Untapped Newcastle colt Rivellino again showed great determination on Saturday, 1 March to remain unbeaten by winning the G2 Skyline Stakes over 1,200m at Royal Randwick.
Three weeks after coming from nearly last in a big field to capture the Restricted Listed Inglis Millennium 1,100m at Randwick, the son of boom Darley stallion Too Darn Hot (GB) produced another big finish to record his second Stakes-race victory and cement his place in the G1 Golden Slipper at Rosehill Gardens on 23 March.
Jockey Jason Collett timed his run perfectly down the outside as Rivellino defeated Skyhook by a head, with Quietly Arrogant a head away in third place.
Rivellino was bred by Scott Murray and offered by Lime Country Thoroughbreds, Blandford at the 2024 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale where Lees Racing/Bahen Bloodstock outlaid $180,000.
Newcastle trainer Kris Lees has done a marvellous job with the son of three-time winner Intrinsic, with the winner now boasting prize-money and bonus earnings of $1,465,000.
The victory further enhanced Too Darn Hot’s burgeoning stud reputation, with progeny of the stallion winning their fifth Black-Type race in Australia in just the past month.
Arabian Summer (out of Maraam), Shanwah (Lady Sayyida), Tropicus (Extensible) and Broadsiding (Speedway) have also helped Too Darn Hot to 33 winners on the Second-Season Sires’ table in Australia, five ahead of fellow Darley stallion Blue Point.
Worldwide in just a few seasons at stud, Too Darn Hot has sired 140 winners of 224 races, including 23 individual Stakes winners of 37 Stakes races.
In Australia alone, the grandson of the immortal Dubawi has sired the winners of 64 races, including 10 Stakes winners of 17 Black-Type events.
The stallion has had 10 individual Stakes winners this season and is second on the overall Sires’ table for Stakes winners, ahead of Zoustar, Written Tycoon and I Am Invincible.
A three-time G1 winner on the track, Too Darn Hot has five colts and one filly in the catalogue for the 2025 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale at Oaklands in Melbourne from 2-4 March.
Too Darn Hot stands at Darley’s Dalham Hall Stud at Newmarket in England for a service fee of 90,000 pounds.
🔥 What a run!
— Darley in Australia (@DarleyAus) March 1, 2025
Rivellino (#TooDarnHot) maintains his unbeaten record after a smart win in the G2 Skyline Stakes over 1,200m. https://t.co/LstqpBi08G
“He’s a proper horse this bloke”@Leesracing is looking forward to the TAB Golden Slipper after Rivellino’s impressive Skyline Stakes win today! Hear from Kris and Jason Collett after the win 👇@aus_turf_club pic.twitter.com/8AtOcHMAKu
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) March 1, 2025
