The process of a stallion's career at stud is a long one, so it's always rewarding when you reach a certain milestone in a young stallion's career.
It has been very encouraging over the last few months as we've broken-in the first of Zacinto 's offspring and given them their first look at a racetrack.
We've broken in two with the finishing touches being put on another three, and all five have gone through the process without batting an eyelid. We've broken in the yearlings purely as education before returning them to the paddock, but we've been so encouraged by two in particular, they'll be coming back in shortly to start their first preparation.
We'll put them back out the minute they tell us they've had enough, but I wouldn't be surprised to see our lovely filly out of Rich Esprit racing before Christmas. She is out of the young two-win Bel Esprit mare Rich Esprit, herself a daughter of top juvenile Mill Rich, who won the G3 Magic Night Stakes and ran third in the Golden Slipper behind Flying Spur and Octagonal - so it wouldn't surprise if she ran early!
Zacinto was a seriously talented two-year-old himself, winning his first start by eight lengths at Newmarket, before running greenly at his only other juvenile start in the G2 Champagne Stakes to be beaten a nose. Yet, while his mother was also a Group placed juvenile and his grandmother the Champion 2YO filly in Great Britain, we expect the Zacintos to be coming into their own as spring three-year-olds, just as he did.
In saying this, we do think he has the ability to leave a talented two-year-old, and it's interesting that David Ellis from Te Akau has earmarked the Zacinto colt he bought at Karaka for $100,000 as an early going type.
"This is a lovely colt that I think would make a two year old and we will be aiming him at the Karaka Million," Ellis recently said.