Open Handicap at Caulfield and had the race in his keeping a long way out.
Owners, Leigh, Kim and Ted Jordan along with friend Leigh Winwood purchased Royal Rapture at the Tasmanian Magic Millions and teamed up with Darren Kenny to snap up Kenjorwood.
Kenjorwood is also with Weir being prepared for a tilt at the Spring Carnival, and as fate would have it, won the race that Royal Rapture captured Saturday in 2014 and again in 2015.
Royal Rapture’s owners are daring to dream of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that is the Toorak.