The win of Let Her Rip in the Group III Rotorua Stakes along with deeds of the now retired Let Me Roar in recent weeks have shone a light on former shuttle stallion Rip Van Winkle, as he approaches his eighth season standing at Windsor Park.
Formerly owned by the powerful Coolmore Stud, Rip Van Winkle can now be
considered a local after Windsor Park, in conjunction with Valachi Downs
proprietor Kevin Hickman, purchased the son of Galileo from the Northern Hemisphere
breeding behemoth."Rip Van Winkle has done a super job for us and the opportunity came along last year to purchase him off Coolmore," Schick said.
"We had a chat with Kevin Hickman, who we are in Zacinto with, and he agreed to come in with us on the deal.
"We think Rip Van Winkle is only really starting to hit his straps now despite him having such wonderful success with his first New Zealand crop.
"Let Her Rip is his sixth individual stakes winner from that year and I guess if Let Me Roar had been able to carry on she would most likely have been another one for him."
Already holding substantive bookings for the 2017 season, Schick believes the quality of mares the stallion has had in recent years can only benefit his burgeoning record.
"My firm belief is that Rip Van Winkle is in a similar mould to stallions like Savabeel and Iffraaj in that his progeny need a little time, but he has the ability to throw winners across the board," he said.
"The talk among the trainers is still very positive and with the mares he has had and will continue to receive, the outlook is very bright.
"As the second highest rated son of Galileo, behind only Frankel, and at $10,000 +GST this season we think he represents tremendous value for breeders in what is a very competitive market."
The presence of new stallions such as Vanbrugh, Rageese and Turn Me Loose along with existing roster members Rip Van Winkle, Mongolian Khan, Charm Spirit, ShamExpress and Falkirk is testament to the positive direction that Windsor Park believes the local Industry is now heading.
"When we lost Thorn Park a couple of years ago it was a big blow to us and we really had to sit down and have a think about things," Schick said.
"We basically said we believe in this Industry and as a stud we need the stallions to make it work for everyone.
"We are in a position where we have made the commitment and now the hard work begins. We are extremely positive about our racing and breeding Industry and with recent announcements around stakes increases, it can only be good news for everyone."
Always with an eye for an opportunity, Schick did admit he had spoken with the owners of Let Her Rip as they made future plans for their mare following her Group Two victory.
"I had the chance to chat with Lindsay de Souza after Let Her Rip won to see what their plans might be for her given their association with Turn Me Loose, who kicks off with us this season," he said.
"Lindsay assured me that once the mare was ready for retirement, Turn Me Loose would definitely be on her dance card so that was very good to hear." – NZ Racing Desk
