He has big shoes to fill as a half-brother to a $12million earner, but there is no secret about his ability!
Promising three year old King's Secret (Shalaa x Confidential Queen) recorded his second win from only five starts at Rosehill yesterday over 1100m.
Relishing the heavy ground, the Joe Pride trained gelding went to the post untroubled ahead of the filly Codetta (Nicconi) with Ellipsis (Written Tycoon) in third.
King's Secret is a half brother to the Pride stable's gifted and durable sprinter miler Private Eye (Al Maher) and like him was a Proven Thoroughbreds / Pride Thoroughbred yearling purchase.
Private Eye though now a 7yo retains plenty of zest for racing and has earned almost $12m from his 47 lifetime starts to date - the G1 Epsom Hcp winner and dual Everest placed warrior has placed in a further four G1s and has been in the money in 11 stakes races overall.
Not a bad return on a $62,500 purchase price!
King's Secret was a $100,000 buy at the 2023 Inglis Easter from the draft of Goodwood Farm.
From his five starts he has two wins, has never been unplaced, has already banked $152,875 and is giving every indication of a very successful career to come.
King's Secret is the fourth foal of Confidential Queen who was a savvy $13,000 Inglis Broodmare Select Sale pickup in 2015 by Goodwood Farm, who have bred all her foals.
The daughter of mighty Shamardal was unplaced in her three race starts but she had the pedigree to become a top producer and so she has proved to be.
Her four foals to race are all winners - Royal Witness (g by Star Witness, 6 wins, over $400k), Private Eye and his full brother Secret Spy (2 wins) and King's Secret.
Still to make her race debut is Confidential Queen's fifth foal and her first filly, a full sister to King's Secret named Confidentiality, The two year old is also with Pride and recently placed in a Warwick Farm trial before being spelled.
In 2023 the mare missed to the cover of Farnan but last year she foaled another daughter, this one by Darley’s superstar Anamoe and she is back in foal to him.
Confidential Queen is a grand daughter of Snippets Lass by Snippets, and thus a member of one of Australia's best producing families whose flag bearer is the champion and increasingly influential sire Snitzel by Redoute's Choice.
Its matriarch is Snow Finch by the great Storm Bird.
It's a family defined above all by precocious speed and class.
Confidential Lass is out of Royal Snippets by Royal Academy, a 2 x winning half sister to Snitzel, and to successful sire Hinchinbrook (Fastnet Rock), to Snitzel's full sister Viennese (stakes winner, dual stakes producer) and to Wiener (More Than Ready) stakes placed and dam of G1 Epsom Hcp hero Redeiner.
To the cover of Redoute's Choice Royal Snippets foaled stakes placed Kings Troop, at stud in Western Australia.
Her grand dam Snow Finch was a Listed winner of the Orby Stakes at two in Ireland and has founded a dynasty in Australia through her daughters.
A recent family member in the headlines is the exciting Skybird (G1 Lightning Stakes, G2 Moonee Valley Fillies Classic) by the Lonhro son Exosphere out of Real Desire (Wanted) another grand daughter of Snow Finch.
Going back to Confidential Queen, she is bred 5f x 3m to Blue Hen Crimson Saint, dam of Royal Academy by Nijinsky and of Terlingua - dam of Storm Cat by Storm Bird, both among the greatest of Northern Dancer sons.
Thus she is 4m x 4f to Storm Bird himself - her sire Shamardal being tail male to Storm Cat through his greatest son Giant's Causeway.
Storm Bird, Storm Cat and the mare Crimson Saint have all been successful linebreeding subjects for many years.
Turning to King's Secret’s damsire Shamardal it is interesting that he is primarily a source of speed in this role.
The great stallion who died in 2020 is well established as one of the breedshapers of the modern era and goes from strength to strength as a sire of sires who get winners over all distances.
The former Champion 2-Year-Old of Europe’s own precocity lives on most notably through his daughters, with the vast majority of their stakes winning progeny successful up to 1400m.
Danzig sons Green Desert and Danehill have been his most successful nicks, one key factor in the choice of Shalaa as mate for Confidential Queen.
Shalaa is bred 3m x 3m Danzig via Green Desert and War Chant, and to Blue Hen Doubly Sure (2-0) 4m x 4m via her champion sire sons Kris and Diesis by Sharpen Up by Atan (2-f). He also is bred 3m x 3m Sir Gaylord (2-s).
Little wonder that Shalaa's best nicks are Shamardal and his half brother Street Cry, who are of course linebred to Blue Hens and half sisters Natalma and Cosmah (2-d).
King's Secret own damline through Storm Finch is 2-c.
And like Shalaa the above sires boast pedigrees which are heavily loaded with lines going back to the immortal Turn-To - especially significant for him as he is a descendant of that great progenitor's wider family.
All in all, the pedigree of King's Secret reads:
5m,5m x 5m Northern Dancer
4m,4m x Danzig
5m,5m x Sharpen Up
X5m,5f Storm Bird
X5m, 5m Doubly Sure
As the old breeder's saying goes, breed like to like, not only with key ancestors themselves, but key patterns of similarity and attributes.
Shalaa - like Shamardal, Royal Academy and Snippets was a great juvenile - the Champion 2Y0 of GB and France in 2015.
Since being sold and relocating from Arrowfield ( who retain breeding rights) to Woodside Park in Victoria in 2023 the stallion has hit prime form.
His first Australian G1 winner came when his son Mornington Glory took the 2024 Moir Stakes 1000m at Moonee Valley having earlier placed in the Oakleigh Plate and he currently has six stakes winner this season (1 G1) and five stakes placed performers.
With stakes winners in Australia, Ireland, France, USA, Hong Kong and Japan the stallion has proven his ability to work well with many bloodlines.
As a dual G1 winner at two It was expected that Shalaa would sire extremely fast, classy juveniles and he has certainly fulfilled that expectation, although it's becoming obvious that his progeny will not only be competitive well beyond their juvenile year but are likely to improve - and some of his best have not raced at two.
The Shalaas are winning-minded horses and a high percentage of them are metro class gallopers and they usually inherit their sires good looks and importantly, his good nature and professional attitude.
Shalaa has been strongly supported by Victorian breeders and there's no doubt his progeny’s success this season will ensure another quality book of mares for the twelve year old son of Invincible Spirit.
The Woodside Park roster is an impressive line-up.
Alongside Shalaa stand proven sires Foxwedge, Rich Enuff and Vancouver, beautifully bred Frankel son Delaware, and exciting new boys on the block Benbatl (Dubawi) and Celestial Legend (Dundeel)
With established stakes performers aiming for upcoming Spring riches, progressive types like King's Secret emerging on the scene and some very well bred foals on the way, Woodside Park are offering breeders great value setting the 2025 fee for Shalaa at $19,800.
