Rivercrest Park freshman Ducimus might have unearthed the good horse every young stallion needs to spur a successful stud career.
Eliteone (Photo / Western Racepix)
His aptly-named 2yo Eliteone stretched out like a galloper going places on debut in the Belmont City Of Opportunity Hcp (1000m) on Saturday. He lit up the gloomy conditions at Ascot after settling a conspicuous last and was still spotting front-runner Sass Machine (Maschino) six lengths at the furlong.
“He’s a beauty and when Holly (Watson) pulled the trigger, he went bang!” trainer Simon Miller declared. “The plan was to let him find his feet and then use that V8 engine. He had been working with our better ones and Pat (Carberry) was after the ride, too.
“He might have one more run before we tip him out. He’s a carnival horse and time will tell us his best distance.
“He has a sprinter’s turn of foot but he could also get over ground being such a leggy type.”
Eliteone (2g Ducimus – Many Secrets by Viscount) was an $80,000 buy from Alwyn Park (as agent) at the 2022 Perth Magic Millions.
The first-up victory was worth $84,540 boosted by Westspeed Platinum bonuses for a syndicate managed by Mario Zito.
“He was a belter as a yearling,” Miller recalled. “I had been impressed with the Ducimus stock on the farms and he could end up being a reasonable bull.”
Rivercrest studmaster Steve Hoare bred and raised Eliteone in the south-west at Stratham and he descends from Most Secret (Bletchley Park) who has a half-dozen Stakes winners under her name headed by Group 1 mare Covertly. His dam Many Secrets has a yearling filly and a weanling colt by Ducimus before having a season off in 2022-23.
Ducimus was the 50th stakes winner by Snitzel when he claimed the LR Talindert Stakes at Flemington in 2017. He was raced by Orbis Bloodstock and they stand him at Rivercrest Park alongside God Has Spoken (Blackfriars).
God Has Spoken has been represented by recent Ascot winners Ghost Who Walks and Justamiddy and also sired Send ‘Em to claim his maiden first-up for Peter Fernie in Kalgoorlie on Sunday.