Darci Brahma

Darci Brahma (Danehill-Grand Echezeaux) 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.^[1]

2004–2005 season

Sent to trainer Mark Walker of Te Akau Racing Stables near Matamata 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

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 Guineas (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.

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 Handicap 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.^[1]

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. His first three crops have yielded huge success, including Group 1 winners Artistic, Super Easy, Nashville and Recite, along with half a dozen other stakes winners.

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