Encosta To Suit Elite

COLT BY ENCOSTA DE LAGO FOR ELITE

Hardly a week goes by without Encosta de Lago's name appearing in the race results in Australia and New Zealand, as the sires' progeny are consistent and durable.

As a racehorse, Encosta de Lago showed tremendous potential demolishing his own age group during his classic season in the VRC Ascot Vale Stakes and MVRC Bill Stutt Stakes.  Encosta de Lago also defeated the older brigade too in the MRC Group 1 Vic Health Cup.

Retiring for stud duties as a four-year-old, and as good as a racehorse Encosta de Lago was, its' his progeny that are some of the Australasia's top performers with 21 winners at the highest level and they include the high-class Princess Coup, winner of the Group 1 $2 million Kelt Capital Stakes and New Zealand Oaks. Douro Valley won the Group 1 Yalumba Stakes; Racing to Win won the AJC Warwick Stakes and All Aged Stakes.  As are the Newmarket Handicap winner, Alinghi and the multiple Group 1 winner, Lashed. Along with the Queen Elizabeth Stakes and George Main Stakes winner Road to Rock; Northern Meteor winner of the Ascot Vale sprint at Flemington; Hong Kong’s champion sprinter Sacred Kingdom; the VRC Australian Cup winner, Sirmione and the Group 1 Caulfield 1000 Guineas winner, Mnemosyne.

Encosta de Lagos' statistics reveal from 1,709 named foals there are 100 stakes winners, 103 stakes placegetters and 973 individual winners that have earned connections more than $132million, as of February 17th.

Elite Thoroughbreds comments in the Magic Millions catalogue for this colt were  "A lovely type. Has that big, looping action that you see in a nice middle distance horse. Has the pedigree and the athleticism."

NOT ENOUGH?  Sutology won eight races from distances ranging from 1500m to 3000m and $227,754 in prizemoney for connections. Among those eight wins is a win in the 2005 Group 2 VRC Matriarch Stakes at Flemington where the bay defeated subsequent Group 1 Futurity Stakes winner, Aqua d'Amore (by Danehill).

Sutology (by Straussbrook) is the dam of six foals, three of them have raced, and all are winners.  All have collected black type and include Conscious Mistake (by Fastnet Rock) a winner of nine and runner-up in the Listed Dunedin Guineas. As is Lukander (by Henrythenavigator), a winner and third placegetter in the Gore Guineas.

The third foal a filly, by Holy Roman Emperor named Berenice is winner of three races, finished one place closer in the Listed Gore Guineas when second, and finished third in the Dunedin Guineas.

The syndicate will be managed by Adrian Allan from Elite Thoroughbreds.

Gary Portelli added to his Group 1 tally early in the 2013-14 racing season when Rebel Dane strode home ahead of Fontelina and Solzhenitsyn in the Invitation Stakes, sponsored by Rupert Clarke, at Caulfield last September.  Rebel Dane's win added to the Group 1 AJC Oaks victory of Rena's Lady and the New Zealand Railway Stakes win with his top class sprinter, Gold Trail.

At the close of the 2012-13 season, Gary signed off the stables seasonal earnings with $1.2million with the new season ticking over since August 1st, 2013 the stable is on track to surpass that figure with earnings totaling $738,385 as of January 23rd, 2014.

Along with the win in the Group 1, Rebel Dane also won the Group 3 Show County at Warwick Farm Portelli also applied the polish to the Elite Thoroughbreds syndicated Stratubo winning three races this campaign with victories at Randwick on the Kensington track, Canterbury and Gosford.

While in the past 2012-13 season, Portelli had I'm All The Talk in the stable for Elite Thoroughbreds, and gave the group a massive thrill when the colt won on debut and then went on to a win in the Group 3 Skyline Stakes at Rosehill.

Statistics reveal that Portelli has saddled up 28 stakes winners, as of January 21st, 2014, since the year 2000 and Gary is committed to keep the returns coming to all of his owners.  Both, he and his brother, Troy, continue to strive for excellence to ensure client satisfaction.