Metro Double for Sacred Falls

Media Release - Saturday July 9

Exciting New Zealand-bred gelding Waihaha Falls produced one of the most impressive performances in Australasia on Saturday, outclassing his opposition by almost five lengths in the A$150,000 Bowermans Handicap (1200m) at Randwick.

Waihaha Falls salutes at Randwick in the Waikato Stud colours - image Steve Hart

Trained by John O’Shea for owner-breeders Waikato Stud and Guy and Bridget Lowry, the Sacred Falls gelding headed into Saturday’s race as a smart winner of three of his eight career starts, most recently a three-length romp at Randwick on June 11 – his first start since January.

Saturday proved to be more of the same second-up, with Waihaha Falls living up to his $1.70 favouritism with a spectacular performance.

The four-year-old was patiently ridden by apprentice jockey Reece Jones, settling well back before beginning to advance purposefully out of the pack as the field approached the home turn.

Jones released the brakes in the straight and the race was all over. Waihaha Falls bounded clear to score by four and three-quarter lengths.

“He won that really impressively,” Jones said. “I had to go to Plan B and settle one pair further back than I thought, but then I let him cruise around them and he’s put them to the sword. He’s a horse going places.”

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From nine starts, Waihaha Falls has now picked up four wins, a placing and A$255,300 in stakes, with the promise of much more still to come.

“The horse is flying, and I don’t think he got out of second gear today,” O’Shea stable representative Alex Maher said. “Onwards and upwards from here, hopefully.”

Waihaha Falls is by Sacred Falls out of the Scaredee Cat mare Mink, who herself was a winner from Lowry’s Hastings stable. She later crossed the Tasman to join O’Shea, for whom she collected another two wins and also finished fourth in the Listed Civic Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill in 2012.

Mink is the dam of two winners from three foals to race, with Waihaha Falls’ half-brother Golden Key a five-time winner in Australia and Macau.

Waihaha Falls was one of two impressive metropolitan winners in Australia on Saturday for former Waikato Stud stallion Sacred Falls, whose three-year-old son Duke Of Hastings scored over 2000m at Caulfield. – NZ Racing Desk

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Race Result - Bowermans (Bm88) 1200m

Randwick Track: Heavy(9) Time: 1:13.27
1
Waihaha Falls
- 4g Sacred Falls (NZ) x Think Mink (NZ) (Scaredee Cat (NZ))
Tnr: J A O'Shea Rdr: Reece Jones 52.5
2
4.8
Snippy Fox
- 5m Foxwedge (AUS) x Snippet Street (AUS) (Street Cry (IRE))
Tnr: Joseph Pride Rdr: J Ford 55
3
6.6
Poetic Charmer
- 7g Your Song (AUS) x Hoss Amor (AUS) (General Nediym (AUS))
Tnr: P & P Snowden Rdr: S Clipperton 58.5
4
6.7
Mamaragan
- 4g Wandjina (AUS) x Forbidden (AUS) (General Nediym (AUS))
Tnr: John Thompson Rdr: Brock Ryan 54.5
5
8.6
Sir Kalahad
- 7g All Too Hard (AUS) x Kalamata (AUS) (Desert Prince (IRE))
Tnr: Gavin Bedggood Rdr: Tim Clark 54
6
9.9
Dream Circle
- 5g Dream Ahead (USA) x Courtyard Circle (AUS) (Anabaa (USA))
Tnr: David Payne Rdr: K S Latham 59
7
10.7
Opacity
- 5g Ocean Park (NZ) x Twilight Granita (NZ) (Iffraaj (GB))
Tnr: Joseph Pride Rdr: Rachel King 55.5
8
11.3
Lord Olympus
- 4g Olympic Glory (IRE) x Lady Zabelia (NZ) (Zabeel (NZ))
Tnr: Mark Newnham Rdr: Tyler Schiller 57
9
11.4
El Buena
- 4g Rubick (AUS) x For Lulu (AUS) (Fastnet Rock (AUS))
Tnr: C J Waller Rdr: J R Collett 54
10
22.3
Inn Keeper
- 8g Host (CHI) x Petit Cadeau (AUS) (Kingston Mill (USA))
Tnr: Joseph Pride Rdr: G Schofield 60
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