Lloyd Webber’s Lizzie filly proves too hot for rivals in Australia

Million-dollar filly Too Darn Lizzie brought another major result for her surging shuttle stallion Too Darn Hot and a famed owner of both runner and sire - Andrew Lloyd Webber – with a courageous victory in Saturday’s Magic Millions The Debut 2YO Fillies Plate on the Gold Coast.

Strongly backed into odds-on favouritism after a four-length win in her only barrier trial at Warwick Farm on December 23, the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Too Darn Lizzie pushed to the lead after 100m for jockey Tim Clark, and while headed early in the straight by Froebel Star, fought back under strong whip riding inside the last 200m to beat her by a length and a half.

The winner’s stablemate Dominetta, a Zoustar half-sister to versatile multiple Group 1 winner Hartnell, took third, a further neck away.

In its second year of running at the Magic Millions carnival, The Debut was split into two A$500,000 (£262,000/€305,000) divisions, with Brisbane gelding Lead Me On – who in contrast to Too Darn Lizzie cost just A$50,000 as a yearling – taking the colts' and geldings' division, giving his sire Brutal a second winner from six first-crop runners.

Too Darn Lizzie not only brought the Waterhouse-Bott stable a stunning eighth two-year-old winner of the season, she pushed Too Darn Hot to the top of the Australian first-season sires table, by winners, with his fourth from six runners, and second by that marker among two-year-old sires.

The second foal of 2018 Blue Diamond Prelude victor Enbihaar, Too Darn Lizzie was bought from Vinery Stud’s draft for A$1 million at the Gold Coast by Tulloch Lodge along with McKeever Bloodstock and Watership Down, the dual-base British-Irish stud farm of Lord Lloyd-Webber and his wife Madeleine.

With Lady Lloyd-Webber hailing from a far more equine-oriented background than her music impresario husband, the couple raced Too Darn Hot in his triple Group 1-winning career. He’s now the only sire in which they have an interest, owning the eight-year-old along with Darley, with their stake in Too Darn Lizzie a mark of support for their stallion.

Too Darn Hot has shuttled to Darley’s Kelvinside farm for the past four seasons, at a fee of A$44,000, and has quickly become one of the breeding empire’s star performers.

Heading into raceday after the first four days of the ongoing Magic Millions Gold Coast sale, the son of the all-conquering Dubawi had the second-top lot to his name, Segenhoe Stud’s colt from dual stakes-winner A Time For Julia, bought by Ciaron Maher and David Redvers for A$1.9m.

Too Darn Hot ranked eighth by averages at the sale to that point, with nine lots sold for an average of A$449,000.

Bred by Fraser Brown, Rohan Ford and Mrs S Cummings, Too Darn Lizzie was installed as a A$51 chance in betting for the Golden Slipper. It’s a market heavy with Waterhouse-Bott runners also including the A$4.50 favourite in Saturday's Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Storm Boy (by Justify), plus Shangri La Express (A$7), Straight Charge (A$17), Anode (A$26), Espionage (A$17) and Prost (A$34).

“You’re always a little bit nervous about them getting to the track for the first time but her quality showed through there late because she was challenged, the pressure was put on her at the top of the straight and I loved the way she responded through to the line,” said co-trainer Adrian Bott after Too Darn Lizzie led home eight rivals.

“She’s a tough filly with plenty of class, no doubt. I think there is a lot of upside off the back of today and the trip away will do her the world of good.

“With a filly like her we’d love to add some black type. He [Lord Lloyd-Webber] raced the stallion Too Darn Hot, who was a phenomenal racehorse in Europe and he’s already making a big impact here in Australia.

“He wanted to come down to support the stallion and he did so in a big way, paying a million dollars for her.”

Too Darn Lizzie’s half-brother by I Am Invincible sold for A$700,000 earlier in the week at the Gold Coast Yearling Sale to Rosemont Stud, Suman Hedge and Mick Price Racing. Dorrington Farm’s Rob Crabtree, who bred Enbihaar, has also bought a share in the colt.

Enbihaar missed on return to I Am Invincible in 2022, but was covered again by Too Darn Hot last September. The eight-year-old mare’s first foal Extremely Wicked, an A$550,000 Gold Coast Weanling Sale buy for Bahen Bloodstock, has been thrice-placed in country Victoria among six starts for Matt Laurie.

Crabtree told ANZ his mare Charm’s Honour, dam of Enbihaar, was now in foal to Too Darn Hot, carrying a seven-eighths sibling to Too Darn Lizzie. He also has a yearling full-sister by Magnus to Enbihaar.

Carrying Watership Down’s pink with a grey sash which were also borne by Too Darn Hot, Too Darn Lizzie is raced by Lord Lloyd-Webber along with the woman after whom she is named, actress Elizabeth Spender, the widow of Australian comedian Barry Humphries, who died last year. A delighted Spender was at the Gold Coast yesterday to lead the filly in after her win.

“They tried to call the horse Lizzie Spender, but they turned that down, so we went for Too Darn Lizzie instead,” Spender told reporters.

“Gai has done the most wonderful job and thanks to Madeleine Lloyd Webber, my friend who bred Too Darn Hot and purchased his progeny.”

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