Silent Achiever Sounds Group 1 Warning

7 February 2012

Silent Achiever

O’Reilly filly Silent Achiever staked her claim for New Zealand Derby honours at Te Rapa on Saturday with a top-class victory in the Gr 3 Waikato Guineas. The Roger James-trained three-year-old wasn’t originally nominated for the Derby but her defeat of favourite Ocean Park has put her right in the frame for the Ellerslie feature.

“It was a big win and I’ve got huge respect for the second horse, but I said all week I wasn’t going to concede to him,” James said. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in my filly and all credit to her as it was 35 days between runs and she’s still on the improve.”

Silent Achiever, who had claimed the Gr 2 Championship Stakes at Ellerslie at her previous appearance, has now won three of her five starts. Out of the Zabeel mare Winning Spree, she is raced by her Christchurch breeder Kevin Hickman, who also owns and operates the Valachi Downs thoroughbred nursery at Matamata.

Classy Debut Victory For Major Beel’s Brother Savagram

From a pedigree known all too well by the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable, 3yo Savabeel colt Savagram (NZ) kicked off his race career in the best possible way, highlighting himself as a potential black-type performer.

6 August 2026

The Corner with Garry Chittick

It would appear I now have to continue my weekly Corner with the amount of rumblings at the start of our new racing season. I have been around long enough to know we can never please all; my tenure as Chairman of the Racing Board was subjected to as much vitriol as subsequent Boards have had to bear, so what’s different this time, or is it different.