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 seen Zacinto’s reputation further enhanced 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% 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.”
“We have bred over 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.”
And the record is exceptional indeed, starting at a $5,000 service fee in 2012, Zacinto has already left five stakes winners from just 57 runners (8.8%), the tally of course includes the G1 NZ 2000 Guineas winner Ugo Foscolo who has been ‘put away for the Melbourne spring’ after his reassuring come back win last month.
Other youngsters by Zacinto to impress are the juvenile stakes winners Zigwig and Secret Allure, while last month saw the stallion post his second Flemington stakes winner of the season after Vassilator’s Listed ANZAC Day Stakes win was added to Odeon’s win on Melbourne Cup Day.
And it was Vassilator that was at it again just last Saturday, the Zacinto colt now being touted as a legitimate Caulfield Guineas contender in the spring after another dominant juvenile win at Flemington.
“It’s a big move for Valachi to enter the stallion game,” added Scully. “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’re just about to announce a really exciting new stallion for the stud.
“I’ve been waiting for a horse like this new guy for three seasons now and have actually been chasing him for nearly 12 months, so 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).
Contact Jonathan Scully on 027 531 4848 or jonathan.scully@valachidowns.co.nz