Stylish Secret’s victory in the A$80,000 DCE Handicap (2000m) at Caulfield on Saturday lifted his career earnings to A$398,525 – an outstanding return on the New Zealand-bred gelding’s purchase price of just $2,300 on Gavelhouse.com.
Saturday’s Benchmark 84 handicap was the fifth win of a 22-start career for the son of Sweet Orange, whose first two victories came in 2024 over 1500m at Sandown and 1800m at Flemington. His last three successes have all been at Caulfield – over 2400m on July 26 last year, 2400m again on January 31, and over 2000m on Saturday.
Stylish Secret was ridden by Luke Cartwright on Saturday and jumped well from the outside gate in a field of seven. Cartwright initially looked like pushing forward to try to take up a handy position, but then changed tack and eased back to settle at the tail of the field after the first 400m.
Cartwright got him rolling forward again before the turn, and Stylish Secret had slid up into third by the time the field straightened for home.
He slowly but surely moved up alongside the leaders Xtra Rush and Foujita San down the straight, hitting the front in the very last stride and winning by a half-head.
“He’s just so tactically versatile,” Cartwright said. “You can have him wherever you want and he always goes out and gives you 110%, and today that’s exactly what he did.
“I wanted to roll forward, because I didn't think there was going to be a lot of speed early, but they went a nice clip so I was able to tuck in behind them. He settled beautifully.
“He doesn’t lay in or lay out, he goes pretty much as straight as an arrow.
“I wasn’t sure if we were going to pick them up, but he loves a photo finish, this fella.”
Mornington trainer Mick Nolan is keen to give Stylish Secret a crack at a black-type feature on his home track on April 18.
“I don’t deserve much credit for this horse, he’s pretty easy to train,” he said. “He loves this place, though, doesn’t he?
“We happen to live in Mornington, and there’s a race down there called the Mornington Cup (Listed, 2400m) in April. We thought we might target that and give him a couple of 2000m runs to try to get there.”
Stylish Secret was purchased in New Zealand by part-owner Helen Thomas off Gavelhouse.com as a weanling for just $2,300.
A highly-acclaimed journalist, broadcaster and author, Thomas was on the hunt for a staying type and sought the advice of long-time friend, the late Deane Lester, one of Australia’s most respected form students, who approved of the pedigree, which includes six-win half-brother Unseen Ruler.
“Deane (Lester) did suggest that I have a look on Gavelhouse because it is a really great website to find horses, particularly broodmares and young horses,” Thomas said.
“I jumped on and lot number one was this happy, little horse – he looked like a bit of a ragamuffin as a weanling.
“He was by Sweet Orange out of a Savabeel mare called Scarlett Secret and bred and raised at Windsor Park Stud.
“Daqiansweet Junior by Sweet Orange was doing really well at the time, and I thought, here’s a horse that is certainly bred to be a middle-distance horse, if not a fully-fledged stayer and wouldn’t it be good to grow him up and have a bit of a fun with him.
“A month or two after I bought him, his half-brother won a trial and was sold to Australia and that’s Unseen Ruler (winner of six races).” – NZ Racing Desk.
