O’Reilly Colt Races Up To Pedigree On Debut

Heavily-backed debutante Sacred Falls made the best possible start to his career at Ruakaka today. The Tony Pike and Mark Donoghue-trained juvenile justified his strong support with a narrow victory at the first time of asking.

Bred and sold by WS, the two-year-old son of O’Reilly was expected to go close on the strength of his trial form and he duly delivered. He had beaten the subsequent race day winner and Australian stakes performer Saturn Rock at the Cambridge trials in February.

Raced by Raffles Dancers after his $160,000 purchase out of WS’s Premier Sale line-up at Karaka last year, Sacred Falls is out of the Redoute’s Choice mare Iguazu’s Girl. She is a half-sister to the farm’s Gr 3 Thoroughbred Club Stakes winner Splashing Out, who was also runner-up in the Gr 1 Ascot Vale Stakes. Her first foal is the Gr 2 Angus Armanasco Stakes winner Shopaholic.