Leading Victorian stallion Toronado has been withdrawn from service, with Swettenham Stud confirming the multiple Group 1 producer would be rested as he battles a significant infection and lameness.
The 15-year-old son of High Chaparral, who was set to serve at $88,000 (inc GST) this breeding season, will undergo complete rest on the advice of some of Australia’s leading veterinarians, as he bids to recover from the setback.
“Toronado has played a huge role in the history of Swettenham, as well as in the Victorian industry, and we really see him as part of our family. His health and wellbeing come first to everyone at the farm, so this was a straightforward decision,” Adam Sangster, principal of Swettenham Stud, said.
“We are very grateful to the understanding shown by all the breeders who had mares booked to him. While it is unlikely he will cover again this season, we are confident that, as a 15 year-old, he still has many promising years ahead of him.”
Toronado has produced 44 stakes winners across a highly successful career including Group 1 winners Masked Crusader, Mariamia, Shelby Sixtysix, Bois D’Argent, Tribhuvan and Victor The Winner.
In the most recently completed Australian season, he finished 12th on the Sires Table, while he is currently 10th for the 2025/26 season.
Initially starting out at a fee of $22,000, Toronado has built himself up to $88,000 with strong results not only on the track but in the sales ring. In 2025, his yearlings averaged $237,603, among them a $1 million colt by Hardly Surprising sold by Gilgai Farm at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.
Standing at Swettenham in a joint venture with Al Shaqab, Toronado served 170 mares last year and he covered 165 in 2023, a season which produced 121 live foals.
