Darci Brahma
Encyclopedia
Darci Brahma is a New Zealand
thoroughbred colt
foaled in 2002 at Pencarrow Stud near Cambridge
in New Zealand. He was auctioned at the New Zealand Bloodstock Ltd Yearling Sales in January 2004 and acquired by a syndicate of ten investors for the sum of NZ$1.1 million.
for his early education, Darci Brahma quickly established a reputation as a potential star in the making winning his first race (January 2005) on debut, following that up with a strong win in the Listed Ford Fairview Slipper Stakes at Matamata in February and then running 2nd to Mi Jubilee in the Group One Ellerslie Sires Produce Stakes at Ellerslie
in March.
Darci Brahma was sent to Australia
in June 2005 where he contested two races at Eagle Farm, Brisbane
, finishing a creditable 4th over 1400 metres in the Queensland Sire Produce Stakes and then winning the Group One T J Smith
over 1600 metres producing a withering run from last on the turn to win by a length.
These performances were sufficient to see Darci Brahma awarded the New Zealand Two Year Old of the Year Award for the 2004–05 racing season
(1600 metres) at Riccarton in November, winning this event by four lengths.
After a spell, Darci Brahma tackled the older horses for the first time in the Group One Waikato Draught Sprint at Te Rapa
in February 2006 where he was beaten into 2nd place by proven Weight For Age galloper Kristov. Three weeks later Darci Brahma turned the tables on Kristov by winning the Group One Otaki-Maori WFA (1600 metres).
He then travelled to Australia where he finished a creditable 2nd to Apache Cat in the Group One Australian Guineas at Flemington
, 4th in the Group 2 Phar Lap Stakes at Rosehill
and at his first attempt over distance finished 8th in the Group One Rosehill Guineas (2000 metres) at Rosehill.
Brought back to New Zealand to ready him for racing as a four year old, Darci Brahma was awarded the title of Three Year Old of The Year Award at the Mercedes Thoroughbred Awards evening in September 2006.
Resuming in the summer, Darci Brahma won the Group 1 Telegraph Stakes at Trentham followed by the Group 1 Waikato Draught Sprint, giving him a total of five Group 1 wins.
Bred in the purple with outstanding bloodlines on both his paternal and maternal sides of the family, Darci Brahma retired to the Oaks stud in Cambridge with a stud fee of $30,000.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
thoroughbred colt
Colt (horse)
A colt is a young male horse, under the age of four. The term "colt" is often confused with foal, which refers to a horse of either sex under one year of age....
foaled in 2002 at Pencarrow Stud near Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
in New Zealand. He was auctioned at the New Zealand Bloodstock Ltd Yearling Sales in January 2004 and acquired by a syndicate of ten investors for the sum of NZ$1.1 million.
2004–2005 season
Sent to trainer Mark Walker of Te Akau Racing Stables near MatamataMatamata
Matamata is a rural Waikato town in New Zealand with a population of around 12,000 . It is located near the base of the Kaimai Ranges, and is a thriving farming area known for Thoroughbred horse breeding and training pursuits...
for his early education, Darci Brahma quickly established a reputation as a potential star in the making winning his first race (January 2005) on debut, following that up with a strong win in the Listed Ford Fairview Slipper Stakes at Matamata in February and then running 2nd to Mi Jubilee in the Group One Ellerslie Sires Produce Stakes at Ellerslie
Ellerslie, New Zealand
Ellerslie is a suburb of the city of Auckland, New Zealand. It is seven kilometres to the southeast of the city centre, close to State Highway 1...
in March.
Darci Brahma was sent to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in June 2005 where he contested two races at Eagle Farm, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, finishing a creditable 4th over 1400 metres in the Queensland Sire Produce Stakes and then winning the Group One T J Smith
The T J Smith
The T J Smith is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race for 2 year olds first run in 1897 as the Claret Stakes. It is run over a distance of 1600 metres at Eagle Farm Racecourse, Brisbane in June...
over 1600 metres producing a withering run from last on the turn to win by a length.
These performances were sufficient to see Darci Brahma awarded the New Zealand Two Year Old of the Year Award for the 2004–05 racing season
2005–2006 season
After being turned out for a well earned rest, Darci Brahma resumed racing as a Three Year old in the 2005–06 season when he downed Dr Green in the Group 2 Hawkes Bay Guineas over 1400 metres in an Australasian record time of 1:19.97, following this up with further wins in the Group 2 Wellington Guineas (1500 metres) in October and the Group One New Zealand 2000 GuineasNew Zealand 2000 Guineas
The 2000 Guineas is a set-weights Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses run over a distance of 1600 m at Riccarton Park in Christchurch, New Zealand...
(1600 metres) at Riccarton in November, winning this event by four lengths.
After a spell, Darci Brahma tackled the older horses for the first time in the Group One Waikato Draught Sprint at Te Rapa
Te Rapa
Te Rapa is a mixed light industrial, large scale retail and semi-rural suburb to the northwest of central Hamilton, New Zealand.Stretching in a long, thin north-south axis, Te Rapa is home to a large number of factories including Te Rapa Dairy Factory, one of the largest of its kind in the world...
in February 2006 where he was beaten into 2nd place by proven Weight For Age galloper Kristov. Three weeks later Darci Brahma turned the tables on Kristov by winning the Group One Otaki-Maori WFA (1600 metres).
He then travelled to Australia where he finished a creditable 2nd to Apache Cat in the Group One Australian Guineas at Flemington
Flemington Racecourse
Flemington Racecourse is a major horse racing venue located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is most notable for hosting the Melbourne Cup, which is Australia's richest horse race. The racecourse is situated on low alluvial flats, next to the Maribyrnong River...
, 4th in the Group 2 Phar Lap Stakes at Rosehill
Rosehill Gardens Racecourse
The Rosehill Gardens Racecourse is located in the Western Sydney suburb of Rosehill, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is home of the Sydney Turf Club. Rosehill holds horse races for thoroughbred gallopers on a grass surface. It is one of the two premier racecourses in Sydney, the...
and at his first attempt over distance finished 8th in the Group One Rosehill Guineas (2000 metres) at Rosehill.
Brought back to New Zealand to ready him for racing as a four year old, Darci Brahma was awarded the title of Three Year Old of The Year Award at the Mercedes Thoroughbred Awards evening in September 2006.
2006–2007 season
Darci Brahma started his 4 year old career in the first two races of the Hawkes Bay Triple Crown, finishing second to eventual Horse Of The Year Seachange in both races. His only other start in that campaign was a sixth in the Toorak Handicap at Caulfield.Resuming in the summer, Darci Brahma won the Group 1 Telegraph Stakes at Trentham followed by the Group 1 Waikato Draught Sprint, giving him a total of five Group 1 wins.
Retirement
Days after his Waikato Draught Sprint win Darci Brahma injured himself in a workout and was announced retired.Bred in the purple with outstanding bloodlines on both his paternal and maternal sides of the family, Darci Brahma retired to the Oaks stud in Cambridge with a stud fee of $30,000.