19 Sep 2008
Viking Ruler three-year-old gelding
Perky Parrot dented a few reputations with his outstanding win in the New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance 1400 at Hastings on Saturday.
At odds of 24-to-one, Perky Parrot swept past the hot pots Fully Fledged and Lauaki in the home straight to record a fine victory.
It provided rookie Masterton 43-year-old trainer Grant Nicholson with his first training success and it was an important win coming on a premier race-day.
Nicholson has held a permit-to-train licence for only 18 months and treats racehorse training only as a hobby. His main income comes from looking after 270 cows as a share-milker.
He paid only $4750 for Perky Parrot as a yearling and he races him in partnership with Shaun Miers, of Palmerston North.
Perky Parrot became the 34th individual winner for his sire, Viking Ruler, who stands at Cambridge Stud. Viking Ruler's progeny have now won a total of 50 races.
Perky Parrot's dam is the Kyoie Dapper mare, Perky Lass, who won three races and was second in the Group 3 Eulogy Stakes at Awapuni. He comes from the family of Infinite Secret who won 10 races.
Perky Parrot was bred by Tom Burn, Ron Rosenberg and Graeme Mander who also raced the outstanding galloper Our Maizcay.