Hawke’s Bay trainer Vicki Wilson is looking forward to showcasing her stallion Mongolian Falcon at Hastings on Thursday when his son Falcons Diamond makes his debut in the PGG Wrightson Livestock 2YO Maiden (800m).
Mongolian Falcon will stand his third season at Wilson’s farm this coming breeding season and she has been impressed with the offspring of the Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) winner.
“He is in his second season with us and he has got some lovely foals on the ground,” Wilson said.
“He has got some lovely ones coming up and he is a fantastic stallion to work with. I just love the blood. The Fastnet (Rock) blood and the Galileo cross I think is very important.”
From limited racing numbers, Mongolian Falcon has left a number of placegetters and Wilson is hoping Falcons Diamond can get him off the mark with a win this week.
“He is a lovely two-year-old and we have given him a bit of time to mature. He is a lovely, big, strong boy,” Wilson said.
“He (Falcons Diamond) is a beautiful example of the horse (Mongolian Falcon) – very strong, very correct, and has a lovely big gallop. He has got a huge stride and is very relaxed in his gallop.
“He has got a lot of speed, so I think it will be just him learning the tricks of the trade.
“I am probably a bit slow with two-year-olds. I personally don’t like to sit on them myself, I like a certain weight to sit on them and give them time. I think he is really ready now.
“I thought I would give him a nice little run, 800m is a nice first go without making it too tough on them.”
Wilson will also be represented by Red Grande, who will be fresh-up in the Carpet King HB Maiden (2100m).
“Red Grande comes back and we will put him over a bit more distance. He had a superb gallop at the beach on Tuesday morning and is feeling very bright and strong,” she said.
Meanwhile, Wilson is looking forward to bolstering her stallion roster this coming breeding season with Group Two-producing stallion Niagara.
“He is a stallion that has consistently thrown a winner each week, whether that is in Australia or here,” she said.
“He is just a very consistent stallion and is wonderful to work with, which makes our job very easy.
“He is very athletic and throws very good jumpers and I think he has got a very good future.”
Niagara will stand for a fee of $3,000+GST, while Mongolian Falcon will stand for $2,000+GST.
Looking toward the spring, Wilson is excited by a couple of promising youngsters in her care.
“We have got 10 galloping currently and we are just playing with them and seeing what is working,” she said.
“There are some very fast ones there and it is just making sure they are strong enough and they are ready for the sport.”