That was the sentiment shared by Joe Pride and Proven Thoroughbreds at Wyong last Sunday.
At an otherwise unremarkable provincial meeting, Pride’s early judgement of INDEFENSIBLE was well and truly vindicated after the 3yo filly overcame plenty of obstacles in emphatically transitioning from maiden class to benchmark grade.
After racing 3-wide without cover for the entirety of the 1200m event, INDEFENSIBLE still had the audacity to mow down her rivals and win by more than half a length in fast time.
She is only the 6th Pride/Proven horse in the last 5 years to have won their first start out of maiden company – joining the likes of PRIVATE EYE, THINK ABOUT IT, THE BLACK CLOUD and COSMONOVA.
Pride, who trained the last 3 winners at Randwick on Saturday, has been a long-time admirer of INDEFENSIBLE, even last November when she was unplaced in her first two career starts.
So, it was no coincidence Pride and Proven found another progeny of ALL TOO HARD at the 2025 yearling sales – this one a colt, who, like INDEFENSIBLE, carries the exact same duplication of breed shaping mare ROLLS by virtue of the fact both of their second dams are by ENCOSTA DE LAGO.
The list of horses inbred to ROLLS is impressive to say the least. Group 1 winners like ALLIGATOR BLOOD (also by ALL TOO HARD), FANGIRL, MARIAMIA (trained by Pride), SHADOW HERO, SPEAK FONDLY, THE ASTROLOGIST, MIZZY, and just last Saturday – QLD Oaks heroine YOU WAHNG. Throw in Group 1 placegetters like PAYLINE, PINITO, BUENOS NOCHES, AETHERO, AYSAR, BALLER & OSCARS FORTUNE and you are starting to see how potent this breeding pattern is.
The parallels don’t end there. Both are big, strong chestnuts with plenty of bone and substance – a physical blueprint followed by our other ALL TOO HARD galloper with the Pride stable – ACCREDITED (16:6-2-2).
Thenford Farm’s Greg Bennett had this to say about the ALL TOO HARD x EXOTIC ENTERPRISE colt – Watch video report HERE.
ALL TOO HARD x EXOTIC ENTERPRISE colt