21st Birthday Present Delivers Golden Result in Grafton Cup

Media Release - Friday July 12

A bargain broodmare and a birthday present from Nick and Anne-Marie King to one of their sons produced an outstanding result for Brighthill Farm in Thursday's Listed Grafton Cup (2350m).

Sacred Day - image Darren WinninghamThe race was won by Kiwi stayer Sacred Day, who seized on an inside run at the top of the straight and outfought Sopressa and Vaucluse Bay in a tight three-way battle to the finish. The other New Zealand runner, multiple stakes-winning mare Igraine, was just behind them in fourth.

Sacred Day is trained in Cambridge by Tony Pike for owners Raffles Racing, who bought the son of Azamour from Brighthill's draft at the 2016 Select Yearling Sale at Karaka for $90,000.

Nick and Anne-Marie King paid just $5,000 at the 2012 Sydney Easter Broodmare Sale to buy Sacred Day's dam Top Of The Day, an unraced O'Reilly mare. Then it was over to son Benji.

"It's a really cool story and we're well chuffed," Nick King said. "The dam was a lovely O'Reilly mare who we bought just out of training in Sydney. We really liked her as a type and didn't have to pay very much for her.

"Sacred Day was actually bred by our son Benji, and he was the first foal he's bred entirely on his own. We gave him a nomination to our shuttle stallion Azamour as a 21st birthday present, he chose the mating and bred the foal. He then did all the preparation and put him through the ring at Karaka, selling him for $90,000.

Sacred Day as a yearling at Karaka with breeder Benji King."It's great for Tony Pike as well, who has always told us how highly he's rated this horse. He's been very patient with him and got the reward yesterday."

But the result brought mixed feelings. Top Of The Day died at the age of just eight, having produced only three foals. The other two were both by Dalghar – Lady Dalghar, who won two races, and another filly who fetched $90,000 as a yearling at Karaka last year.

It was also a reminder of what might have been with Azamour, who sadly died in Ireland after only one season shuttling to Brighthill in 2013. His single southern hemisphere crop now features 26 winners from 38 runners, headed by Gr.1 Caulfield Thousand Guineas (1600m) heroine Aloisia and Gr.2 Championship Stakes (2000m) winner Azaboy.

"It's a bit of a double-edged sword, not having the mare any more and with the sad loss of Azamour as well," King admitted.

Advertisement

"His only southern hemisphere crop has been phenomenal. It's a real shame that his time with us was cut short, but it's also vindication for us. We were so sure that we'd selected the right sort of stallion for this part of the world, and that's proven to be the case."

But there is a bright side at Brighthill, with Sir Peter Vela's high-class performer (He's) Eminent joining the roster this season alongside the proven performers Perfectly Ready and Dalghar and the stellar stayer Preferment, whose oldest progeny will be yearlings next season.

"Both Preferment and Eminent are giving us a lot to be excited about," King said. "Preferment might also prove to be in that Azamour mould, he's a lovely type of a horse and showed so much ability on the track. We're very excited about his progeny and think he's going to be a great chance at stud.

"Eminent's a very recent development, and it was very exciting to be asked to stand him at stud for Sir Peter Vela and the team.

"It's great that these sorts of connections are putting their faith in us. Sir Peter Vela is obviously a huge name in New Zealand breeding circles, while on the other hand a lot of Preferment's owners weren't necessarily breeding people but just loved the horse so much and were keen to stay involved with him in partnership with us.

"There's a lot to look forward to, and we think we've got some great firepower to work with along the road ahead." NZ Racing Desk

Advertisment
More Reading...
Undefeated 3YO King of Light Wins Listed Belgravia
Dan Morton's exciting three year old King Of Light (Earthlight) remains unbeaten in three starts, as the gelding graduated to stakes company with a scintillating first up victory in the Listed Belgravia Stakes on Cox Plate Day at Ascot.
Sires With Winners - Friday October 24
Here is the full list of 60 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Doubtland 2YO All On Red Smashes Them Again at Ascot
Widden Stud's Doubtland has a potential 2YO topliner in Perth in the shape of exciting WA colt All On Red, who remains undefeated from two starts after another comprehensive Ascot Saturday win.
Sires With Winners - Saturday October 25
Here is the full list of 136 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Second Wootton Bassett Son Added to Coolmore Stallion Roster for 2026
Set to join Camille Pissarro as the second G1 winning son of Wootton Bassett on the stallion roster for Ireland in 2026 is Henri Matisse, who this time last year was about to claim his first G1 victory at the Breeders Cup meeting at Del Mar.
Pedigree Watch - Powerhouse Godolphin 3YOs Dominate
The current crop of three year-olds running for Godolphin lay claim to being the best they have ever produced in Australia and three of those colts won Group races in Australia on Saturday so let’s take a look at those pedigrees.
A Century of NZB National Yearling Sales Success: Cox Plate
Moonee Valley’s A$6m Group One WS Cox Plate (2040m) is known as the weight-for-age championship of Australasia and has been won by many of Australia and New Zealand’s greatest thoroughbreds.
Hi Yo Sass Bomb Wins G3 on Sunday
Kim Reid bypassed a Group One in favour of Sunday’s Gr.3 Gee and Hickton Funeral Directors Thompson Handicap (1600m) at Trentham with Hi Yo Sass Bomb, a decision that paid dividends when the mare led from the outset to claim her third stakes success.
Sale Cup Winner Adds to Fastnet Rock Super Weekend
It’s been quite the weekend for the late great champion sire Fastnet Rock with a Cox Plate quinella on Saturday and then on Sunday he produced a new stakes-winner when seven year-old gelding El Rocko captured the $200,000 Listed Sale Cup (1600m).
Early Return Home for Cogburn
Group I winning Not This Time son Cogburn (USA) will return to WinStar Farm in Kentucky earlier than planned after disappointing fertility results during his first Australian covering season at Widden Stud.