Swettenham Stud

Swettenham Stud's blue blood sire Bianconi is celebrating another Group One winner after a sensational sprinting effort from his outstanding son Nicconi in Saturday's Group One The Galaxy at Royal Randwick.

In a powerful performance Nicconi was able to sprint home in brilliant style and reel in the leaders before cruising home to beat the proven Group One winner Danleigh by a length and a quarter.

The decision by part breeder and owner David Hayes to switch the colt back to a sprinting trip after he finished on the placegetters heels in the Australian Guineas proved a masterstroke.

At his first effort in Sydney last start he flew home to finish third in the Darby Munro Stakes.

 "When he loomed up in the 1600 metre (Australian Guineas) and did not run it out I knew I had made a mistake and I could have won the Newmarket with him."

"I just wanted to give him one on this leg and he handled it beautifully, so we decided to switch tactics."

"The stable has not had a good open sprinter since I came home (from Hong Kong) and we are very excited to have one."

Hayes said he would enter Nicconi for next Saturday's Group One TJ Smith Stakes, but he was leaning toward heading north for feature races over the Brisbane Winter Carnival.

"I think I would rather go to Queensland and then have a light spring. The sprinting is not well catered for in the spring as it is all about staying. I might bring him back for the major Flemington meeting."

Craig Williams, who rode three winners on the Derby Day card, has no doubts about Nicconi's prospects into the future.

"He is going to be a great sprinter," he declared.

From just eight starts Nicconi has registered four wins - two at black type level and two in Melbourne - as well as being a minor placegetter on three other occasions, all in black type company.

On the only occasion Nicconi missed a place he ran fourth in the Australian Guineas (1600m) behind Heart of Dreams.

Nicconi, a half brother to four time Group One winner Niconero, is a son of Swettenham Stud's outstanding Danzig sire Bianconi.

One of the country's leading winner getting sires, the Australian owned Bianconi has proven himself as a class sire with no fewer than 284 winners worldwide.

As well as 150 winners in Australasia, Bianconi's progeny have won races in other countries including England, France, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain, India and the United States.