Shaniko was represented by his first winner as a sire when Native Niko captured the first race July 2 at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort, in West Virginia (VIDEO).
Trained by James Jackson and ridden by Federico Mata, Native Nico defeated D' Sauvage by a neck in a 4 ½-furlong maiden special weight event for owner/breeder Elkhorn Oaks. The winning time for Native Nico, who is a member of Shaniko’s inaugural crop of 2-year-olds, was :48.09. The dark bay or brown colt was making his career debut.
Native Niko is the second winner from two foals of racing age out of the winning Sir Cat mare Native Aly, whose second dam is a half-sister to Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner Genuine Risk.
Shaniko, a son of A.P. Indy, is out of the Pleasant Tap mare Sapphire n’ Silk. In 2005, Shaniko scored in the Kentucky Cup Classic Stakes (gr. II) at Turfway Park and finished third in the River City Handicap (gr. IIIT). He stands at Ro Parra’s Millennium Farms Kentucky near Lexington for a fee of $5,000 (due when the foal stands and nurses).
