Star Mare Silent Achiever Retired

11 May 2015

Star Cambridge mare Silent Achiever has joined the list of this season’s high-profile retirees.

The six-year-old daughter of O’Reilly finished 10th of the 15 runners in yesterday’s Gr. 1 Doomben Cup in Brisbane.

The winner of the 2012 New Zealand Derby, Silent Achiever enjoyed her finest campaign in the autumn of 2014 with three successive Group One wins. She followed her New Zealand Stakes win with victories in the Ranvet and BMW during the Sydney autumn.

Silent Achiever also finished a close third behind Adelaide and Fawkner in a thrilling Cox Plate in the spring.

Trainer Roger James has been behind this eight-ball this autumn with the mare failing to win in six starts.

James and owner Kevin Hickman plan to send her to Europe where she will be served to southern hemisphere time by a prominent stallion.

By the late O’Reilly out of Zabeel mare Winning Spree, Silent Achiever goes out with 10 wins from 36 starts and earnings of more than $3.6 million.

“Thanks for all the great messages on the retirement of Silent Achiever,” James tweeted this evening. “I was privileged.”

Source: AAP

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The writing of my Corner started many years ago, motivated by an irritation that I felt needed scratching. It was never my intention to make my commentary regular; neither did I intend to reinvent the direction of racing administration. It is both disappointing and ironical that what should be a simple, straightforward business provides a regular need for comment.

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