Prospects all good for Valachi Downs chief
Kevin Hickman’s breeding operation has welcomed another highly valuable addition while his prospects for the new racing season also look particularly bright.
In England overnight, the Valachi Downs principal’s former crack race mare Silent Achiever foaled to Galileo’s unbeaten champion son Frankel, already a group one producer at stud.
“He’s a strong, good-boned colt and just as impressive as his full-sister last year,” Valachi manager Jonathan Scully said. “We’re all absolutely rapt and Silent Achiever loves being a Mum so that’s great.”
Trained throughout her career by Roger James, Silent Achiever won 10 races, including the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby and the Gr.1 New Zealand Stakes and in Australia the Gr.1 Ranvet Stakes and the Gr.1 BMW.
Meanwhile, last season’s Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas winner Ugo Foscolo was a runaway winner at the trials yesterday morning as he prepares for a return to racing from the stable of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.
“I’ve been talking to Adrian and they put Blake Shinn on him and it was a nice trial over 1000 metres,” Scully said. “He pulled eight or 10 lengths away from them at the line.
“He was under a good hold throughout so things are looking good. He’ll probably have another trial and then maybe kick off in a group two somewhere.
“He will be hanging around Sydney to see just how he does come up and then we’ll decide whether he goes down to Melbourne to have a go at Winx or not.”