Prodigal Seelster registered his first success as a sire when Ive Already Told You scored an emphatic harness racing victory at Forbury Park last Thursday night.
Starting off the unruly position in a 2200m mobile, Ive Already Told You was taken back to the tail of the bunch early and then driver Blair Orange decided it was time to move on the $1.30 favourite when the pace slackened.
They zoomed around the field and into the lead with a lap and a bit to travel, and from there the result was never in any doubt. Speeding down the back straight in 28.4, Ive Already Told You coasted home in 28.7 to score by more than six lengths in a 2:00.9 mile rate.
"The earplugs were still in and Blair never touched him – he could've won by twice as much," enthused trainer Stephen Boyd.
"He's not a bad animal, this one."
The gelding's talent has been on display right from the word go when he won two public appearances as a 2-year-old, one of them a workout at Motukarara in November last year.
The other was an Ashburton trial victory six months ago in June, but Stephen knew the horse had gone in the wind even prior to the trial so a scheduled soft palate operation went ahead soon afterwards.
Ive Already Told You finally made his debut at Addington early last month, and despite a couple of breaks and formline of '97D' in his first three raceday outings he'd actually been performing terrific – hence the reason why punters sent him out at microscopic odds a few days ago.
"The trip to Forbury was more for education than anything else," Stephen says.
"And it's really helped him. He had a couple of days off afterwards, but I put him on the lead yesterday and he was just… 'wow'.
"He's in again at Addington this Thursday night, and I'm expecting him to go another cracker!"
Stephen is well known for being a seller of young horses, and understandably the phone "hasn't stopped" ringing since Ive Already Told You's win last week.
The offers haven't quite been up to the mark yet, but Stephen admits that he might struggle to let the half-brother to Nek Time go anyway because he's developed a real soft spot for him.
"You couldn't ask for more in a horse," he says of the 3-year-old son of Jenna's Beach Boy mare Braithwaite, who's known affectionately around home as Zorro.
"He's full of beans the whole time, but he's got such a cool personality and there's not an ounce of nastiness in him whatsoever.
"The best way to describe him is that he's just a goof, like a big dumb kid who's always playful.
"He's got a bloody big motor too, and once he strengthens into his large frame he's going to be a classy individual.
"I really think that in time he could be something quite special."
Ive Already Told You isn't the only Prodigal Seelster Stephen's got either; he also trains Vi Lee, a filly out of Mackles Creek who's the same age.
Also a trial winner at two, Vi Lee became her sire's first starter at the races when she lined up and ran fifth at Ashburton in mid-July this year, but Stephen says she wasn't quite right that day and was diagnosed with stomach ulcers.
Back from a spell now, Vi Lee had a quiet run at the Motukarara Workouts over the weekend and isn't far away from resuming. Rated almost as highly as Ive Already Told You, she'll "definitely win races".
Spurred on by the talent his Prodigal Seelsters are showing at home and on the racetrack, Stephen bred another couple of mares to the stallion this season.