Although he may never reach the heights of his older half-brother Private Eye, a Group 1 winner and earner of more than $12m to date, connections of King’s Secret (Shalaa) are sure to have plenty of their own fun with the 3yo gelding winning at Rosehill on Saturday.
With three wins and three placed efforts from seven starts, his only failure came last start when fifth, but a post-race veterinary examination revealed King’s Secret pulled up with the thumps, which could be attributed to his poor effort.
From barrier 8 in the 11 horse field, jockey Andrew Adkins was forced to race slightly wide in the run, but this didn’t appear to pose any issues as King’s Secret was full of running rounding the home turn.
As race leader Formal (Exceed And Excel) was starting to show signs that he’d had enough, Adkins was still a few lengths off the lead but was starting to work home strongly.
Just as King’s Secret hit the lead, Ciaron Maher’s multiple stakes placed Trapeze Artist gelding Spywire was searching for a run closer to the inside, and while it did look as if he would challenge King’s Secret once he got out, the Joe Pride trained gelding held a winning margin on the line.
Bred by Kerrie Tibbie’s Goodwood Farm, King’s Secret was secured by Jamie Walter’s Proven Thoroughbreds and trainer Joe Pride for $100,000 from the Inglis Easter yearling sale, a little more than the $62,500 the duo paid for Private Eye (also bred by Goodwood Farm), at the Magic Millions Adelaide yearling sale four years earlier.
King’s Secret is the fourth foal of Shamardal mare Confidential Queen, who Tibbie had purchased for just $13,000 from the Widden Stud draft at the 2015 Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale when in foal to Star Witness.
The current 2yo out of Confidential Queen is a full-sister to King’s Secret named Confidentiality, with it being of no surprise to see that the filly is in the stable of Pride. Racing for her breeders, the filly was passed in at the 2024 Inglis Easter yearling sale after to failing to reach her $500,000 reserve.
Confidential Queen produced a filly by Darley’s Champion Anamoe (Street Boss) last spring in his first season at stud and is currently in foal to the very same stallion.
You often find that some yearling buyers love to go back to the well so to speak, and that relationship between Goodwood Farm and Pride/Walter was also at play a few weeks back with 4yo mare In Flight (Flying Artie) taking her earnings soaring past $680,000 after recording consecutive Listed victories for her connections.
With Shalaa set to embark on covering his third season at Victoria’s Woodside Park Stud after his transfer from interstate a few years back, the son of Invincible Spirit is the sire of 19 stakes winners, and will stand at a fee of $19,800 (inc. GST) in the spring.
