Allan Sharrock continues to thank his lucky stars that he didn't altogether banish racetrack failure Often from his successful New Plymouth operation.
The multiple Group One-winning trainer quickly realised she had no future as a racing proposition, but had the foresight to retain the O'Reilly mare and the Taranaki horseman and partners have been repaid in spades.
Often was the star of Sharrock's local meeting on Saturday, with her son Justaskme producing a dynamic performance to win his second Listed Opunake Cup (1400m) and his half-brother Mr Didgeridoo claimed the Rating 65 sprint over 1400m.
Sharrock bred and races the pair with his brother Bruce, New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing's chief executive, and former Kiwi rugby league international Tony Kemp.
“Often never raced and without any doubt she was the slowest horse I ever had anything to do with,” he said.
“She is by O'Reilly out of Freequent and obviously a full-sister to the mother of I Do.”
With Waikato Stud, Sharrock co-bred, part-owned and trained I Do to win the Group 1 Makfi Challenge Stakes (1400m) and is continuing to breed from her with the Matamata nursery with Ideal (Savabeel) a three-time winner from six starts for the partnership.
“Often was a lovely, quiet mare and I would gallop her and she would be 200m behind her galloping companion. Thankfully, we bred from her and she's left some really nice horses,” Sharrock said.
“She's in foal to Vadamos for Bruce, Kempy and I and we purchased her daughter Icehouse, who's by Swiss Ace and in foal to Staphanos and left us an Ace High filly so we've got a lot of strands of the family.”
They also include the Montjeu mare Gracie Rose, a half-sister to I Do, who has a juvenile colt by Ocean Park and subsequently a pair of fillies by Ardrossan.
“I Do is in foal to Noverre and I leave that side of it to Mark (Chittick), but I will be intimating to him that we send the mare to Ardrossan, who is going so well,” Sharrock said.
“It's pretty hard to get into him, but if anyone can then obviously it's Mark.
“We've got a bit going on and we also raced this year's Broodmare of the Year Madonna Mia.
“Paul Dombroski and I actually bred the Horse of the Year Lucky Sweynesse, it's still under Luigi Muollo's stud's banner (Novara Park) and Luigi and I go foal for foal.”
By Red Clubs, Madonna Mia won nine races from Sharrock's stable, including the Listed Wanganui Cup (2040m) and is due to foal to Sweynesse again before visiting Savabeel.
Another racing success story for Sharrock has been the Darci Brahma mare Sinarahma, the winner of nine races including the Group 2 Cal Isuzu Stakes (1600m) and the Group 3 Cuddle Stakes (1600m). She is a daughter of Shez Sinsational, a multiple Group One winner for the stable.
“Sinarahma will be foaling shortly to Tarzino and she's going to Satono Aladdin. Bruce, Kempy and I have a third share in her,” he said.
“We've also got Repenting, who is a sister to Shez Sinsational, and she left Our Hail Mary (winner of the Group 3 Trentham Stakes, 2100m) and is due to drop to Tarzino for us.
“I've surrounded myself with six or seven K1 mares, Twoznotenough is another one and she's in foal to Per Incanto, so I've got a few to come and go.
“Gypsy Fair was a Group Three winner (Merial Metric Mile, 1600m) and she's empty at the moment and her first foal by Ocean Park has won a jump-out and goes really well. Mark (Chittick) and I are going foal for foal with her.”
A future broodmare prospect Sharrock also has an ownership interest in is Darci La Bella, who is a dual Group Two winner for him and will be targeting higher honours during the Hawke's Bay spring carnival.