While he may not be the punters pin-up boy, the Chris Waller-trained Shaquero has been an excellent advertisement for Arrowfield Stud's first season stallion Shalaa (IRE).
On the go since capturing the Breeders' Plate in October, Shaquero added Saturday's Group III Pago Pago Stakes at Rosehill to his Magic Millions 2yo Classic triumph.
Ridden by Kerrin Mcevoy, Shaquero threaded the needle between Tristrate and Converge in the straight before holding the perennially unlucky Extreme Choice colt Tiger Of Malay by a short-head with a neck back to the highly promising Maurice (JPN) colt Mazu, a fast-closing third.
It advances the record of Shaquero to three wins and a second from six starts with earnings of $1,372,075.
Chris Waller said the son of Shalaa (IRE) was a different horse on top of the ground and would back up in seven days in the Golden Slipper.
"He’s a decent horse, obviously, and on a better track he’s a different type of horse.
“He was given a perfect ride. It was good to see him settle, and it was good to see him push out and sustain a good gallop. He held off the challengers late.
“He ran a week before the Magic Millions and he does pretty well in between runs. He needs to be kept up to the mark, and he’ll be fitter again in seven days.”
Carrying the familiar white with royal blue hooped sleeves of Neville Morgan, Shaquero was a $160,000 purchase by Mulcaster Bloodstock out of the Fernrigg Farm draft at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
He is a fourth-generation bred by Bob Hannon, being the second winner from three to race out of the Not A Single Doubt mare Fimatino.
The winner of two of her nine starts at Newcastle and Port Macquarie, Fimatino had a filly from the first crop of Hellbent in the Tyreel Stud draft at the Magic Millions. The Racing League purchased her for $360,000.
Fimatino is a half-sister to the Listed Singapore TC Stewards' Cup winner Ghozi (Catbird) and to the dam of the WS Cox Plate winner Shamus Award (Snitzel), out of the Luskin Star mare Finto Fling.
Fimatino has a colt foal by Rubick and was covered by Cosmic Force last spring.
