He won the 2011 Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton as a 3-year-old and also took out the Listed Karaka Mile (1600m) at Ellerslie before finishing second to Silent Achiever in that season's Group 1 New Zealand Derby (2400m). He was also placed third in the Group 1 International Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa.
At stud Rock 'N' Pop has achieved good results from a limited number of horses to race.
Surely Sacred is his best performer, with his three wins including the Group 2 Auckland Guineas (1600m) and the Group 2 Avondale Guineas (2100m). He was also third in the Group 1 ATC Derby (2400m) and fourth in the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) in Sydney before being transferred to Hong Kong.
Other winners from his progeny include The Lord Mayor, who won two races in New Zealand before going on to better things in Australia. Rainbow Thief and Breakdance have also been successful in Australia while Telecom Man has been a winner in Hong Kong and My Boss has won in Singapore.
Rock 'N' Pop was bred by Hawke's Bay's Sam Kelt who raced his dam Popsy. She was the winner of six races, including the Group 1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) at Ellerslie and Group 1 Grosvenor Championship Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa, and finished second to Royal Tiara in the 1995 Auckland Cup (3200m).
Lowry bought a share in Rock 'N' Pop after the horse won the New Zealand 2000 Guineas so he was involved when the horse finished second in that season's New Zealand Derby.
"He's always been a nice horse and he will be the first locally-bred Group 1 winner to stand in Hawke's Bay since Shannon back in the 1980s," Lowry added.
Shannon, who was bred and owned by Rob Mulcaster, won the 1986 Group 1 QTC Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) in Brisbane before going on to be a successful stallion.
Lowry still retains a shareholding in Rock 'N' Pop and said Waikato Stud has agreed to lease the stallion to Okawa Stud for three years.
"He is a stallion that only needs to produce one good horse and he could take off and, if he does, then I dare say Waikato Stud will take him back," Lowry said.
"In the meantime we are happy to have him here and I will certainly be mating mares to him and, hopefully, other local breeders will do the same."
Xpression back in Hastings stable
The Group 1-placed mare Xpression has returned to the Hastings stable of Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen after a stint with top Sydney trainer Chris Waller and is entered for a $30,000 Rating 82 race over 1200m at Trentham tomorrow.
The Showcasing mare, who has a record of three wins and five minor placings from only 14 starts, arrived back in New Zealand on Tuesday of last week and has settled in well back in her former environment.
"She looks great and we are really happy with the condition she arrived here in," Lowry said.
He added that Xpression is positively in-foal to top Australian sire Snitzel so her racing days are numbered.
"We want to give her a run at Trentham this Saturday and, if she performs well, she could then contest the Group 1 Telegraph Sprint at Trentham in January."
Xpression has already shown a liking for the near straight run at Trentham, winning the Group 2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1200m) there as a 2-year-old. She also won the Group 3 Barnswood Farm Stakes (1400m) at Ashburton as a 3-year-old before finishing third behind Media Sensation and Valalie in the Group 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton.
She was then transferred to Chris Waller's stable in Australia where she had six starts, her best placing being a third in the Group 3 Toy Show Stakes (1100m) at Randwick. She was an unlucky last start sixth over 1300m at Newcastle in Australia, where she did not get much luck in the running.
Xpression showed she has lost none of her zip when given two 400m sprints in trackwork at Hastings on Wednesday, clocking 23.3s for the second one. She has to carry equal topweight of 59kg in tomorrow's Trentham race, with Michael Coleman booked to ride her.
Stakes race for Atlanta Peach
Class Hastings-trained mare Atlanta Peach is being aimed at the Group 2 $100,000 Cal Isuzu Stakes at Te Rapa tomorrow week before she is turned out for a summer spell.
The Bullbars mare, prepared by the partnership of Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen, has not raced since scoring an impressive win in a Rating 82 race over 1600m at Awapuni on November 2 but has been ticking over nicely in training and looks in great order.
Atlanta Peach is the winner of five races from only 14 starts and was far from disgraced when finishing eighth in the Group 1 weight-for-age Livamol Classic (2040m) on the last day of the Hawke's Bay spring carnival in October.
The Cal Isuzu Stakes is a weight-for-age event over 1600m and four of Atlanta Peach's wins have been at the distance of 1600m.
Talenti wins again in Aussie
The former Hastings-trained Talenti made it two wins from two starts in Australia with another dominant performance in an $80,000 race over 1500m at Moonee Valley last Saturday.
The Niagara 4-year-old scored by 1-1/4 lengths, producing a similar performance to when he won over the same distance at Moonee Valley on November 15.
Talenti, who is now prepared by Caulfield trainer Robert Hickmott, had his first three starts from the Hastings stable of Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen and was an unlucky fourth on two occasions, the first over 1200m at Hastings on October 5 and the second over 1400m at Awapuni on November 2.
Kiwi-breds dominate Jericho Cup
Last Sunday's A$300,000 Jericho Cup (4600m) in Australia delivered a dream result for Dunedin's White Robe Lodge, with the first two home being by its resident sire Raise The Flag.
In an entirely Kiwi-bred finish to the Anzac-themed Warrnambool feature for Australian and New Zealand-bred stayers, Ablaze edged out Golden Flag by three-quarters of a length. The Shaune Ritchie-trained Where Are You finished another 10 lengths away in third.
Both Ablaze and Golden Flag were co-bred by White Robe Lodge studmaster Brian Anderton and come from the same family. Their dams are both by Personal Escort and are granddaughters of the stakes-performed Mellay mare Lamp Light.
Trained at Wingatui by Anderton and his son Shane, Ablaze won six of his 36 starts before being sold and transferred to the Australian stable of Cairon Maher and David Eustace at Ballarat.
Stallion's death a huge loss
The Chittick family and the team at Waikato Stud are in mourning after the shock loss of emerging young stallion Sacred Falls.
The Waikato Stud veterinary team identified an issue with the stallion's liver a fortnight ago and, despite receiving world-class treatment at both the Stud and then at Matamata Veterinary Services equine hospital, his condition deteriorated, and he passed away last Sunday.
The son of Waikato Stud's champion sire O'Reilly was in his fifth season of stallion duties after retiring to the Matamata nursery following a storied career on the track, where he numbered four Group 1 victories amongst nine wins including the Doncaster Handicap (1600m) on two occasions.
Waikato Stud principal Mark Chittick was devastated with the loss of not only a potential world class stallion but also a horse that held a special place in the hearts of the Chittick family.
"I have nothing but praise for our head vet, Dr Chris Phillips, his team and all the staff at Matamata Vet Services as they did everything in their power to try and save the horse, but it just wasn't to be," Chittick said.
Bred and sold by Waikato Stud as a yearling, Sacred Falls won his first six races including the Group 1 New Zealand Two Thousand Guineas (1600m) in the care of Cambridge trainer Tony Pike for owners Raffles Racing.
Waikato Stud subsequently secured equity in the homebred colt who added a further three Group 1 victories in Australia when transferred to champion trainer Chris Waller.
With his eldest progeny just three, Sacred Falls has left six winners to date including the highly-talented filly Shoshone for Ken and Bev Kelso.
A total of 42 yearlings by the emerging stallion will be offered at New Zealand Bloodstock's National Yearling Sales in late January, while his progeny sold up to $260,000 at the recent Ready To Run Sale of 2-year-olds.
