Macdonald's Polish to be Reactive

Almost everyone knows that Leon Macdonald prepared the 2011 Caulfield Cup heroine, SOUTHERN SPEED.

Macdonald, often sends members of his team to Victoria to lift some of the huge prizemoney on offer and on Friday night, 29/9, he did it again with Daytona Grey taking home the lions share of the $100,000 purse at Moonee Valley.

Macdonald is set to train this two-year-old filly by TESTA ROSSA out of REFIT, a half-sister to the proven producer and Listed winner FLEISCHER and the dam of the stakes winners COULIS (by Zabeel and winner of the Tasmanian Oaks) and Roubechown (by Quest For Fame winner of the MRC Gothich Stakes), this filly has impressed him.

Macdonald told the TTSC, "I inspected this filly before Christmas and again in May this year and I was suitably impressed with how the she had grown and developed during the time between my visits."

"This filly owns a determined temperament and I will entrust her to John Henschke, from Eden Hills in the Barrossa Valley, to break her in as he does a great job so he receives the majority of the yearlings that come into our stable."

"Henschke will ensure she receives the right education before entering the stable here in Adelaide", Macdonald said.

Currently growing at Peter Toole's Ducatoon Park in South Australia, the filly has nice bone, shoulder and forearm.

Her sire, was a winner of the 13 from 28 racetrack appearances, and retired to stud with an impressive 'CV' as 12 of his wins were in black-type company.

TESTA ROSSA was a top class racehorse and is proving to be just as good in his new career and is set to cover mares this spring for a fee of $33,000.00 (inc GST).

Currently, TESTA ROSSA'S statistics show 450 individual winners from 628 starters, a starter to winner ratio of 71.7% as of September 17th. Of those winners 42 are stakes winners and 14 of them are group winners, and, he is responsible for another 42 stakes placegetters. World-wide his progeny have earned $45.3 million, and, Macdonald rates him as an extremely reliable sire.

REFIT is a half-sister to the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate winner REACTIVE (by Geiger Counter) a winner of seven races and more than $600,000.

REFIT IS by ENCOSTA DE LAGO who is doing a great job as a broodmare sire with 217 individual winners from 395 runners a 54.9% strike rate.

REFIT has a strong female line and has the outstanding mare FAIRY BRIDGE very close in her pedigree, and, that mare is the dam of Sadler's Wells, Fairy King, Tate Gallery and Perugino.

This filly is REFIT'S second foal, the first a chestnut colt is by PURREALIST, which has been named BEFITTING and is in training with Rick Hore-Lacy at Caulfield.

This filly has been bred on the same cross as two stakes placegetters in Rosa Delago (ex Tolago) and Teskara (ex Costa Karo) along with the winners Donavans (ex Malapert) and Red Maloney (ex Royal Wench).