Helena's Secret, who died in 2020, has been a terrific producer for Highgrove Stud, with seven winners from seven to the track, highlighted by Group 2-winning sprinter Thronum, the son of Snitzel who is a resident stallion at Widden Victoria.
Cythera, a $420,000 purchase by George Moore Bloodstock and the IRON syndicate at last year's Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, was her final foal and became her second stakes winner when debuting with a classy win in Saturday's Listed 2-year-old race.
Cythera | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
G1 Irish Oaks winner Helen Street, the dam of Champion Australian sire Street Cry (Ire) and grandam of the star global stallion Shamardal (USA), is a pedigree-influence sought the world over and her maternal descendants have included four Group 1 winners and 18 stakes winners.
Among those stakes-winning descendants is Tears I Cry (USA) (Chester House {USA}), who Gilbert purchased for US$735,000 (AU$1.04 million) at the Keeneland November Breeding Sale in 2009.
"She was my first American purchase. She was in foal to Curlin, first season and the plan was when I started to buy some mares in America, to buy them pregnant, and get involved with the American market in selling yearlings," Gilbert told TDN AusNZ.
"That gave me more interest in the stallions out of there. I bought her, foaled her down over there and brought her back. The Curlin filly was put to a nursing mare. She went through the September Yearling Sale and she was the highest-priced Curlin of the year. She made US$700,000 (AU$990,000)."
"The plan was when I started to buy some mares in America, to buy them pregnant, and get involved with the American market in selling yearlings." - Ron Gilbert
A couple of years later, Gilbert was back in Kentucky when Tears I Cry's half-sister, Helena's Secret went through the Keeneland November Sale. He bought her in foal to Eskenderya (USA) for US$200,000 (AU$283,000) and the subsequent filly sold for US$240,000 (AU$340,000).
Her first Australian foal was Thronum, who was sold by Highgrove as a $300,000 Inglis Easter yearling to Sun Stud and who would go on to win the G2 Australia S. and place in a G1 William Reid S. for Lindsay Park before finding a home at stud.
Thronum when racing
Helena's Secret has continued to produce the goods for Highgrove Stud, both commercially, with her Australian yearlings averaging $317,000, and on the track, with every one of them a winner.
Rule Of Law (Snitzel), a one-time $450,000 yearling who has found a new lease of life after being on-sold through Inglis Digital, has been doing the job for the family of late, registering four consecutive victories for trainer Bjorn Baker over the summer.
On Saturday, it was Cythera's turn, becoming the first winner for the IRON syndicate, a revolutionary ownership model based around blockchain technology.
Secret of success
Helena's Secret may have died in 2020, but Highgrove Stud remains involved in that family through Sebring mare Secretly, who produced a Written Tycoon filly last September.
"That win on Saturday was a huge thrill for all of us on the farm," Gilbert said.
"I love that family and I can't get enough of it, with that Helen Street. She's such a powerful mare on pedigrees. Duplicating her has been very successful on a global scale.
"I love that family and I can't get enough of it, with that Helen Street. She's such a powerful mare on pedigrees. Duplicating her has been very successful on a global scale." - Ron Gilbert
"I couldn't be happier having Secretly in foal to Street Boss, which gives me that duplication."
It was another proven genetic combination that produced Cythera as she joined Invincible Spirit's (Ire) Group 1-winning son and Darley shuttle stallion Territories (Ire) as a stakes-winning descendant of Helen Street from that sireline.
Gilbert always held high hopes for Cythera as a yearling, as one of the better types out of Helena's Secret, and it was no great surprise to him that she made quick progress as a stakes winner on debut.
Cythera as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
"I thought she might make a bit more, but I suppose every vendor says that. It was a good price but she was such a beautiful filly," he said.
"She has such great action for a filly. The Mitchell boys tell me that they (I Am Invincibles) don't all walk as well as her. She was a really good moving, big-actioned filly and she has bought it to the races."
Classic timing
The timing of winning graduates is always important and with Highgrove Stud offering seven horses through the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale this week, Cythera's victory was very much welcomed.
"It’s thrilling. It’s such good timing at the start of a sale to get a stakes-winning 2-year-old, to breed one and have sold one," Gilbert said.
"This is where we make our money and you have to get decent money to keep paying all the service fees and bills of course. Runners and winners are the backbone of a farm really.
"This is where we make our money and you have to get decent money to keep paying all the service fees and bills of course. Runners and winners are the backbone of a farm really." - Ron Gilbert
"It's very important that the farm's progeny keep putting them to the fore and winning races. Even better when they are stakes races."
Highgrove Stud sold one lot, an Exceed And Excel colt out of another American mare Simply Spiteful (USA) (Speightstown {USA}) for $180,000 to Gollan Racing and John Foote Bloodstock (FBAA) on Sunday at the Classic Sale and have six further lots to go through the ring over the coming days.
"It’s been very busy and I think we couldn't be happier with the way it's going," Gilbert said. "There are plenty of people here, the Sale has kicked off and I think it’s going along well."
