Cover image from The Oaks Stud website
Fourteen years on, Catalyst (NZ) has followed in his father Darci Brahma (NZ)'s footsteps – proving his 3-year-old supremacy with a dominant performance in New Zealand’s first classic of the season.
The exciting gelding was a $1.20 favourite for the 2000 Guineas following spectacular victories in the G2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas and G3 Northland Breeders’ S. in his two lead-up runs, and he well and truly lived up to expectations.
Catalyst couldn’t quite match Darci Brahma’s 4l winning margin in the 2000 Guineas of 2005, but his performance was no less impressive. The runaway G1 Al Basti Equiworld New Zealand 2000 Guineas victor will now head for a break following his fourth win on the bounce with autumn plans for him to chase the richer purses in Australia.
Catalyst was the subject of a $2.5 million sale in September, but was declined by the Queensland-based Karreman who decided some time back that the not for sale signs were up on the best of his racing team.
“Dick loves his racing and he made his mind up a while ago he wants to race good horses,” The Oaks Stud’s General Manager Rick Williams said.
“I really rated some of them, especially Catalyst, and we decided to hold on to them and try them rather than sell them. Dick is in a position where he can do it and I know it’s big money for Catalyst, especially being a gelding, but if he sells him he might not find another one as exciting.
“Dick got so many thrills out of racing Seachange and he’s got a chance to relive some of those thrills with Catalyst.”
“Dick got so many thrills out of racing Seachange and he’s got a chance to relive some of those thrills with Catalyst.” – Rick Williams
A dual New Zealand Horse of the Year and seven-time Group 1 winner, Seachange was bred by Karreman and went on to perform creditably when competing in Australia, Dubai and England.
Her first Group 1 success came in the 2005 G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas, the Riccarton feature Karreman also won 10 years later with Risque (NZ).
She was a daughter of Darci Brahma (NZ) and he also had a share in the 2005 G1 NZ 2000 Guineas winner, who later retired to his Cambridge farm.
Seven time Group 1 winner, Seachange
His exciting son Catalyst was a little tardily away in the Guineas and settled three back on the fence before he shouldered clear 400 metres from and exploded away to romp home.
Harlech (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}) finished second with Sherwood Forest (Fastnet Rock) taking third from Run To Perfection (Sepoy).
“He still looks unfurnished to me, he’s a freak of a horse,” Williams said. “We bred the quinella so I’m rapt. We haven’t planned for the autumn yet, this was his grand final, but he’ll race almost exclusively in Australia.”
“He still looks unfurnished to me, he’s a freak of a horse.” – Rick Williams
Catalyst is trained by former jumps jockey Clayton Chipperfield, who felt an overwhelming sense of relief after the Guineas.
“I’m glad that’s over, he’s been all the talk for the last three months,” he said. “It’s a lot of stress and I can go and relax now.
Darci Brahma (NZ), sire of Catalyst (NZ)
“It’s a good, long straight here and as soon as he got out it was all over. It was phenomenal and that’s what superstars do.”
Chipperfield indicated that Catalyst will remain in the South Island for a spell before returning to his Te Awamutu stable to prepare for the autumn. He is unlikely to do much future racing in New Zealand, with connections’ eyes firmly on Australia.
Troy Harris has been Catalyst’s regular rider and he said the result was never in doubt.
“I’m just the passenger, the lucky guy that gets to ride him,” he said. “I was never going to lead, you can ride him anywhere and win. He travelled almost too well and when he got out, he went boom.
"You could go out and have a drink with him on a Saturday night, he’s that cool.” - Troy Harris
“He’s just one of the guys. You could go out and have a drink with him on a Saturday night, he’s that cool.”
A big horse for Darci
Catalyst’s sire Darci Brahma (NZ) has achieved an unprecedented feat. Since the inception of the New Zealand 2000 Guineas in 1973, no other horse has won the 2000 Guineas as both a racehorse and sire.
Runner-up Harlech also did his bit to put Darci Brahma’s name in lights, completing a remarkable quinella for a stallion who stands for a service fee of NZ$15,000 at The Oaks Stud.
Darci Brahma himself was a $1.1 million purchase by David Ellis at the New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale a decade and a half ago, and the well-bred son of Danehill (USA) won five Group 1 races in a 19-start career.
A quiet achiever among New Zealand’s stallion ranks, Darci Brahma has sired 443 winners from 610 runners, including 42 individual stakes winners.
Catalyst is his 10th individual Group 1 winner, joining the likes of Australian Oaks winner Gust of Wind (NZ), star Hong Kong sprinter D B Pin (NZ) and seven other Group 1 winners in New Zealand.
A son of the Entrepreneur (GB) mare Evana (NZ), Catalyst is from a family that has served The Oaks so well with other family members including the G1 Otaki Maori WFA S. winner Devise (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}), the multiple Group 2 winning daughter Zurella (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}), and the Group 3 winner Diamond Deck (Octagonal).
The third dam is Shadea (NZ) (Straight Strike {USA}), who produced the former Australian Horse of the Year and multiple Group 1 winner and producer Lonhro, his dual top-flight winning brother Niello and their sister Shanarra, who won a brace of Listed races.
