First stakes winner for Decorated Knight as Waller-trained Etna Rosso captures Newcastle Gold Cup

Decorated Knight registered his first individual stakes winner when the Chris Waller-trained Etna Rosso showed his Cups credentials with a victory in Friday’s Newcastle Gold Cup. 

Handing Waller a sixth win in the Group 3, the gelding entered the race off the back of a fifth-placed run in the Wyong Cup and he broke through at stakes level for the first time with a length win over Wyclif. Sir Lucan finished a further length away in third. 

Being out of the unraced Sea The Stars mare Kirouna, Etna Rosso is a half-brother to the stakes-placed winner Improvised. Kirouna herself is daughter of Group 2 winner Katiyra, making her a half-sister to Listed scorer Invite. 

Etna Rosso initially started his career with Joseph O'Brien, having sold to Kevin Ross for €40,000 at the Goffs Autumn Yearling Sale in 2021. He won at Limerick on debut in April last year as a three-year-old and was Listed-placed on his next start when second to Peking Opera in the Yeats Stakes at Navan. He was also fifth in the Queen's Vase to Gregory and fourth in the Vinnie Roe Stakes at Leopardstown to Harbour Wind. 

Etna Rosso: a first stakes winner for Decorated Knight when landing the Newcastle Gold Cup

Bred by Saleh Al Homaizi and Imad Al Sagar out of the Storm Cat mare Pearling - a sister to Giant's Causeway and You'resothrilling - Decorated Knight won on his second start at three for Roger Varian and ended that season placing third in the Joel Stakes and then fourth in the Darley Stakes, both at Newmarket. 

He picked up his first black-type wins in the Festival Stakes at Goodwood the following May and then the Meld Stakes at Leopardstown. 

The now 12-year-old's career highlights came the following year at five when winning the Jebel Hatta at Meydan that March and then the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown that September. The Galileo horse was also second to Highland Reel in the Prince Of Wales's Stakes that season. 

Decorated Knight stood his first six seasons at the Irish National Stud before relocating to Longford House Stud last December. 

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