ITB_February 2022

FEBRUARY-MARCH 2022

£4.95 • ISSUE 109

Honeysuckle GALILEO

1998-2021

blooms

> Annus Mirabilis: Martin Stevens talks with breeder Kirsten Rausing about her record-breaking racing year in 2021 > The four Ps: James Thomas talks stallion marketing and promotion > Rising Sires: Jocelyn de Moubray pinpoints those stallions standing under €/£10,000 who are on an upward curve > A global TV view: Seb Vance of Racing TV outlines exciting plans to increase international coverage of horseracing

WBRR

report

Precocio group 1 winn

from Schlenderha champion fam

AUSTRALIA

CAMELOT

BROOME - 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud-Gr.1, PICTURED MARE AUSTRALIS - 1st Prix Ganay-Gr.1

LUXEMBOURG - 1 Vertem Futurity Trophy Stakes-Gr.1, PICTURED SANTA BARBARA - 1st Belmont Oaks Inv. Stakes-Gr.1 SIR DRAGONET - 1st H.E. Tancred Stakes-Gr.1

holy roman emperor

no nay never

ROCKEMPEROR - 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes-Gr.1

ALCOHOL FREE - 1st Coronation Stakes-Gr.1 1st Sussex Stakes-Gr.1, PICTURED

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• ARIZONA • AUSTRALIA • CALYX • CAMELOT • CHURCHILL • CIRCUS MAXIMUS • FOOTSTEPSINTHESAND • GLENEAGLES • GUSTAV KLIMT • HIGHLAND REEL • HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR • • MAGNA GRECIA • NO NAY NEVER • ROCK OF GIBRALTAR • SAXON WARRIOR • SIOUX NATION • SOTTSASS • ST MARK’S BASILICA • • STARSPANGLEDBANNER • TEN SOVEREIGNS • U S NAVY FLAG • WOOTTON BASSETT •

FOOTSTEPSINTHESAND

GLENEAGLES

MARIANAFOOT - 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest-Gr.1

LOVING DREAM - 1st Prix de Royallieu-Gr.1

STARSPANGLEDBANNER

WOOTTON BASSETT

STATE OF REST - 1 Cox Plate-Gr.1, PICTURED 1st Saratoga Derby Inv. Stakes-Gr.1

ZELLIE - 1st Prix Marcel Boussac-Gr.1, PICTURED INCARVILLE - 1st Prix Saint-Alary-Gr.1

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Christy Grassick, David O’Loughlin, Eddie Fitzpatrick, Maurice Moloney, Gerry Aherne, Hermine Bastide, Jason Walsh, Tom Miller, Neil Magee or Mark Byrne. Tel: +353-52-6131298.

David Magnier, Tom Gaffney, Joe Hernon, Paddy Fleming or Cathal Murphy. Tel: 353-25-31966/31689.

Kevin Buckley (UK Rep.) T: +44-7827-795156. E: sales@coolmore.ie W: www.coolmore.com

LOPE Y FERNANDEZ Lope De Vega ex Black Dahlia (Dansili) | Bay, 16.0hh, 2017

5 x Gr.1 placed from 6.5 furlongs to 1 mile Timeform rated 120 at 3 & 4 years Group winning 2yo over 6 furlongs €900,000 yearling purchase at Arqana By one of the world’s leading sires LOPE DE VEGA

Lope Y Fernandez is an outstanding physical specimen. He was a tough and talented racehorse – it is a great opportunity for British breeders to have access to the only son of Lope de Vega in Britain, and I will certainly be using him.

RICHARD BROWN - Blandford Bloodstock

stallions@nationalstud.co.uk Nominations: 01638 675929

www.nationalstud.co.uk

NEW FOR 2022

EUROPEAN CHAMPION THREE-YEAR-OLD SPRINTER

2022 Stud Fee

£8,500 1st October SLF

ACLAIM | ADVERTISE | FLAG OF HONOUR | LOPE Y FERNANDEZ | RAJASINGHE | TIME TEST

contents february 8

First Word

10

Ted Talks

20

Old friends, new stars

26

Stallion stats

30

A lifelong pursuit

42

A global TV audience

48

How to market a stallion

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Rising sires

62

Top of the world

66

Stallion diversity

76

Path to the top

82

Photo of the month

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We all need a little magic in our lives

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Ted Voute and Ed Sackville head to Ireland on their own personal Irish Stallion Trail Honeysuckle equals Bula’s record and trainer Willie Mullins lands a host of winners at the Dublin Racing Festival This season’s NH stallion statistics so far, courtesy of Weatherbys Martin Stevens talks with breeder Kirsten Rausing, who enjoyed a record-breaking 2021 Racing TV’s Seb Vance tells us about the exciting plans for extended international TV coverage James Thomas finds out from some of the industry’s leading marketeers how they best promote their stallions Jocelyn de Moubray outlines 14 stallions, all standing at less than €/£10,000 and whose achievements far outweigh their price bracket Aisling Crowe reviews Knicks Go’s career and stallion future

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The WBRR’s top ten horses are by ten different stallions Native Trail is the clear top-rated two-year-old on the European Classifications Equine legacy: Her Majesty the Queen with her father King George VI

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Honeysuckle blooms

from Alamy

follow us on twitter @tbredpublishing

contents february

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42 48

This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in whole or part without permission of the publisher. The views expressed in International Thoroughbred are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. While every care is taken in the preparation of this magazine, the publishers cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the content herein, or any consequences arising from them.

the team

the photographers

the writers

editor sally duckett publisher declan rickatson photography trevor jones design thoroughbred publishing

press association alamy equine creative media courtesy of stud farms tattersalls Racing TV Breeders’ Cup

jocelyn de moubray aisling crowe sally duckett james thomas ted voute

advertising declan rickatson 00 44 (0)7767 310381 declan.rickatson@btinternet.com subscriptions tracey glaysher itsubs@btinternet.com

the stats weatherbys

the printers micropress press

accounts annie jones itaccounts@btinternet.com

plestor house, farnham road, liss, hampshire, gu33 6jq tel: 00 44 (0) 1428 724063 info@internationalthoroughbred.net www.internationalthoroughbred.net subscriptions: email or call as on the left, or log on to www.facebook.com/internationalthoroughbred

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first word

Just magic Secretly we all want to believe in magic, luckily racehorses give us that opportunity

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AGIC, WE ALL LIKE TO BELIEVE IN IT DON’T WE? The BBC show The Repair Shop revealed that even as adults we want to be believers. The programme films people taking along old family items and heirlooms, which have fallen into disrepair, to a crew of repairing experts based in a workshop in a converted barn. The items can range from pictures to electric goods to music boxes and furniture, but all have some strong family connection to the owner and are items they have been unable to fix themselves or by local tradesmen. They are usually worthless items, but which have limitless sentimental value.

I enjoy my history and there are often fascinating stories behind the items, too – fur-less teddy bears carried in the arms of a child as he or she fled from Eastern Europe to Britain in the face of the WW2 Nazi onslaught, old radios that provided the only form of family entertainment before the arrival of televisions, portraits that have become grimy and grubby and grey but which hold precious memories of former lives.

It then becomes amazing to me, someone far from blessed with either the patience or the careful and diligent hands of an artisian, the intricate work, sometimes at a miniscule level, that the repairers can do to complete the task.

It is actually quite magical, seeing these items restored to

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“The magnetism of horseracing was evident at Leopardstown on Dublin Racing Festival weekend when Honeysuckle returned to her adoring crowd and fans after collecting her third Irish Champion Hurdle success

former glories; the repairs bringing back the items to an as-new like condition that ancestors must have enjoyed maybe over 1oo years ago.

In a January episode, a middle-aged lady called Minty Barlow brought along a replica mini house. It had been part of a model village tourist attraction in 1970s Cleethorpes and when the local council brought the outdoor display to an end, her father bought two of the houses for their own family garden in Grimsby.

She said on the show: “So my dad was a real character.

He’s a real eccentric. But he had this sense of magic. He convinced me that fairies lived here.

“My memory is that [the house] had little chimney pots on, because he made them smoke. I just believed that, 100 per cent, this was the fairy house in the garden, and the fairies were home if the chimney smoked.

“It was just magic. There was never a dull moment growing up in Grimsby with [my parents].”

Barlow’s late parents sounded like a really fun couple (she was brought up in the late 60s and early 70s so maybe there were other influences involved), and they created a dream their daughter could delight in.

Since Barlow lost her parents, sadly the house had become neglected, as Barlow said: “I don’t think fairies would move in how it is right now, I think they’d be quite disgusted!”

She wanted the house renovated so she could reconnect

first word Spring-time magic is happening again.

This seven-day-old filly is from the first crop of the 2020 world champion three-year-old Sottsass, winner of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and the Jockey-Club.

She is the first foal out of Toinette, an $800,000 Grade 2-winning daughter of Scat Daddy, owned by White Birch Farm

with her parents and honour their memories, to pass on the magic to her daughter, but perhaps, mainly, to feel that “magic” herself again.

We are never too old to want to believe in magic.

Racing offers the chance for all of us to believe… whether we are a fan following on TV, a first-time part-owner hoping to get into the parade ring and then the winners’ enclosure or even a large-scale owner, who purchases yearlings by the lorry-load hoping to discover a Classic contender, a generation-defining stallion or a blue hen broodmare.

And for every breeder every spring, no matter how long he or she has been in the business, how many mares make up their broodmare band, every single time a foal is born, the magic starts and the dream begins again.

The joy horses can give us, on the racecourse or in the paddock, can be spellbinding. The inherent ability a horse has just by being a horse – the ability to run at over 30 miles an hour, to jump high and at speed, to tolerate a human on

“... every single time a foal is born, the magic starts and the dream begins again

their back asking them to direct those talents in ways they don’t understand; we are blessed.

Horses give us abilities that we don’t have ourselves.

It is part of the reason why the disgraceful doping case in the US, as reported last month’s edition and on the following pages, is so distasteful.

Aside from the immense welfare issues and the danger that doping has to both horse and human, the attempt to defraud, gain sporting success and vast sums of money through dishonest actions, it sullies our sport and takes the equine magic away.

In reverse, the magnetism of horseracing was evident at Leopardstown on Dublin Racing Festival weekend when Honeysuckle returned to her adoring crowd and fans after collecting her third Irish Champion Hurdle.

With such magnificent horses racing for all of us, and with hosts of foals arriving this spring, we are all part of a magical process.

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11

the news

Disgraced US vet faces 20 years in prison

Seth Fishman convicted of drug adulteration and misbranding for his part in the long-term and widespread scheme to create and distribute “untestable” drugs Trainer Jason Navarro thanked Seth Fishman’s involvement with the Golden Shaheen winner XY Jet after the son of Kantharos won the Group 1 in Dubai.

Navarro has subsequently been imprisoned for five years, while the vet faces a lengthy term

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N FEBRUARY US veterinarian Seth Fishman was found guilty on two counts of drug adulteration and misbranding, with intent to defraud and mislead, in connection with a nearly 20-year scheme to create

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and distribute “untestable” performance-enhancing drugs for use in professional horseracing.

Fishman was one of over 30 defendants charged in four separate cases in March 2020, following the FBI’s multi-year investigation of the abuse of

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racehorses through the use of performance enhancing drugs.

In December, trainer Jason Navarro pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to dope horses and was sentenced to five years in prison. Jason Servis, trainer of the Saudi Cup and

Haskell Invitational winner Maximum Security, has yet to face trial.

Fishman acted as the manufacturer of customised PEDs designed specifically to evade anti-doping controls, and it was reported that he reaped

the news millions of dollars from the sale of his drugs to trainers around the US and across the globe.

The court heard that Fishman created and marketed these drugs as “untestable” under typical anti-doping drug screens.

Throughout this period, Fishman operated his doping company, Equestology, and took additional efforts to mislead and lie to regulatory authorities in an effort to shield his illegal activity.

He used his veterinary license as cover for his illegal drug manufacturing business – he sold illicit drugs, including prescription drugs, under sham prescriptions for animals that he never saw or discussed. Those drugs included intravenous and intramuscular injectables sold for injection into the horses under his purported “care,” many of which were seized at premises throughout the country.

These drugs included “blood building” drugs (for example, “BB3” and other Epogen-mimetic substances), vasodilators (for example, “VO2Max”), and bags filled with scores of “bleeder pills,” each designed to covertly increase performance in affected horses.

Fishman also incorporated a sham business in Panama designed to appear as if his drug operation was outside the jurisdiction of US authorities; he pressured employees to sign non-disclosure agreements intended to gag them if questioned by regulators; he designed labels that would provide no hint as to the provenance of the unsafe drugs shipped across the country.

He lied to state investigators regarding the nature of his business when asked directly about his role in Equestology during a Delaware state investigation in 2011, while

also boasting to others that he had called in a “personal political favour” to quash that investigation.

Fishman was convicted in connection with the doping operation of convicted co-defendant Navarro.

He aided Navarro in doping XY Jet, winner of the 2019 Golden Shaheen. The horse subsequently died of sudden heart attack in January 2020.

At trial it was discovered that Fishman sold tens of thousands of dollars worth of PEDs to Navarro over the course of several years, and Navarro specifically credited the vet for XY Jet’s performance at the Golden Shaheen.

During the trial prosecutors also played an FBI wiretap in which Navarro was recorded speaking to Fishman.

As reported by the US publications, on another wiretap recorded in 2019 was Florida harness trainer Adrienne Hall; Fishman appears to discuss a $2 million “programme” that he claimed was run by the Dubai Equine, a veterinary hospital in Dubai.

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ISHMAN put her on a programme with his PEDs and she administered the drugs to a horse who won a low-level claiming race. Hall agreed to testify in exchange for a non-prosecution agreement.

A transcript of the wiretap begins with Fishman telling Hall that his programme “is not instantaneous” and takes a few weeks to work.

He said: “This is a programme that Dubai Equine spent probably $2 million devising for their thoroughbreds, you know?

As an ostensible veterinarian – sworn to the care and protection of animals – Fishman cynically violated his oath in service of corrupt trainers and in the pursuit of profits “It is part of a programme that uh, you know…there’s other stuff too.”

Fishman adds: “This is what they do for all their horses and overall, they are very happy.

“Sheikh Mohammed Maktoum said the best three years, you know, in the 30 years he has been racing and they are very happy. So, I’m sharing stuff with you.

“But then again that’s for thoroughbreds so we just have to tweak some things out because some of the stuff I design for standardbreds, they don’t work.

So that’s why I’m charging you a fraction of what I normally charge so let’s just go baby steps, and we will just start from there, all right?”

On another call Fishman was recorded speaking to an unidentified individual who wanted to know more about the drug.

“But it’s not doping, right?”

the person asked, according to the transcript recorded on the April 5, 2019.

“No, no, no, what I mean is, whenever you give something to a horse, that is doping,” Fishman replied. “Whether they test it or not is another story. This is something people are using all the time, so no, they don’t test it. You know, but don’t joke. If you’re giving stuff something for a horse to make it better and you shouldn’t do that…”

“Yes, for sure,” interjected the individual. “… It’s doping,” continued Fishman. “You know, it’s testable or not, that’s another story.”

A tally shows the wiretap was one of 55 recordings the jury heard in the case.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “The jury’s swift conviction of Seth Fishman reflects the overwhelming evidence of his guilt as displayed through this trial.

“As an ostensible veterinarian – sworn to the care and protection of animals – Fishman cynically violated his oath in service of corrupt trainers and in the pursuit of profits.

“Through the sale of untested, unsafe, and unstable drugs, Fishman’s illegal drug business was a platform for both fraud and animal abuse.

“Today’s conviction appropriately condemns the danger inherent in Fishman’s crimes and underscores the seriousness with which this Office takes the kind of abuse that Fishman practiced.”

Fishman was further convicted of a second count of conspiracy to commit misbranding and drug adulteration in connection with the operation of Equestology.

He faces a total of up to 20 years in prison for his convictions.

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13

ted talks

TED TALKS...

‘s

Acclamation: was looking in fine fettle at Rathbarry Stud

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Ted and Ed’s big adventure Ted Voute and Ed Sackville set up their own verison of the Irish Stallion Trail and got to see stallions at Rathbarry, Coolmore, Ballylinch, Ballyhane, Kildangan, the Irish National, Yeomanstown, Rathasker and, finally, Tally-Ho. Phew! Ted gives us his report of the tour

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FTER TWO YEARS, I finally decided that the COVID protocols were lifted enough to visit Ireland for my own stallion tour.

I caught the 10.40am from London Heathrow with Ed Sackville, who is nicknamed “The Earl” by many of the farms we visited, and we arrived in Cork just before noon.

We had a mammoth itinerary planned that centered around Tipperary from the first half day and then around Dublin on the second.

Our first stop was Rathbarry,

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where I hadn’t been since the days of Barathea all those years ago.

I was the nominated driver, and the navigation was split between Ed and the sat nav.

Unfortunately we entered the first farm via the muck heap entrance so it probably wasn’t the best start, but we arrived well ahead of schedule and a smiling Niamh Woods was there to meet us.

The ever-youthful Acclamation, who is still covering two a day and is on target for a book of 100, was the first of many stallions planned to see on the trip.

He is a “living start” to a line that is now dominating the sales ring –

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he looked in excellent condition, as in fact were all the mature horses seen on the trip. A great horse to get the eye in!

Next up was Kodi Bear whom Ed has had luck with buying his progeny at the sales and he was added to our list of horses to breed to – he had the speed, has the scope, is a great mover and quietly gets the job done at a great value price.

We then went an hour up the motorway to Coolmore, we were lucky with the weather as it was a gorgeous, sunny winter’s day.

It is always exciting to visit the stallions on the stud – over the years we have seen Sadler’s

Wells and Galileo and, before that, Green God at Castle Hyde; it is a dynasty of stallions many of whom dominate the pedigrees we have today.

First out of the stalls in the top yard was Wootton Bassett.

He is an impressive horse and is already continuing his steep rise to stardom.

Camelot was my takeaway from the yard, while I added Australia to my list of “value” sires.

With so many great racehorses in one place its difficult to choose as they do overawe you.

We were then taken on a swift walk to the newly built yard in the old Galileo paddock. The yard is

Prince Faisal has sent 50 per cent of his broodmare band to Make Believe most years and been rewarded with a high percentage of stakes winners – he has also supported his foals in the ring and bought Believe In Love, whom we sold as a yearling.

Jock O’Conner has assembled four stallions at Ballylinch, all of whom were trained by André Fabre.

The horse we where most impressed with at Ballylinch was Waldgeist, who has let down into a fine strong stallion.

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EXT UP was Ballyhane with the ever-charismatic Joe Foley.

The farm has a great selection of good-looking stallions with Dandy Man topping the ranks – he is now one of Ireland’s most established stallions and has a good crop to run this year.

To judge my concentration we were later tested on the stallions

by Joe and Harry McCalmont over a beer in the Lord Bagenal Inn,

Ted enjoyed a good lunch at Yeomanstown before viewing the stallions and liked what he saw of Invincible Army

“

The horse we were most impressed with at Ballylinch was Waldgeist, who has let down into a fine and strong stallion

“

impressive – a beautiful setting of 12 boxes housing yet more of Europe’s outstanding racehorses.

Judging them is like grading greatness. You always must have a takeaway horse, though, and ours was Sottsass – he has let down into a magnificent specimen.

We had a brief look at Prince Faisal’s stock based there and a new foal by Belardo before we moved on.

We were then on the road from Cashel to Ballylinch Stud, and, were amazingly still on time, but decided to skip lunch having had a monster of a breakfast at Heathrow in preparation.

Ballylinch is one of the most beautiful old farms in the country.

First up was Make Believe whose son Mishriff moves toward running in his second Saudi Cup. Even though I say so myself, Make Believe is a stunningly attractive horse, who had speed.

Rarely are you involved in horses from the beginning, but I was lucky enough to source him at Tattersalls as a foal and then managed him through his racing career.

a great spot in which to unwind before we headed off back to Cashel to join the Coolmore crowd.

We were expected at 6pm but were fashionably late after checking in to Baileys Hotel – the Cashel Palace is closed until March 1.

As expected we went on to Mikey Ryan’s for a late night!

We got up early the next morning to see Donnacha O’Brien at his fabulous training grounds at Longfield and then went on to Darley.

I wanted to see Belardo and Space Blues, who impressed me on Breeders’ Cup Day. However, for me, the take away horse was Teofilio, while Earthlight has strengthened and has improved substantially.

The Irish National Stud was next and Invincible Spirit continues to look youthful, Decorated Knight, in a pivotal year, has all the ingredients to be a success, while Phoenix Of Spain caught my eye.

At this point the rugby was looming and it would be harder to visit farms whilst the game was on, but we enjoyed a lunch stop at Yeomanstown with David O’Callaghan, Rolline and children.

The farm’s stallions are like peas in a pod – one after the other and super correct. It was great to see the mighty Dark Angel and I was impressed with Invincible Army.

Rathasker was a quick stop but probably provided us with a view of the best value stallions on the trip, all of whom are speed balls.

Coulsty impressed and looks well-priced at €4,000. Maurice Burns was on hand to personally show the stallions Last, but not least, was a trip Tally-Ho Stud and it was well worth the drive to Mullingar.

The beautiful stud farm shone through the pouring rain – you still get goose bumps looking at the stallions as you know almost every two-year-old winner in England before Royal Ascot will have been bred on the farm!

Kodiac, ever youthful, was shown by Roger O’Callaghan himself, as were many of the stallions. On arrival a mare was being covered and, as far as I could see, every O’Callaghan was on hand to help, working after the Irish win in the Six Nations.

Finally, a big thank you to Noel O’Callaghan, who organised rooms in The Alex in Dublin, and to Ross Doyle for supper after the rugby.

The alarm went off at 5am for a return home in time for sunday lunch, and that was a struggle!

But, the great memories of such a wonderful familyorientated Irish industry, had me smiling on the way to the airport for the 6.40am flight Thank you Ireland – what a great trip!

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the news

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....Girls aloud

Cathy Grassick had fun at the Dublin Racing Festival and is enjoying being back on the sale grounds in 2022

HE NATIONAL HUNT SEASON is in full swing once February arrives and, with March just around the corner, Cheltenham, fever is in the air.

It is impossible to avoid the slew of Cheltenham preview evenings which are taking place around England and Ireland in the run-up to the annual pilgrimage to the hallowed Turf of Prestbury Park.

The Irish have long had their own shrine to NH racing at Punchestown, but the new kid on the block in the form of the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown is making jumps enthusiasts and industry professionals sit up and A welcome sight: spectators and bookmakers back on course for the Dublin Racing Festival take notice.

Ideally placed as a warm-up for Cheltenham in early February, the Dublin Racing Festival offers also it was great to see so many people travel from overseas to attend. punters and spectators the opportunity to see some of the potential The stars of the weekend were many, but the two standouts in superstars of the season unveiled. everyone’s mind were Willie Mullins and the team Closutton who It also gives trainers and owners the opportunity to challenge their took home the spoils in seven major races over two days, and Team stars against the best horses in top class races for great prize-money.

Honeysuckle. The star mare, her superstar jockey Rachael Blackmore Leopardstown itself has had some major redevelopment over the and trainer supremo Henry de Bromhead went into the history books COVID-19 lockdown and now offers an even better experience for its with 14 unbeaten runs in a row. patrons and equine participants alike.

It has also seen the arrival of a new management team with the T IS A HUGE ACHIEVEMENT for any horse, but especially for departure of Pat Keogh, who had been so instrumental in many a mare in this day and age and a special mention should go to of the developments now completed. Tim Husbands is now in the Peter Moloney of Rathmore Stud for unearthing this amazing role of CEO at Leopardstown and he is joined by the new racing equine athlete on behalf of owner Kenny Alexander, a breeders Dr and operations manager Jane Hedley, who brings with her a wealth Geoffrey Guy and Doug Procter of Glanvilles Stud for producing of experience and enthusiasm from her time in the UK as clerk of her in the first place. the course and general manager of Nottingham racecourse, as well The whole weekend was a huge success and it was all the talk of the as time at Warwick, Market Rasen, Newmarket, Cheltenham and sales come Monday morning at Kill paddocks as inspections started in Aintree. earnest at the Goffs February Sale.

This new team have big shoes to fill and the Dublin Racing The February Sale at Tattersalls, Newmarket produced a buoyant Festival weekend was its first major racing event at Leopardstown market, especially when it came to the trade for quality mares and stock – due to the hard work behind the scenes the venue, the atmosphere from the Shadwell dispersal. This had everyone in a positive mood ahead and the action delivered in spades. of the sale at Goffs and the place was full of pinhookers and mare buyers It was wonderful to see so many people flocking back to the looking to add to their portfolios. racecourse after an enforced absence due to COVID restrictions. They I always enjoy the February sales as they mark the start of the came in their droves, both young and old, from all across Ireland and breeding season and the Flat racing season is just around the corner.

I

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Group 1 Sprinter Showcasing - Bird Key (Cadeaux Genereux)

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I have two Tasleets in the yard and have been hugely impressed. They appear to have great minds – they’d run through a brick wall for you – and are both sharp, early looking types. We can’t wait to get them on the track.

Dave Loughnane, trainer of high-class juveniles Go Bears Go and Hello You

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I have a cracking pair of colts and I love them. I’m very tempted to send my mare to the stallion on the back of what I’ve seen.

They have great attitudes and haven’t put a foot out of line since arriving in the yard.

We can press the button with them at any time – they both look early types.

William Muir, Group 1 trainer

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I’m very pleased with the colt I have.

He’s the one everyone likes at home, which is always a good sign, and goes nicely. He’s good tempered and very straightforward.

He’s also a good size and is developing into a very good looking individual.

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Marcus Tregoning, Classic and Group 1 trainer

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I love her. She’s a very nice filly, strong and correct. She’s very straightforward and easy to deal with and we’re looking forward to running her.

”

Ed Bethell, trainer of talented two-year-old Fearby

First two-year-olds talk of the training ranks Fee:

£5,000 Jan 1 , SLF st

Contact Tom Pennington for the best deal +44 (0)7736 019914 | tpennington@shadwellstud.co.uk www.shadwellstud.com

The Great British Stallion Showcase 2022 Featuring first, second & third season Flat stallions & all-age NH stallions

Visit today greatbritishstallionshowcase.co.uk

nh racing

Old friends, new stars Aisling Crowe reports from the Dublin Racing Festival which saw the amazing Honeysuckle win her third Grade 1 Irish Champion Hurdle, Chacun Pour Soi his third Dublin Chase, while the impressive Conflated and Vauban put themselves on the big stage

Vauban (Galiway) jumping to Grade 1 glory and winning his first race over hurdle on his second start

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HE RETURN OF CROWDS TO RACING in Ireland was celebrated in raucous fashion at the Dublin Racing Festival with fans releasing the pent-up tensions and frustrations of two years away from the track.

The opportunity to acclaim racing’s queens Honeysuckle and Rachael Blackmore after their third Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle (G1) was one that the Leopardstown crowd could not pass up, and

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the unbeaten pair were serenaded off the course and into the winners’ enclosure by awed fans.

Honeysuckle, the British-bred daughter of Sulamani, has captured the hearts of racing’s public alongside her record-making jockey and the unbeaten duo are the brightest stars in racing, and possibly Irish sport, right now.

The Champion Hurdle heroine was joined as a triple Dublin Racing Festival Grade 1 winner by Chacun Pour Soi, who

recorded his third Dublin Chase triumph in his customarily exciting manner for trainer Willie Mullins and owner Rich Ricci.

Sir Gerhard, victorious in the Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle in the Cheveley Park silks, is another whose pedigree and race record are familiar to readers as the Champion Bumper winner of 2021 has been something of a standout since he began his racing career.

Away from those bright lights familiar to stargazers of racing’s galaxy, some nebulae

nh racing burst on to the scene at Leopardstown this month and it is on those with the potential to shine bright that we turn our telescopic gaze.

Vauban leads the way for Galiway

The rise of Galiway from humble beginnings to stallion sensation has been completed in just a couple of years and his first crop has led the way with Sealiway winning a Group 1 at two and adding a second in the Champion Stakes last season at three.

Now another Flat stakes performer from that debut cohort by Haras de Colleville’s son of Galileo has taken a top-level triumph over hurdles – Vauban broke his jumping maiden in some style winning the Spring Juvenile Hurdle for Mullins, Ricci and jockey Paul Townend.

Bred by P Decouz and SCEA du Bas Bugey, he hails from a branch of the wonderful German Wurfbahn family.

Vauban is out of Waldfest, a winning daughter of Hurricane Run and Gifted Icon, a Peintre Celebre half-sister to St Leger winner and sire Masked Marvel and to the Group 3 winner Waldlerche, dam of the Arc and Prix du Jockey-Club winner and exciting young stallion Waldgeist.

Waldlerche, Gifted Icon and Masked Marvel are out of the Falmouth runner-up Waldmark, a Mark Of Esteem half-sister to the Deutsches Derby winner and sire Waldpark, the Listed winner Waldvogel and the unraced Waldbeere. She is dam of the Group 3 winners Wiesenpfad and Waldpfad, who was also Group 1-placed, and the Listed winner and Preis der Diana third Waldtraut.

Another half-sister produced the Group 2 Gran Premio del Jockey Club winner Walderbe by Maxios.

Vauban’s fourth dam is the German champion older female stayer Wurftaube by Acatenango, who won the Group 2 German St Leger and was placed at Group 1 level.

It is some pedigree!

Vauban was previously trained by his part-breeder Philippe Decouz and was purchased privately last summer by his Irish connections after a victory at Lyons Parilly.

He made one more start in France, winning the Listed Prix Frederic de Lagrange over 2400m at Vichy.

On his first start over hurdles, Vauban

was half a length second to Pied Piper at Punchestown on New Year’s Eve and that horse went on to annihilate the opposition in the Grade 2 Triumph Hurdle Trial at Cheltenham in January.

The form looks strong, and it was that which gave Mullins confirmation that the promise of Vauban’s Flat form in France could be translated into top level success over hurdles.

“His form after his run in Punchestown looked very good and we thought that if Paul got him jumping today that he could improve hugely on that form, which he did,” said the winning trainer. “It puts him in the picture for the Triumph Hurdle now and it is great to win another Grade 1. We are delighted that he won today, that he learned and was able to put it all together with the experience. It’s a nice way to break your maiden.

“We thought he was a nice horse when we bought him – we bought him after his

win. We just had to teach him how to jump and we eventually got round to that,” he smiled. “I don’t know if many horses break their maiden in a Grade 1, but it is tremendous for him.”

Yeats leads the championship

The unexpected success of Conflated in the Grade 1 Irish Gold Cup for Gordon Elliott, Davy Russell and the Gigginstown House Stud team gave his sire Yeats the lead at the head of the NH sires’ championship.

Speaking afterwards, the winning trainer said: “Conflated got into a lovely rhythm, I was keen to run him during the week, I was thinking of going for the handicap but thankfully Eddie and Michael let me run him in this.

“I wanted to find out how good or bad he is, and where we are going with him. I know he has a massive engine.

“It is great for Michael and

A delighted Gordon Elliot with Conflated

Anita second last run in France and he had a final run on the Flat there, which proved that he was a serious Flat

[O’Leary], and the whole team in

www.internationalthoroughbred.net

21

nh racing Gigginstown and all the team at Cullentra, we have a massive team behind us and to win a big race like this is unbelievable.

“We had three seconds today but winning the Gold Cup has made up for that.”

The legendary Ascot Gold Cup hero Yeats was engaged in a battle to the wire for leading sire honours last season with the late Stowaway, who won out in the end, but Coolmore’s son of Sadler’s Wells is now out on his own for this year’s title following his eight-year-old son’s victory in the €140,000 Grade 1 chase, which closely followed that of Longhouse Poet in the Thyestes Chase (G1) at Gowran Park.

Yeats, who is now 21, has achieved his position in the table from fewer runners than either of his closest rivals; Getaway and the late Fame And Glory, and at a greater winners-to-runners rate, too.

His ratio of stakes winners-to-runners at 18 per cent is one lower than that of Fame And Glory, but two points higher than recorded by Getaway to date this season.

Minella Cocooner

22

Once again, the horses bearing the Minella monikers were purchased at the same sale although this time they were picked out at the 2019 Goffs Land Rover Sale Conflated is one of seven individual Grade 1 winners sired by Yeats, who also has the aforementioned Longhouse Poet and Tudor City as winners of Grade 1 handicaps.

Bred by the Dillon family, Conflated is out of the Presenting mare Saucy Present, who is the dam of Ordinary World, who is by another leading son of Sadler’s Wells in Milan.

Ordinary World was placed in multiple Grade 1 chases for Henry De Bromhead and owner Chris Jones and is one of four winners out of the mare, three of them by sons of Sadler’s Wells and the fourth by a grandson.

Saucy Present is a half-sister to the Listed mares’ novice chase winner Saucy Pride, who is the dam of Peckhamecho, who was Grade 2-placed in a bumper and over hurdles.

Her dam Saucy Gale is a half-sister to Queenie Kelly, dam of Grade 2 winners and the Grade 1-placed Calling Brave and Ottawa, and the third dam of Kerry Lee’s Power’s Gold Cup winner Kylemore Lough.

Conflated was sold as a foal by the Motherway family’s Yellowford Farm to Brendan Bashford Bloodstock for €46,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland November Sale and he doubled his price when bought from Glenvale Stud by Henry De Bromhead at the Derby Sale.

His dam was covered by Vadamos last year, while his now six-year-old full-sister Saucy Yeats went to Berkshire for her first covering.

Team Minella strikes again

Last season’s extraordinary achievement of producing both the Gold Cup and Grand National winners was perhaps the pinnacle of John Nallen’s achievements – sourcing Minella Indo and Minella Times from the Tattersalls November Foal Sale in the one year was an outstanding job by the Tipperary man.

At the Dublin Racing Festival, Nallen turned provider of the first two home in the Grade 1 Nathaniel Lacy and Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle as Minella Cocooner led home Minella Crooner. Once again, the horses bearing the Minella monikers were purchased at the same sale, this time at the 2019 Goffs Land Rover Sale.

The six-year-old is trained by Willie Mullins for the Bobbett family and his Grade 1 success was achieved under yet another fine front-running ride by Danny Mullins.

“We decided there might not be much pace in the race so we would make it and Danny was good on him in front, he got some tremendous jumps from him, got his breathers after the hurdles and paced it beautifully,” commended Mullins.

Minella Cocooner has a high-class pedigree as a son of the excellent Flemensfirth and the retired star is currently operating at a stakes winners-to-runners strike-rate far of 26 per cent, which is far in excess of any other stallion in the top ten.

The winner was bred by John Asple out of Askanna, a Grade 2 winner over hurdles and successful in a Grade 3 chase. Askanna is an Old Vic half-sister to the Grade 3 winner and Irish Grand National third Abolitionist, who is a son of Flemensfirth.

Their dam All The Roses is a Roselier half-sister to Racing Demon, who won the Henry VII Novices’ Chase and two runnings of the Peterborough Chase for Henrietta Knight and the Radford family. Third dam All Set is a half-sister to Merry Gale, a fourtime Grade 1 winner over fences.

Minella Cocooner was sold by Peter Nolan

NanDO PaRRaDO Kodiac – Chibola (Roy) Fee: €6,000 (1st Oct terms)

• Gr.2 winner of the Coventry Stakes and twice Gr.1 placed at 2 •

165,000gns foal purchase by Ballyphilip Stud

•

First three dams are Gr.1 winners or Gr.1 producers

Contact: Cathal Beale, Gary Swift +353 (0)86 6031979 or Conor Hyland +353 (0)85 1299236 Tel: +353 (0)45 521251 www.irishnationalstud.ie

C R AV E N B R E E Z E U P

CHAMPION

2YO NATIVE TRAIL Unbeaten European Champion 2YO, Dewhurst Stakes, Gr. 1, National Stakes, Gr. 1, etc. purchased at Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale

CRAVEN BREEZE UP SALE April 11 - 13

featuring the £250,000 Craven Royal Ascot/Group 1 Bonus and the £15,000 Craven Breeze Up Bonus

+44 (0) 1638 665931 sales@tattersalls.com

nh racing Bloodstock to Kevin Ross on behalf of Chris Jones’s Killeen Glebe for €56,000 at the 2016 Tattersalls Ireland November Foal Sale.

Gerry Ross of Limekiln Stud consigned him for Jones at the Land Rover Sale where he made €82,000.

Askanna’s now four-year-old Walk In The Park filly brought €75,000 from Kieran McManus at last year’s Land Rover Sale and she has a three-year-old son by Getaway and a two-year-old Walk In The Park colt. She was covered by Jet Away last year.

Blue lords it over rivals in the Irish Arkle

Blue Lord maintained his unbeaten record over fences but he had to survive both a determined challenge from Riviere D’Etel and a stewards’ enquiry to keep that record intact for Willie Mullins in the double green silks of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede.

“It was a good performance and he did what was required,” said Mullins. “It was a tough race with no hiding place and he did it from the front, jumped well throughout.”

He is a son of Blue Bresil, who is having an increasingly large influence in NH racing and breeding, with the Irish Arkle winner the second new Grade 1 victor for Rathbarry Stud’s exciting stallion in less than a month.

The first was Constitution Hill in the Tolworth Hurdle, and they have doubled their sire’s tally of top-level winners in a very short space of time.

Blue Bresil’s results on the track, coupled with the attractive foals he is siring, have made buyers sit up and take notice at the sales. At the recent Tattersalls Ireland February National Hunt Sale, there were 12 weanlings by the son of Smadoun sold out of 14 offered for an average of €24,892 when the sale average was almost half of that figure at €13,064.

The median achieved was even more telling at €25,000 and that was a little short of three-times the sale median of €9,000.

His latest Grade 1 winner is from his penultimate French-bred crop when his fee was just €1,500. Since he transferred, first to Yorton Farm and then to Rathbarry, Blue Bresil’s fee has crept steadily upwards and he is now listed as private, his last advertised fee was €8,000 in 2020.

Blue Lord was bred by Mrs Joelle

Blue Bresil’s results on the track, coupled with the attractive foals he is siring, have made buyers sit up and take notice Morruzzi and Mrs Raymonde Demai out of the Cachet Noire mare Lorette and was sold at the 2017 Arqana July Sale by Haras de la Croix Sonnet.

He is the second foal out of his unraced dam and she is out of Lorraine Express, a Mansonnien half-sister to Mely Moss, who was second to Papillon in the 2000 Grand National for Charlie Egerton.

Lorette has just three recorded offspring with Blue Lord the only one to have won.

Galopin gains vital big race experience

had to learn today,” commented the relieved trainer.

“I am happy that he learned a lot today but my heart was in my mouth going down the back!”

Galopin Des Champs is a son of Timos, a Group 2-placed stallion by Sholokhov, who was bred by Gestüt Etzean and sold for €46,000 at the 2006 BBAG September Yearling Sale.

He is out of the Surumu mare Triclaria.

She is also the dam of the Youmzain mare Sea Calisi, who won the Group 2 Prix de Malleret and was third in both the Yorkshire Oaks and Prix Vermeille.

She moved to Chad Brown’s barn for her four-year-old season and won the Beverly D Stakes and the Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay Stakes. She was also placed in the Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes.

Galopin Des Champs is out of a mare by the Group 1 Criterium de Saint Cloud winner Marchand De Sable, a son of Theatrical.

Manon Des Champs has foaled two black-type winners, both of them by Marchand De Sable.

A delighted Willie Mullins trained seven winners at the Dublin Festival

Success for Galopin Des Champs in the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Novice Chase was not as silky smooth as his Christmas stroll in a beginners’ chase at Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival, but in having to jump at a proper pace, Mullins and Townend expressed the hope that the experience would stand to owner Mrs Audrey Turley’s six-year-old.

“He wasn’t as happy, and I wasn’t as happy watching him, jumping at Grade 1 pace.

“By all accounts Paul said it was a proper pace, much faster than at Christmas and he didn’t want to keep going on with him like he did in that race because he felt that on softer ground, he

www.internationalthoroughbred.net

25

stallion stats Leading NH sires 2021-2022 (by prize-money earned to February 8, 2022) Stallion

Breeding

Yeats Fame And Glory Getaway Flemensfirth Shirocco Presenting Stowaway Milan Mahler Midnight Legend Shantou Jeremy Westerner Kayf Tara Gold Well Martaline Kapgarde Doyen Court Cave Oscar Sholokhov Saint des Saints Arcadio Beneficial Dylan Thomas Black Sam Bellamy Walk In The Park Scorpion Authorized Sulamani Malinas King’s Theatre No Risk At All Doctor Dino Nathaniel Califet Kalanisi Born To Sea Ask Blue Bresil Great Pretender Saddler Maker Beat Hollow Coastal Path Dubai Destination Diamond Boy Mastercraftsman

Sadler’s Wells–Lyndonville (Top Ville) Montjeu–Gryada (Shirley Heights) Monsun–Guernica (Unfuwain) Alleged–Etheldreda (Diesis) Monsun–So Sedulous (The Minstrel) Mtoto–D’Azy (Persian Bold) Slip Anchor–On Credit (No Pass No Sale) Sadler’s Wells–Kithanga (Darshaan) Galileo–Rainbow Goddess (Rainbow Quest) Night Shift–Myth (Troy) Alleged–Shaima (Shareef Dancer) Danehill Dancer–Glint In Her Eye (Arazi) Danehill–Walensee (Troy) Sadler’s Wells–Colorspin (High Top) Sadler’s Wells–Floripedes (Top Ville) Linamix–Coraline (Sadler’s Wells) Garde Royale–Kaprika (Cadoudal) Sadler’s Wells–Moon Cactus (Kris) Sadler’s Wells–Wemyss Bight (Dancing Brave) Sadler’s Wells–Snow Day (Reliance II) Sadler’s Wells–La Meilleure (Lord Gayle) Cadoudal–Chamisene (Pharly) Monsun–Assia (Royal Academy) Top Ville–Youthful (Green Dancer) Danehill–Lagrion (Diesis) Sadler’s Wells–Urban Sea (Miswaki) Montjeu–Classic Park (Robellino) Montjeu–Ardmelody (Law Society) Montjeu–Funsie (Saumarez) Hernando–Soul Dream (Alleged) Lomitas–Majoritat (Konigsstuhl) Sadler’s Wells–Regal Beauty (Princely Native) My Risk–Newness (Simply Great) Muhtathir–Logica (Priolo) Galileo–Magnificient Style (Silver Hawk) Freedom Cry–Sally’s Room (Kendor) Doyoun–Kalamba (Green Dancer) Invincible Spirit–Urban Sea (Miswaki) Sadler’s Wells–Request (Rainbow Quest) Smadoun–Miss Recif (Exit To Nowhere) King’s Theatre–Settler (Darshaan) Sadler’s Wells–Animatrice (Alleged) Sadler’s Wells–Wemyss Bight (Dancing Brave) Halling–Coraline (Sadler’s Wells) Kingmambo–Mysterial (Alleged) Mansonnien–Gold Or Silver (Glint of Gold)

26

Danehill Dancer–Starlight Dreams (Black Tie Affair)

www.internationalthoroughbred.net

Courtesy of Weatherbys

To Stud

Rnrs

Runs

Wnrs

Wins

Wnrs/Rnrs%

SWnrs

2010 2013 2011 1998 2007 1997 2001 2004 2009 1998 1999 2008 2006 2001 2006 2005 2004 2006 2004 1998 2004 2003 2008 1997 2008 2004 2008 2008 2008 2005 2006 1997 2013 2010 2013 2005 2002 2013 2011 2010 2006 2005 2003 2010 2004 2012 2010

260 300 316 209 235 212 157 225 227 112 160 135 175 184 122 103 79 130 151 151 106 62 134 91 116 100 88 147 66 70 86 36 49 24 59 85 120 40 101 49 53 58 55 40 45 37 59

974 975 1121 593 755 699 559 737 765 403 524 483 565 501 456 330 267 449 625 462 339 171 508 346 399 321 245 517 215 253 243 119 136 69 202 261 369 181 320 113 159 162 186 118 166 125 216

90 98 85 56 69 47 46 57 63 40 43 46 50 45 43 29 34 40 32 31 29 19 28 24 25 28 25 34 20 24 30 10 12 10 17 19 19 14 29 9 13 21 12 13 13 12 15

136 128 122 68 95 73 64 88 87 56 69 66 73 59 56 43 47 63 41 42 46 29 43 28 39 39 34 41 36 35 42 14 23 19 22 26 25 19 33 13 17 29 15 17 18 20 22

34.62 32.67 26.90 26.79 29.36 22.17 29.30 25.33 27.75 35.71 26.88 34.07 28.57 24.46 35.25 28.16 43.04 30.77 21.19 20.53 27.36 30.65 20.90 26.37 21.55 28.00 28.41 23.13 30.30 34.29 34.88 27.78 24.49 41.67 28.81 22.35 15.83 35.00 28.71 18.37 24.53 36.21 21.82 32.50 28.89 32.43 25.42

7 7 6 8 5 5 5 1 3 4 6 6 4 3 4 6 3 2 1 2 3 4 1 1 2 2 5 0 2 1 2 3 3 4 2 3 1 3 0 3 1 1 3 1 1 1 0

SWs 11 7 6 10 6 5 5 1 3 4 7 7 4 4 5 7 3 2 1 2 5 4 2 1 3 3 7 0 2 2 2 4 5 7 3 3 2 3 0 3 1 1 3 1 1 2 0

£ 1,672,352 1,492,773 1,407,633 1,113,972 1,020,637 1,007,018 998,123 982,887 964,484 956,794 908,711 908,627 899,546 832,491 800,510 765,546 751,932 699,508 683,781 647,565 635,114 598,836 569,185 522,029 511,613 478,312 459,796 449,315 446,842 435,241 429,051 423,430 394,802 392,905 383,490 370,984 368,214 357,433 331,412 308,740 299,944 299,613 289,683 286,362 283,820 282,172 280,958

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22 - 23 JUNE

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DERBY SALE

“Decorated Knight was a very progressive and genuine horse to train, improving from race to race and I'm sure his progeny will do the same. I currently have two winning three-year-olds by him in the yard, Silver Bullet Lady and Zain Nights.

Both are rated in the 80's by Timeform with the addition of a ‘p’, and both are exciting prospects for the current season.”

Roger Charlton

96p

WIND YOUR NECK IN Multiple winner

94

CHARMING KNIGHT Multiple winner

89P

www.irishnationalstud.ie/stallion/decorated-knight

KNIGHT OF HONOUR Third on debut

Galileo - Pearling (Storm Cat)

And with bigger and better crops still to come...

The future looks bright

84p

ZAIN NIGHTS Novice Stakes winner

Standing at

82p

SILVER BULLET LADY Winner on debut

79+

DAMAAR Winner on debut

Fee: €7,500 Oct. 1st

Contact: Gary Swift or Conor Hyland at Irish National Stud • Tel: +353 (0)45 521251

kirsten rausing Photography courtesy of Lanwades

Annus Mirabalis

After a record-breaking year enjoyed in 2021, Martin Stevens chats to Kirsten Rausing about the amazing times she has enjoyed as a racehorse breeder and the leading pedigrees she has developed with such care at Lanwades Stud

K

IRSTEN RAUSING enjoyed a simply outstanding year of achievement in 2021. She bred no fewer than 112 winners and stakes-placed runners worldwide, close to her previous high of 116 first achieved in 2015 and equalled in 2018.

What stood out last year in particular, though, was the stunning rate of success of those horses who carried Rausing’s own distinctive white and green silks.

There were 26 such winners in Britain – all fillies except Aleas, who couldn’t be sold as a yearling due to an injury – plus four in Ireland, three in Germany and two in France, making a total of 35. That is, by some distance, a record annual tally in Rausing’s long involvement in racing.

And many of those horses were no “ordinary winners”. Alpinista (Frankel) was the highlight in 2021, as the Sir Mark Prescott-trained filly was unbeaten in five starts, scoring in the Listed Daisy Warwick Stakes and Lancashire Oaks (G2) before emulating her granddam Albanova’s feat of winning three German Group 1 races in a single season.

Albaflora (Muhaarar), in the care of trainer Ralph Beckett, won the Listed Buckhounds Stakes and ran second in the Yorkshire Oaks (G1) and British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (G1), being beaten just a short head by Eshaada in the latter race, while her stablemate Aleas (Archipenko), who is also a son of Albaflora’s Group 3-winning half-sister Alea Iacta, took

30

www.internationalthoroughbred.net

...many of those horses who contributed to Rausing’s wonderful year in 2021 are by Lanwades sires, and all hail from families she has meticulously nurtured for many generations the Glasgow Stakes (L). Another relative, Alerta Roja (Golden Horn), won three handicaps and found only Stradivarius too good in the Doncaster Cup (G2).

Oriental Mystique (Kingman), a daughter of Rausing’s British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes winner Madame Chiang, notched a deserved first black-type win in the Prix Luth Enchantee (L) for David Simcock, while Sandrine (Bobby’s Kitten) took high rank among the two-year-old fillies, being saddled by Andrew Balding to win the Group 3 Albany Stakes and Duchess of Cambridge Stakes (G2) and to finish second in the Lowther Stakes (G2) and third

in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes. Kawida (Sir Percy), of the same age and sex, scored in the Montrose Fillies’ Stakes (L) for trainer Ed Walker at the end of the season.

There were plenty of other exciting juvenile talents for Rausing, too.

Ching Shih (Lope De Vega), the halfsister to Oriental Mystique, won a Newbury novice stakes by 4l for Simcock; Heat Of The Moment (Bobby’s Kitten) was an impressive winner at Yarmouth on debut for Jane Chapple-Hyam; Melodramatica (Bobby’s Kitten) scored in a Lingfield novice stakes in good fashion for Rae Guest; Allada (Sea The Moon) was sent out by rookie trainer Tim Donworth to win a Deauville maiden by 3l; and Alizarine (Sea The Moon) and Sablonne (Dark Angel) both won maidens before running with promise in black-type company for Jessica Harrington in Ireland.

Horses bred and sold by Rausing were also to the fore on the international scene. Zaaki (Leroidesanimaux) became the new darling of Australian racing after Group 1 triumphs in the Doomben Cup (G1), Underwood Stakes (G1) and Mackinnon Stakes (G1), while Le Don De Vie (Leroidesanimaux) and Pondus (Sea The Moon) also ran with credit Down Under. Time Warp (Archipenko), a former triple Group 1 winner at Sha Tin, was still competing in top-level racing in Hong Kong, too.

Melodramatic: sixth generation Lanwades

To put the icing on the cake, many of those horses who contributed to Rausing’s

kirsten rausing Kirsten Rausing with Alborada: the breeder’s association with the “A” family goes back to her purchase of Alruccaba at the December sales in 1985

BREEDING STATISTICS Group 1 winners: 14 Group 2 winners: 14 Group 3 winners: 28 Listed winners: 68 Group / Listed wins: 153 Races won: 1,810 www.internationalthoroughbred.net

31

kirsten rausing wonderful year in 2021 are by Lanwades sires and all hail from families she has meticulously nurtured for many generations.

Melodramatica, who started the new year with an encouraging fourth in a Lingfield

novice stakes after a long lay-off, hails from the family with which Rausing has enjoyed the longest association.

“She is by Bobby’s Kitten out of a With Approval mare, who in turn is out of a

Niniski mare, so couldn’t be much more Lanwades-bred than that; but more to the point she’s a sixth generation homebred, which is quite difficult to achieve these days,” says Rausing. “I purchased the original mare

The phone call that led to a Special family

I

T WAS A CHANCE PHONE CALL that Rausing took while at home in Sweden, on a short summer holiday from her work in Ireland, that led to her enduring involvement in one of the best families in the stud book.

“The holiday happened to coincide with the Keeneland July Yearling Sale and my friend, the late Magnus Berger, rang me in a state of some excitement,” recalls Rausing. “He said to me, ‘Kirsten, can you help me? Something awful has happened!’.

“Mr Berger explained that Richard Galpin, who was a great character and an outstanding judge of a horse, if a rather idiosyncratic valuer of the same, had pestered him to let him buy a yearling filly at Keeneland and he had agreed, instructing Galpin to buy the nicest filly he could find for $25,oo0.

“Galpin had rung back and said ‘I’ve bought the nicest filly in the book – she’s absolutely marvellous and she was only $40,000’.

“So Mr Berger asked me what he could do about this, given the mandate was $25,000 and the agent had paid $40,000! I asked him to tell me the lot number so I could look it up. This was a long, long time before the internet but luckily I had a catalogue with me in Sweden, so I saw that the filly was by Hawaii, who was yet to sire Henbit and who was in fact a flop, and her dam, Special, had run unplaced on her one start in the US but was very nicely bred and had at the time a colt foal by Northern Dancer.

“I said to Mr Berger that from my own selfish point of view it was a shame I didn’t have the $15,000 he needed because if I did, I would have gladly taken that share. But I told Berger I did think it was a great pedigree and that he should sell his house, his grandmother, whatever; but keep the filly!”

Berger acted on Rausing’s advice and the Hawaii filly came to Britain to be trained by John Dunlop. Named Kilavea, after the Hawaiian volcano Kilauea, she won a maiden at Glorious Goodwood on her only start at two and was mentioned all winter for the 1,000 Guineas, but was struck down by a serious illness and never ran again.

However, her value continued to increase – the Northern Dancer colt out of Special turned out to be Nureyev, and another of her foals, the Bold Reason filly Fairy Bridge, had been crowned joint-champion two-year-old filly in Ireland, though she was still yet to foal Sadler’s Wells.

While Kilavea produced her first two progeny at stud, fillies by Vitiges and High Top, Rausing was in the process of purchasing and establishing Lanwades Stud.

32

www.internationalthoroughbred.net

“I managed to convince Mr Berger, not without a lot of trying, to send Kilavea to Niniski in his first season at Lanwades, and he later sold the mare, in-foal to Niniski, to a new owner who had just arrived in the industry called Sheikh Mohammed,” remembers Rausing. “The Sheikh’s main adviser, Colonel Warden of the Curragh Bloodstock Agency, approached me personally to buy the mare, who was a permanent resident at Lanwades. I initially said she wasn’t for sale, and we went through protracted negotiations before she was eventually sold for a vast amount of money.”

But I told Berger I did think it was a great pedigree and that he should sell his house, his grandmother, whatever; but keep the filly!

The foal being carried by Kilavea at the time of her sale turned out to be Kiliniski, who was trained by John Dunlop for Sheikh Mohammed to win the Lingfield Oaks Trial and to finish second in the Yorkshire Oaks.

Kiliniski was retired at the end of her three-year-old season and sent to be boarded for Sheikh Mohammed at Mill Ridge Stud in Kentucky, where she was mated with many of the most glamorous stallions of the age but with largely disappointing results. Rausing had not forgotten about her, though.

“Many years later I found her in the Keeneland January Sale, where she was catalogued as barren for the last two seasons and covered by Diesis with a last service of February 15 but not in-foal again, and I managed to buy her for the minimum bid of $2,000,” says Rausing.

“I was delighted. I had my own horse, Northern Park, at Gainesway at the time so I sent the mare to him, even though the mating provided relatively close inbreeding to Northern Dancer. But I thought I’d better get this mare in-foal before I spend shipping fares on her, and she got straight in-foal.

“The resulting filly, Kiruna, was quite good but she fractured her skull by banging her head on the stalls first time out. However, I later

kirsten rausing Actress, who was a foal of 1958, when she was being sold by Limestone and Tara Studs at the December Sales of 1966.

“It’s a family that, like most of mine, goes back to a very famous mare – namely Lord

Derby’s Selene, the dam of Hyperion, Sickle, Pharamond and Hunter’s Moon, who were all champion sires.

“Melodramatica’s fourth dam, Highlight, was the champion two-year-old filly in

bred a very highly rated filly from the mare called Robe Chinoise, by Robellino. She was trained, naturally, by John Dunlop and won two races for me but always finished just outside the money in black-type races.

“She was bred to Archipenko in his first year at Lanwades, and there was certainly a bit of thought about that mating as Archipenko reintroduced two strains of Special, as his sire Kingmambo was out of Nureyev’s great daughter Miesque and his dam Bound was a threeparts sister to Nureyev.

“With Robe Chinoise having Special at the base of her pedigree, the resulting filly, Madame Chiang, was three times inbred to Special.

She won the Musidora Stakes and British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes for me.”

M

ADAME CHIANG is promising to carry her brilliance on the track through to her career as a broodmare, as her first foal, the Kingman filly Oriental Mystique, was a Listed winner last year; her second produce, the Invincible Spirit filly Rose Of Jhansi, won by 2l at Lingfield in November; and her third foal, the Lope De Vega filly Ching Shih, is an exciting prospect at three this year after breaking her maiden at Newbury in such good fashion.

Needless to say, all three half-sisters are trained by David Simcock, who saddled the dam to her stakes victories.

Rausing also bred from Kiliniski the German Listed winner Kiswahili, by Lanwades mainstay Selkirk, and bred from Kiswahili the Star Stakes (L) scorer Kinetica. But Kiliniski was not her only entry point into Kilavea’s family.

She explains: “Puget Sound, the High Top filly who was the second produce of Kilavea, won for Mr Berger at three and was then sold to the Niarchos family, and she was sold several more times again – but not before I had purchased, pretty inexpensively, her daughter Ninotchka, who hailed from Nijinsky’s final crop of eight foals.

“She won the Listed Premio Giovanni Falck in Italy for me, and from her stem various ‘N’ fillies, including the Archipenko filly Nebulosa, who was trained by Andrew Balding to win for me in 2020 and 2021.

“Puget Sound had another daughter by El Gran Senor called, stupidly, Thong Thong Thong, who in turn foaled a daughter by the Mr. Prospector stallion Jarraar in Brazil called Hot Thong. She was a

Sweden in 1973, when ridden by Rae Guest for his uncle Nelson Guest, who trained her for my grandfather. So Rae and I have been associated in racing since then. I don’t think there can at present be many other racing

Grade 3 winner in Brazil, where I bought her in the late 1990s, before bringing her to Newmarket via Kentucky, where she was covered by Lear Fan.” The result of the mating between Lear Fan and Hot Thong was Heat Of The Night, who was trained by John Dunlop and later by Peter Chapple-Hyam, and won a Listed race in Germany. The mare, who has just risen 20, has allowed Rausing to deploy further intricate inbreeding to Special.

“Her first foal was the filly Here To Eternity, who is by Stormy Atlantic, another stallion tracing back to Special’s family,” she says.

“I then bred Here To Eternity to Archipenko twice, so that the produce would have three strains of Special – the same pattern as Madame Chiang.

“The foals turned out to be the Hong Kong Group 1 winners Time Warp and Glorious Forever. So, as you can see, I’m very keen on inbreeding to influential mares, even if they didn’t win themselves.”

This branch of Kilavea’s family has given Rausing yet another exciting three-year-old for 2022, in the shape of Heat Of The Moment. The daughter of Bobby’s Kitten and Heat Of The Night beat subsequent Listed runner-up Favourite Child by two and a half lengths when she scored on her sole start at Yarmouth in October.

Madame Chiang winning the British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes (G1) in 2014. The daughter of Archipenko is three-times in-bred to Special and has already made her own mark as a broodmare

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kirsten rausing associations that go that far back anywhere in the world.”

The “A” family

Melodramatica’s family is not the only pedigree with roots that stretch back to Rausing’s time managing her grandfather’s Simontorp Stud as a young woman in Sweden. In 1967 her grandfather bought Ayesha, a daughter of Right Royal bred by Madame Jean Couturié and descended from the Aga Khan III’s celebrated mare Mumtaz Mahal.

Ayesha produced Ayah, who was trained on The Curragh by Richard Annesley and

finished second in the Park Stakes and Silken Glider Stakes to become the second highestrated two-year-old filly in Ireland in 1975.

She died leaving only one filly foal, who died young too, but Rausing remained “mad keen” on this wonderful family, though frustrated in her desire to get back into it for many years as the Aga Khan didn’t sell many of its female members and when he did they were enormously expensive.

Eventually the minor Brighton winner Alruccaba came up for sale, but with a tendon, at the December sales of 1985.

The daughter of Crystal Palace, from the same Mah Iran strain of the Mumtaz Mahal family as Ayesha, was bought in partnership

with Captain Tim Rogers’ wife Sonia for 19,000gns, one bid above the 18,000gns reserve, and subsequently became a highly influential producer.

She was the dam of eight winners including Alleluia, who landed the Doncaster Cup and produced Group 1 Prix RoyalOak winner Allegretto, and Last Second, winner of the Nassau Stakes (G1) and Sun Chariot Stakes (G1) and later an important broodmare for Denford Stud. Even one of Alruccaba’s less talented daughters, Jude, produced Quarter Moon and Yesterday and founded a flourishing family for Coolmore.

The daughter of Alruccaba who has been key to Rausing’s fortunes as a breeder, though, is Alouette, the 1990-foaled Darshaan mare whom Rausing owned outright after buying out Rogers’ share.

Alouette won the Killavullan Stakes, produced nine winners headed by the dual Group 1 Champion Stakes heroine Alborada and the German champion Albanova, and features as ancestress of numerous blacktype horses including Alpinista, Albaflora, Aleas, Alerta Roja, A La Voile and Amboseli in 2021 alone. The unexposed three-yearolds Allada, Alizarine and Eldar Eldarov – a 5l winner at Nottingham for Roger Varian and KHK Racing – could well add to that haul in the months ahead.

Members of Rausing’s “A” family Top left, Alborada, below left, Albanova and, below right, the subsequent three-time 2021 Group 1 winner Alpinista (Frankel) with her dam Alwilda at Lanwades in 2017

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kirsten rausing Reflecting on the Alouette clan’s winning streak in 2021, Rausing says: “Dare I say it, but the family’s success might be to do with the fact that I kept nearly all of them, except Eldar Eldarov, who was sold due to being bred on a foal share.

“But I kept the rest – Alpinista, Albaflora, Aleas, Alerta Roja and so on – and there is quite some thinking that goes into their allocation, so that they all go to suitable trainers. When you have to sell everything you lose control over allocation, of course, and it doesn’t always benefit the animal.”

According to last year’s Weatherbys Return of Mares, Rausing bred from 26 mares descended from Alouette last year Asked if there are any recurring qualities in Alouette’s brood, she says: “I can discern various strains within the family, and one tries to mate them accordingly, but I think one certain trait is that most of them have a remarkable will to win, and the fillies are especially tough – they take a lot of hard training and come back for more. They’re also good doers and eat well, with the obvious occasional exception. If you asked Sir Mark Prescott, who knows them as well as anyone, I think he would agree.”

According to last year’s Weatherbys Return of Mares, Rausing bred from 26 mares descended from Alouette last year – all with names beginning with the ‘Al’ prefix – and sent the vast majority to home stallions to lend them invaluable support.

Is she attempting to corner the market in this family? The answer is perhaps a little surprising.

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“No, not at all!” she counters. “It’s just that I’ve tried to sell fillies from this family and the market doesn’t seem particularly interested. I sold two very high-priced fillies well, both the result of foal shares to Sadler’s Wells, but that’s going back a long time now – the filly out of Alakananda who sold at Goffs and was the European sales-topper of 2006, and the filly out of Albanova who topped Goffs in 2007.

“I have tried to sell more fillies from

this family on a couple of occasions since, but nobody seems to want them, and this is disappointing to me, so my attitude is if nobody wants them, I’ll keep them for myself!

“I sold a filly by Sea The Moon out of Albizzia at Goffs last year; she was a lovely filly who vetted very well and her whole page was black, yet she made very little money.

Why was there no one there for her? I don’t understand it. It’s not as if they are all

kirsten rausing extreme stayers. Alerta Roja does go a long way, but she’s won over 1m4f three times, and Alpinista and Albafora have also won over shorter distances.”

Alpinista, Albaflora and Alerta Roja stay in training for 2022, and could very well make agents, owners and trainers regret not paying this astonishingly prolific family more attention at the sales.

From Captain Rogers and bought on credit

“Her second foal was Petoski, who, of course, won the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and was one of two horses – the other being Kala Dancer – who put Niniski, myself and Lanwades on the map,” relates Rausing. “She and Ninsiki paid for Lanwades and then the next farm, St Simon Stud, and so I’m immensely grateful to them both.

“Sushila also produced some pretty good fillies for me, not least Shimmering Sea,

who in turn gave me Starlit Sands. She was a very good two-year-old who was beaten a nostril in the Queen Mary and then won her Group race in France, the Prix d’Arenberg, beating colts. She is still with me, and is the dam of six winners from her first seven foals including Sablonne, who won well at Naas at two last year for Jessie Harrington and is a nice prospect for the year ahead.”

Starlit Sands is the granddam of another exciting three-year-old in Sandrine, by

Another of Rausing’s fruitful families, one that proved particularly crucial in the establishment and ongoing success of Lanwades Stud, has its roots in her time working for Captain Rogers in Ireland in the 1970s.

“Sushila was being sold by Captain Rogers, who owned her in partnership with a French entity, as a yearling at Goffs in the second year of the sales being held at the new complex at Kill,” says Rausing. “There were 900 or so yearlings in the catalogue, but I picked out this one filly on pedigree, which was all I understood at the time.

“I loved her sire Petingo, and although her dam Shenandoah was a non-winner, she was an own-sister to the great champion Val De Loir and a half-sister to Valoris, a very good filly who won the Irish 1,000 Guineas and Oaks, so the pedigree was all there. Sushila herself was correct, if a little low to the ground and rather long.

“She was the only yearling I wanted and I went to the sale with what I thought was the reasonable sum of Ir£8,000, but she made a fair bit more than that in the ring.

“However, in the event I managed to buy her for Ir£12,000, which was an awful lot of money for me. It took me quite some time to pay her off with Goffs, two years at least, and I’m eternally grateful to them for allowing me that credit.”

Sushila was trained for Rausing by George Bridgland in Chantilly, and won at Deauville at two and at three before retiring to the paddocks. It didn’t take her long to repay her owner’s investment in her, many times over.

Lanwades stallions Opposite: top, Study Of Man and, below, Bobby’s Kitten Right: top, Sir Percy, and, below, Sea The Moon

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kirsten rausing Lanwades Stud sire Bobby’s Kitten out of Seychelloise.

“We’ll look at the 1,000 Guineas with Sandrine, all being well, and she’ll take in a trial race either at Newbury or Newmarket over 7f before that,” says Rausing. “Her dam was a 7f specialist and Bobby’s Kitten was a miler who could also sprint, so I would think there’s the possibility she could get the mile at three.”

With Sandrine and Starlit Sands having so much pace and precocity, it might be thought that the Sushila clan has not faced the same market indifference as the somewhat stouter Alouette family, but that is sadly not the case.

“This is, again, a family where I try to sell the occasional filly and no one is much interested, even though they are all sprinters and would barely get a mile,” reflects Rausing. “Even Shimmering Sea, who was

by Slip Anchor out of Sushila, was her sire’s only ever 5f winner, which she did at two.

They are of limited distance aptitude, which should suit the market, but really, people don’t seem very interested in my offerings any more!”

I had a bit of insurance money burning in my pocket, so I was keen to have Maria Waleska, who was a legend in her own time

Chief’s Crown, who had only recently retired and at the time was very fashionable.

“She had been bred to all the best stallions in America, and bred one or two winners but nothing of note.

“I wasn’t convinced by Chief’s Crown but she did have a yearling filly and a colt foal by Danzig at the time, which was helpful, as one could work out that one of those might not be much good, but it would be unlikely that both would be useless.”

Rausing seldom forks out large sums for mares, but Maria Waleska came onto the market at an opportune moment.

“I had just lost Kalazero, the dam of Kala Dancer, and I had a bit of insurance money burning in my pocket, so I was very keen to have Maria Waleska, who was a legend in her own time, possibly not in America but certainly in Europe,” she says. “I bought her for $160,000, which was an enormous amount for me, but luckily the insurance money I had just about covered it.

“She came back here and had the Chief’s Crown filly, which turned out to be no good,

Alpinista enjoying a well-deserved drink after collecting her first Group 1 success last August

Maria Waleska: one of the last great Italian champions

Rausing’s time working in Ireland in the 1970s sparked her interest in another family with which she has enjoyed significant success.

She explains: “I looked after an Americanbred mare called Miss Protege, who was owned by an Italian breeder that called itself Scuderia National, and while I was still working there she bred Maria Waleska, who was a great champion three-year-old filly and horse of the year in Italy in 1979.

“She won the Italian Oaks – not before she had deposited Mr Dettori snr on the floor two or three times, although they held the start as she was such a short-priced favourite – and the Gran Premio d’Italia, beating visiting English colts, which was quite something in those days.

“She was one of the last great Italian champions, and was later purchased by interests in America, where I found her in the late 1980s in a Keeneland November sale. She was a 12-year-old and in-foal to

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kirsten rausing but the Danzig colt foal that she left behind in America proved to be Polish Patriot, who won the Cork and Orrery Stakes (G3) and July Cup (G1) and was the champion threeyear-old sprinter of Europe in 1991.

“Polish Patriot made Maria Waleska, and, because he was by Danzig, I like to try to mate the mares in this family back to the Danzig sire-line. So it was that Maria Waleska’s unraced daughter Scandalette,

by Niniski, became the dam of ten winners including the Group 1 winner Lady Jane Digby, who was from the first crop of Oasis Dream, by Danzig’s son Green Desert, and the Group winner Gateman, who was by another son of Green Desert in Owington.”

Lady Jane Digby, who, like Gateman, was trained by Mark Johnston, is the dam of seven winners from her first seven foals, all also trained by Johnston. They include Galapiat, a son of Galileo who achieved a high rating by winning three races and is now at stud in Peru, and Madame Ambassador, a three-year-old daughter of Churchill who won at Nottingham last summer.

Diablerette, a winning daughter of Green Desert and Scandalette, has also served Rausing well. She is the dam of four winners including Pondus, a son of Sea The Moon who won the Lenebane Stakes (L) and finished second in the Group 2 Curragh Cup, and is now running with credit in top races in Australia for Robert Hickmott.

Moving on to today

A more recent family that Rausing is enjoying tremendous success with is that descending from Kaldounya, a Kaldoun half-sister to Italian champion Altieri bought from the Keeneland November Sale in 2001.

“In those days I always scoured those sales, in particular for mares and fillies with European connections,” says Rausing.

“That year I found Kaldounya, who had been raced in America but was by Kaldoun, who would have been unknown over there.

She was from a great Wertheimer family going back to Riverqueen, and her halfbrother Altieri had won 16 races in France and Italy, including the Presidente della Repubblica twice. But the main point about Altieri was that he was by Selkirk, so it seemed the obvious thing to do was to buy

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The Rausing-bred Zaaki selling at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale in 2020. By Leroidesanimaux and out of Kesara, he is now a three-time Group 1 winner in Australia for trainer Annabel Neasham Photo by Laura Green, courtesy of Tattersalls

the half-sister and breed her to Selkirk too.”

The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry, and so it was with that brainwave of sending Kaldounya to Selkirk; but Rausing was quick to change course when the misfire became apparent, sending her instead to a number of home and outside stallions, including Sir Percy to produce the dual Listed winner Persona Grata.

“The Selkirk foal out of the mare was a complete disappointment so I never repeated that mistake again,” she says. “She was sent to Sadler’s Wells one year, in a foal share arrangement with the Niarchos family, and the result was a filly called Kesara who was trained by Pascal Bary for the partnership.

She won twice in France, and was quite useful, and was sent to the December sales as a three-year-old to dissolve the partnership.

“She didn’t make a fortune and I bought the Niarchos family out. She has been very good to me, producing six winners so far including Zaaki and a nice filly called Kandahari by Archipenko. No one wanted Kandahari as a yearling, so she went on a free lease to John McConnell in Ireland, and won twice for him before I bought her back from the people who leased her.

“Because of Persona Grata I bred her to Sir Percy for two years running, and the first runner from those matings is Kawida, who won the Montrose Fillies’ Stakes (L) for me last year and is possibly a Classic candidate.

Kawida’s year-younger full-sister is called Khinjani, and she is also with Ed Walker.

She’s nice, possibly even nicer than Kawida.”

Khinjani and Kawida are just two among many horses who promise to carry Rausing’s outstanding success from last year into 2022. Indeed, it was a close relation to the pair who suggested it could be another annus mirabilis when they carried the white and green silks to victory on New Year’s Day. Arriviste, another with an out-and-out Lanwades pedigree, being by Sea The Moon out of Apparatchika, a daughter of Archipenko and Kesara, won a hotly contested All-Weather Fast-Track Qualifier.

And who trains the mare? None other than Rae Guest, who was riding for Rausing half a century ago, when she was still developing the ideas and expertise that would secure the ongoing success of her breeding operation.

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Torquator Tasso Winner Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Gr.1 Gr.1 winner as 3 and 4yo

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racing tv

A global TV view

Seb Vance outlines the big plans Racing TV has for international racing – we should all reap the benefits of increased global coverage, writes Sally Duckett

F

OR THOSE OF who did not have the chance of partying at Downing Street in 2020 and 2021, the boredom of lockdown was eased for many by watching some form of television.

Aside from consuming hours of Friends or the vast box sets of Line Of Duty or The Crown, it was live sport that proved to be a key lifeline for many.

TV viewers craved the live, dynamic and immersive action to break the monotony of life stuck at home; live sport emerged from the pandemic as a winner.

Racing enjoyed its own audience uplift, too, with all channels reporting improved figures due to the captive audience. Key metrics from ITV Racing recorded a 2020 Derby audience of 2.3 million, the mostviewed Derby since 2012, while the 2020 Cheltenham Festival hit audience highs not seen since such records began in 2003.

The progress continued through 2021, and ITV posted record audiences for every day of the Cheltenham Festival and a 23 per cent increase on 2020, an audience of 8.8 million for the 2021 Randox Grand National, and record figures for the opening day’s racing from Aintree and the Opening Show.

The momentum hasn’t slowed in 2022, with ITV Racing audience shares (percentage of viewers watching) posting higher figures than during the lockdown period.

The sport’s specialist British-based subscription channel Racing TV also enjoyed its share of the love and its membership increased initially to 62,000, then growing again to a current record high of 65,000.

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Furthermore, the importance of the growth of the digital era and its relevance to racing was brought home over the Aintree fixture – the viewing audience was bolstered by more than 3m video streams, generated via Racecourse Media Group’s (RMG) Watch & Bet service. This was more than double the number of streams that the previous staging of the festival produced in 2019.

Those figures have held firm since, backed by some of the innovations brought in and developed over the last 12 months, some of which stretch further than British shores.

An international perspective has been developed in order to market key global race days, and the benefits of a whole sport approach are directly tangible, reports Seb Vance, director of RMG’s Communications and International Distribution, when outlining the latest innovation, a global racing package that has been termed the “crown jewels”.

“We’ve agreed a partnership with Henry Birtles Associates Media [HBA Media], which manages the rights to a lot of the premium horseracing events around the world, races such as the Breeders’ Cup, the Melbourne Cup, the Saudi Cup, the Pegasus Cup and Royal Ascot,” explains Vance.

“We were chatting, probably about six months ago, and, instead of working individually as we had been doing, we came up with the idea to work together and create a package of world class racing throughout the year,

a batch of up 12 or 13 of the best races in the world.

“We felt the broadcasters would find a ‘package’ a more compelling and attractive proposition rather than individual races. It gives broadcasters a narrative and storyline throughout the season.

“Furthermore, it means that they can promote one event to the next, and, for example, with a lot of the same jockeys riding in the races, they can create some real momentum.”

Early reports have been good with the broadcasters receptive to the concept.

“It’s been really encouraging with major networks such as Fox Sports in the US, ESPN in South America and SuperSport in Africa increasing their coverage, and we’ve got some new territories interested, too, such as Scandinavia via NENT and South East Asia, through Eclat,” says Vance, adding: “And for RMG’s racecourses, it’s fantastic as they can be

racing tv Through lockdown the audience watching horseracing grew as part of the general growth in the number of viewers who enjoyed the coverage of live sport

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racing tv packaged alongside similarly high-profile races and we can leverage that to give races the exposure they might not have enjoyed had they been distributed as stand-alone events.”

The series of events started with the Pegasus Cup last month, moves to the Saudi Cup this month, onto Dubai, and then back to Europe starting with the Grand National, then moving into Flat racing with the Derby, Royal Ascot, Goodwood, York, Irish Champions Weekend and British Champions Day. “We supply the broadcasters with marketing material and video, but they can also really push it themselves, which is what we want, and that probably hasn’t happened before. It’s great for our racecourses, but it’s great for the sport as a whole,” reasons Vance.

This collection of races is not orientated around a betting product, but RMG is highly involved in this important aspect of our sport now, particularly, on an international basis, through the development of the World Pool.

“We also have a business, Racing

TV International, which distributes to international bookmakers and online companies,” explains Vance. “It’s a really important revenue for RMG and British racing. We distribute our pictures to about 35 countries around the world and you’d be looking at the Far East, Australia, US, Italy, France as the most significant revenue generators.

“But what’s a real priority for us this year is the World Pool, which has now bedded in really well – last year there was lots of good coverage, and, most importantly, lots of betting interest.”

The World Pool was created by Hong Kong Jockey Club and brings together racing fans from over 20 nations, so everyone is effectively betting into one pool creating huge liquidity.

“We are working hard with the UK Tote, who are integral to World Pool, to educate customers in the UK to bet via the Tote so they can take advantage of the value. For instance, at British Champions Day, Tote beat SP on five of the six winners on the card.

“Field sizes are important for the World

Seb Vance, director of communications and international distribution at RMG, with Ryan Moore

Pool, and we’re working with racecourses on the programmes to ensure healthy fields of at least eight runners, which will generate healthy betting turnover.

“Further, we’ve been working very closely with the Hong Kong Jockey Club over the years to get our premium race days on the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s governmentapproved schedule, which then enables Hong Kong punters to bet on the races.”

A

N EXAMPLE of the significant levels of turnover generated is that £26m was bet into World Pool on the 2021 Cazoo Derby at Epsom.

In 2021, 37 race days were part of the programme, 18 from Britain and Ireland of which 11 came under the RMG banner. It is expected that 2022 will have a broadly similar make-up.

RMG also has its sights set on the US and the opening up of sports betting on the continent, India is believed to have a lot of potential and deals have already been made,

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racing tv

Frankie Dettori loves the camera and the camera loves him: big-race jockeys can play a huge part in helping give a whole season’s narrative to the international racing scene

while obviously as the Middle East becomes an ever-more important racing region, RMG is embedding its services in the area’s media production.

“The Middle East is hugely important, and we’ve got some very valued and significant contracts in the Middle East,” says Vance.

“For instance, the Dubai Racing Channel has been a long-time partner of ours and shows British and Irish racing via our Racing TV output.

“We’ve just renewed with them for another five years, which is fantastic news. It means Dubai gets our racing day in day out, and the sport there really is number one. It is great that we’ve renewed with them – there’s a huge interest and commitment to British and Irish racing.”

As well as exporting the country’s racing, RMG imports and distributes the action from Dubai. The content from Meydan is produced in partnership with a production company called Timeline and Vance believes that experience of working in Dubai plays a part in enhancing production and presentation of the racing in the UK and Ireland.

We are working hard with the UK Tote, who are integral to World Pool, to educate customers in the UK to bet via the Tote so they can take advantage of the value

“You can try a lot more things if you’re just focused at one racecourse as you are in Meydan,” he says. “We have the touchscreen there which we use a lot. The jockeys and trainers love it – after the race they’ll now come straight to the analysis zone and the touchscreen, they all know how to work it and talk through a ride or a race using the screen.”

The ongoing developments in Bahrain have seen RMG, alongside Timeline, selected as the partner to produce and distribute the Kingdom’s racing for this season, building on a previous two-year relationship revolving around the Bahrain International Trophy.

With racing in the Middle East growing in strength, Vance is anticipating a bright future.

“With the intention to marry up racing in the region it makes it all really exciting.

We’re really happy that we’re a big part of that in Dubai and Bahrain. And we also support Saudi with video and archive and promotion of their big race, as well.”

RMG and Racing TV also has eyes on developing a younger audience, focusing the eyes of the youth on horseracing. Social

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racing tv media and working with “influencers” are seen as key to unlocking this demographic.

Vance outlines: “We’ve 600,000 followers on social media and we are really looking to kick on on our social channels this year.

“On Instagram we’ve created this new initiative called #raceday. We’re trying to get a younger audience involved, non-racegoing audiences, and educate them about all things racing. We’re using influencers such as Love Island and Married at First Sight contestants to tell the story, as well as a number of sports stars. It’s a new initiative for us, but it’s going really well.”

Vance does admit there is business need driving the push for a younger demographic, the Racing TV subscription base perhaps mirroring racing’s predominant middle aged and older audience, but Racing TV’s remit is as much for the good of the sport’s future as for its own bottom line.

“The point of #raceday is to get people interested in racing, then, we hope, in one way or another it will benefit the sport as a whole, which will in turn benefit us.

“So, whether it’s people betting more, spending more money on racecourses or A card from Huntingdon, one of Racing TV’s courses: RMG works for the “good of racing”

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getting their mates to go racing, the more people who take an interest in racing the better the knock on effect it will have for the whole sport.

“We’re not putting subscription messages on these posts, it is more a general ‘come racing’. The campaign is still new, but we’ve had a total of 1.7 million video views which is pleasing, and it’s something we really want to develop this year.”

Working with social media influencers might be something quite alien to most in the racing industry, but Vance feels that the approach has been paying off.

“They are so enthusiastic, and they love their racing now. A lot of them came from non-racing backgrounds or hadn’t been racing before, and the beauty is that they’re marketing to followers who aren’t racing fans either so it really helps to capture a new audience. That’s great, and they do produce a genuine excitement about the sport.”

A

DDITIONAL RMG developments include Extra, which provides dedicated streams from racecourses allowing viewers to watch a race meeting of their choice, the new virtual studio which gives an immersive experience for the viewer, and, from the courses, improving the speed of the picture feed so negating the advantage that the drone operators have been trying to seek for in-running betting.

Furthermore, GPS-operated timing data has been introduced on all the Racing TV tracks provided through CourseTrack, a technology that could easily and inexpensively be used abroad. Alongside the quicker pictures, it could be

key to unlocking new betting opportunities to give punters more chances for a bet.

“From a commercial point of view, we’re looking to work with bookmakers on opening up the in-running markets,” outlines Vance. “Obviously punters can already bet in-running, but we’re looking at ways we can expand those markets further.

You might be able to have a bet on which horse will lead after the first furlong, or which horse does the fastest split, creating new betting markets in much the same way as you might see with football betting.”

But whether it’s the virtual studio, ultra-low latency feed, social media posts from influencers or the timing data, everything that Racing TV and RMG does is for the good of racing and is based around capturing new audiences.

“The overriding strategy is attracting more fans to racing, more fan engagement, because it just has a knock-on effect for sport. And that will be only positive,” says Vance, adding: “That’s the sort of ethos we all work under. We’re constantly looking at ways we can evolve and innovate.”

The bloodstock industry has reaped the benefit of the broadening base of international racing interest. Surely the more people around the world who get to watch British and Irish racing, the more they want to be involved either by owning a horse in training in Britain or Ireland or by purchasing from our bloodstock industry to race at home?

The impact of foreign buyers of all levels at bloodstock sales in Britain and Ireland, at the yearling sales, the breeding stock sales and the horses in training sales, has become vitally impportant.

There are no metrics to analyse the impact the ability to watch our sport might have in creating an interest that leads to a bloodstock purchase, but it does not take a huge brain leap to realise that the more exposure the sport has abroad, the more the interest levels grow.

We are part of a global sport and it needs marketing as one. Concepts such as the crown jewels, in which arguably British and Irish racing are the golden strands, take both the racing and bloodstock industries forward.

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“The relaunch of Dream Ahead in the British market in 2022 following five years in Ireland and four seasons in Normandy is interesting, especially as his new custodians Bearstone Stud are pitching him at just £7,500. That’s a very fair price for a proven sire whose CV includes Group 1 winners Al Wukair, Donjuan Triumphant, Dream Of Dreams and Glass Slippers, and whose stock still commands plenty of respect in the marketplace.”

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stallion marketing

James Thomas talks to stallion marketing managers about their approach to “McCarthy’s Marketing Mix”

The four

Ps W

HETHER YOU ARE in the market for a hot tub or a holiday, a mobile phone or a made-to-measure suit, underfloor heating or new underwear, inevitably you will have encountered marketing in some shape or form.

The same is true for those on the lookout for stallion nominations, with a huge spectrum of promotion out there vying for breeders’ attention, whether they are looking for a visit to Blue Bresil or Frankel, or anything in between.

The most visible bits of stallion marketing include the tried and tested print advertising in industry publications and the kind of branded merchandise that is de rigueur at sales around the world.

There is, however, slightly more to Stallions can now be marketed via many differing channels, but good old-fashioned personal service and a conversation on the telephone can’t be beaten, says Tom Pennington, marketing manager for Shadwell

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stallion marketing

Marketing at work: Laura Green capturing Darley stallion Pinatubo on camera, good conformation photos and stud shots the basis to stallion promotion

the world of stallion marketing in 2022 than print-based adverts or caps emblazoned with a horse’s name.

In 1960 Edmund Jerome McCarthy published his textbook Basic Marketing: A Managerial Approach, in which he proposed a concept that became known as the marketing mix. McCarthy’s principle rested on the four Ps: Place, Price, Product, and Promotion.

While the significance of each ‘P’ may vary across different products, Julian Dollar, general manager of Newsells Park Stud, home to A’Ali, Nathaniel and Without Parole, says that price, in this case the nomination fee, is a pivotal piece of the stallion marketing puzzle.

Studs will always aim to pitch their fees at a level that they believe offers customers value for money, but Dollar notes that it is not about simply taking a “less is more” approach.

He says: “With stallion marketing I think you really need to start with a degree in psychology, but you have to set the stallion fee right, that’s something that I think is incredibly important. You shouldn’t go too low as it sends the wrong message out there.”

Dollar’s view on the significance of a stallion’s fee was echoed by Shadwell’s nominations and marketing manager Tom Pennington, who oversees three stallions in Eqtidaar, Mohaather and Tasleet at Nunnery Stud.

He says: “When you’re advertising stallions you’re trying to hammer home all the important points, but, at the end of the day, the key thing is the fee. A fair bit of debate goes into setting a horse’s fee each year, but I think we’ve always been good at keeping them at a realistic level.”

In turn, breeders also need to be realistic, as the most popular stallions – the “product” according to the four Ps concept – tend to be

wildly oversubscribed. However, even when the fully booked signs go up on a stallion, marketing still has an important role to play, says Barnaby Webb, marketing manager at Darley’s Dalham Hall Stud, which houses the likes of Dubawi, Palace Pier and Too Darn Hot. “In the main the top stallions look after themselves and their books could be easily filled, but the trick is to ensure we get the best mares to our best stallions,” says Webb.

“We’re always looking at ways to attract the right mares to Dalham, Kildangan and Logis, and given there are only a finite number of nominations available, we often need to work with our clients to provide them an alternative if, say, Dubawi is full.

“Marketing has a key role to play there in highlighting the attributes of other, newer stallions. So, with Dubawi it’s very easy to talk about his exceptional son Night Of Thunder, and the right marketing will

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49

The Darley caps have been a long-term part of the company’s promotional effort

encourage breeders to look at the future generations with the likes of Too Darn Hot, Ghaiyyath and Space Blues, who are all at exciting points in their stallion careers.”

Whatever the stallion and whatever his price point, whether it be at a bargain level or into blue chip territory, getting the right message out there is vital, be that information on the equine ‘Ps’: pedigree, performance, or the all important price.

This is where another of the ‘Ps’, namely promotion, comes into play.

In the broadest terms promotion refers to marketing communication with paying and potential customers, and comprises all manner of components from social media content to stallion parade appearances, as well as the aforementioned print adverts and branded merchandise.

H

OWEVER, our industry insiders stress that nominations are rarely sold on the strength of one element alone. Instead, they say it is all about ensuring your horse’s name is visible in a busy marketplace, and thereafter the idea is that a cumulative effect of positive reinforcements will help to seal the deal.

“I don’t think we necessarily sell nominations through doing adverts in daily publications and I wouldn’t say we sell many nominations on the back of social media,” says Pennington. “It’s all about brand awareness, that’s the main reason we do it, to keep ourselves in the limelight.”

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It’s important to make sure all the salient points are out there and that’s why we do a lot of success advertising, because I think it’s important to spread the good news Dollar adds: “The website is obviously a big part of it and social media is another form of promotion. It’s important to make sure all the salient points are out there and that’s why we do a lot of success advertising, because I think it’s important to spread the good news.

“It’s all about getting the name out there, especially with the new stallions. Someone might see the name on the back of a jacket or the front of a cap and you just never know where that might end up.”

While digital platforms represent a major growth area in the stallion marketing

sector, the demographic of the target market means that breeders’ behaviour has not necessarily developed at the same rate as the technology at their disposal.

This means more traditional methods of communication are still crucial in converting interest into investment.

“We conducted some research and asked our breeders what tools they use when drawing up their mating plans,” explains Pennington. “Stallion brochures narrowly came out on top, followed by stud websites.

“I think the website is key, but because of the demographic of breeders, they still want something in their hands. It’ll be interesting to see how many print brochures will be around in the next ten or 15 years as I think that’ll die out eventually.”

He continues: “The biggest thing for us in terms of client relations is picking up the phone. That’s so important and I think in this day and age people have slightly forgotten about that. People think running a few ads and doing a few social media posts alone is going to sell nominations, but it won’t.

“That personal touch means so much and picking up the phone to ask someone about their mare or their foal is still the most effective form of marketing. People want to feel looked after and that’s not always necessarily through a deal on the price. You have to give something back as breeders are investing a lot of money and putting a lot of faith in our stallions, and that applies all year round.”

Webb also acknowledges the impact that the demographic among breeders has on Darley’s marketing strategies, but says their approach is not only about serving the breeders of here and now but, through fresh storytelling techniques, engaging and informing those who may take up the pursuit further down the line.

“Historically, those in the breeding business have tended to be a little older and a little slower to adopt new platforms,” he

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stallion marketing says. “However, Darley has always prided itself on being at the forefront of innovation, so we’re always pursuing alternate ways to tell our story. And alongside that we have been implementing new ways for clients to contact us, manage their bookings and keep informed about all things Darley.

“These innovations include a virtual stallion parade – forced upon us by COVID but nonetheless leading to new content ideas – and a significant increase in all our social media output, which can react to sales and race results as they happen.

“Our job is also to ensure we play our part in encouraging the next generation of breeders for whom all these channels will be second nature. There will always be a role for more traditional marketing; our regular adverts, whether in print or online, plus of course our brochures and Darley caps.

“These all help reinforce to clients our key messages about the depth and variety of our roster, while also allowing us to report on recent successes, stallion statistics and provide a place to share some of our behindthe-scenes content.”

A

S WELL AS its own diverse digital offering, Newsells Park has periodically sent their clients, both loyal and prospective, a mailed out gift pack, with recipients finding an envelope in the stud’s yellow livery containing chocolate as well as information about the farm’s stallion roster.

While the chocolate was a nod to the operation’s former owners, the Jacobs family, who made their fortune in the coffee and chocolate industry, Newsells have also pushed the boat out with more novel items too, including promoting Equiano with a pair of yellow Speedos.

“I’ve always liked doing the odd mailer so that we can get something onto peoples’ desks that they’re going to look at and maybe even smile about,” says Dollar. “Chocolate was an effective way of doing that because

Arrowfield has a wealth of interesting and entertaining content on their YouTube channel, including a sitcom called ‘Studs’ everyone likes chocolate, and if they don’t the likelihood is their nearest and dearest does. Sometimes we’ve done it with a bit more of a sense of humour, too.

“From the moment we got Equiano we traded on the speed element, we used to call him the ‘King Of Speed’, so when Jackie Hutchinson [of Pace Marketing Solutions] came to our spring meeting she brought various ideas along, including a pair of speedos!

“I took one look at them and thought ‘What the hell?!’ and it wasn’t until a year later we decided to play on the King Of Speed/King Of Speedos angle. It was all pretty harmless, although I had to send one lady a bunch of yellow flowers to apologise as she was so disgusted!”

Dollar adds: “You don’t want to paint yourself as being too lighthearted or frivolous about what you do because we’re deadly serious about breeding the best racehorse we can. But a bit of humour now and again surely goes down well and the proof of the pudding is in the fact that people don’t forget it. I do think the industry can be a little bit

but if you can bring in a bit of humour or enjoyment into the job, then why not?”

Not all racing and breeding jurisdictions are guilty of taking such a conservative approach to stallion promotion, of course, with Australia racing a notable example.

Arrowfield, which has been home to champion stallions Danehill and Redoute’s Choice and, most recently, Snitzel has a wealth of interesting and entertaining content on their YouTube channel, including a sitcom called ‘Studs’.

The three episodes, which were written by the operation’s Paul Messara, sees the Australian-bred Snitzel getting into a war of words with his New Zealand-bred neighbour Dundeel, Real Impact sharing Japanese proverbs with Not A Single Doubt and Olympic Glory, and Panzer Division warning new recruit Scissor Kick about becoming too emotionally attached to the mares he covers.

If that all sounds rather unorthodox, that’s because it is. But, thanks to the power of the voiceover, the episodes also contain a stack of information that breeders will find relevant, and anyone who has tuned in is unlikely to forget about the horses involved in a hurry.

While established brands with the image, history and global reach of Darley and Shadwell seem unlikely to start scripting their own sitcoms any time soon, Pennington says that the power of video has already demonstrated its value in the bloodstock world and predicts that will only

conservative

As Julian Dollar says the serious business of breeding racehorses needs a bit of humour every now and again. The Newsells Park Stud’s “King of the Speedos” campaign did just that, but the humourous approach ensured the promotion was also successfully lodged in the memory banks for all those who received a pair. Sadly, no male models appeared wearing them on Instagram...

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stallion marketing increase as the next generation of breeders take up the mantle.

“Where I think social media is so effective is the use of video,” he says. “I don’t think replicating a print advert on social media has any impact, but with video you can show off the stallions and their progeny. We’ve seen how influential the introduction of video has been at the sales and when I asked our breeders if they had found stallion videos beneficial during the pandemic, 70 per cent said yes.

“A lot of breeders still have the same sort of outlook as they had 40 years ago, but as a younger generation of breeders come through they are going to be more tech savvy, so I think digital marketing can only have a growing influence. I think print advertising will eventually become a thing of the past, although I’m not sure how quickly that will happen.”

The social media influencer is a distinctly modern phenomenon, with stars of platforms like Instagram and Tiktok

boasting both expertise in niche industries as well as sizeable followings that afford them considerable sway over their target audience.

W

HILE PEOPLE posting about fashion from their bedrooms may sound a frivolous pursuit to many in the bloodstock world, there is no denying that being an influencer has become big business, with Zoe Sugg, who posts under the name Zoella, having an estimated net worth of £4.7 million thanks to her online exploits.

Dollar says he has watched the rise of the influencer with interest, although admits that exactly how the breeding industry would utilise such personalities remains to be seen.

While influencers may not have reached the breeding world just yet [Maybe it has – see page 46, Editor], Webb says there have been other shifts that Darley are already

responding to.

“Consumer habits are constantly changing and you only have to look around the sales rings to see how many breeders and agents are working from iPads or their phones to realise that digital platforms are the growth area,” he says. “Yes, I know iPads have been around for years but we are discussing a very conservative industry.

“I would expect racing to follow other sports with many more podcasts, vlogs and far more behind-the-scenes content. Closer to home, we have had great success with MyDarley, our personalised client portal, which allows clients to sign contracts and submit mare forms online, as well as get free pedigree updates for their mares and enhanced stallion statistics.

“The good thing is that no one at Darley is afraid of any of the new technologies and we will embrace all media to ensure that the stories of our top stallions are told.”

All agree that good use of the company’s website is key, giving breeders the chance to see the stallions and now watch videos: here is Mohaather from Shadwell (If you are reading online, the video should now be playing)

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rising sires

On an

upward curve

Jocelyn de Moubray spots 14 “rising sires” who stand for less than €/£10,000, but who are more than outperforming that price bracket

T

HE EUROPEAN STALLION MARKET is ever-more focused on a small group of super sires.

In 2021 there were 20 sires in Europe, 18 in Ireland and two in Britain, who covered 168 Flat mares or more, and these 20 covered 3,800 mares between them.

This concentration has been progressing steadily in recent years. Ten years ago the 20th most popular Flat sire in Europe covered only 145 mares, and the top 20 covered 3,200 mares between them, so some 20 per cent fewer than was the case in 2021.

Of the foals to be born this year in Britain, Ireland and France around 30 per cent will be by one of the 20 most popular sires, and half by one of 37 who covered 150 mares or more.

This is an “about” as there are only estimates as to the proportion of foals born in each country who are destined for Flat

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racing as opposed to jump racing.

The overall foal crop in Britain, Ireland and France grew through the years from 2012 and the 2019, the most recent for which statistics are available, from around 12,000 to 13,000.

The number of foals rose by about eight per cent, while the number by one of the 20 most popular sires rose by 19 per cent.

The consequences of this concentration in the stallion market are the subject for a different article, but one very obvious conclusion is that there are plenty of stallions who never get the opportunity to realise their potential.

If 37 stallions cover half of the Flat mares available, the other 650 sires officially at stud have to compete for the remaining mares.

This article looks at 14 sires standing in 2022 in England, Ireland, France and Germany for less than £10,000, who are still relatively young, they retired to stud in

2014 or later, and who have, in one way or another, shown above average ability as sires.

And yet for the time being due to bad luck, human mistakes or any one of the many other possible explanations have yet to gain a place among the elite.

For the older sires among them it is the fact that they have not only produced some high-class performers, but more importantly they have repeated above average returns for more than one season. For the younger sires, who have had only one or two crops to race, it is even more speculative, but black-type and stakes performers are not the only way, or even necessarily the best way, to estimate the ability of young sires.

CITYSCAPE (to stud 2014)

Selkirk-Tantina (Distant View) Overbury Stud £4,000 Cityscape has a similar profile to Reliable

rising sires Sires at stud standing €/£10,000 retired to stud since 2014: percentage black-type winners to named foals (listed by year to stud) YOB

Retired to stud

2022 Fee

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

Cityscape

2006

2014

£4,000

13

4

7

0

3

Reliable Man

2008

2014

€6,500

12

8

6

2

4

Anodin

2010

2015

€4,000

-

6

12

0

3

Bungle Inthejungle

2010

2015

€8,000

-

2

3

14

5

Cable Bay

2011

2016

£8,000

-

-

10

8

0

Belardo

2012

2017

€8,000

-

-

-

7

2

Coulsty

2011

2017

€4,000

-

-

-

17

0

Dariyan

2012

2017

€5,000

-

-

-

5

3

Protectionist

2010

2017

€6,500

-

-

-

7

0

Isfahan

2015

2017

€9,500

-

-

-

9

0

Ectot

2011

2018

€5,000

- -

-

0

El Kabeir

2012

2018

€6,000

-

-

-

-

6

Galileo Gold

2013

2018

€8,000

-

-

-

-

8

The Grey Gatsby

2011

2018

€8,000

-

-

-

-

2

Man. A top racehorse with a RPR of 126, a Group performer at two, three, four, five and six, with a strong maternal family, he is a successful southern-hemisphere stallion with four Group 1 winners and three Group 2 winners in Argentina.

However, despite the success of his first crop in the northern-hemisphere, the son of Selkirk has struggled to attract enough support to be able to express his true ability.

There were 54 named foals in Cityscape’s first crop, seven of whom went on to be Group or stakes race performers headed by Ka Ying Star, the winner of four races and more than £2 million in Hong Kong where he has been Group 1-placed several times after winning three of his four starts in England.

This first crop also included the Group 3-winning fillies Give And Take and Dan’s Dream.

The best horse in his second crop was Urban Icon, a Listed winner who competed against the best of his age at around a mile at two, three and four in England.

His third crop included Avenue De France, who is a US stakes winner having been exported from France after winning his first

two starts, and the Spanish-trained Hardpia.

She was third in a Group 3 in France after winning several big races in Spain.

His fifth crop, who are three-year-olds of 2022, include the colt Chili Flag, second in a Listed race in Chantilly at two.

Avenue De France, Hardpia and Chili Flag were all sold as young horses for less than €10,000, and when a stallion’s progeny is initially lowly rated by the market, it is rare that they are given every chance as racehorses, and even rarer that they get a chance to compete at Europe’s top racecourses. Their achievements are notable.

RELIABLE MAN (to stud 2014)

Dalakhani-On Fair Stage (Sadler’s Wells) Gestüt Rôttgen €6,500 Reliable Man won the Group 1 Prix du Jockey-Club and Group 2 Prix Niel as a three-year-old in France, and looked better again when winning the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes over 2000m at Randwick at five, beating Dundeel and several other Group 1 winners.

The son of Dalakhani suffered a

career-ending injury during his most impressive victory and retired to Westbury Stud in New Zealand and in 2014 joined the Gestüt Röttgen roster in Germany. His five crops to race in the southern-hemisphere include three Group 1 and three Group 2 winners. He has had plenty of success in Hong Kong with five winners from nine runners, including the Group 2 winner Reliable Team as well as Packing Victory, the winner of four of his six starts to date.

In the northern-hemisphere, Reliable Man has never received the support on the same scale and quality. From his first five crops to race, his fifth crop are three-year-olds of 2022, Reliable Man has produced five Group winners, all of whom were bred by Gestüt Röttgen.

Two juvenile Group winners from his first crop, Erasmus and Narella, should have been enough to launch his career, but in 2018 he was moved to the Haras du Thenney in France where he received only four mares from outside German breeders.

Several stallions have stood between France, England and Germany in recent years and none have been a huge success.

At the end of the day breeders may follow

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57

rising sires

Coulsty: the Rathasker Stud-based son of Kodiac is sire of October’s 9f Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes winner Shantisara

Group 1s all over Europe, but most are far more impressed by races which take place at home and a good winner at Baden-Baden or Toulouse doesn’t do much for a horses standing in Normandy or Newmarket.

Reliable Man returned to Röttgen for the 2021 season. His three-year-olds already include two Group performers and several prominent in ante-post betting for the German Classics.

The colts Ardakan, a Group winner in

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Italy, and Ariolo, beaten a nose in a Group 3 in Germany, are among the Derby favourites, while the filly Lathraea is one of the top three in market for the Oaks.

ANODIN (to stud 2015) Anabaa-Born Gold (Blushing Groom) Haras de Haie Neuve €4,000 A full-brother to the great champion Goldikova, Anodin was a high-class miler

and finished placed in Group 1s in France, England and the US. He was retired to stud at the Haras du Quesnay and his first two crops showed plenty of promise, but with only limited support in his third and fourth years at stud he has dropped out of view and has only 35 three-year-olds to run for him in 2022.

However, his early success meant that the son of Anabaa covered a large book in 2019 and has 81 two-year-olds for 2022.

rising sires Anodin’s first crop included the Group 1-placed Anodor, as well as Savy Nine, a Group winner in Hong Kong.

His second crop produced eight black-type horses – 12 per cent of 68 named foals putting him among the best 15 sires in Europe.

Directa was a Group winner in France, Niege Blanche a Graded stakes winner in California, while Bolivar was a useful stakes horse in Ireland.

Anodin’s small 2019 crop includes two useful winners in Anobe and Saramouche and there is every chance he will enjoy a revival with his large fifth crop.

Anodin’s progeny tend to stay further than he did, their average winning distance being 9.4f, and he has produced several very tough stakes performers such as Harmless, Roquemont and Richmont, who are still racing as six and have won 26 races between them so far. Anodin moved to the Haras de Haie Neuve for the 2022 season.

BUNGLE INTHEJUNGLE (to stud 2015)

Exceed And Excel-Licence To Thrill (Wolfhound) Rathasker Stud €8,000 Bungle Inthejungle was a high-class two-year-old sprinter who won the Molecomb Stakes and the Cornwallis Stakes both over 5f.

His progeny tend to take after him in their aptitude and have an average winning distance of 6f. The son of Exceed And Excel’s stud career has followed the pattern of most commercial sires – after proving popular and covering 120 mares in his first year at stud, the number he covered dropped to 53 and then he saw only 21 mares in his third year.

However, Bungle Inthejungle has produced a Group winner in each of his first three crops and his third crop of only 14-named foals included the Group 1-winning sprinter Winter Power, as well as the stakes winner Acapulco Gold, who was also fourth in the Group 1 Prix Morny.

Two black-type winners or 14 per cent of his 14 named foals puts Bungle Inthejungle among the top ten sires in Europe for the 2018 crop.

Bungle Inthejungle’s early success did not go unnoticed and he has averaged 100 mares

Anodin’s small 2019 crop includes two useful winners in Anobe and Saramouche and there is every chance he will enjoy a revival with his large fifth crop a year over the last three covering seasons and so has every chance of establishing a long-term position among sprinting sires.

CABLE BAY (to stud 2016)

Invincible Spirit-Rose De Frane (Diktat) Highclere Stud £8,000 Cable Bay was a high-class 7f performer at two, three and four, finishing second in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes at two and then winning a Group 2 on his final start as a four-year-old over the same 7f course at Newmarket.

The son of Invincible Spirit was strongly supported in his first two seasons at stud and his first two crops returned impressive figures of ten black-type horses (10 per cent) from the 97 foals in the first and a further six (eight per cent) from the 71 in his second.

His best winner is the Group 2 Temple Stakes victor Liberty Beach, but he has produced five other horses rated 110 or higher and his best two progeny by ratings come from his second crop and have yet to win a black-type race.

Dragon Symbol finished second in two Group 1s and was first in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot only to be placed second by the stewards. Laneqash is lightly raced, but looked like a potential top horse when second in a Group 2 at Newbury last August.

Cable Bay may have a few quiet years as he did not cover so many mares in 2018 and 2019, but he covered more than a 100 mares

again in 2020 and so is likely to be successful again before 2024 when the offspring of this year’s covering will be offered for sale.

His progeny have an average winning distance of 6f100yds.

BELARDO (to stud 2017) Lope De Vega-Danaskay (Danehill) Darley €8,000 The final two sires whose first crop were three-year-olds of 2021 are on a similar, if opposite, trend.

Darley’s Irish-based sire Belardo looked to be on the verge of securing a place among the elite with the rare achievement of three juvenile Group winners in his first crop.

It was an achievement which then attracted 182 mares for the 2021 covering season, however, the son of Lope De Vega had a disappointing season in 2021 as these Group winners only managed a Listed win between them as three-year-olds and no other top horses emerged.

Belardo, himself, had a disappointing three-year-old career, but was a top Group 1 winner at both two and four and so it is far too soon to consider his early success a fluke. His second crop of two-year-olds did not include any Group winners, but some promising looking horses nevertheless, including My Little Tip, Fearless Angel and Purple Dawn.

COULSTY (to stud 2017)

Kodiac-Hazium (In The Wings) Rathasker Stud €4,000 In a way Coulsty is perhaps not a typical son of his sire Kodiac, who has made his reputation as a sire of two-year-olds and of successful two-year-old sires such as Ardad and Kodi Bear.

But Coulsty’s race record and pedigree are strikingly similar to those of his sire. He ran 26 times at two, three, four and five and was a stakes performer every year with his best win coming in a Group 3 in Deauville over 6f. He was also second in a Group 2 at Newbury over 7f at four.

Coulsty comes from a middle-distance family as his dam by In The Wings won over

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rising sires 1m4f, while his third dam was a half-sister to the middle-distance champion Mtoto.

Coulsty’s first crop were three-year-olds of 2021 and, remarkably, from only 36 named foals they included six stakes horses (17 per cent) which puts him in this respect in fourth place among European sires behind only Dubawi, Mehmas and Frankel.

The six are headed by the Grade 1-winning filly Shantisara, who has gone from being a 10,000gns two-year-old, to being sold out of claimer for €35,555 and then to the United States via a short stay in Marseilles.

For her US trainer Chad Brown, Shantisara has won three of her four starts including the 9f Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Keeeneland by an easy 5l.

Another filly Santosha was Group 2-placed and a Group 3 winner at Ascot at two

Isfahan’s first crop of 44 foals, included four stakes horses, his colt Sisfahan and filly Isfahani who were close to the best of their generation

The 2021 Deutsches Derby winner Sisfahan by Isfahan was a further twice Group 1 placed last year

Coulsty has made a more than promising start and will surely now be given a chance to repeat this success in the future.

DARIYAN (to stud 2017)

Shamardal-Daryakana (Selkirk) Haras de Bonneval €5,000 Dariyan will find it more difficult to establish a lasting position now as his first crop was only average – it is his second crop of two-year-olds which have made a mark.

The difference is that in 2021 the son of Shamardal covered his smallest book of mares to date with only 55 visiting the Group 1 Prix Ganay winner.

Dariyan had 15 runners from his second crop as two-year-olds and they included nine winners and the Deauville Listed winner Mister Saint Paul, as well as several other high-class performers such as Asgoodassobergets and Elizar, who have both been sold for export, and the promising filly Roselyne.

ISFAHAN (to stud 2017)

Lord Of England-Independent Miss (Polar Falcon) Gestüt Ohlerweiherhof €9,500 Isfahan only ran six times, but was the best son of his sire Lord Of England who had a long and successful stallion career at Gestüt Etzean.

He was a champion two and three-yearold colt in Germany breaking his maiden in the Winterfavoriten over a mile at two and then winning the Deutsches Derby in a very close finish defeating Savour Vivre and Dschingis Secret, who went on to international Group race success.

Isfahan didn’t run again and retired to stud as a four-year-old. He was bred by leading trainer Andreas Wohler, his third dam was a Group 1 winner and, although he is inbred to Sharpen Up 4x4, he is otherwise an outcross to most European sire lines.

Isfahan’s first crop of 44 foals included four stakes horses, and his colt Sisfahan and filly Isfahani were close to the best of their generation.

All four of his stakes horses raced for

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rising sires

Galileo Gold himself improved significantly from two to three and any first-season sire, who has 10 per cent of runners rated 95 or higher, has an excellent chance of making a mark as a stallion Darius Racing in whose colours Isfahan himself ran.

Sisfahan broke his maiden at two in Lyon and won the Derby coming with a late and wide run. The form of the Hamburg Classic has not worked out particularly well, but Sisfahan proved his class when pushing Torquator Tasso in the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Baden and going down by only a length to Europe’s best older middle-distance horse.

Isfahani came close to completing a Classic double finishing second in the German Oaks after winning an Italian Group race on her two year old debut.

Isfahan has only around 20 three-yearolds and two-year-olds to race for him this season, but will receive much more support this year.

PROTECTIONIST (to stud 2017) Monsun-Patineuse (Peintre Celebre) Gestüt Röttgen €6,500 The Melbourne Cup winner Protectionist, who was also a high class two-year-old in Germany and a Group 1 winner over 1m4f at six, is the last chance for his sire Monsun to produce a leading Flat stallion.

And Protectionist could still achieve this as his first crop of some 44 foals returned promising, if still inconclusive, results.

He has some 33 and two-year-olds to race for him in 2022 and so enough on the ground to make a mark.

Protectionist produces few two-year-old winners, but his first three-year-olds did include two Group winners before the end of May which, in German terms, comes close to being precocious.

The colt Lambo won his Group 3 in Munich and then finished a creditable third in a Group 2 at ParisLongchamp.

The filly Amazing Grace won her Group 2

at Hoppegarten in mid-May over 1m2f, and this pair were joined by the Irish-trained Powerful Aggie, who is now rated 105.

The juvenile No More Bolero won his only start in Lyon and is currently among the favourites for the Deutsches Derby, while another colt Lotterbov won a maiden in Mulheim for trainer Markus Klug.

There may be a slight doubt as several of his most promising horses had their career compromised by injury, but then 44 three-year-olds is too small a sample to be able to draw conclusions.

Protectionist remains a promising middledistance sire.

ECTOT (to stud 2018) Hurricane Run-Tonnara (Linamix) Haras de Boquetot €5,000 Ectot was a Group 1 winner at two and then again at five in the US when he beat Flintshire to win at Belmont Park.

As a young horse Ectot clearly had injury problems, but he won six of his first seven races, including four Group races and a Listed. His best-looking two-year-old winner was the Jean Claude Rouget-trained colt Good Too, who is currently not in training, but the son of Hurricane Run had four three-year-old winners in January, including three debut winners Lovetot, Jordanella and Bennetot.

Both these young sires were consistently supported during their first four years and are likely to cover good books in 2022 EL KABEIR (to stud 2018) Scat Daddy-Great Venue (Unbridled’s Song) Yeomanstown Stud €6,000 El Kabeir and Galileo Gold were two Irish-

based 2021 first-season sires, who had a high proportion of highly-rated two-year-olds to two-year-old runners without having the black-type wins, which would have given them a higher profile.

El Kabeir, a US-raced son of Scat Daddy, has had 16 winners to date from 55 runners and these include five horses rated 95 or higher – Masekela, Don Chico, Harrow, Rerouting and Rishie’s Bear as two-yearolds, while the Peter Brant-owned filly Salimad made a spectacular four and threequarters length winning debut over a mile on Turf at Tampa in January.

El Kabeir has had three black-type winners to date – the Italian-based Don Chico and Sa Filonzana, and the Newbury stakes winner Masekela.

GALILEO GOLD (2013)

Paco Boy-Galicuix (Galileo) Tally-Ho Stud €7,000 The 2,000 Guineas winner Galileo Gold has had 25 winners from 67 runners at the time of writing and seven rated 95 or higher headed by the Group 1 winner Ebro River and including seven stakes performers.

Galileo Gold himself improved significantly from two to three and any first-season sire, who has 10 per cent of his runners rated 95 or higher, has an excellent chance of making a mark as a stallion.

THE GREY GATSBY (2018)

Mastercraftsman-Marie Vison (Entrepreneur) Haras de Petit Tellier €8,000 The Grey Gatsby was Group-placed at two, but became one of Europe’s best at three when he was given a rating of 126 and won Group 1s in France and Ireland.

The son of Mastercraftsman has had nine winners from 25 runners to date, including three three-year-old winners in January.

His best winner is the German-trained filly Mylady, who won a good quality Listed race at Dusseldorf in September from an impossible position and has not run since.

Others who have looked to be above average include Slam Poet, Atomic Blonde and Indian Wish.

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world’s best racehorse rankings Knicks Go, ridden by Joel Rosario, wins the 2020 running of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, one of five Grade 1 successes for the son of Paynter

Top

of the world

Knicks Go, the son of Paynter and new Taylor Made stallion, is rated the world’s best horse for 2021, writes Aisling Crowe

T

HE 2021 WORLD’S BEST RACEHORSE rankings were truly an international affair with Knicks Go annointed the best in the world by 2lb ahead of Adayar, Mishriff and St Mark’s Basilica all on 127.

Knicks Go was rated 5lb higher than Life Is Good, but whether those ratings would stand in the wake of the latter’s astonishing victory over the now-retired champion in the Pegasus World Cup is moot.

Knicks Go was the best horse in the world last year, Life Is Good is the world’s best horse so far this year.

In 24 starts the now six-year-old son of Paynter did more than enough to justify his lofty status as the best racehorse in the world, with five Grade 1 triumphs from two to five, including victories in two different Breeders’ Cup contests.

Bred in Maryland by Angie Moore and her daughter Sabrina, Knicks Go is from the second crop of Paynter and is so far the only top level winner by the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational winner.

Paynter is a son of Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Awesome Again, and is very closely related to that stallion’s Preakness-winning

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son Oxbow, who is out of a full-sister to Paynter’s dam Tizso.

She is also a full-sister to the dual Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner and stallion Tiznow, who is the sire of Tourist and Midnight Bourbon and broodmare sire of Tiz The Law. Oxbow himself is the sire of Grade 1 winner Hot Rod Charlie, who earned a rating of 122 and a spot in the upper echelons of the rankings. The Pennsylvania Derby winner, who was fourth to Knicks Go in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, remains in training at four with the Dubai World Cup an early season target, which could set him up for a tilt at the coveted title of world’s best racehorse in 2022.

Knicks Go is another star to give lie to the belief that expensive horses are necessarily the best – he was bought for just $40,000 as a foal and slightly more than doubled that when selling for $87,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale to the Korea Racing Authority. He was scheduled to sell at the Ocala Breeze-Up, but was withdrawn and sent into training with Ben Colebrook.

At two he ran six times and was one of the best juveniles of 2018, winning the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland

world’s best racehorse rankings and finishing second to Game Winner in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G2). He also won a maiden special weight and was third in the Listed Arlington Washington Futurity.

His career took a dip at three when he failed to win in eight starts and he was transferred to the barn of Brad Cox for his four-year-old season. The move reinvigorated the classy juvenile who then went through the year undefeated and returned with a bang to Grade 1 company in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, in which he earned his second top-class success.

Knicks Go is another star to give lie to the belief that expensive horses are necessarily the best – he was bought for just $40,000 Knicks Go carried that form into his fourth season of racing in 2021 – he started the year with victory in the Pegasus World Cup then travelled to Riyadh for the Saudi Cup in which he finished fourth behind Mishriff.

Back in the US, Knicks Go reappeared in the Metropolitan Handicap and was once again fourth and then was dropped down to Grade 3 company for a 1m1f handicap, which saw him return in the winner’s spot.

After that he was an impressive 5l winner of the Whitney Stakes (G1) over a field that included Swiss Skydiver and Maxfield and then added the Grade 3 Lukas Classic Stakes. He contested his third different race at the Breeders’ Cup meeting, this time taking on the Classic and he put in the best performance of his career to easily account for the ill-fated Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit, Essential Quality and Hot Rod Charlie.

His final start came behind the awesome Life Is Good in the 2022 Pegasus World Cup

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world’s best racehorse rankings and he has now taken up stallion duties at Taylor Made Farm.

Knicks Go is an important horse for the Korea Racing Authority as he is the first American Grade 1 winner for the operation and could be a potential foundation stallion for the KRA should they develop previously expressed thoughts of opening a stud farm in Kentucky.

Having the world’s best racehorse to launch any overseas stallion operation would be a massive boon and enormous incentive for them to develop that prospect.

Knicks Go’s dam Kosmo’s Buddy was a stakes-winning sprinter and she is by Outflanker, a Danzig half-brother to Love Me True, the dam of Group 1 winners and sires Duke Of Marmalade and Ruler Of The World. Their dam Lassie’s Lady is an Alydar half-sister to Wolfhound and Foxhound, and to Weekend Surprise dam of the great A.P. Indy.

The grey six-year-old is by far the best horse in the first three generations of his female line – second dam Vaulted is by the Mr. Prospector son Allen’s Prospect and was stakes-placed. Vaulted is a half-sister to the dams of Listed winner Sweet Cassiopeia and the Grade 2-placed Yaletown. His third dam Aube D’Or is a Medaille D’Or half-sister to Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes winner Countus In.

A

S A STALLION PROSPECT Knicks Go is very interesting with three lines of Raise A Native in his pedigree with two of them coming from Mr. Prospector and the other from Alydar. He also traces back to Bold Reasoning through Triple Crown legends Secretariat and Seattle Slew, who both feature in the fifth generation of the pedigree of Knicks Go.

In many ways Knicks Go is everything a racehorse should be – his initial Grade 1 success was a surprise but, by backing it up with that first Breeders’ Cup performance, he proved that he was a talented individual.

He was no flash in the pan either – he returned from a disappointing second season to become a Grade 1 winner again at four and then developed into the best horse in the world at five, adding a second Breeders’ Cup victory at a longer distance.

Horses are supposed to get stronger and better as they grow and develop, which is something that Knicks Go was allowed the time and space to do, and he flourished.

A little piece of trivia about Knicks Go to end on; he is not actually named in honour of the New York basketball team as is widely believed, but after a nicking programme that the KRA uses to identify potential sales purchases and stallion recruits.

Knicks Go was put in place on his last career start finishing behind the new US superstar Life Is Good (Into Mischief) in the Pegasus World Cup

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DEADLINE

31 MAY DEADLINE FOR NOMINATING US SIRED st YEARLINGS OF 2022 FOR

$600 KEY DATES

31 MAY

(EBF payments and deadlines)

2YO’S February 15th - for nominating two-year-olds for $3,000 YEARLINGS May 31st - for nominating yearlings for $600 2YO’S June 30th - for nominating two-year-olds for $6,000 STALLIONS June 30th - for provisionally registering stallions to the EBF for the year STALLIONS December 15th - for payments to fully qualify stallions to the EBF for the year

F O R F U RT H E R DETAILS, CO NTACT:

Lushington House, 119 High Street, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 9AE T: +44 1638 667960 E: info@ebfhorseracing.co.uk www.ebfstallions.com

world’s best racehorse rankings

Stallion

diversity Ten different stallions were responsible for siring the top ten highest-rated horses of 2021

P

ERUSING THE BREEDING of the horses in the upper levels of the rankings for threeyear-olds and older revealed a pleasing amount of diversity in the stallion ranks.

The ten highest-rated horses in the world were by ten different sires with the Green Desert line represented twice through his grandsons Sea The Stars and Kingman, who were responsible for the unbeaten three-year-old miler Baaeed and multiple Group 1 winner Palace Pier.

The pair were ranked the equal of each other on 125 with Baaeed beating Palace Pier by a neck in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Champions’ Day, receiving 3lb from his older rival.

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The ten highest-rated horses rated on the WBRRs for 2021 were by Paynter, Frankel, Siyouni, Make Believe, Deep Impact, Adlerflug, Kingman, Medaglia D’Oro, Sea The Stars and Epiphaneia.

Apart from Deep Impact and Adlerflug, the remaining sires are still alive and covering away and in the main, Medaglia D’Oro excepted, are relatively young with potential oozing from their pores.

Make Believe, in particular, is of interest as Mishriff, who remains in training as a five-year-old, is from the first crop of the Classic winner when he was introduced to Ballylinch Stud at €20,000.

The stallion’s fee for this year was returned to €17,500, which is the highest it has been for the grandson of Dubawi since

world’s best racehorse rankings The Qipco British Champion Stakes saw these two descendants of Green Desert battle it out for honours, Baaeed (near side) gaining the win from Palace Pier by a neck.

At the end of the year, WBRR could not split them, and both colts were rated 125

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Contrail’s last career start was a 2l success over Authority (Orfevre) in the Japan Cup. The son of Deep Impact has been retired to stud at Shadai

his second season.

Dubawi’s reputation as a progenitor of stallions has risen dramatically in recent years as a second wave of sons at stud have produced Night Of Thunder and New Bay, an exciting pair of Classic-winners by Dubawi who have made excellent starts to their stud careers, as well as the promising Time Test and Zarak whose first crops were standouts in 2021.

Prior to their arrival on the scene, and ahead of the stallion careers of Too Darn Hot, Ghaiyyath and Space Blues, their father’s reputation for producing sons who were fit to inherit his mantle was low.

Make Believe’s own sire Makfi, who won the 2,000 Guineas, failed to set the world alight in Europe but was given a second chance at stud in Japan, while Poet’s Voice before his untimely death produced only one Group 1 winner – Poet’s Word, who is now a NH stallion.

Mishriff was rated alongside the threeyear-old colts Adayar and St Mark’s Basilica, winners of the Derby and Prix du JockeyClub.

Adayar emulated his late grandsire Galileo with success in the King George, while St Mark’s Basilica, who has Galileo as his broodmare sire, gave Aidan O’Brien his first

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The success of Contrail highlights the potency of the Japanese approach of blending American female lines with Deep Impact and his sons Poule d’Essai des Poulains and Jockey-Club double during an unbeaten campaign in which he defeated Mishriff in the Eclipse at Sandown.

That was the only time any of the 127-rated trio took each other on and the three-year-old, who won the Eclipse with ease, was getting 10lb from his older rivals.

Siyouni’s ascension to the European elite is a fitting legacy for his own sire Pivotal, who died last year. Cheveley Park Stud’s brilliant stallion is rightly lauded for his

prowess as a broodmare sire, but it is also most pleasing that in Siyouni he has a son who can ensure that Pivotal remains a vibrant influence on the male side of pedigrees for many years to come.

Contrail, the stunning son of Deep Impact, won the Japanese Triple Crown at three and ended his racing career with victory in the Japan Cup in December. Rated 126, it is the third-highest rating accorded to any horse last year.

J

APANESE INTERESTS, on a high from the Breeders’ Cup triumphs of Loves Only You and Marche Lorraine, invested heavily in the best of American broodmares and breeding prospects at Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton in November and it is easy to see why.

The success of Contrail highlights the potency of the Japanese approach of blending American female lines with Deep Impact and his sons, although Deep Impact himself is a product of their approach to standing US-bred stallions. Contrail is out of the American-bred mare Rhodochrosite

by Unbridled’s Song out of the champion two-year-old Folklore, who is a half-sister to Delightful Quality, dam of Essential Quality,

world’s best racehorse rankings who finished third to Knicks Go in the Breeders’ Cup. This ensured that descendants of the unraced Storm Cat mare Contrive were rated two of the best horses in the world last year – Essential Quality, who will stand for $75,000 at Darley in Kentucky, won the Belmont and the Travers Stakes and was rated 123, just 3lb less than Contrail.

What was particularly pleasing was the rating of 125 accorded to Torquator Tasso following his victory in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, which had left many vocal commentators questioning its validity on the basis that the winner was an unfancied German outsider.

His form stood up – he won the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Berlin and was second to In Swoop in the Deutsches Derby, that son of Adlerflug ran Sottsass ran a close second in the 2020 Arc. At four, Torquator Tasso added a second Group 1 success in the Grosser Preis von Baden before beating a top-class field to win the Arc. Those vanquished at ParisLongchamp included Tarnawa, Hurricane Lane, Adayar, Sealiway, Snowfall and Chrono Genesis. Excitingly, he remains in training at five and is an outstanding

What was particularly pleasing was the rating of 125 accorded to Torquator Tasso following his victory in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe prospect for Europe’s top middle-distance races once more this year.

Torquator Tasso is inbred 3x4 to the full-sisters Alya and the great Allegretta and it is intriguing for fans and pedigree enthusiasts alike to imagine what he could achieve as a stallion, given the proper support and backing.

Galileo’s line dominates

The most famous stallion from Torquator Tasso’s extended family is, of course, the

incomparable breed-shaping Galileo and the DNA of that particular grandson of Allegretta was stoutly represented in the top ranks of the ratings.

His son Frankel, who succeeded him as champion sire last year, sired the jointhighest rated three-year-old in Adayar and the 123-rated Hurricane Lane, who won the Irish Derby and St Leger for Godolphin.

Galiway sired Sealiway, who won a second Group 1 when claiming the Champion Stakes for France, at Ascot in October, while Teofilo’s son Subjectivist won the Ascot Gold Cup (G1) to earn champion stayer status, alongside Australian star mare Verry Elleegant.

Both Sealiway and Subjectivist were also allocated 123 by the panel.

Dawn Approach, a grandson of Galileo, sired the 2,000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes winner Poetic Flare, who ended his career rated 122 and is now beginning stallion duties in Japan.

Galileo is also the broodmare sire of St Mark’s Basilica, while the star-crossed Snowfall, a triple Group 1 winner, was the second highest-rated female on Turf with a rating of 120, behind only Verry Elleegant.

Adayar: the highest-rated three-year-old. His sire Frankel, Dubawi and Deep Impact were the sires with the most horses rated over 118 for 2021

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world’s best racehorse rankings Leading World’s Best Racehorse Rankings 2021: to horses rated 117 Rating Distance Surface Horse 129 127 127 127 126 125 125 125 125 125 124 124 124 124 124 123 123 123 123 123 123 122 122 122 122 122 122 121 121 121 121 121 121 121 121 121 121 120 120 120 120 120 120 120 120 120 120 120

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Knicks Go (USA) Adayar (IRE) Mishriff (IRE) St Mark's Basilica (FR) Contrail (JPN) Torquator Tasso (GER) Palace Pier (GB) Golden Sixty (AUS) Knicks Go (USA) Baaeed (GB) Efforia (JPN) Life Is Good (USA) Nature Strip (AUS) Medina Spirit (USA) Flightline (USA) Glory Vase (JPN) Hurricane Lane (IRE) Sealiway (FR) Essential Quality (USA) Subjectivist (GB) Verry Elleegant (NZ) Poetic Flare (IRE) Mystic Guide (USA) Domestic Spending (GB) Jackie's Warrior (USA) Hot Rod Charlie (USA) Incentivise (AUS) Hurricane Lane (IRE) Eduardo (AUS) Mandaloun (USA) Deep Bond (JPN) Zaaki (GB) Authority (JPN) Dubai Honour (IRE) Charlatan (USA) Masked Crusader (AUS) Golden Pal (USA) Chrono Genesis (JPN) Shahryar (JPN) Snowfall (JPN) Gran Alegria (JPN) Yibir (GB) Lord North (IRE) Pyledriver (GB) Skalleti (FR) Addeybb (IRE) Trueshan (FR) Tarnawa (IRE)

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Sex

2016 2018 2017 2018 2017 2017 2017 2015 2016 2018 2018 2018 2014 2018 2018 2015 2018 2018 2018 2017 2015 2018 2017 2017 2018 2018 2016 2018 2013 2018 2017 2015 2017 2018 2017 2016 2018 2016 2018 2018 2016 2018 2016 2017 2015 2014 2016 2016

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Sire

Dam

Dam sire

Breeder

Paynter Frankel Make Believe Siyouni Deep Impact Adlerflug Kingman Medaglia D'Oro Paynter Sea The Stars Epiphaneia Into Mischief Nicconi Protonico Tapit Deep Impact Frankel Galiway Tapit Teofilo Zed Dawn Approach Ghostzapper Kingman Maclean's Music Oxbow Shamus Award Frankel Host Into Mischief Kizuna Leroidesanimaux Orfevre Pride Of Dubai Speightstown Toronado Uncle Mo Bago Deep Impact Deep Impact Deep Impact Dubawi Dubawi Harbour Watch Kendargent Pivotal Planteur Shamardal

Kosmo's Buddy Anna Salai Contradict Cabaret Rhodochrosite Tijuana Beach Frolic Gaudeamus Kosmo's Buddy Aghareed Epiphaneia Beach Walk Strikeline Mongolian Changa Feathered Mejiro Tsubone Gale Force Kensea Delightful Quality Reckoning Opulence Maria Lee Music Note Urban Castle Unicorn Girl Indian Miss Miss Argyle Gale Force Blushing Brooch Zephyranthes Kesara Rosalind Mondelice Authenticity She's Got Gears Lady Shiopman Chronologist Dubai Majesty Best In The World Tapitsfly Rumh Najoum La Pyle Skallet Bush Cat Shao Line Torana

Outflanker Dubawi Raven's Pass Galileo Unbridled's Song Toylsome Nayef Distorted Humor Outflanker Kingmambo Epiphaneia Distorted Humor Desert Sun Brilliant Speed Indian Charlie Swepy Overboard Shirocco Kendargent Elusive Quality Danehill Dancer Danroad Rock Of Gibraltar A.P. Indy Street Cry AP Five Hundred Indian Charlie Idlesia Shirocco Fantastic Light Empire Maker King halo Sadler's Wells Symboli Kris S Montjeu Quiet American Invincible Spirit Midshipman Kurofune Essence of Dubai Galileo Tapit Monsun Giant's Causeway Le Havre Muhaymin Kingmambo General Holme Cape Cross

Angie Moore Godolphin Nawara Stud Limited Robert Scarborough North Hills Co Ltd Paul H Vandeberg Highclere Stud & Floors Farming Asco International Pty Ltd Angie Moore Shadwell Estate Company Epiphaneia Gary & Mary West Stables Inc Golden Grove Stud Farm Gail Rice Summer Wind Equine Lake Villa Farm Normandie Stud Guy Pariente Holding Godolphin Mascalls Stud JD Goodwin JS Bolger Godolphin Rabbah Bloodstock J&J Stables Edward A Cox Windemere Stud Normandie Stud Miss J Kaufmann Juddmonte Murata Bokujo Miss K Rausing Northern Farm Macha Bloodstock/Meridian Int Stonestreet Thoroughbreds Gilgai Farm Randall E Lowe Northern Racing Northern Farm Roncon, Chelston Ire & Wynatt Northern Farm Godolphin Godolphin Knox & Wells Limited & R Devlin Guy Pariente Holding Rabbah Bloodstock Didier Blot His Highness The Aga Khan's Studs

Owner Korea Racing Authority Godolphin Prince A. A. Faisal D. Smith, Mrs J. Magnier & M. Tabor Shinji Maeda Gestut Auenquelle Sheikh Hamdan Stanley Chan Ka Leung Korea Racing Authority Shadwell Estate Company Ltd Carrot Farm Co Ltd CHC Inc & WinStar Farm LLC Lyons, Harrison et al Zedan Racing Stables Inc Hronis Racing LLC, West Point Tbreds Silk Racing Co Ltd Godolphin Le Haras de La Gousserie Godolphin Racing LLC Dr J. Walker Jomara Bloodstock Ltd, Ellee Syn Mrs J. S. Bolger Godolphin Klaravich Stables Inc J. Kirk Robison Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing et al Windemere Stud Pty Ltd, Yes Bstk Godolphin J. J. W. Pride, N. Cresci et al Juddmonte Farms Inc Shinji Maeda C. E. Holt, P. J. Prendergast et al Silk Racing Co Ltd Mohammed Obaida SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing et al R & C Legh Racing Syndicate, Gilgai F Magnier, Tabor, Smith & Westerberg Sunday Racing Co Ltd Sunday Racing Co Ltd D. Smith, Mrs J. Magnier & M. Tabor Sunday Racing Co Ltd Godolphin H H Sheikh Zayed Bin Mohammed La Pyle Partnership Jean-Claude Seroul Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum Singula Partnership H.H. Aga Khan

world’s best racehorse rankings Leading World’s Best Racehorse Rankings 2021: to horses rated 117 Rating Distance Surface Horse 120 120 120 120 120 119 119 119 119 119 119 119 119 119 119 119 119 119 119 119 119 119 119 118 118 118 118 118 118 118 118 118 118 118 118 118 118 118 118 118 118 118 118 118 118 118 118 118

M I M M I L M L E S L S M I I M M S M L I L S I M L L M L I M I M I, L S M S M E M L I, L M S S I, L M S

D T D T D T D T T T T D T D T T T T T T T T D T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T D T T T

T O Keynes (JPN) State of Rest (IRE) Monomoy Girl (USA) Exultant (IRE) Midnight Bourbon (USA) Stella Veloce (JPN) Art Collector (USA) Village King (ARG) World Premiere (JPN) Starman (GB) Lone Eagle (IRE) Aloha West (USA) Mugatoo (IRE) Max Player (USA) Rainbow Bridge (SAF) Schnell Meister (GER) Colonel Liam (USA) Suesa (IRE) Alcohol Free (IRE) Al Aasy (IRE) Anamoe (AUS) Do It Again (SAF) Dr Schivel (USA) Mare Australis (IRE) Order of Australia (IRE) Broome (IRE) Sir Ron Priestley (GB) Russian Camelot (IRE) Sir Dragonet (IRE) Dalasan (AUS) Real World (IRE) Lei Papale (JPN) Danon Kingly (JPN) Loves Only You (JPN) Dream of Dreams (IRE) The Revenant (GB) Creative Force (IRE) Space Blues (IRE) Titleholder (JPN) More Than This (GB) Alpinista (GB) Love (IRE) Waikuku (IRE) Home Affairs (AUS) Gamine (USA) Sanrei Pocket (JPN) Danon The Kid (JPN) Pixie Knight (JPN)

YofB

Sex

Sire

Dam

Dam sire

Breeder

2017 2018 2015 2014 2018 2018 2017 2014 2016 2017 2018 2017 2015 2017 2014 2018 2017 2018 2018 2017 2018 2014 2018 2017 2017 2016 2016 2017 2016 2016 2017 2017 2016 2016 2014 2015 2018 2016 2018 2016 2017 2017 2015 2018 2017 2015 2018 2018

C

Sinister Minister

C

Starspangledbanner

M G C C C H H C C C G C G C C F F G C G C C C H H C H H C F H M G G G H C G F F G C F H C C

Tapizar Teofilo Tiznow Bago Bernardini Campanologist Deep Impact Dutch Art Galileo Hard Spun

Maxim Café Repose Drumette Contrary Catch The Moon Oh My Baby Distorted Legacy Villard Mandela Northern Star Modernstone Island Bound Elopa Fools In Love Halfway To Heaven Serienholde Amazement Sally is The Boss Plying Kitcara Anamato Sweet Virginia Lil Nugget Miramare Senta's Dream Sweepstakes Reckoning Lady Babooshka Sparrow Khandallah Nafura Shells Lei My Goodness Loves Only Me Vasilia Hazel Lavery Choose Me Mis Lucifer Mowen Striving Alwilda Pikaboo London Plane Miss Interiors Peggy Jane Admire Punch Epic Love Pixie Hollow

Manhattan Café Quiet American Henny Hughes Mark Of Esteem Malibu Moon Deep Impact Distorted Humor Pleassant Tap Acatenango Montjeu

Yanagawa Bokujo Tinnakill Bloodstock Fpf Llc & Highfield Ranch Ballygallon Stud Ltd Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings Northern Farm W Bruce Lunsford Santa Maria De Araras Northern Farm D Ward Ballylinch Stud

Henrythenavigator

Honor Code Ideal World Kingman Liam's Map Night Of Thunder No Nay Never Sea The Stars Street Boss Twice Over Violence Australia Australia Australia Australia Camelot Camelot Dalakhani Dark Angel Deep Impact Deep Impact Deep Impact Dream Ahead Dubawi Dubawi Dubawi Duramente Dutch Art Frankel Galileo Harbour Watch I Am Invicible Into Mischief Jungle Pocket Just A Way Maurice

Duke Of Marmalade

Speightstown Tiger Hill Not For Love Jet Master Soldier Hollow Bernardini Orpen Hard Spun Shamardal Redoute's Choice Casey Tibbs Mining For Money Rainbow Quest Danehill Acclamation Danehill Dancer Cape Cross Oasis Dream Kitten's Joy Dubawi Kurofune Storm Cat Storm Cat Dansili Excellent Art Chosir Noverre Motivator Danehill Dancer Hernando Pivotal Danehill Dancer Flying Spur Kafwain Wild Rush Dansili King Halo

Owner Tomoya Ozasa Teme Valley Racing My Racehorse, Spendthrift & Madaket Wong Ming Chak & Wong Leung Sau Hing

Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC Tsuyoshi Ono Bruce Lunsford Haras El Angel De Venecia Ryoichi Otsuka David Ward Ballylinch Stud & Aquis Farm Robert T Manfuso & Katharine M Voss Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners Frau N Bscher Australian Bstck, Power Tbreds K & G Stables George Hall & SportBLX Tbreds Corp Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein Mr & Mrs M. L. P. Rattray Northern Farm Sunday Racing Co Ltd Phillips Racing Partnership Robert E. & Lawana L. Low Thomastown Farm Mme Georgiana Cabrero Churchtown House Stud Jeff Smith Sunderland Holdings Inc Shadwell Estate Company Ltd Godolphin Australia Godolphin M Donohoe N. Jonsson, B. Kantor & Nancy Hossack William A Branch & Arnold R Hill Red Baron's Barn, Rancho Temescal Stall Ullman Gestut Schlenderhan Whisperview Trading Ltd Smith, Magnier, Tabor & .O'Brien Epona Bloodstock Matsushima, Magnier, Tabor & D. Smith Haras Du Saz Paul Dean Lynch Bages & Camas Park Stud J. R. Wheeler, G. L. McRostie et al Orpendale, Wynatt & Chelston Aziz Kheir, P. Mehrten et al The Toorak Tbred Breeding Trust B.H.Perks,Mrs A.M.Clough et al Godolphin Godolphin Northern Farm Carrot Farm Co Ltd Mishima Bokujo Danox Co Ltd Northern Farm DMM Dream Club Co Ltd Prostock Ltd Saeed Suhail Al Asayl Bloodstock Ltd Al Asayl France Owenstown Bloodstock Godolphin Godolphin Godolphin Okada Stud Hiroshi Yamada Cheveley Park Stud Huang Kai Wen Miss K Rausing Kirsten Rausing Coolmore M. Tabor, D. Smith & Mrs J. Magnier Shane Molan Jocelyn Siu Yang Hin Ting Torryburn Stud Coolmore, Wynaus et al Grace Thoroughbred Holdings Michael Lund Petersen Samani Kyoei Bokujo Keiji Nagai Northern Farm Danox Co Ltd Northern Racing Silk Racing Co Ltd

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world’s best racehorse rankings Leading World’s Best Racehorse Rankings 2021 cont: to horses rated 117 Rating Distance Surface Horse 118 118 118 118 118 118 118 118 118 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117 117

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I, M L M E I M M M I L M I S M L M M L L S M L L I S S I M I L I L M L M M I, M E M I M M M M M M

T T T T T T D D D T T T T D T T D T T T T T T D D T T T T T D T T D T T T T T T T T T T T T

Mac Swiney (IRE) Unicorn Lion (IRE) Southern Legend (AUS) Stradivarius (IRE) Think It Over (AUS) Indy Champ (JPN) Maxfield (USA) Letruska (USA) Rombauer (USA) My Sister Nat (FR) Behemoth (AUS) Angel Of Truth (AUS) Winter Power (IRE) Rock Your World (USA) Malmoos (SAF) Ka Ying Star (GB) Swiss Skydiver (USA) Gufo (USA) Great Magician (JPN) Hot King Prawn (AUS) Master of The Seas (IRE) Kommetdieding (SAF) War Like Goddess (USA) Tetaze (ARG) Zenden (USA) Marianafoot (FR) Armory (IRE) Salios (JPN) Hishi Iguazu (JPN) Sisfahan (FR) Tripoli (USA) Wonderful Tonight (FR) Lope Y Fernandez (IRE) Lone Rock (USA) Smooth Like Strait (USA) Lady Bowthorpe (GB) Cascadian (GB) Spanish Mission (USA) Kolding (NZ) Furore (NZ) Mo'unga (NZ) Probabeel (NZ) Fifty Stars (IRE) Victor Ludorum (GB) Jet Dark (SAF) Mo Forza (USA)

YofB

Sex

2018 2016 2012 2016 2015 2015 2017 2016 2018 2015 2015 2015 2018 2018 2017 2015 2017 2017 2018 2014 2018 2017 2017 2016 2016 2015 2017 2017 2016 2018 2017 2017 2017 2015 2017 2016 2015 2016 2015 2014 2017 2016 2015 2017 2017 2016

C H G H G H C M C M G G F C C G F C C G C C F H H H C C H C C F C G C M G H G G C M H C C H

www.internationalthoroughbred.net

Sire

Dam

Dam sire

Breeder

New Approach No Nay Never

Halla Na Saoire Muravka Donna's Appeal Private Life Personal Service Will Power Velvety Magic Appeal Cashmere Starlet's Sister Penny Banger Scarletini Titian Saga Charm The Maker Justthewayyouare Casual Glance Expo Gold Floy Night Magic De Chorus Firth Of Lorne Adorable Misty North Delirada You Laughin Marianabaa After Salomina La Liz Kendalee Love Train Salvation Black Dahlia Ruby Lips Smooth As Usual Maglietta Fina Falls Of Lora Limonar Magic Star Stormy Choice Chandelier Far Fetched Swizzle Stick Antiquities Night Jet Inflamed

Teofilo High Chaparral Carnegie Bering Zabeel King Kamehameha Bernardini Succesful Appeal Cowboy Cal Galileo Zedrich Bernardini Titus Livius Empire Maker Fort Wood Sinndar Johannesburg Petionville Sholokhov Unbridled's Song Danehill Captain Al North Light Orpen Sharp Humor Anabaa Danehill Dancer Lomitas Bernstein Kendargent Tapit Montjeu Dansili Hard Spun Flower Alley Verglas Street Cry Street Cry Danzero Redoute's Choice O'Reilly Pins Sadler's Wells Kaldounevees Jet Master Unusual Heat

JS Bolger Desert Star Phoenix Corumbene Stud Bjorn Nielsen Bylong Park Northern Racing Godolphin St George Stables John Fradkin & Diane Fradkin Ecurie Des Monceaux Wallings Bloodstock Pty Ltd Superhorse Trust Newlands House Stud Ron McAnally & Deborah McAnally Varsfontein Stud Kingsclere Stud WinStar Farm John Little & Stephen Cainelli Northern Racing Torryburn Stud Godolphin Klawervlei Stud Calumet Farm Bioart SA Brent Harris & Beth Harris J C Seroul Coolmore Northern Farm Northern Farm Guy Pariente Holding Blue Devil Racing Stable LLC Ecurie Taos S F Bloodstock LLC

Not A Single Doubt

Sea The Stars So You Think Stay Gold Street Sense Super Saver Twirling Candy Acclamation All Too Hard Animal Kingdom Bungle Inthejungle

Candy Ride Captain Al Cityscape Daredevil Declaration Of War

Deep Impact Denman Dubawi Elusive Fort English Channel Equal Stripes Fed Biz Footstepsinthesand

Galileo Heart's Cry Heart's Cry Isfahan Kitten's Joy Le Havre Lope De Vega Majestic Warrior Midnight Lute Nathaniel New Approach Noble Mission Ocean Park Pierro Savabeel Savabeel Sea The Stars Shamardal Trippi Uncle Mo

Town & Country Farms,Pollock Farms

Cannon Thoroughbreds Scuderia Archi Romani Godolphin St Elias Stables W Pegg G S A Bloodstock Pty Ltd Waikato Stud GJ Chittick Airlie Stud Godolphin Drakenstein Stud Bardy Farm

Owner Mrs J. S. Bolger Lion Race Horse Co Ltd Boniface Ho Ka Kui Bjorn Nielsen Bylong Park & S. C. Alcorn Silk Racing Co Ltd Godolphin Racing LLC St George Stable LLC John & Diane Fradkin Peter Brant B. L. Hannon, A. J. Devine et al Superhorse Syndicate King Power Racing Co Ltd Hronis Racing LLC & Talla Racing LLC Shadwell South Africa Leung Shek Kong Peter Callahan Otter Bend Stables LLC Sunday Racing Co Ltd Lau Sak Hong Godolphin A. Reynolds George Krikorian Egalite de 9 LLP Performance Horse LLC Jean-Claude Seroul Mrs J. Magnier, M. Tabor & D. Smith Silk Racing Co Ltd Masahide Abe Darius Racing Hronis Racing LLC Christopher Wright D. Smith, Mrs J. Magnier & M. Tabor Flying P Stable Cannon Thoroughbreds LLC Ms E. L. Banks Godolphin Team Valor LLC & Gary Barber N. Morgan Lee Sheung Chau Fung Family Racing, K. S. So et al B. J. & Mrs J. E. A. Lindsay Ryco Equine Pty Ltd Godolphin SNC C. T. Crowe & N. Jonsson Bardy Farm & OG Boss

FEE 2022:

£3,000 (Oct 1st)

NEW TO HEDGEHOLME FOR 2022

Buratino Ch. 2013 Exceed And Excel - Bergamask (Kingmambo)

An outstanding source of 2-y-o speed Winner of 4 races at two and £170,241 including WON Gr.2 Coventry Stakes, 6f Royal Ascot WON LR Woodcote Stakes, 6f Epsom WON Novice Stakes, 6f Newmarket WON Maiden Stakes, 5f Chelmsford (on debut)

A proven sire at stud of over 40 winners including SNAPRAETEREA WON LR Owenstown Stud Stakes WON LR Platinum Stakes (total earnings of over £94,000)

RUN FOR ME 2nd LR GP der Mehl-Muhlens Stiftung (7f) 3rd LR Criterium Femminile (7f)

Also 2YO Winners THE BLUE PANTHER, SNAPIUS, ROUND SIX, DEVASTE, AUTUMN TWILIGHT, BAY BREEZE, RHINOPLASTY, etc.

CONTACT Andrew Spalding • T: 01325 730209 or M: 07990 518751 • E: hedgeholme@gmail.com Hedgeholme Stud, Winston, Darlington, Co. Durham DL2 3RS - www.hedgeholmestud.com

world’s best racehorse summary Leading Extended Subjectivist (GB) Verry Elleegant (NZ) Hurricane Lane (IRE) Trueshan (FR) World Premiere (JPN) Titleholder (JPN) Stradivarius (IRE)

123 123 121 120 119 118 118

Leading female is the Melbourne Cup winner Verry Elleegant (Zed), a 10-time Group 1 winner

Leading Three-Year-Old Colts Adayar (IRE) St Mark's Basilica (FR) Baaeed (GB) Flightline (USA) Life Is Good (USA) Medina Spirit (USA) Efforia (JPN) Essential Quality (USA) Hurricane Lane (IRE) Sealiway (FR) Hot Rod Charlie (USA)

127 127 125 124 124 124 124 123 123 123 122

Leading Dirt Knicks Go (USA) Flightline (USA) Life Is Good (USA) Medina Spirit (USA) Essential Quality (USA) Hot Rod Charlie (USA) Jackie's Warrior (USA) Mystic Guide (USA) Charlatan (USA) Mandaloun (USA) Midnight Bourbon (USA) Monomoy Girl (USA) T O Keynes (JPN)

129 124 124 124 123 122 122 122 121 121 120 120 120

Leading Turf Adayar (IRE) Mishriff (IRE) St Mark's Basilica (FR) Contrail (JPN) Baaeed (GB) Golden Sixty (AUS) Palace Pier (GB) Torquator Tasso (GER) Efforia (JPN) Nature Strip (AUS) Glory Vase (JPN) Hurricane Lane (IRE) Sealiway (FR) Subjectivist (GB) Verry Elleegant (NZ)

127 127 127 126 125 125 125 125 124 124 123 123 123 123 123

Leading Females Verry Elleegant (NZ) Snowfall (JPN) Tarnawa (IRE) Chrono Genesis (JPN) Tarnawa (IRE) Monomoy Girl (USA) Alcohol Free (IRE) Suesa (IRE) Lei Papale (JPN) Love (IRE) Alpinista (GB) Love (IRE) Loves Only You (JPN) Gamine (USA) Letruska (USA) Gamine (USA)

123 120 120 120 120 120 119 119 118 118 118 118 118 118 118 118

Leading Long Adayar (IRE) Contrail (JPN) Torquator Tasso (GER) Efforia (JPN) Hurricane Lane (IRE) Essential Quality Authority (JPN) Deep Bond (JPN)

127 126 125 124 123 123 121 121

Leading Intermediate Knicks Go (USA) St Mark's Basilica (FR) Mishriff (IRE) Medina Spirit (USA) Efforia (JPN) Essential Quality (USA) Sealiway (FR) Mystic Guide (USA) Poetic Flare (IRE) Domestic Spending (GB) Mandaloun (USA) Dubai Honour (IRE)

129 127 127 124 124 123 123 122 122 122 121 121

Leading Middle-Distance Knicks Go (USA) Baaeed (GB) Palace Pier (GB) Life Is Good (USA) Medina Spirit (USA) Hot Rod Charlie (USA) Poetic Flare (IRE) Mandaloun (USA) Charlatan (USA) T O Keynes (JPN) Monomoy Girl (USA)

125 125 125 124 124 122 122 121 121 120 120

Leading Sprinters Jackie's Warrior (USA) Golden Pal (USA) Masked Crusader (AUS) Suesa (IRE) Starman (GB) Dr Schivel (USA) Aloha West (USA)

122 121 121 119 119 119 119

Distance Categories S : 5f-6.5f : 1000m-1300m, M : 6.51f -9.49f : 1301m-1899m I : 9.5f-10.5f : 1900m-2100m, L : 10.51f-13.5f : 2101m2700m E: 13.51f+ : 2701m+

www.internationalthoroughbred.net

75

european 2yo classification

Trail’s path to the top

The son of Oasis Dream is the clear top-rated on the European two-year-old classifications though “2021 can not be described as a vintage year”

T

HE WORDS of BHA handicapper Graeme Smith when commenting on the two-year-old ratings for 2021 were most revealing, without detracting from the achievements of Native Trail.

Smith said: “2021 cannot be described as a vintage year for two-year-olds in terms of performance ratings. A total of 42 horses have made this list, and only once, when there were 40 in 2019, have there been fewer so we can deduce that talent was quite thinly spread at the top end last year.”

Godolphin’s son of Oasis Dream was out on his own at the head of affairs on a rating of 122, 7lb clear of the chasing pack on 115.

The handicapper prefaced his remarks by saying that, “Native Trail is a worthy champion having been one of the star performers of an incredible year for his stable. His performance in the National Stakes was very impressive and in following up with victory in the Dewhurst Stakes, he confirmed himself a colt of high quality.”

Indeed, any colt that is capable of going unbeaten through a juvenile season, winning three Group races and two of them at the top level, has to be accorded a level of praise and recognition for his achievements.

The fact that he went on to deliver an unbeaten season after spending the early part of the year in preparation for the breezeup sales, says plenty about both the ability and constitution of the Oasis Dream colt.

He is a son of the 2002 European champion two-year-old Oasis Dream and his

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The fact that Native Trail went on to deliver an unbeaten season after spending the early part of the year in preparation for the breeze-up sales, says plenty about both the ability and constitution of the Oasis Dream colt

Tenebrism became the first Group 1 winner for her sire Caravaggio, whose fee for 2022 is $35,000

european 2yo classification

Native Trail: the son of Oasis Dream, the top-rated juvenile of 2021, might reappear this year in the Craven Stakes before heading to the Guineas

pedigree is Juddmonte through and through.

Native Trail is the second foal out of Needleleaf, an unraced Observatory full-sister to the Haydock Sprint Cup (G1) winner African Rose, who is the dam of the Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes winner Fair Eva. Needleleaf and African Rose are also full-sisters to the Group 3 Prix d’Aumale winner Helleborine and she is the dam of Coventry Stakes (G2) winner Calyx by Oasis Dream’s close relation, Kingman.

His second dam New Orchid was Listedplaced and is a Quest For Fame half-sister to Dewhurst winner and sire Distant Music.

Needleleaf was purchased for 60,000gns

by MAB Agency for Haras d’Haspel from the Juddmonte draft as a two-year-old at the 2015 Tattersalls December Mare Sale. The emerging talent of Native Trail helped her

Tenebrism graduated from her maiden win almost six months earlier to Group 1 success in stunning fashion Kingman filly make €950,000 to Godolphin at last August’s Arqana Yearling Sale – she has more than repaid Haspel’s investment.

As a foal, Native Trail was purchased

by Sam Sangster for €50,000 at the Arqana December Sale and was sold by

Kildaragh Stud to Mags O’Toole for Norman Williamson’s Oak Tree Farm for 67,000gns at Book 1.

The Gold Cup-winning jockey Williamson prepared Native Trail for the Craven BreezeUp and he made quite the impression, selling for 210,000gns to Godolphin via Anthony Stroud.

A winner on debut over 7f at Sandown in June, he was then successful in the Group 2 Superlative Stakes at Newmarket on his second start before tackling Group 1 company in the National Stakes, the race which earned him his rating of 122.

That rating is 2lb lower than the one achieved by his predecessor St Mark’s Basilica and 6lb below the rating given Pinatubo in 2020, trainer Charlie Appleby’s most recent previous champion two-yearold.

www.internationalthoroughbred.net

77

european 2yo classification But Native Trail’s 122 is the same as that earned by previous champion two-year-olds Mastercraftsman, Toormore, Churchill and US Navy Flag so it is not particularly lowly.

However, it is the ratings of the colts and fillies below him that pose questions about the ability shown by the juvenile class of 2021. A total of seven horses are all rated 115, which is somewhat unsatisfactory and leads one to wonder how difficult to would be to separate them all out, at least a little?

The two highest-rated juvenile fillies of 2021, the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile winner Inspiral and Tenebrism, successful in the Cheveley Park Stakes (G1), are both in that septet on 115.

Inspiral is a Cheveley Park homebred daughter of Frankel and, similarly to Native Trail, went unbeaten through her four starts last season.

Inspiral is a Cheveley Park homebred daughter of Frankel and, similarly to Native Trail, went unbeaten through her four starts last season She began with victory in a Newmarket 7f maiden before taking the Listed Star Stakes at Sandown, stepping up to win the Group 2 May Hill Stakes and culminating in her Group 1 success.

She is the fourth foal out of Starscope, a daughter of Selkirk who was runner-up to Homecoming Queen in the 1,000 Guineas and Fallen For You in the Coronation Stakes.

Starscope’s dam Moon Goddess is a Rainbow Quest half-sister to Lockinge Stakes and Eclipse winner and sire Medicean.

Inspiral’s co-champion two-year-old filly is Tenebrism, the first Group 1 winner sired

by Commonwealth Cup winner Caravaggio.

She has a different profile to Inspiral – she

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made a winning debut at the very start of the Flat season at Naas for Aidan O’Brien, Coolmore and Westerberg, but then was not seen again until the Cheveley Park Stakes six months later when she flew home in the final furlong to defeat Flotus.

The pedigree is quite something – her dam is the Group 1 Coronation Stakes and Prix Jacques le Marois winner Immortal Verse. She is by Pivotal and out of the Listed winner Side Of Paradise, a Sadler’s Wells half-sister to Last Tycoon and Astronef.

“Tenebrism graduated from her maiden win almost six months earlier to Group 1 success in stunning fashion and is the fifth juvenile filly trained in Ballydoyle to achieve the mantle of European champion or jointchampion juvenile filly in the last 11 years, following in the footsteps of Maybe, Found, Minding and Clemmie,” commented IHRB handicapper

J

OINING THE FILLIES on 115 are fellow Group 1 winners Angel Blue, Luxembourg and Perfect Power, who made a huge name for his sire Ardad with victories in the Group 1 Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes, and the Group 2 Coventry Stakes.

Coroebus and Dubawi Legend, both sons of Darley’s powerhouse sire, were also allotted a mark of 115. The first named won the Group 3 Autumn Stakes after placing second to Royal Patronage in the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes, while the latter is a maiden winner who was third to Royal Patronage and Coroebus in the Group 2 Royal Lodge before he filled the runnerup position behind Native Trail in the Dewhurst. He ended the season down the field in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

There were four more horses rated just a pound below this group, including the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Modern Games, while the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes winner Ebro River, who was third to Native Trail in the National Stakes, was amongst horses given a mark of 113.

Ebro River: by Tally-Ho Stud sire Galileo Gold wins the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes

UBETTABELIEVEIT KODIAC – LADY LISHANDRA (MUJADIL) Fee: £5,000 1st Oct S.L.F

NEW FOR 2022

By KODIAC - World Record Holder for 2-y-o winners, Champion European Sire of 2-y-os 2020, Champion European Sire (winners) 2020 – Sire of Group 1 winners Campanelle, Hello Youmzain, Best Solution, etc. plus emerging young sires Ardad, Prince of Lir, Coulsty and Kodi Bear, all Gr.1 producers UBETTABELIEVEIT – winner of three races and £116,503 all over 5f including: EBF Novice Stakes Doncaster, LR National S. Sandown, Gr.2 Flying Childers S. Doncaster. Also 3rd Gr.2 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint all at 2.

ALMANAARA

MASSAAT

SHAMARDAL - MIDNIGHT ANGEL (MACHIAVELLIAN) Fee: £3,500 1st Oct S.L.F

TEOFILO - MADANY (ACCLAMATION) Fee: £4,000 1st Oct S.L.F

By world class stallion and sire of sires SHAMARDAL

By Teofilo, sire of 6 Gr.1 winners in 2020

Half brother to DARK ANGEL

Brother to Gr.1 Commonwealth Cup winner EQTIDAAR

FIRST CROP FOALS 2022

Won 4 races from 3 to 7 years, 5-7.5f, £137,904, and was placed four times Top Blood at excellent value

Gr.1 placed at 2, 3 and 4 • Gr.2 winner over 7f First-crop yearlings sold for £45,000, £44,000, £43,000, £40,000, etc.

Enquiries: Richard Kent T: 079 73 315722 • E: mickleystud@btconnect.com • www.mickleystud.co.uk Or Clare Lloyd Tel: 07875 673260 email: karinga@btinternet.com

GOLDEN HORDE TOP CLASS 2YO Won Gr.2 Richmond Stakes 2nd Gr.1 Middle Park Stakes Race time record

EUROPEAN CHAMPION SPRINTER AT 3

Won Gr.1 Commonwealth Cup Timeform rating 122 Impressive first foals in 2022

© Agence G

Bay filly. ex Emma Cappelen, 14.01

Strong, correct and full of quality. The mare will be sent back to Golden Horde this year!

Anna Sundström

€ 8,000 LF Mathieu ALEX +33 (0)6 26 59 19 18 - malex@sumbe.fr Tony FRY +44 (0)7725 041 815 - tony@sumbe.fr

WWW.SUMBE.FR

european 2yo classification European 2yo Classifications 2021: through to horses rated 110 Rating

Horse

Trainer

Sire

Dam

Dam sire

Breeder

122

Native Trail (GB)

Sex c

Charlie Appleby GB

Oasis Dream

Needleleaf

Observatory

Le Haras d”Haspel

115

Angel Bleu (FR)

c

Ralph Beckett GB

Dark Angel

Cercle De La Vie

Galileo

Pan Sutong Racing Bloodstock

115

Coroebus (IRE)

c

Charlie Appleby GB

Dubawi

First Victory

Teofilo

Godolphin

115

Dubawi Legend (IRE)

c

Hugo Palmer GB

Dubawi

Lovely Pass

Raven’s Pass

Rabbah Bloodstock Ltd

115

Inspiral (GB)

f

John & Thady Gosden GB

Frankel

Starscope

Selkirk

Cheveley Park Stud

115

Luxembourg (IRE)

c

Aidan O’Brien IRE

Camelot

Attire

Danehill Dancer

B V Sangster

115

Perfect Power (IRE)

c

Richard Fahey GB

Ardad

Sagely

Frozen Power

Tally-Ho Stud

115

Tenebrism (USA)

f

Aidan O’Brien IRE

Caravaggio

Immortal Verse

Pivotal

Merriebelle & Orpendale/Chelston/Wynatt

114

Atomic Force (IRE)

g

Kevin Ryan GB

Cotai Glory

Atlas Silk

Dansili

David Barry

114

Bayside Boy (IRE)

c

Roger Varian GB

New Bay

Alava

Anabaa

Ballylinch Stud

114

Modern Games (IRE)

c

Charlie Appleby GB

Dubawi

Modern Ideals

New Approcah

Godolphin

114

Point Lonsdale (IRE)

c

Aidan O’Brien IRE

Australia

Sweepstake

Acclamation

Epona Bloodstock

113

Ebro River (IRE)

c

Hugo Palmer GB

Galileo Gold

Soft Power

Balmont

Tally-Ho Stud

113

Lusail (IRE)

c

Richard Hannon GB

Mehmas

Diaminda

Diamond Green

Tally-Ho Stud

113

Noble Truth (FR)

c

Charlie Appleby GB

Kingman

Speralita

Frankel

Jean-Pierre Dubois

113

Reach For The Moon (GB)

c

John & Thady Gosden GB

Sea The Stars

Golden Stream

Sadler’s Wells

The Queen

113

Royal Patronage (FR)

c

Mark Johnston GB

Wootton Bassett

Shaloushka

Dalakhani

Emma Capon Bloodstock

113

Zellie (FR)

f

André Fabre FR

Wootton Bassett

Sarai

Nathaniel

C Barel

112

Ancient Rome (USA)

c

André Fabre FR

War Front

Gagnoa

Sadler’s Wells

Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt

112

Castle Star (IRE)

c

Fozzy Stack IRE

Starspangledbanner

Awohaam

Iffraaj

Churchtown B/Stock,Grouseridge & Carhue

112

El Bodegon (IRE)

c

James Ferguson GB

Kodiac

Al Andalyya

Kingmambo

Cecil And Martin McCracken

112

Flotus (IRE)

f

Simon & Ed Crisford GB

Starspangledbanner

Floriade

Invincible Spirit

Newtown Stud And T J Pabst

112

Sea Bay (GER)

c

Henk Grewe GER

New Bay

Strawberry

Lord Of England

Gestut Etzean

111

Albahr (GB)

g

Charlie Appleby GB

Dubawi

Falls Of Lora

Street Cry

Godolphin

111

Armor (GB)

c

Richard Hannon GB

No Nay Never

Hestia

High Chaparral

C E Stedman

111

Discoveries (IRE)

f

Jessica Harrington IRE

Mastercraftsman

Alpha Lupi

Rahy

Niarchos Family

111

Dr Zempf (GB)

c

Ger Lyons IRE

Dark Angel

Souvenir Delondres

Siyouni

Stratford Place Stuf

111

Go Bears Go (IRE)

c

David Loughnane GB

Kodi Bear

In Dubai

Giant’s Causeway

Micheal D Ryan

111

Hannibal Barca (IRE)

c

Brian Meehan GB

Zoffany

Innocent Air

Galileo

Brittas House Stud

111

Sacred Bridge (GB)

f

Ger Lyons IRE

Bated Breath

Sacred Shield

Beat Hollow

Juddmonte Farms Ltd

111

Sissoko (IRE)

c

Donnacha O’Brien IRE

Australia

Love Excelling

Polish Precedent

John Connaughton

111

Straight Answer (GB)

c

Ger Lyons IRE

Kodiac

Straight Thinking

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Juddmonte Farms Ltd

111

Trident (FR)

c

André Fabre FR

Wootton Bassett

Mezzo Mezzo

Mount Nelson

David Smaga & Marie-Benedicte Fougy

111

Wild Beauty (GB)

f

Charlie Appleby GB

Frankel

Tulips

Pivotal

Godolphin

110

Asymmetric (IRE)

c

Alan King GB

Showcasing

Swirral Edge

Hellvelyn

Redpender Stud

110

Berkshire Shadow (GB)

c

Andrew Balding GB

Dark Angel

Angel Vision

Oasis Dream

Cheveley Park Stud

110

Caturra (IRE)

c

Clive Cox GB

Mehmas

Shoshonni Wind

Sleeping Indian

Tally-Ho Stud

110

Imperial Fighter (IRE)

c

Andrew Balding GB

The Gurkha

Endure

Green Desert

Lynn Lodge Stud

110

Malavath (IRE)

f

Francis-Henri Graffard FR

Mehmas

Fidaaha

New Approcah

Tally-Ho Stud

110

Prosperous Voyage (IRE)

f

Ralph Beckett GB

Zoffany

Seatone

Mizzen Mast

Lynch Bages & Camas Park Stud

110

Times Square (FR)

f

Christophe Ferland FR

Zarak

See You Always

Siyouni

Times Of Wigan

110

Twilight Jet (IRE)

c

Michael O’Callaghan IRE

Twilight Son

My Lucky Liz

Exceed And Excel

Tom Radley

www.internationalthoroughbred.net

81

photo of the month: King George VI’s equine legacy to Queen Elizabeth II

WE WENT TO PRESS JUST AFTER THE 70th anniversary of King George VI’s death in 1952, a loss that propelled his daughter Princess Elizabeth to the throne at the age of 25 and coronation as Queen in June 1953.

The Princess, of course, had not been brought up to be a ruler, but the abdication of her uncle King Edward VIII in 1936 in favour of her father, then known as Albert Frederick Arthur George, changed the course of 20th century British history.

The equine industry, and horseracing in particular, has been very grateful over the years for Her Majesty’s long-term interest and her patronage.

As can be seen in the photo above The Queen’s love of horses was something her father and family encouraged from an early age – she is seen here with her father on her pony on January 1, 1936.

By the following December, her father had become King; such precious time spent with him must surely have become a rarity.

We often forget the influence her father has had on horseracing – the King George VI is run every year at Kempton and is a mid-season NH highlight. It was first run in 1937 in honour of the new monarch.

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www.internationalthoroughbred.net

The Queen Elizabeth and King George VI is the mid-season version run on the Flat at Ascot and was first run in 1951.

King George VI’s most famous mare was possibly Feola. She was bred by Lord St. Davids and, though she was initially owned by his father King George V, who purchased her as a yearling for 3,000gns, she raced under lease as a three-year-old in the colours of the 17th Earl of Derby due to His Majesty’s death.

At stud, she was part of King George VI’s broodmare band, and in 1943 produced Hypericum, who won the 1,000 Guineas for His Majesty. She was inherited by the Queen in 1952 – it means that not only are we celebrating her 70 years on the throne this year, but also her 70th anniversary as a significant Flat breeder.

Hypericum became the second dam of the 1974 1,000 Guineas (G1) and Prix de Diane (G1) winner Highclere and third dam of the influential mare Height Of Fashion.

There will be many columns in equine publications about The Queen’s love of the horse through this Platinum Jubilee year, but it is perhaps worth remembering how this passion was encouraged by her father on those special days she spent with him on her pony.

GOLDEN HORDE ROYAL ASCOT GR.1 WINNER OVER 6F. © Agence G

ACCLAMATION sire line Just like DARK ANGEL & MEHMAS! LEADING SIRES OF 2YOS IN 2021* Earnings(€)

Wins

Wnrs

DARK ANGEL

51

37

WOOTTOM BASSETT

33

20 1.312.226

MEHMAS

56

40 1.144.242

KODIAC

60

46 1.126.379

FRANKEL

39

26 1.101.120

Acclamation Iffraaj

Acclamation Danehill Galileo

1.472.851

*TDN - 31/12/2021

€ 8,000 LF

Mathieu ALEX +33 (0)6 26 59 19 18 - malex@sumbe.fr Tony FRY +44 (0)7725 041 815 - tony@sumbe.fr

WWW.SUMBE.FR

Rated higher at 2 by Timeform than Advertise, Magna Grecia, Persian King, Phoenix Of Spain, Hello Youmzain, Soldier’s Call etc.

“CALYX. Remember this name... The way in which this John Gosden-trained homebred of Juddmonte won the Gr.2 Coventry Stakes over six furlongs, a mere 10 days after scorching up at Newmarket over five, marks him down as something special.” , June 2018

Rated higher at 3 by Timeform than the winners of the Epsom Derby, French 2,000 Guineas, Irish 2,000 Guineas, Irish Derby etc.

“The performance that Calyx put up in the Gr.3 Commonwealth Cup Trial was as striking as any seen in a pattern sprint all season and marked him down, even at such an early stage, as champion sprinter material” TIMEFORM

The fastest son of KINGMAN and out of a full-sister to both Gr.1-winning sprinter African Rose and to the dam of unbeaten Champion 2YO NATIVE TRAIL First foals sold for €125,000, €115,000, €80,000, €70,000, €68,000, €65,000 etc Fee: €12,500 Contact: Coolmore Stud Tel: +353-52-6131298. Castlehyde Stud Tel: +353-25-31966. E-mail: sales@coolmore.ie Website: www.coolmore.com