Surely Sacred is the favourite for Saturday’s Vodafone New Zealand Derby at Ellerslie, in which he will try to avenge the Derby defeat of his sire Rock ‘N’ Pop.

 

Rock ‘N’ Pop finished second in the 2012 Derby to Silent Achiever, whose owner-breeder Kevin Hickman has the second favourite Vernanme in this year’s race.

 

Now a promising stallion at Waikato Stud, Rock ‘N’ Pop was a million-dollar yearling at Karaka and proved himself as one of the best male three-year-olds of his generation with a stunning burst of speed to win the New Zealand 2000 Guineas at Riccarton.

 

But his bid to complete the 2000 Guineas-Derby double came up just short, finishing second behind an exceptional filly. The Roger James-trained Silent Achiever became the first filly to win the Derby in 19 years. Coincidentally, the last filly to do it (in 1993) was Rock ‘N’ Pop’s dam Popsy.

 

At the time of Rock ‘N’ Pop’s Guineas win, Silent Achiever hadn’t even started her racing career. She eventually made her debut at Te Aroha in mid-November of 2011, flying home from near last to finish second over 1400 metres.

 

She easily won a 1600-metre maiden at her next start, then finished third in the Eight Carat Classic on Boxing Day. That was her last defeat on New Zealand soil that season as she strung together wins in the Championship Stakes, Waikato Guineas (beating subsequent Cox Plate winner Ocean Park), Avondale Guineas and Derby.

 

Sent out as the $2.10 favourite for the Derby with rising star jockey James McDonald in the saddle, Silent Achiever was slowly away from the starting gate. She had only two horses behind her as a strung-out field turned into the back straight.

 

But she steadily improved her position from there, and by the point of the home turn she was challenging for the lead.

 

Silent Achiever took over 300 metres from the finish, but briefly looked vulnerable as Rock ‘N’ Pop and the lightly raced Carrick loomed on her outside. But a powerful burst of speed carried Silent Achiever clear, crossing the finish line two and a half lengths in front as a fist-pumping McDonald stood in the saddle.

 

That was the start of a remarkable carnival for McDonald, who also won the Auckland Cup on Shez Sinsational and the Diamond Stakes on Scarlett Lady. What’s more, he was first past the post in the Diamond Stakes on Rollout The Carpet, but was relegated to second for interference.

 

Silent Achiever returned to the Ellerslie March carnival two years later to win the New Zealand Stakes, while her outstanding performances in Australia included victories in the BMW, Ranvet Stakes and Crystal Mile. She also finished third, beaten by a short neck and a half-head, in Adelaide’s 2014 Cox Plate.

 

The O’Reilly mare finished her career with a record of 36 starts for 10 wins, six placings and $3.65 million in prize-money. She has subsequently produced a filly and colt by Frankel and a colt by Galileo.

 

For Rock ‘N’ Pop, it’s up to his best-performed son Surely Sacred to deal to some unfinished Derby business.