The already powerful Waikato Stud stallion line-up is set to get a whole lot stronger, with triple Group One winner Sacred Falls set to retire to the Matamata nursery later this year.
Unbeaten in his first six starts in New Zealand for trainers Tony Pike and Mark Donoghue, Waikato Stud secured equity in the Raffles Racing-owned colt after Sacred Falls’ victory in the New Zealand 2000 Guineas.
The son of O’Reilly headed a Chris Waller first-four in the Doncaster Handicap on Saturday, carrying second top-weight to score a brave win in Randwick’s premier mile, making it back-to-back victories in the race.
“It was a huge thrill,” said Waikato Stud General Manager Mark Chittick, who is currently in the United States with wife Lisa.
“We listened to the race live and managed to find a replay on youtube to watch it. It was a wonderful ride by Zac Purton. When the horse did see daylight and found the gap he showed a great turn of foot and that’s obviously what we are always looking for in our stallions.
“We identified Sacred Falls’ turn of foot early on in the piece, after selling him as a yearling and buying back into him and sharing ownership in him with the Raffles team now.”
Despite running solid races in the spring, which included a third in the Gr.2 Schweppes Crystal Mile and an eye-catching fifth in Boban’s Emirates Stakes, Sacred Falls was a shade below his best.
“For some reason, whether it was the change in environment that caught up with him or something else, he probably wasn’t at his best condition-wise and Chris (Waller) commented on that a couple of times.
“We brought him back to New Zealand for a good spell. When he got home he had big rings around his hooves, so it was obviously a period that was quite taxing on him and we didn’t see the best of him.
“After six weeks in the paddock at home, he went back into work looking a totally different horse. His first couple of runs this prep were extremely honest and Chris always said that this week, with both the Doncaster and Queen Elizabeth, was when he wanted him to peak.”
The win was yet another great advertisement for Sacred Falls’ sire O’Reilly, with New Zealand’s champion sire the headline act at Waikato Stud, ably supported by proven sires Savabeel and Pins, while Ocean Park and Rock ‘N’ Pop were popular additions last year.
“O’Reilly really is at the peak of his career now that he is getting a bit older,” Chittick said.
“We seriously considered Alamosa as a stallion prospect for the farm, but with him being by O’Reilly and out of a Centaine mare, there was only something like 30 of our 180-strong broodmare band that could go to him that were free of O’Reilly and Centaine blood.
“This guy is a little bit different. We’ve always wanted to stand a son of O’Reilly at stud and being out of a Redoute’s Choice mare and from a family we know so well, there seemed to be a whole lot more opportunities for us with our own broodmare band.
“We continually try to breed the best racehorse that we can and fortunately its worked out for us, with the stallions predominantly leaving great types and they’ve replicated their own ability in their offspring.
“Sacred Falls will be at stud this year and we’re getting pretty close to setting our service fees. We did speak about it last week and obviously he was going to be ‘fee to be advised’. There’s probably been a little bit of a change after Saturday, so it’s a good position to be in!”
Sacred Falls continues the incredible run New Zealand bred gallopers have enjoyed throughout the Sydney Carnival, claiming seven of the 14 Group One races contested thus far.
– NZ Bloodstock
