Volatile Mix gave Pentire his 16th individual Group One winner when
winning the Gr.1 South Australian Derby, while three-year-old Shocking gelding Shocking
Luck ran away with the Gr.3 Rough Habit Plate at Doomben on Saturday."They were both strong staying performances. It really is confirmation of what our New Zealand three-year-olds are able to do," Rich Hill Stud Managing Director John Thompson said.
"It's just great to have stallions who can throw those type of horses."
Volatile Mix is the third South Australian Derby winner for Rich Hill Stud's veteran sire Pentire, joining Zarita (2008) and Pantani (2002).
"For Pentire it's just a continuation of the extraordinary ability that the horse has to sire top racehorses. He was relatively lightly raced like a lot of his Group One winners and they can go through the grades and step-up to Group One level when it counts," Thompson said.
"Obviously he's in the twilight of his career, but his statistics are better than they have ever been."
Breeders will have to be on-the-ball if they want their mare served by Pentire next season. Rich Hill Stud has announced it is restricting Pentire's book to just 50 mares.
"If anyone wants to give their mare an opportunity of breeding a Group One horse or getting a filly by a tremendously successful sire, at NZ$10,000 he is a bit of a steal," Thompson said.
Shocking Luck was another horse flying the flag for the Walton-based stud when winning impressively in the Gr.3 Rough Habit Plate.
"It was very timely for Shocking," Thompson said.
"When you have a relatively young stallion you need those big winners in Australia to keep the horse's commercial appeal. For us it is a great result heading into the breeding season."
Rich Hill Stud's weekend was capped off nicely when the Jimmy Choux two-year-old Cosmo Peridot won his 1400m maiden race in Tokyo, Japan.
Cosmo Peridot was bred by Richard and Liz Wood and sold to Japan's Big Red Farm at the 2016 Select Yearling Sale for $210,000.
"That win was huge. This horse is only a two-year-old, he's running against three-year-olds up there," Thompson said.
"He's obviously a really good horse to do that, and if you can open up more buyers coming to New Zealand to buy our horses, that's what we want." – NZ Racing Desk
