Bruno Cannatelli
Exciting young sire Zacinto will now be on the doorstep of Waikato breeders with Kevin and Jo Hickman’s Valachi Downs set to stand the son of Dansili in the 2018 season.
A resident of Inglewood Stud, just north of Christchurch, since his retirement to stud in 2012, Zacinto has quickly risen through the stallion ranks to be hot property in the New Zealand breeding industry.
A booming run of form over the past couple of months, including juvenile stakes winners at Flemington and Riccarton, has further enhanced Zacinto’s reputation and has Valachi Downs general manager Jonathan Scully excited about bringing the stallion north.
“We’ve been involved in Zacinto from the get go with 25 per cent ownership and while we’ve increased our shareholding in the horse, the ownership group of Valachi, Inglewood and Windsor Park Stud still remains the same,” Scully said.
“We have bred more than 40 mares to Zacinto since he first retired to stud, so we certainly have an idea of the type of quality stock he leaves and the exceptional record he has started to amass at stud.”
Starting at a $5000 service fee in 2012, Zacinto has already left five stakes winners from just 57 runners (8.8 per cent), including Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) winner Ugo Foscolo who will target Melbourne in the spring.
Other youngsters by Zacinto to impress include juvenile stakes winners Zigwig and Secret Allure, while last month Vassilator became Zacinto’s second individual stakes winner at Flemington when he won the Listed ANZAC Day Stakes (1400m).
“It’s a big move for Valachi to enter the stallion game,” Scully said. “But in Zacinto and Savile Row we have two stallions that will get the venture off to a flyer.”
While the excitement from Valachi Downs is clear, there is a more bittersweet feeling for Inglewood Stud’s Gus Wigley.
“Zacinto has been such an integral part of the rejuvenation of the stud and he’s been such a great sire for the South Island, but we feel it’s the right time to open him up to a bigger pool of breeders.
“While we’re so thankful to our clients that have been fiercely loyal to Zacinto, a lot of them have bred four or five times to him now and they’re always asking me when I’m getting a new horse.
“We’re committed to the stallion market down here and we’ve just announced War Front’s Group Two winning son War Decree will stand at Inglewood and we’re pretty pumped to have landed him.”
Zacinto will stand the 2018 season at Valachi Downs Stud for a fee of $15,000 + GST (LFG). – NZ Racing Desk.
