Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North)
A long-standing breeding partnership has come up trumps again with a daughter of Ace High their latest success story.
Rich Hill Stud and Scott Williams’ Bloodstock Resources bred My Lips Are Sealed, who triumphed in Saturday’s Gr.3 Phar Lap Trophy (1600m) at Trentham, where the four-time winner finished a close second in last season’s Gr.3 Eulogy Stakes (1600m).
Trained by Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, My Lips Are Sealed was sold through Rich Hill’s 2022 draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale for $160,000 to Te Akau’s David Ellis.
“Scott has had a long and successful association with Rich Hill and bred Zarita, who was a dual Group One winner by Pentire,” John Thompson said.
Williams also bred Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) winner Efficient and top sprinter Babylon Berlin, who is from the family of My Lips Are Sealed.
“We bought her granddam What Can I Say about 25 years ago,” Thompson said.
“Bob Vance trained her and she was a great wet-tracker, she beat a field including Tie The Knot and Might And Power one day in the Warwick Stakes (Gr.2, 1400m).”
They purchased What Can I Say after the Khozaam mare had produced a couple of foals in Australia, including multiple Group Two winner and two-time Group One placegetter Only Words.
“The first foal we bred was a stakes winner called Gibraltar Campion who was by Rock Of Gibraltar and sold at Karaka for $500,000,” Thompson said.
“We also sold a Zabeel filly out of What Can I Say for $500,000 at Sydney Easter and then she had six colts in a row,” Thompson said.
“Fortunately, when she was about 21 or 22 we got her in foal to Tavistock and she had a filly, which we retained.”
That was My Lips Are Sealed’s mother Tellmeaboutit, who was unraced.
“We trialled her and she didn’t really set the world on fire, so we decided to breed from her,” Thompson said.
“My Lips Are Sealed was her second foal and she was the top-priced yearling from Ace High’s first crop.
“We had her first foal by Vadamos (Vai Vai Vai) leased in Australia and she won a trial really nicely but in her first race day start she broke her pastern and had to be euthanised.”
Tellmeaboutit’s third foal by Proisir named Talktomebaby sold for $240,000 at Karaka last year.
“Ciaron Maher has got her and has showed promise, she had an early race and pulled up shin sore, so they gave her a break and she’s back in work now,” Thompson said.
“Tellmeaboutit has now got a Satono Aladdin filly at foot and she’s back in foal to him.”
