The little dark champion was a powerhouse at home in New Zealand and in Australia

Silent Achiever was a champion New Zealand Thoroughbred racehorse who won the the 137th running of the New Zealand Derby in 2012. She was the first filly to win the race since 1993, and only the fourth in the last 45 years. Foaled at Kingsclere Stables in Cambridge in 2018, Silent Achiever was bred by Kevin Hickman of Valachi Downs. Hickman noted that the filly has a very balanced pedigree and a strong cardiovascular system. With her dam, Winning Spree (by Zabeel) provided the stamina and O'Reilly gives her that turn of foot. They believed she has a good head on her shoulders and the right arrogant attitude to excel. The plan was for Silent Achiever to be one of the foundation mares at Valachi Downs that was born and bred there. At the time of Silent Achiever’s foaling, Valachi Downs was running 15 mares. Today, it has around 60. The filly was sent to esteemed Cambridge trainer Roger James and earned the stable name "Bree." As a young horse she was just an average horse and quite small, but the ugly duckling turned into a black swan. Silent Achiever was a stunning looking back mare that stood out on the racetrack and her performances reflected her appearance.

Silent Achiever was a maiden until December 2011, so a nomination for the Derby wasn't even considered when first nominations were taken in late November. But what followed after her maiden win was an extraordinary rise to stardom. Silent Achiever finished third behind NZ 1000 Guineas winner Planet Rock in the Gr.2 Eight Carat Classic on Boxing Day, then won the Gr.2 Championship Stakes on 1 January, the Gr.3 Waikato Guineas on 28 January (beating then-Derby favourite Ocean Park) and the Gr.2 Avondale Guineas in mid February. The series of wins was so impressive that she started $2.30 favourite in the New Zealand Derby. Silent Achiever more than justified the favouritism with an emphatic two-and-a-half-length win over 2000 Guineas winner Rock 'n' Pop. In her Australian debut, Silent Achiever ran a fast finishing third behind Laser Hawk in the Rosehill Guineas. That performance saw her start one of the favourites for the Australian Derby, where she finished sixth. Silent Achiever was a chaser, preferring to wear the field down with acceleration, borne out of her O'Reilly pedigree, but this did make it difficult against high quality competition.

Silent Achiever resumed in the spring of 2012 with a fourth placing at Te Rapa before crossing the Tasman for a two-race Melbourne campaign. She won the Waterford Crystal Mile at Moonee Valley; the first time a mare had ever won the race. Following a frustrating 2013 in which she was narrowly beaten in The BMW Stakes by Fiveandahalfstar. Unfortunately the mare suffered an injury just days out from the Melbourne Cup, which left trainer Roger James devastated. Silent Achiever returned to form in 2014 with wins in the New Zealand Stakes and 2000m Ranvet Stakes, narrowly beating Carlton House. The latter was her first Group one win on Australian soil, and it came in a race billed as "a duel for the title of best horse in the country". At her next start she was successful in the $1.5 million BMW Stakes over 2400m at Rosehill, again defeating It's A Dundeel and Fiorente. Her Spring campaign got off to a disappointing start with unplaced runs in her first three races, but she returned to form when finishing a close third in the Gr.1 WS Cox Plate behind Adelaide and Fawkner, arguably the pinnacle of her career, despite the absence of a victory, given the calibre of the competition. Roger James had plans to head to France later in the year for an assault on the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe but this was ultimately shelved.

Silent Achiever retired in May 2015 and was sent to England. As a broodmare she delivered a filly by Frankel called Lady Faustina, which became a broodmare, a colt by Frankel, a colt by Galileo and a colt by Kingman. She was also covered by Ocean Park in 2020 but died in early 2021, the same day as Te Akau Shark passed away. Upon her retirement James described Silent Achiever as the ultimate fighter, saying: “She’s the kind of mare that will bust her guts for you every time. She would run her heart out. I was privileged to train her.”

Record - 30:10-3-3

Earnings - A$$3,540,490

The BMW Stakes (2014)

Ranvet Stakes (2014)

New Zealand Stakes (2014)

New Zealand Derby (2012)

Championship Stakes (2012)

Waterford Crystal Mile (2012)