Todman - the first Golden Slipper winner
Champion colt kick starts the world's greatest 2yo race
Feb 23, 2009
Todman as a 2yo
The Australian Hall Of Fame racehorse, Todman, started his career by setting an Australian record for five furlongs. He won the Golden Slipper by a commanding 8 lengths at the prohibitive odds of 6 to 1 on. His only defeat as a 2yo came at the hands of another Australian Champion, Tulloch, in the Sires' Produce Stakes a week after the Golden Slipper. Todman bounced back to win the final leg of the 2yo Triple Crown, the Champagne Stakes, beating Tulloch by six lengths.
As an older horse
Todman returned to racing as a 3yo with wins in the Hobartville Stakes and Canterbury Guineas before breaking down. He did not return to racing until 1959, when he won the Group 1 Ligtning at his first run back. In total, Todman won 10 of his 12 starts in a remarkable career.
Todman's pedigree
Todman was a son of Star Kingdom and a brother to Noholme and Shifnal. Noholme was Australia’s Champion 3yo, and went to the USA to race under the name of Noholme II. He stood at stud there upon retirement where he finished third on the sires list in 1967 during a long and moderately successful career. Star Kingdom went on to become leading sire in Australia five times and became synonymous with the Australian thoroughbred. Todman was from the imported Colombo mare, Oceana who in turn was out of the Diophon mare, Orama. Orama also produced Respite who was the dam of stakes winners, and later quality stallions, Nearula, Drum Beat and Talmud.
Todman's pedigree sees the good stallion Chaucer duplicated, as well as the presence of that stallion's half brother in Swynford. Chaucer's sire, St Simon also appears through multiple lines in Todman's pedigree, as do Sunstar, Orby and Cyllene.
Todman at Stud
Todman however went on to great success here twice winning the Champion 2yo Sires title and producing 30 stakes winners including two Golden Slipper winners in Sweet Embrace and Eskimo Prince. Two other sons, Blazing Saddles and Imposing went on not only to win stakes races, but also to long and successful stud careers. Among Todman's other stakes horses were multiple black type winners Crewman, New Gleam, Ricochet and Todwana.
Todman's lasting influence
In modern pedigrees, Todman is most likely to be found in horses like Rubiton, Fields of Omagh, Teranaba, Impaler, Lazer Sharp, Clang, Kinjite and Strategic among a host who owe at least in part their success to this enduring influence. To this day, Todman remains one of the most influential thoroughbreds, and most remarkable gallopers, ever produced in Australia.
