Buy of the Weekend: Stylish Secret the $2300 bargain to potential Derby contender

Cover image courtesy of Racing Photos

Once a $2300 bargain buy, Stylish Secret (NZ) (Sweet Orange {USA}) continues to defy expectations, showing the heart and pedigree to suggest bigger things lie ahead. The diminutive gelding displayed his fighting spirit with a gutsy win in the Victoria Derby Preview at Flemington, and now, connections are dreaming of Group 1 glory next autumn.

The 3-year-old gelding was originally purchased by respected journalist, broadcaster and author Helen Thomas for a mere $2300 on Gavelhouse as a weanling. Thomas was steered into the auction by long-time friend, late racing analyst Deane Lester.

The weanling colt, consigned by Windsor Park Stud, is by Group 1-winning sire Sweet Orange (USA), a son of War Front. Sweet Orange gained recognition in the Southern Hemisphere through the success of standout stayer Daqiansweet Junior.

Lester was the one who suggested that Thomas contact trainer Mick Nolan about taking on Stylish Secret. A skilled horseman with years of experience as Mick Price’s right-hand man, Nolan had recently relaunched his training career and secured stables at Mornington.

Thomas came to an agreement to sell the youngster to clients of Nolan for a bargain of $20,000, although she maintained a small stake in the horse.

While she and the horse's new owners dreamed of racetrack glory, Nolan said the youngster's appearance hardly inspired confidence when he first stepped foot in his yard.

“Helen told me that she bought this weanling for $2000 in New Zealand and she said he was a half-brother to Unseen Ruler,” Nolan said.

“I believe a few trainers in New Zealand looked at him, but there wasn't much interest, so I told her I would buy him from her.

“I gathered some friends and clients to help me buy him. When he arrived, he stepped off the truck and I thought, 'Oh my goodness, what have I gotten myself into?' because he was so small.”

Though he was small, Stylish Secret compensated with his sharp intelligence and adapted quickly to training.

Stylish Secret secured his maiden victory in his third outing over 1500 metres at Sandown on August 21, before finishing second to Evaporate (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) at Moonee Valley on September 7.

A staying pedigree

On Sunday, the gelding held off the chasing Kingofwallstreet (Dundeel {NZ}) and Politely Dun (Dundeel {NZ}) to salute by 0.5l in the Victoria Derby Preview, with Luke Nolen aboard.

Stylish Secret is the second winner produced by the winning Savabeel mare, Scarlet's Secret (NZ), who was acquired by the Inner Mongolia Rider Horse Industry for NZ$65,000 from the Wentwood Grange draft at the 2018 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka May Sale.

Scarlet's Secret's first foal and first winner is the Mongolian Khan gelding Unseen Ruler (NZ), who achieved four victories at distances ranging from 1100 to 1700 metres.

It is this pedigree which has Nolan confident his promising stayer can offer value for punters when he gets back from a well-earned spell next autumn, with the South Australian Derby and Queensland Derby in mind.

“He’s out of a Savabeel mare. He’s got a staying pedigree. But he’s only little – he’s only 15.2hh and 420kg,” Nolan told The Thoroughbred Report.

“What he lacks in size he makes up for in ticker.”

Stylish Secret has the heart to match his pedigree, which makes up for the lack of size.

This will to win greatly impressed Nolan on Sunday, when it looked like his 3-year-old would get run down from the 300-metre mark.

“He was in front at the 300 (metres), and Luke said when he pulled him out, the wind blew him around and he didn’t know what to do,” Nolan said.

“He was in front a long way out, and when the other horses were coming at him, he dug deep.”

An emotional Nolan – who celebrated his first win at Flemington as a solo trainer on Sunday – said he was only looking forward to a beer when asked post-race what he was aiming for with Stylish Secret.

But after some reflection on his drive home, Nolan revealed the South Australian Derby or Queensland Derby would be his targets after a well-earned spell next autumn.

“He’ll be having a good spell and then we’ll bring him back for the autumn. He’s done his job,” he said.

“The (Victoria) Derby is six weeks away (November 2), and I’m not a big fan of racing young horses in Derbies. You need them peaking on Derby Day.

“He probably peaked (on Sunday). There’s the South Australian Derby next year, the Queensland Derby – there are plenty of races for him.”

Can Stylish Secret become a 3-year-old Group 1 winner?

Savabeel was a Group 1 champion at his eighth start, when succesful in the 2004 Champion S. He then won the race considered the Weight for Age Championship of Australasia, the Cox Plate, beating the previous year's winner Fields Of Omagh (Rubiton). He was the first 3-year-old to win the race since another son of Zabeel (NZ), Octagonal won the race nine years earlier in 1995.

Nolan mentioned he was hopeful that Savabeel’s grandson could achieve Group 1 victory at the same age next autumn, citing the young stayer’s similar maturity and mental toughness to that of Savabeel.

“He’s very tough and very smart. It’s his first prep and I jumped him out after four weeks. In six weeks, he was racing,” Nolan said.

“He’s only been in work 12 weeks, and it was his fifth start. It’s very rare. He’s not very big, but he’s a very tough horse.

“Luke (Nolen) said to me to give him a spell, and when you bring him back, you’re going to have a really nice horse in the autumn.

“He said because he tries so hard, he has gut-busters every time he goes out. He was there to get shut down, and he just kept digging.”

Given Stylish Secret’s diminutive frame, never-give-up attitude and the fact it was Nolan’s first runner as a solo conditioner at Flemington, it was no wonder he was close to tears after the race.

“I’m nearly 70 and I’m semi-retired. I normally go to Bairnsdale (on Sundays), not Flemington,” said Nolan, who worked as Mick Price’s foreman for 17 years, as well as for John Sadler, before starting up his own stable in 2021.

“He’s the best horse I’ve got. I was asked, ‘What’s it like to win at Flemington?’ I said, ‘That’s a silly question’.

“What are you supposed to say to that? It’s my first runner at Flemington and my first winner.”