Dr Green gelding sizzles on Gold Coast

Dr Green sired his first winner on Saturday when Dr Ichi scored a sizzling victory in a QTIS Maiden at the Gold Coast.  The Bev Laming trained gelding spaced the placegetters by five lengths and clocked 51.28s which was almost a full second faster than the fillies division over 900 metres.

Dr Green stands at Secret Hills Farm south of Beaudesert for a $5,500 service fee.  Formerly known as Palmaday Farm, it was renamed Secret Hills by new owned by John and Janette Doherty and is also home to Exceedingly Good (Exceed And Excel) and Minardi (Boundary).

Dr Ichi (2g Dr Green – Vitzio by Northern Fred) had won a Doomben trial on January 18 but started on the fourth line of betting due to a wide gate.  Apprentice Brad Wallace diffused the draw by driving Dr Ichi into a forward spot before cruising past front-runner Vivarea (Red Dazzler) in the straight.

Dr Green raced in New Zealand and was a super fast short-course horse winning the Listed Wellesley Stakes at two and the Listed Wanganui Guineas at three.

He was sent to Australian in February 2005 and finished third to Domesday and Flying Pegasus in the Silver Slipper at Rosehill but was burnt off in the Golden Slipper won by Stratum.

Dr Green is by former Coolmore shuttler Fusaichi Pegasus out of G3 winning Last Tycoon mare Palia.  She is also the dam of Patinack Farm’s G1 AJC Champagne Stakes winner Onemorenomore (Red Ransom).

Palia is a sister to stakes winning sire Just Awesome plus the dams of G1 winners Casino Prince and Green Birdie.  

Secret Hills sold Dr Ichi for $32,000 at the 2010 Magic Millions QTIS 600 yearling sale.  His dam Vitzio won at Eagle Farm for Queensland breeder Peter Moran and former Palmaday manager Don Mackinnon.  

Vitzio didn’t have any luck at stud.  She died last October and the only one of her nine foals to race, besides Dr Ichi, was four-time provincial winner Seaside Success (Success Express).