Racing: Darci Brahma yet to win an Australian classic for 3-year-olds

Hold the euphoria, there is still one hill to climb for Darci Brahma.

So says one of the dashing colt's owners, Buzz Williams, operator of Little Avondale Stud.

To set the seal on the reason he was originally purchased - to become a sought-after internationally recognised stallion prospect - Darci Brahma needs to win a classic 3-year-old race in Australia.

Few who saw the Danehill colt produce the remarkable 300m sprint that bagged Saturday's $300,000 Christchurch Casino 2000 Guineas at Riccarton would today be doubting the probability of that.

You'd say probability because group ones in Australia are extremely difficult to win for horses based in that country.

To win them as a visiting international is a further rung up the ladder.

Trainer Mark Walker has Darci Brahma back spelling in the Waikato with the almost certain knowledge that the handsome colt should keep improving through to the autumn.

We saw evidence of that on Saturday.

Even though he showed a good turn of foot to take the Wellington Guineas at his previous start, Darci Brahma displayed a new type of dash when he worked into the clear at the 320m on Saturday.

The sustained brilliance had not been seen before.

If Darci Brahma can further build on that, he might be something truly remarkable in the autumn in Australia.

Buzz Williams has no doubt that can and will happen.

"Even since Wellington he's grown a bit and darkened in the coat," Williams said.

"I hate using the word freak, it's a horrible word because it suggests some strange sort of beast, but there is something a bit freakish about how good he might get.

"He's still a bit babyish around the head - he's really got somewhere to go."

Williams was quick to recognise the investment potential when Darci Brahma was purchased for $1.1 million at the Karaka yearling sales.

Good on David Ellis for having the guts to have a go - he had some part of the colt syndicated before the sale, but not all of it.

It is the first time we've seen this type of investment in New Zealand where huge capital is put on the line for both racing and breeding purposes.

"It was a great investment," said Williams.

"The worse case scenario was that he was going to be worth [as a stallion] what we paid for him. He was never going to be worth less.

"It meant that if we won a couple of decent races with him he was going to be worth an awful lot more."

The likes of Dr Green and Darci Brahma would previously have been sold to overseas markets as yearlings.

What this has shown is that breeders and straight out investors are safe in this involvement.

It is pure speculation what Darci Brahma would currently be worth as a stallion and not worth commenting on, except to say its a whole lot more that his purchase price.

What is important is that the top of Mt Everest, which his investors sought from day one, is still three to five months away.

Williams is a realist, even though he confidently believes Darci Brahma will go all the way.

"Okay, he's already won at group one level in the T J Smith in Brisbane, but you have to ask the question, how much store do the Australians place in the T J Smith?

"Australia is still, and always will be, our biggest yearling market. To maximise Darci Brahma he has to win a Guineas in Melbourne or a Rosehill Guineas in Sydney."

Darci Brahma is more than 80 per cent there after the sprint he showed on Saturday.