Premier jockey Leith Innes paid unbeaten colt Sacred Falls (NZ) the ultimate compliment after an extraordinary victory in the G2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m).

“I’ve never ridden a horse like him before,” Innes said on Saturday.  “He doesn’t do much in trackwork but he’s all class on raceday and the best I’ve ever ridden.”

Sacred Falls (3c O’Reilly – Iguazu’s Girl by Redoute’s Choice) missed the start but then went from zero to hero in the closing 250 metres with a finish that floored his rivals.  “He just about fell out of the gates and I thought this isn’t going to plan,” Innes said.  “We got a nice run through, though, and did it pretty easily at the finish.”

The Tony Pike trained colt had won his first three starts including the Listed Westbury Challenge Stakes (1200m) before the latest trip from his Cambridge home base to Hastings.  He scored by more than a length in the Guineas from Southern Lord (Stratum) and Silverdale (Castledale).

“He’s a very, very good colt,” Pike said.  “He’s got that explosive turn of foot that only good horses have.”

Sacred Falls will appear next in the Sarten Memorial Stakes at Te Rapa on the Labour Day weekend before heading south for the NZ 2000 Guineas at Riccarton.  He is a ruling $2.60 favourite in the pre-post Guineas market.

Raced by the Raffles Dancers syndicate, Sacred Falls cost $160,000 at the 2011 NZB Karaka yearling sale.  Waikato Stud champion O’Reilly sired him from a winning half-sister to G3 winner Splashing Out (O’Reilly) who is the dam of G2 Angus Armanasco Stakes winner Shopaholic (Pins).