Cover image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
Here to Shock has earnt connections over $1 million in stakes in just his past two starts, with victories in the G3 Cameron H. (1500 metres) and most recently in the rich Alan Brown S. (1400 metres) at Rosehill on Saturday.
Racing in Slade Bloodstock’s famous colours, Here to Shock stalked the speed under Nash Rawiller before powering to the front and fighting off the well-fancied Gringotts (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) in the shadows of the post to claim his 11th and most lucrative win, pocketing a whopping $870,000 for his owners and taking his career earnings to $1.92 million.
“He’s in career best form,” co-trainer Ben Hayes said after the race. “It’s so good for the ownership group. He’s just been an absolute superstar; the horse and we couldn’t be happier.”
The son of Melbourne Cup hero Shocking was a very modest purchase from the Cambridge Stud yearling draft at Karaka in 2019 and adds another success story to Slade Bloodstock who have raced top horses such as Alinghi (Encosta De Lago) and Moment Of Change (Barley a Moment) over the years.
“Everyone was very excited,” Managing director of Slade Bloodstock, Rob Slade said.
“I bought two horses from Karaka at that sale within half an hour of each other, Here To Shock and So Risqué, with the Hayes boys as well and he is also a metropolitan winner and didn’t cost too much.
“Certainly, they are the sort of horses worth looking at in New Zealand.
Rob Slade | Image courtesy of Slade Bloodstock
Despite showing enough talent early on to contest the top 3-year-old races, Here to Shock has continued to improve season on season. He broke through for his maiden stakes success as a 5-year-old in the Listed Golden Mile (1600 metres) at Bendigo before claiming the G3 Victoria H. (1400 metres) and G3 BRC Sprint (1350 metres) as a 6-year-old; now as a 7-year-old he has claimed back-to back wins in the G3 Cameron H. and $1.5 million Alan Brown S.
“He’s always been a promising horse and always shown a lot of ability all the way through,” Slade said.
“He’s just turned seven but he is very lightly raced. I think he has got to where he should be now.
“We had a massive wrap on him early but he was probably just a little mentally immature and a bit fierce in his races but he’s always had a lot of ability. The boys applied the earmuffs and that’s been the key to him and he’s a lot more mature.
“We had a massive wrap on him (Here To Shock) early but he was probably just a little mentally immature and a bit fierce in his races but he’s always had a lot of ability.” - Rob Slade
“We planned this a little while out. I have to give full credit to Dom Rhoden at Lindsay Park. He’s come back in terrific form. He’s now qualified for the Big Dance which are the three races we set up for him.
Here To Shock is out of Lonhro mare Frescoes, who has also produced New Zealand Listed winner Turn The Ace (Turn Me Loose {NZ}). She is a three-quarter sister to G1 Patinack Farm Classic winner Mental (Lonhro) and Listed placegetter Kisani (Viscount). However, Here To Shock’s tenacity and will to win may come from further down the pedigree page. His grandam is a three-quarter sister to the great Freemason (Grand Lodge {USA}), who famously upset champion Northerly (Serheed {USA}) in a two-horse duel down the Rosehill straight in the 2003 BMW (2400 metres).
Not dissimilar to Freemason, jockey Nash Rawiller indicted that Here To Shock had to dig deep to get over line when Gringotts loomed outside them.
“He travelled really well,” Rawiller said. “You want to build your momentum knowing you’re probably going to be left in front there a long way from home. And he didn’t really want to go on with it either, he sort of felt his job was done a bit. But what I loved was once Gringotts got to him he was there for the fight.
“Although he was lost in front, when he needed to, he found when the chips were down.”
“Although he (Here To Shock) was lost in front (in the Alan Brown S.), when he needed to, he found when the chips were down.” - Nash Rawiller
Quite remarkably, a 5 per cent share in Here To Shock went to auction online on Inglis Digital only nine days prior to the gelding claiming his first win this preparation at Newcastle after finishing runner-up to Another Wil (Street Boss {USA}) at Caulfield. The share was passed in for $16,000, which if taken, would have already yielded the lucky owner a return somewhere in the vicinity of $50,000.
Here To Shock will now be aimed at the $3 million The Big Dance (1600 metres) at Randwick on November 5.
“He’s qualified for the Big Dance so we may as well try him,” Hayes said. “The mile is a slight question mark but he’s in good form and if he gets the right run, he can be very competitive in a race like that.”
Shocking stands at Rich Hill Stud in New Zealand at a fee NZ$12,500 (plus GST), with his progeny earning well over NZ$37 million.
Shocking | Standing at Rich Hill Stud
“I’ve got a bit of wrap on Shocking as a stallion, we’ve bought another couple of the way through since,” Slade said. “He’s a damn good stallion.”
Another horse to fly the New Zealand Bloodstock banner high over the weekend was Antino (NZ) (Redwood {GB}) who captured his first Group 1 victory in the Toorak H. at Caulfield after a masterful ride by champion jockey Blake Shinn.
Antino had gone agonisingly close to winning at the elite-level a couple of times, including when beaten a nose in last year’s edition of the race behind Attrition (Churchill {Ire}) however, made sure of victory this time with an emphatic 6.5l demolition of his opposition.
“He's been destined to win a Group 1 and it's just been a matter of when and to win it like that,” trainer Tony Gollan said. “It was so close last year, I thought he was just a run short.
“This year I knew I had him, as good as we've ever had him and it was just a matter of luck on the day and he took that into his own hands and got the job done.”
Like the Group 1 Epsom H. winner last week Ceolwulf (NZ), Antino was purchased at the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale. He was secured at a bargain price of just NZ$27,000 by Ramchandani under his New Balance Racing banner from the draft of Cheltenham Stables.
Antino (NZ) as a 2-year-old | Image courtesy of New Zealand Bloodstock
Antino’s record now stands at 11 wins from 21 starts, with prizemoney of over $1.6 million.
The 2024 Ready to Run Sale will take place at Karaka on November 20 and 21, with selling starting at 11am local time each day. Breeze Ups will be held at Te Rapa Racecourse on October 21 and 22.
