Breeding & Racing Magazine

Cardinal Virtue Back From Stud For More Racing

Regally-bred stakes-winning & Gr1-placed 6YO sprinter Cardinal Virtue (Elusive Quality-Valourina, by Snippets) "is now back in training & managed to impress at Tuesday's Rosehill trials, despite having spent last spring covering his 1st book of mares" reported racenet.com.au. Cardinal Virtue ran 3rd in the Gr1 Galaxy (1100m) at his last race start at Royal Randwick in Sydney in April 2011, before beginning a stud career at Waterford Stud in Western Australia (where he served 22 mares). However he has returned to Rosehill trainer David Payne's stable for another sprinting preparation, which began with a 2nd to Beaded in a 900-metre trial hit-out. Managing part-owner & Australian Bloodstock co-founder Luke Murrell said Cardinal Virtue had "thrived in his breeding environment, which prompted connections to give him another crack at winning a Gr1 race". Murrell commented: "He retired really sound, but he was just doing too well in the west to leave him there; so we decided to bring him back over for another preparation. He has come on in leaps & bounds in the last few weeks & he looks terrific. We'll probably take him down to Melbourne for the sprint handicaps like the Gr1 Oakleigh Plate & Gr1 Newmarket Handicap, where he will still get a relatively light weight." Cardinal Virtue was the the only son of former shuttler Elusive Quality (sire of multiple Gr1-winner Sepoy) at stud in Australia last season; Elusive Quality is also the sire of Gr1-winning stallions Smarty Jones, Raven's Pass & Elusive City. And Cardinal Virtue's dual stakes-winning dam Valourina (sold for $1.6 million as part of the Tyreel Stud reduction at the 2008 Inglis Broodmare Sale) has produced Gr2-winning & dual Gr1-placed Timbourina, Gr2-winning & 4-times Gr1-placed Media, plus stakes-placed Rubric & Gallantree. On the track himself, Cardinal Virtue (a $260,000 yearling at the 2007 Inglis Easter Sale in Sydney) boasts 4 wins (including 2009's Listed Redelva Stakes over 1000m at Cheltenham Park) & 12 placings (including 2011's Gr1 The Galaxy over 1100m at Randwick, Gr3 Sebring Stakes over 1100m at Rosehill, Gr3 Southern Cross Stakes over 1200m at Randwick, Listed Kensington Stakes over 1000m at Flemington & Listed Carrington Stakes over 1100m at Randwick, plus 2010's Gr2 Premiere Stakes over 1200m at Rosehill & Listed City Tattersalls Lightning Handicap over 1100m at Randwick, as well as 2008's Gr3 McNeil Stakes over 1200m at Caulfield) from 27 starts for $329,355 earnings.