Kevin Hickman has left a lasting mark on New Zealand’s breeding industry, with the recent success of sensational filly Pivotal Ten an embodiment of his vision at Valachi Downs.
A daughter of Ten Sovereigns, Pivotal Ten has been unbeaten in her last five starts for trainer-jockey Samantha Wynne, including victories in the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1400m), Listed Gore Guineas (1335m) and Listed Southland Guineas (1400m). At Gore, her nearest rival was six lengths away, while she was simply flawless at Ascot Park, putting nearly nine lengths on the field in a searing time of 1.21.70.
A hugely influential figure in the South Island and domestic racing communities, Hickman sadly passed away in August last year. Gareth Downey, who was the General Manager at his stud, Valachi Downs, until its closure in 2022, takes great pride in watching Hickman’s legacy live on through the filly.
“All of us that were involved in Valachi are delighted to watch how well she’s going and it seems very appropriate that it’s happening in the South Island, which is Kevin’s homeland,” Downey said.
“We have so much admiration and respect for Kevin, we all loved watching the Valachi gold racing and while she’s not carrying those colours, every time she goes around, it feels like she’s got Kevin’s legacy running along with her. We all get a huge amount of thrill watching that.
“I can’t help but think how much he would’ve loved to race the filly himself, but given that she did have to be sold, the fact that she’s being raced by someone like Colin (Wightman) who is an owner-breeder himself, it’s great to see.
“He’s having an incredible journey with her.”
A product of Hickman’s Waikato thoroughbred nursery, Pivotal Ten was sold through the National Weanling Sale of 2022 to Wightman, who outlaid $15,000 to secure her.
“She was a very attractive weanling, possibly a touch small at the time which was a family trait,” Downey said.
“You look back now and $15,000 seems like a remarkable purchase price, I think we had 20 weanlings go through that sale and only three of them sold for less than this filly.
“She was the eighth foal out of the mare, and although there is a wonderful family behind her, people tend to go to the weanling sales for pinhook opportunities and she wasn’t an obvious commercial pinhook at the time.
“She was well-suited to Colin, who wanted to race and ultimately have the potential of breeding from her.”
Pivotal Ten was among the first southern hemisphere crop of Ten Sovereigns, a multiple-Group One winning son of No Nay Never. Owned by Coolmore, Ten Sovereigns shuttled to Valachi Downs in 2021 with U S Navy Flag, who was subsequently sold to The Oaks Stud.
“We were lucky enough to have U S Navy Flag come first, and after that venture went well, we went to Coolmore looking for another opportunity,” Downey said.
“He had all the same sort of appeal that U S Navy Flag had, a great race record, good family behind him and a lovely big type. He was a speed-oriented sire.
“The only challenge with him was that he had a remarkably similar profile to U S Navy Flag, so they did compete against each other, but he appealed to us because of the quality of his race record over there.”
Ten Sovereigns mated with a British imported-broodmare in Lady Woodcote, who while herself was unraced, is a full-sister to Maarek, winner of the Gr.1 Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp (1000m) among a number of other stakes victories.
“When the industry reflects on Kevin’s contribution, obviously he made an amazing contribution and he was an amazing man, but one of the things he did was bring these mares from the Northern Hemisphere into the New Zealand breeding industry,” Downey said.
“Although Lady Woodcote was unraced, having a Pivotal full-sister to a Group One winner with a lovely family behind her made her the kind of mare that Kevin was looking to try and bring down.
“The various family members that have descended from her can now continue that legacy for a long time.”
Of Lady Woodcote’s other progeny to race, four have been winners, including Woodcote Lass, who was placed in the Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m).
The mare was sold through Valachi’s dispersal sale in 2022 and purchased by Murray Bloodstock, where she was then served by Tarzino, resulting in a colt that was sold to Wightman and GB Bloodstock for $18,000 at the National Weanling Sale last June.
