A $700,000 Easter yearling, Shaft, the imposing son of Champion Sire Flying Spur was a brilliant two-year-old. He is the highest ever rated two-year-old colt by his illustrious sire.
He scored brilliantly on his debut racetrack appearance in the Group 2 Silver Slipper, defeating the top-rated colts Husson Lightning and Murtajill. On his second start, Shaft finished third in the Group 2 Todman Slipper Trial, half a length behind Champion two-year-old Meurice, before contesting the Group 1 Golden Slipper, in which he was beaten only two lengths by his stablemate Forensics.
Shaft is from one of the best families in the Australian Stud Book. His dam Traceable is a daughter of the Champion and four-time G1-winning sprinter, Tracy’s Element. His third dam is the remarkable Princess Tracy, the dam of five high-class Stakes winners and grandam of a further seven Stakes winners.
Darley’s managing director Oliver Tait said: “Shaft was a top two-year-old. Five of his six starts were in Group races and winning a race like the Silver Slipper at his first ever start shows just how talented he was. He’s a great looking horse, he’s by Flying Spur and he’s from a great Australian family. He’ll make a stallion”.
Shaft will stand at a fee of $11,000 inc. GST at Darley, Aberdeen.
