ITB_May-June 2019

MAY-JUNE 2019

£4.95 • ISSUE 87

European Classic, US Triple Crown and Royal Ascot bloodstock review Breeze-up times

Hills at the top

It has been a fantastic early season for trainer Charlie Hills

Are the US Classic races getting slower?

Point proven Blue Point set up for his stallion career with his Group 1 double at Royal Ascot

More than Perfect

US-based trainer Brendan Walsh burst onto the international scene this spring

FRANKEL 2008 b h Galileo - Kind (Danehill)

T H E FA S T E S T T O 30 GROUP WINNERS I N H I STO R Y | 13% Group winners to runners | Average Group winning distance of 9.1f

Thank you to all breeders who have supported our stallions and shared in their global success.

Without the support of your mares their success is all but a dream.

The most successful stallion roster of Royal Ascot 2019

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www.juddmonte.com

Carolyn Alexander Carolyn Alexander has been painting Horses, Cats, Dogs etc since leaving school.

Firstly in Newmarket, Suffolk, and for the past few years in Ireland, where she is now based.

The list of her equine subjects reads like an honour roll of thoroughbred royalty and has included: NUREYEV THE MINSTREL SINNDAR MEISQUE SADLER’S WELL BE MY GUEST LIFE’S MAGIC HANDY PROVERB DANCE DESIGN STORM CAT

INDIAN RIDGE URBAN SEA SEA THE STARS EL GRAN SENOR SADLER’S WELLS PARK EXPRESS MAKE BELIEVE MONTJEU OATH SIR IVOR

SEATTLE SLEW MOCCASIN DIESIS CARELEON RIVERMAN RIDGEWOOD PEARL MARAUDING GONE WEST SUNDAY SILENCE DANEHILL

ELECTROCUTIONIST ALAMSHAR SINDAAR AZAMOUR RAPHA AUTHORIZED BULLISH LUCK and others.

Carolyn Alexander • Iverk House, Piltown, Co. Kilkenny • Tel: (051) 643104 • Mobile: (086) 2715144

Email: lyn@carolynalexander.ie • Website: www.carolynalexander.ie

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contents may-june 10 Obituary

Racing and bloodstock mourn the sad passing of International Thoroughbred’s and Pacemaker’s photographer Trevor Jones, a true icon of his profession and friend to all those who knew him.

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First Word

Royal Ascot delivered again for Paul Haigh, who enjoyed the ITV coverage, particularly the shots of excited equine staff as their horses won races

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Badger Bloodstock makes a column debut, Cathy Grassick and Newtown Stud have enjoyed a wonderful spring, and there is a new record -breaking first-season sire in Australia

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Royal Ascot

Shamardal carried the week, but there were first Royal successes too for the young sires No Nay Never, Gleneagles, Olympic Glory, Slade Power and Mukhadram

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Stallion stats

Leading sire lists from Weatherbys

The Euro Classics

Jocelyn de Moubray looks back on a Classic season which saw Galileo and Aidan O’Brien extend their dominance, a first European Classic winner for Frankel, while fellow Juddmonte stallion Kingman sired a Classic-winning miler

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A mixed bag

After recent Triple Crown winners in American Pharoah and Justify, US racing witnessed a return to the norm with three individual winners at Churchill Downs, Pimlico and Belmont. It is even four if you include a controversial disqualification which had Donald Trump voicing opinion

Breezing by

With the breeze-ups done and dusted for another year Simon Rowlands examines how they performed and explains that tine is an important facto, but just one aspect buyers consider when purchasing

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The Hills are alive

Graham Dench spends time with trainer Charlie Hills, who has enjoyed a spectacular early season with Phoenix of Spain and Battaash

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The wait is over

Chinese spectators enjoyed HKJC’s first-ever meeting in mainland China.

International outlook

Dan Ross meets up with Brendan Walsh, the Irish-born, US-based trainer enjoying a great season with Derby success in Dubai and his first US Classic runner

Taking it easy

Today’s US Classic runners are slowing down, writes Simon Rowlands, who asks if US pedigrees have just got too fast

Mare of the month

Leaderene, dam of Le Don De Vie

Photo of the month

King Power Racing’s first, poignant Royal Ascot success

Blue Point

Photo by PA Images

follow us on twitter @tbredpublishing

contents may-june

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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

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

thoroughbred photography press association equine creative media tattersalls, tattersallsie goffs, goffsUK hkjc laura green

advertising declan rickatson 00 44 (0)7767 310381 declan.rickatson@btinternet.com subscriptions tracey glaysher 00 44 (0) 1428 724063 itsubs@btinternet.com

the writers paul haigh jocelyn de moubray simon rowlands aisling crowe dan ross melissa bauer-herzog cathy grassick sally duckett

the stats the printers

weatherbys

buxton press

accounts tracey glaysher 00 44 (0) 1428 724063

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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trevor jones

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trevor jones

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Trevor Jones RIP 1947-2019

REVOR JONES was endlessly patient, kind, quiet and an unassuming, genuine man.

The many words written after his death was announced at the beginning of June confirming that so many viewed him just as the team at International Thoroughbred and before that on Pacemaker knew for themselves. What you saw was what you got, there were no sides to Trev.

He was also proud, but it was not an arrogant pride, just a quiet knowledge of his own ability and of his skills from behind a camera lens.

His photos were like a second family, and woe betide you mistreat them once he had sent them on and they were out of his care.

Trevor was talented while also blessed with a kind soul.

Rather than give you a sharp word if you had badly cropped, edited poorly or placed one of Trev’s images badly, he would tirelessly explain yet again what you had done wrong, why it did not work, ask why you had thought it was a good idea and what you might do in future. He helped teach many the value of well-placed, well-edited and wellbalanced imagery.

Horseracing needs to count itself lucky that it proved to be an attractive working world to someone with the skillsets of Trevor Jones. He started his working life behind the counter of a camera shop in Eastbourne, but soon graduated to active camera work and went on to be employed by Allsport (now Getty Images Sport) for whom he covered sporting events around the world. As has been reounted, amongst his best photographs was one of Diego Maradona during the 1986 World Cup which featured on the front of Sports Illustrated in America. He was one of the first sports photographers to move to using colour.

When horseracing and bloodstock photography became the focus of his working life in the mid-1990s, Trevor and his wife Gill moved to run their own freelance agency Thoroughbred Photography Limited from their home in Worlington, near Newmarket until Trev’s retirement in 2015.

The company supplied regular images for Pacemaker magazine, International Thoroughbred, Juddmonte Farms and Darley Stud. Trevor was the first to start taking more informal shots of stallions, for instance in a paddock, so moving away from the standard and then regular conformation shots. But he could do those, too – and as anyone in bloodstock will testify getting a racehorse, in particuar a three-year-old colt and a future stallion, standing just right so he could look his best with any faultlines reduced, the lad standing upright at the right

spot away from the horse and the light in a flattering tone, requires skills of its own and a high level of patience. Trevor was a master.

He was a regular in the racecourse press room, warmly regarded by all as one of the leaders of the pack – the applesized lump that developed on his shoulder a testiment to his long career carrying very large cameras around racecourses.

Trevor was old school, and possessed the ability required before the age of the digital camera to get a shot just right and first time – and he had the essential ability to manage production in a dark room.

Social media was not his thing – it did exasperate him that many thought they could just pick up a camera and snap away without due care and consideration, and those who dared breach copyright via online reproduction were reprimanded.

Whether you asked Trev to head down the road for a photo shoot at a farm that had just fluked a champion, requested that he pop into a regally smart establishment for a stud shoot, called on the Thoroughbred Photography team in panic right on print deadline to hunt an image that you had forgotten, or just needed some advice as to feature plans, he would always kindly do his best to help.

His support was integral in this magazine getting off on the ground and finding a life. We will be forever thankful for that encouragement.

After Trev’s death was announced, the words written by the many on those social media platforms that bemused him were “what a wonderful talented man”.

For once social media is correct.

Trevor, it was an honour to call you a colleague and a friend.

Thanks for everything Trev.

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trevor jones Above: Trevor was delighted when Frankie Dettori won his first Derby on Authorized, this shot revealing the utter determination and synchronisation of horse and jockey as they climb the final furlong at Epsom Right: One So Wonderful (Pat Eddery) winning the Juddmonte International from Faithful Son (Frankie Dettori) and Chester House (Kieren Fallon) Below: this sunset shot became an iconic Thoroughbred Photography image Bottom right: Sir Henry Cecil acknowledges his 69th Royal Ascot winner Sand Mason, 2001.Trevor loved working with the Warren Place trainer

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trevor jones

first word

Ascot delivered again...

A

... with top class performances and ecstatic reactions, writes Paul Haigh

NY REGULAR READERS will be aware that this column is an almost fanatical supporter of Royal Ascot. Each July reports of events that take place in June at the course Queen Anne laid down more than 300 years ago come freshly garlanded with flowers, most of the compliments to be found in reputable dictionaries, and reckless assertions that this is the best race meeting in the world – and don’t bother arguing.

This has nothing to do with passion for monarchy, a delight in watching the Tory party at play, or an abnormal interest in hats. It has everything to do with the horses, their riders and the people who prepare them to perform and then go noisily berserk when they meet or surpass expectations.

If you’re not sure if you’ve ever seen unadulterated joy treat yourself to the reactions of the little, but big guys behind the Ascot winners. Not the big shots who own them or the generals who run the stables, or even Frankie Dettori whose jubilation is just expected of him these days and therefore looks very slightly rehearsed, not least because he’s been rehearsing it ever since that amazing day in 1996 when he rode every winner on an Ascot card.

The men and women who deliver the oats, stroke the muzzles and shovel the shite of course look very happy indeed whenever they have a winner anywhere.

But only Ascot, and specifically the Royal meeting, delivers ecstasy. It does so because however good the horse they dote on may be, and however much they hope, they never quite dare to expect it, and when it comes, the relief mixed with love and, let’s not forget, the possibly life-changing financial reward produces a chemical explosion.

They can’t all feel so excited by a Royal Ascot winner, can they? Yes, they can. And they do. And they grab the nearest human they know – usually someone they work with – and dance around like wild things shouting and sobbing and hugging each other in a way that multi-billionaire owners can only look at with benign perplexity because they’ve either forgotten or never known what it feels like.

To be fair to John Gosden, and more than a few of the other modern training greats, there is a tendency now to push the groom forward, to make him or her take

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The three that stand out for me are Blue Point (of course), Stradivarius (of course) and – here’s the surprise – Watch Me. The way Watch Me went past Hermosa was a joy to behold if you weren’t from Ballydoyle and had taken the 41/1 on Betfair

credit for what he or she has made possible: credit that was denied in the olden days when grooms or ‘lads’ as they were then called, regardless of age, were expected to stand as rigid and subservient as butlers, poker-faced, silent and respectful. That’s gone now. And TV has caught on to it (realised that pictures of people beside themselves attract viewers and therefore advertising – if you’re feeling cynical) and does its best to allow those of us goggling from a couple of 100 miles away or so to get a slice of the happy hysteria and a bit of vicarious bliss.

Well, only if you’ve backed a winner or two of course.

Ascot can be a giant torture chamber if you’ve done your dough in the first couple of days and then tried to get it back on one of the short shots that get beaten, or one of the never-sighteds in 33-runner handicaps. You have to learn not to do that.

You can learn a lot from watching on TV these days.

You can find a bit to think about too, apart from the form.

Long, long ago, about the time the Aboriginals ruled Australia, my mother who’d brought the whole family on what turned out to be a relatively short immigration, confided that she needed a new fridge and washing machine and didn’t know how to get it.

I’d just discovered my first racing hero. A big nearblack beauty called Nicopolis. He’d won everything in WA and then went to Victoria to prove he was the best horse in the world.

“Don’t worry Mum,” I said. “Get 20 quid together (Australia had quids too in those days), we’ll stick it all on Nicopolis and he’ll pay for both.”

Nico had won his first two races in Melbourne and thus I thought he was invincible. What I didn’t consider was that he was now up against some of the best horses in Australia. He started 9/4 favourite and he finished sixth. He was by Landau, who I’m pretty sure was one of the Queen’s, out of a mare called Ballater Belle. Funny how you forgive horses. He’s a hero even now.

Enough reminiscing. Time to talk about the horses.

The three that stand out for me are Blue Point (of course), Stradivarius (of course) and – here’s the surprise, Watch Me. The way Watch Me went past Hermosa was a joy to behold if you weren’t from Ballydoyle and had taken the 41/1 on Betfair.

And time to talk about the jockeys too. Or to put it another way, Frankie Dettori.

first word

A couple of years ago I was hired to write an autobiography for Kieren Fallon. It was ill-fated as I wanted to write it in a way that told the reader what a remarkable man he is. That’s to say he’s a dyslexic with hardly any education who succeeded because he had a brilliant mind and was quite fearless.

His advisors wanted the book written in the standard way, which is to make him sound like an erudite fellow with a couple of awards for journalism. So did the publisher. They won. I was shown the door in favour of some bloke from the Mail.

But not before Kieren had told me how to ride a horse.

At least in all races longer than 7f.

“You’ve got to jump fast, then ride, ride, ride until you’ve got your pitch. Then you’ve got to put him to sleep. Sleep. Sleep, sleep. Feel the pace. Then when you’re in the straight and you can feel how the others are going, even the ones behind you – don’t ask me how – you go for it, go for it. And then you win.”

Frankie did that in the first four races on Gold Cup day. Then he blew the five-timer “by getting excited and going too early” on Turgenev. His words.

That mistake saved the bookies millions and cost me about a fridge and a washing machine’s worth too.

Does anyone go for all five days? Anyone except

“You’ve got to jump fast, then ride, ride, ride until you’ve got your pitch.

Then you’ve got to put him to sleep.

Sleep.

Sleep, sleep.

Feel the pace.”

the Queen that is? Surely it would be too exhausting, maybe some of the young guys might be able to do it, even though there seems to be an unspoken convention that they’re letting all sides down if they go home even marginally sober.

You worry about them though. The 1000s clustered round the bandstand singing Land Of Hope and Glory as though they actually believe it, and really going to town on the bit that goes “God who made thee mighty, make thee mi-igthier yet!”.

It’s not going to happen, boys.

We’ve got the same chance as the Aztecs, or the Mongols, or the Assyrians.

Empires are that way.

You can’t see it even from the top of the grandstand. Brexit’s not going to bring it back.

Below, Watch Me breezing past Hermosa in the Coronation Stakes, and, right, Frankie Dettori on Stradivarius. The jockey rode seven winners and took the leading jockey award

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the news

Juddmonte stallions to cover on southern-hemisphere time JUDDMONTE FARM’s roster of stallions Frankel, Kingman, Oasis Dream, Expert Eye and Bated Breath, will cover mares on

southern hemisphere time from Banstead Manor.

The most expensive of the quintet is the record-breaking

Frankel, who is to stand for £80,000.

His southern-hemisphere black-type horses include Tea Rose Stakes Gr.2 winner Miss Fabulass and the highly regarded, Group 1-placed Frankely Awesome.

Juddmonte’s champion miler Kingman will stand for £70,000.

He already boasts eight stakes winners in his first crop, including this year’s Poule

d’Essai des Poulains winner Persian King.

The Group 1 producer Oasis Dream stands for £20,000 and Breeders' Cup Mile winner Expert Eye, who saw 140 mares in his first European season, will be offered for £12,000.

Bated Breath, hwo had such a good Royal Ascot, will be available to breeders at £5000.

After William Huntingdon’s long service for this column, he has been allowed some deserved time out - many thanks for all your efforts William. Grant and Tom Pritchard-Gordon of Badgers Bloodstock have kindly (unwittingly..?) agreed to pen their thoughts and will be sharing the spot between them – we look forward to reading the views of the father and son team

This month, Badger Snr reflects on 50 years of living in the Newmarket area, and asks...

... Where does the future lie?

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NE OF THE GREATEST benefits of living close to Newmarket is to drive through miles of beautifully landscaped and maintained stud properties on each journey in and out of town. It is easy to take such beauty for granted.

We are so lucky to be the beneficiaries of some extremely wealthy stud owners, who are minded to spend considerable sums to ensure that their stud frontage compares favourably with the best manicured gardens.

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While not denigrating the stud owners of a bygone age, the overall appearance of the area has dramatically improved since my first visits to Newmarket in the 60s and 70s.

Fifty years has seen such a dramatic change in many of Newmarket’s historic buildings and landscapes.

Perhaps the single most important event was the arrival of Arab investment in the area beginning in the 1980s.

Sheikh Mohammed, Sheikh Hamdan and Prince Khalid Abdullah have invested heavily in thoroughbred nurseries and bases for their stallions.

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In building large acreages of stud holdings, they bought out several existing stud farms, as well as converted former agricultural land into railed stud paddocks.

In the 70s, there were a number of small studs, who were standing maybe just one or two stallions.

The National Stud was by far the biggest stallion operation and most stud owners provided their own foaling and grazing facilities for a maximum book of 48 mares per stallion.

Walk-in practices hardly existed and there were very few agistment properties nearby.

While the number of resident stallions in Newmarket may be less now than 50 years ago, the number of visiting mares has dramatically increased.

Some of Newmarket’s most commercial stallions will have covered in excess of 150 mares in 2019.

And most of these mares will be presented on a ‘walking in ‘ basis.

Some mares are travelled more than three hours to be covered, while new opportunities have also arisen for local studs to focus on foaling and agistment of visiting mares.

There are now more than 3,000

the news

Better Than Ready new record first-season Australian sire Willie Macauley has died YOUNG AUSTRALIAN-BASED stallion Better Than Ready broke the record for the number of individual winners produced by a first-season sire in Australia when his two-year-0ld gelding Raging Pole won at Doomben in June.

The Tony Sears-trained juvenile become the 19th individual winner for the son of More Than Ready in 2018/19. The stallion has already added to that score and is now on 20 winners for the season.

The previous record of 18 was set by Northern Meteor in 2012/13 and equalled by Spirit Of Boom last season.

Better Than Ready covered 236 mares in

2018 and will be standing at Lyndhurst Stud in Queensland for an increased fee of A$30,000.

He also leads the first-season sire table by stakes winners with three black-type winners - The Odyssey, Better Reflection and Jagged Edge.

Deep Field, a son of the former record holder Northern Meteor, is hot on Better Than Ready’s heels by number of winners with 18.

The current leader on Australian first-season sires’ table by prize-money is Darley’s Sidestep, the son of Exceed And Excel leading the way courtesy of big money earner Kiamichi, who picked up over A$2 million when winning the Golden Slipper.

The double act horses in training in Newmarket.

This number would have at least doubled the figures of 50 years ago.

While the numbers of trainers may be the same, the numbers of horses that leading trainers now train has dramatically increased.

New training facilities both in and out of town have completely changed the landscapes.

Sheikh Mohammed has developed three major facilities at Fairway (Lord Derby’s old training yard), Moulton Paddocks and Warren Place.

Hundreds of acres of new private gallops have been developed.

The Jockey Club has also developed the Hamilton Road as a major new training centre and facility, while some of the major trainers have expanded their existing properties extensively.

Inevitably some of the small towncentre stables have fallen into a state of disrepair for they are patently not now suitable for this more modern world, but are protected from alternative development by the Newmarket Town Charter.

Fifty years ago, there was no

Newmarket bypass. The centre of town had to handle all through traffic to and from Norfolk before the dual carriageway of the A14 took the strain.

Tattersalls new sales ring had just been constructed, but no one could have imagined that 50 years later nearly 10,000 horses would be sold there annually and that the complex would be expanded to stable more than 800 horses for any one sale.

There were two small equine veterinary practices based in Newmarket, but now the area boasts two world-class veterinary complexes and more than 130 qualified veterinarians.

The Jockey Club has ploughed millions of pounds into the training facilities on its 3,000 acres of Newmarket gallops.

The majority of exercise for racehorses in the 60s was on grass for 365 days of the year. Now Newmarket boasts more than 30 miles of artificial training surfaces, while the extent of walkways, fencing, collecting areas and dedicated horse road crossings has changed the vista considerably.

In fifty years, Newmarket has developed from a quaint little town into a 21st century hub for raising, racing, training and selling thoroughbreds.

Several thousand people work or depend on its bloodstock world.

And here is the rub. This could all come tumbling down in a matter of years if new blood is not urgently found to replace the few extremely wealthy enthusiasts that underpin this centre.

How lucky are we that the Arab families from Dubai and Saudi Arabia own a very large proportion of the horseflesh in the area?

But what happens if, or when, they go?!

It is currently hard to identify any likely successors to carry forward the names of Darley, Shadwell and Juddmonte.

WILLIE MACAULEY, manager of Burton Agnes Stud, Yorkshire, has died. He was aged 65.

Originally from Ireland, Macauley’s family ran Eyrefield Stud in County Kildare, which in the 1960s stood the 1958 Irish St Leger winner Royal Highway.

With a riding background from the equestrian and hunting field, he also rode winners as an amateur jockey. He took over the stud for a time, along with training jumpers under a permit.

He later moved to England to Sledmere Stud in Yorkshire, Roehoe Stud, and finally Burton Agnes, later leasing the stud.

Its best recent graduate was Buccellati, the useful stayer who won the Group 3 Ormonde Stakes at Chester, was third in the Canadian International and ran in the 2010 Melbourne Cup. He also acted as a steward at various tracks in the midlands and the north.

Macauley leaves behind a wife, Nicky, and two children, Nico and Alexander.

New role for Matt Prior at Tattersalls MATT PRIOR is to take over as head of Tattersalls Ascot and Cheltenham, running the day-today operation.

The 34-year-old will also work closely with Richard Pugh, who will continue in his role as director of horses in training sales at Tattersalls Ireland, focussing primarily on sales at Cheltenham.

Prior, who joined Tattersalls in 2012, will remain closely involved with the Tattersalls bloodstock sales team at Terrace House in Newmarket.

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the news

New scholarship opportunity backed by Shadwell SHADWELL STUD is launching a new educational scholarship programme in conjunction with Writtle University College (WUC).

The stud will cover the cost of the tuition and accommodation fees for up to four students during a one-year study period at WUC in Essex.

Recipients will be studying WUC’s recently validated one-year Certificate of Higher Education in Thoroughbred Stud Operations.

The course incorporates a significant period

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of work experience based on a partner stud.

After graduation, scholarship students will complete a further year at Shadwell.

Richard Lancaster, Shadwell Stud’s director, said: “It is so encouraging to see this initiative from Writtle University College. At a time when the industry is short of staff this course will give young people an opportunity to understand and develop the skills needed for a career in this wonderful industry.”

Caroline Flanagan, WUC’s Head of School for Equine and Veterinary Physiotherapy,

....Girls aloud

HE PAST FEW WEEKS have been such a rollercoaster that the arrival of Royal Ascot week almost caught me by surprise. It has been a wonderfully purple patch simultaneously for both Brian Grassick Bloodstock and Newtown Stud and it seems that time does indeed fly when you are having fun!

The highlight of the past few weeks was the impressive victory of Phoenix Of Spain in the Irish 2,000 Guineas at The Curragh. He was consigned

by Newtown Stud at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale on behalf of his breeders Cherry and Arild Faeste of Tourgar Bloodstock. He was bought by Good Will Bloodstock for 78,000gns.

He was returned to October Book 1by Kilminfoyle House Stud and was bought

by Howson & Houldsworth Bloodstock for for 220,000gns.

It was a very emotional victory as, sadly, last September, Cherry Faeste, who operated Tourgar House Stud in County Waterford with her husband Arild, passed away. She was much more than a client, a dear friend and one of my biggest cheerleaders.

The story of how Phoenix Of Spain came to be stretches right back to the start of my career when I purchased his dam Lucky Clio on behalf of Cherry and Arild.

She cost 17,000gns at the Tattersalls December Sale as a filly out of training.

She has been a wonderful broodmare as her first foal Kingsdesire (King’s Best) was placed in the Group 3 Dee Stakes. She also produced Listed-placed Lucky Beggar (Verglas) and Group 3-placed Central Square (Azamour) before foaling Phoenix Of Spain.

Lucky Clio has only produced one daughter to date, a Lawman filly named Karisma whom I purchased privately as a yearling for another of my clients, Yvonne Jacques. She went on win with Roger Varian and she has a colt foal this year by Lope De Vega and is back in-foal to Siyouni.

This great success was followed up by smart maiden wins for two homebred fillies – Lil Grey by Starspangledbanner out of Vera Lilley (Verglas) won for trainer Sheila Lavery at The Curragh and Sea The Dawn (Sea The Moon out of Heavens Peak (Pivotal)) won for Adrian Keatley at Roscommon.

It was an even nicer bonus to find that they had both won Plus 10 Bonuses for the farm! We are all hoping it is the start of two very exciting careers and we look forward to following the year to come.

Even more success was to follow as the Brian Grassick Bloodstock yearling purchase Klassique was an easy winner of the Group 3 Pinnacle Stakes for Yvonne Jacques and William Haggas under a brilliantly timed ride by the in-form Daniel Tudhope.This daughter of Galileo and Group 1 winner Chachamaidee (Footstepsinthesand) was a 300,000gns Book 1 yearling purchase and is now a

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added: “Writtle University College is thrilled that Shadwell Stud have launched this scholarship initiative to support keen entrants to the stud industry.

“Shadwell has been an incredibly supportive partner during the development of our Thoroughbred Stud Operations award and this scholarship should ensure that capable candidates are fully supported.”

To apply for the Shadwell Scholarship, candidates must send an expression of interest to TBSO@writtle.ac.uk.

It has been a fine run of form of late for Brain Grassick Bloodstock and Newtown Stud

very exciting broodmare prospect for Yvonne to look forward to.

Nevetheless, time waits for no man (or woman) and Royal Ascot loomed on the horizon without very much time to prepare.

Thankfully my good friend Margaret O’Connor is an award-winning milliner and she provided me with some amazing headwear – I just had to pair these with some dresses before making my annual pilgrimage- to the hallowed Turf of Ascot.

R

OYAL ASCOT is without doubt one of my favourite events of the year – and despite the weather’s best attempts to dampen the spirits, the racing did not disappoint.

The following awards should be definitely given out to those who excelled in their various fields at Royal Ascot – maybe there should be an official ceremony called the “Frankies” as no one deserves a mention more in this category than the maestro himself Frankie Dettori, who was once again crowned King of Ascot.

But, awards in the jockey category should also go to young talent David Egan, who rode his first Royal meeting winner and no doubt is a star of the future, and to Hayley Turner for breaking the 32-year drought of a winner for a lady jockey.

The dream team of the week and of the moment has to be the partnership of William Haggas and Daniel Tudhope, who had two amazing winners together in Move Swiftly and Addeybb, while Daniel also had winners on Lord Glitters for David O’Meara and Space Traveller for Richard Fahey.

On the training front there was the usual display of winners for Irish super trainer Aidan O’Brien and top-class performances for John Gosden, but I was particularly delighted to see Francis-Henri Graffard swoop in from France and win a Group 1 with Watch Me (Olympic Glory), hot on the heels of having won the Prix de Diane with Channel (Nathaniel).

On the horse front, the incredible Blue Point (Shamardal) joined an elite club when winning both the King’s Stand Stakes (G1) and the Diamond Jubilee Stakes (G1), but I was equally thrilled by exciting performances by the two sons of Sea The Stars, Crystal Ocean and Stradivarius, who both delivered at the highest level.

Honourable mentions go to anyone who hosted a picnic in Car Park 2 – they deserve an award for looking after so many of us after the main events of the day were over and, of course, to Her Majesty The Queen. At 93 she still looks as stylish as ever and still enjoys the week as much if not more than anybody else.

Just as I sign off, the Newtown Stud-bred Shades Of Blue (Kodiac) skipped across the line at Maisons-Laffitte to land the Listed Prix Hampton – long may this run continue!

THE AGA KHAN STUDS Success Breeds Success

Third Classic Winner for

SIYOUNI SOTTSASS romps home to break the race and track record in the Gr.1 Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly.

Congratulations to all the connections!

w w w. AgaKh an Stu d s .co m

royal ascot

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HAMARDAL’S FIVE-YEAR-OLD son Blue Point created the high point of this year’s Royal meeting, bookending the five days with victories in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes and the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes.

His feat emulated Diadem 99 years ago and Choisir in 2003.

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In winning the two races, he helped propel his sire to the top of the stallion standings, with three of his sons winning four races between them.

As we went to press it was announced that Blue Point has been retired to stud.

Blue Point’s successes were the third and fourth at the highest level for Sheikh Mohammed’s homebred who won last year’s

King’s Stand Stakes – the phones at Dalham Hall and Kildangan were probably already ringing off the hook with breeders clamouring to book their mare into Blue Point for next season; he is exactly what the commercial market is searching for at present.

And as Shamardal is restricted to private mares, his best son to retire to the Darley ranks will be extremely popular.

royal ascot

On point Now retired to stud, Blue Point headlined Royal Ascot 2019 with his Group 1 sprint race double, writes Aisling Crowe

The first of the big two for Blue Point, the son of Shamardal takes the King’s Stand Stakes on a rainy Royal Ascot Tuesday

Blue Point is one of 22 individual Group 1 winners for Shamardal, who hails from the first crop of the Iron Horse, Giant’s Causeway.

He was a European champion two-yearold in 2004 and winner of the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes at two, and a Classic winner at three when adding the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains and Prix du Jockey-Club to his victory list.

Bred by Linda and Reddy Coffey’s Oak Lodge Stud, Blue Point was purchased for 110,000gns by Ebor Bloodstock at the 2014 Tattersalls December Foal Sale.

He returned to the Tattersalls sales ring the following October, consigned by West Moor Stud and bought by John Ferguson for 200,000gns.

Trainer Charlie Appleby was clearly

emotional after the Diamond Jubilee victory and said: “We thought about it the week before, he put in a very good piece of work ahead of the King’s Stand and His Highness came into town a bit early.

“We were walking around looking at the Royal Ascot runners and I said ‘Sir, if you are happy we will leave him in the race on the Saturday, let’s just dream we can win the

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royal ascot King’s Stand and give ourselves a position to go and have crack at the Diamond Jubilee’.

“The lads at home have done a fantastic job, he has been with us since a juvenile and he won a Gimcrack. Blue Point’s been phenomenal, and coming to Ascot he’s really brought his A game, so it is full credit to the team, getting him back to this has been amazing.

“None of us can do this without the horse and what sets him apart is what we saw today, he is a class animal.

“We saw him develop from four to five into what we always felt was the real deal. I don’t want to sound like I am trying to be too clever here, but when I saw him win his first start at Meydan in February, I just felt he was the finished article and that this was going to be his year.”

Blue Point is a three-parts brother to Formosina, who is by Footstepsinthesand,

“Blue Point’s been phenomenal, and coming to Ascot he’s really brought his A game, so it is full credit to the team, getting him back to this has been amazing

Crystal Ocean, on jockey Frankie Dettori’s golden Thursday, wins the Prince of Wales’s Stakes.

It was the 11th Group 1 winner for Sea The Stars, who had three winners in total through the week

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another Classic-winning son of Giant’s Causeway from his only European-bred crop.

As a juvenile, Formosina won the Group 2 Railway Stakes at two for trainer Jeremy Noseda.

They are two of the three winners out of Scarlett Rose, who has a two-year-old Night Of Thunder colt named Desert Destination who made 90,000gns bought by Stroud Coleman from Oak Lodge Stud at last year’s October Book 2 Sale. She also has a yearling Invincible Spirit filly.

Placed at two and three, Scarlett Rose is an 18-year-old daughter of Royal Applause and a half-sister to Tumbleweed Ridge (Indian Ridge), whose ten victories included three renewals of the Group 3 Ballycorus Stakes.

Another half-sister, Tumbleweed Pearl, is the dam of Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes winner Gilded and the dam of dual Listed winner and Group 3 Ballyogan Stakes second

royal ascot Fort Del Oro, a daughter of Shamardal’s French Classic hero Lope De Vega.

The second winner for Shamardal came with the victory of his unbeaten son Pinatubo in the Listed Chesham Stakes. A Darley homebred, and now the winner of his three starts, Pinatubo broke the juvenile course record when defeating Lope Y Fernandez by three and a quarter lengths.

The Godolphin-owned winner is out of the Dalakhani mare Lava Flow, winner of the Listed Prix de la Seine at three and the dam of three runners so far.

Her four-year-old Dubawi filly Antisana won in May for trainer Henri-Alex Pantall, while Al Mureib, her three-year-old colt by Dubawi, has been placed in seven of his nine starts for Saeed bin Suroor. She produced a filly foal by Teofilo this year.

Lava Flow was bred by Darley and is a half-sister to the Group 1 Gran Criterium second Strobilus. Their Listed-winning dam Mount Elbrus, a daughter of Barathea, is extremely well-related as she comes from one of the best stallion families in the stud book.

Her dam is an unraced full-sister to Rafha, winner of the Group 1 Prix de Diane, but she is best known as the dam of Invincible Spirit and Kodiac and the grand-dam of Group 1 heroine Nayarra and Gustav Klimt.

According to Appleby, Pinatubo looks set for a trip to another of the summer season’s highlights, Glorious Goodwood “Going forward, a race such as the Vintage Stakes at Glorious Goodwod would suit him; he has the experience around Epsom and the undulations at Goodwood can catch these juveniles out, but he seems like a very professional horse.”

Five-year-old gelding Cape Byron made it

Star Catcher, the daughter of Sea The Stars, wins the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes in the famous Oppenheimer colours

a hat-trick of final day victories for Shamardal when winning the Wokingham Handicap for Roger Varian and Sheikh Mohammed bin Obaid al Maktoum.

He is a half-brother to Ostilio, who won the Britannia Handicap at last year’s Royal meeting for his owner-breeder and is the third of Reem Three’s offspring to perform with distinction at Royal Ascot after her Teofilo daughter Ajman Princess was second in the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes in 2016. She went on to win the Group 1 Prix Jean Romanet in 2017.

The Stars align

The exploits of Urban Sea’s offspring are regularly documented as her descendants continue to embellish her legend.

Ascot’s Royal meeting was no exception with her sons Sea The Stars and Galileo responsible for three winners apiece. the Coolmore champion Galileo was the broodmare sire of two more, and three of his stallion sons produced winners.

For once Urban Sea’s younger Derby winner Sea The Stars outshone his older halfbrother with two Group 1 winners to Galileo’s one, although that was his 78th individual winner at the highest level bringing him just six shy of Danehill’s record.

Sea The Stars moved on to 11 individual

Sir Michael Stoute and Frankie Dettori enjoy the moment

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royal ascot Group 1 winners of his own with the consistent and talented Crystal Ocean making the breakthrough at the highest level in the Group 1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes.

The redoubtable five-year-old entire has never finished lower than third in his 15 starts, winning eight of them.

Prior to this year’s Royal meeting he had run three times at Group 1 level finishing second all three times. He had also won five Group 3 contests and won the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes at last year’s Royal meeting.

Bred by his owner Sir Evelyn Rothschild, Crystal Ocean is the penultimate foal out of the Mark Of Esteem mare Crystal Star. Also bred and raced by Sir Evelyn, Crystal Star won the Listed Radley Stakes at Newmarket and was second in the Group 3 Fred Darling Stakes.

She is the dam of four black-type winners, including the Canadian International (G1) winner Hillstar (Danehill Dancer) and now a NH stallion at Garryrichard Stud in County Wexford. Hillstar was also a Royal Ascot winner, taking the 2013 Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes.

Crystal Ocean’s three-parts sister Crystal Capella is a three-time Group 2 winner and Group 1 fourth, while his Dubawi half-sister Crystal Zvezda won the Listed Pride Stakes.

The second dam Crystal Cavern is a half-sister to the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches winner Rose Gypsy.

Sir Evelyn was quick to point out that stamina is more the colt’s forte in his postrace remarks.

“He’s very consistent – look at his record.

It is quite amazing. He can stay a mile and a half, and don’t forget he was second in the St Leger. Frankie loves him,” he added.

Interestingly, Crystal Ocean is the second Royal Ascot Group winner bred on the Sea The Stars-Mark Of Esteem cross, and both horses were trained by Sir Michael Stoute.

The first was the 2016 Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes winner Across The Stars, whose three-year-old Iffraaj half-sister Crimean Queen is catalogued as Lot 103 in the Tattersalls July Sale.

Cup of plenty

Thursday was all about Sea The Stars as his brilliant stayer son Stradivarius wrote his name into the Royal Ascot record books with a second triumph in the Group 1 Gold Cup. The five-year-old chestnut, owned and bred

by Bjorn Nielsen, brought the house down with jockey Frankie Dettori riding his fourth

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Stradivarius takes his second Ascot Gold Cup: he is on target for the Million Bonus again

“I’d like to keep Stradivarius going for as long as his mind and body want to do it winner of the afternoon.

The enormously popular stayer has already made history as the winner of the inaugural Weatherbys Hamilton Stayers’ Million and he was in imperious form once more at Ascot.

The final foal out of the Bering mare Private Life, Stradivarius is descended from one of the Wildenstein family’s best racemares, the 1976 European champion three-year-old stayer Pawneese, who is the Group 1 winner’s third dam.

His second dam Poughkeepsie is also the second dam of Group 1 Melbourne Cup hero Protectionist.

Luckily for us, his owner and breeder Nielsen has no plans to retire his superstar any time soon.

“I’d like to keep Stradivarius going for as long as his mind and body want to do it. I’m not thinking Yeats, or even Sagaro, Le Moss and Ardross; they were such legends.

“You can never say he was in their league until his career has finished and you can look back and assess him,” he surmised.

“He’s a very good horse, but they were legends and this is a different era. I’d love him to go on forever, but I know I’ll be going through the valleys again one day when I’ll be coming back here with no runners!”

Royal family

Sea The Stars’s Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes winner Star Catcher, like his two other winners during the week, is also owned and bred by one of Britain’s long-term ownerbreeders, Anthony Oppenheimer.

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royal ascot Trained, like Cracksman and Golden Horn,

by John Gosden for her owner-breeder, Star Catcher was making her first foray into Group company and having just her fourth run, but inexperience was not an issue for the filly.

She is the third of her siblings to win at the Royal meeting with both her Lemon Drop Kid half-brothers Cannock Chase and Pisco Sour winning the Hampton Court Stakes.

Cannock Chase subsequently won the Group 1 Canadian International.

They are out of Lynwood Chase, a daughter of the South African stallion Horse Chestnut, who is a grandson of Sadler’s Wells.

Sadly, Lynwood Chase died after foaling a Time Test colt this spring. Her legacy is assured and she also leaves daughters by Kingman and Frankel, who are certain to join Star Catcher in the Hascombe and Valiant broodmare band.

“I’m an extremely happy man. We knew she was very useful, when she ran third at Newbury, Frankie said he made a mistake and he thought she could have won, and so we knew she was pretty smart,” commented her delighted owner.

“Frankellina is also very smart, but I think

Japan, third in the Derby, wins the King Edward VII Stakes, the son of Galileo improving fast

Circus Maximus: sixth in the Derby, he came back to the mile in the St James’s Palace Stakes

she didn’t quite stay – I’m not sure, I haven’t spoken to William Haggas yet. Star Catcher’s a nice filly, very useful,” he added.

The greatest showman

Galileo’s 78th individual Group 1 winner came in the shape of St James’s Palace Stakes winner Circus Maximus, a third winner of the race for his sire after Frankel (himself the sire of last year’s winner Without Parole) and Gleneagles.

Galileo’s grandson Dawn Approach was also victorious in the three-year-old mile contest and Galileo’s daughters have produced winners Galileo Gold and Barney Roy. Circus Maximus races in the colours of the Niarchos family, who bred the colt along with the Coolmore partners.

They purchased Duntle from Sonia and Anthony Rogers, who bred the daughter of Danehill Dancer, before she won the Listed Sandringham Stakes at the 2012 Royal meeting.

Her second Royal Ascot win came the following year when she was successful in the Group 2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes.

Later that year she was first past the post in the Group 1 Matron Stakes at Leopardstown, but was demoted to second behind Chachamaidee.

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royal ascot Unfortunately, Circus Maximus is her only foal, her second mating with Galileo resulted in a dead foal and Duntle herself succumbed to laminitis months later.

Her son is the fourth Group 1 winner by Galileo out of a Danehill Dancer mare, with the best so far being the seven-time Group 1 heroine Minding.

Circus Maximus has enhanced his stallion prospects no end with his break-through success and his pedigree already has the young Coolmore America sire Munnings whose offspring include Grade 1 winners I’m A Chatterbox and El Deal.

Duntle’s dam is the Lord At War mare Lady Angola, who is a winning-three-parts sister to the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic winner Honor In War. Her second dam is a half-sister to the Grade 1 winner and sire Al Mahmoon, who was also second in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile, and to Lord At War’s Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup winner La Guerriere, who is the dam of Icon Project, successful in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign Stakes, and the second dam of Munnings.

Best of the bunch

Danehill Dancer’s sire, the mighty Danehill, is broodmare sire of Galileo’s impressive Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes winner, the 1.4m guineas yearling purchase Japan.

The good-looking colt won by 4l, and is more than ready top return to Group 1 company.

Post-race his part-owner Derrick Smith said: “Japan’s win is not really a surprise, I think he could be the best of the Coolmore three-year-olds. The only surprise was his price, which we availed ourselves of!”

Japan is out of the Newsells Park Stud mare Shastye, who has already produced the Group 2 Middleton Stakes winner and five-time Group 1 runner-up Secret Gesture, and Sir Isaac Newton, winner of the Group 3 International Stakes to Galileo.

Her 2017 foal by Galileo made 3.4m guineas at the 2018 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, bought by Coolmore. He has been named Mogul. -Shastye foaled a fullsister to Japan this year.

Her own exploits on the track were moderate, but she boasts a fantastic pedigree stemming from one of Jean-Luc Lagardère’s greatest families which was acquired by the Aga Khan in 2005 after Monsieur Lagardere’s death.

Shastye is a winning-half-sister to Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe hero and sire Sagamix and

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“Japan’s win is not really a surprise, I think he could be the best of the Coolmore three-year-olds.

The only surprise was his price, which we did avail ourselves of! to Group 1 Criterium de Saint Cloud winner and sire Sagacity.

She is also a half-sister to Sage Et Jolie, successful in the Group 2 Prix de Malleret and dam of Sageburg, the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan winner who stands at Garryrichard Stud.

Another half-sister is the dam of Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary winner Sagawara, a daughter of Shamardal bred by the Aga Khan.

Shastye’s dam Saganeca won the Group 2 Prix de Royallieu.

Everything stems from Galileo

Galileo’s son Frankel supplied the winners of the Ascot Stakes and Duke of Edinburgh Stakes in the form of The Grand Visir and Baghdad respectively, while Galileo’s younger son Gleneagles recorded his first stakes winner ourtesy of Southern Hills’s Listed Windsor Castle victory.

It was Nathaniel who was the most successful of the superlative sire’s sons with his son Dashing Willoughby capping a fantastic week for Newsells Park with victory in the Group 2 Queen’s Vase.

Dashing Willoughby was bred by Meon Valley Stud and is from the same family as their homebred Oaks winner Anapurna.

Dylan Thomas, broodmare sire of Dashing Willoughby, is also enjoying a fantastic season in that role as another of his daughters is the dam of Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains winner Persian King.

Take my Breath away

As broodmare sire Galileo added another Group 1 winner to his resume courtesy of Watch Me’s victory in the Coronation Stakes.

Bred by Antoinette Tamagni, in whose

son’s colours she races, Watch Me is the first Group 1 winner and from the first crop of Al Shaqab’s four-time Group 1 winner Olympic Glory – another variation on the Danehill-Sadler’s Wells line cross.

The victory capped an amazing few days in the career of French trainer Francis-Henri Graffard that began with a victory in the Group 1 Prix De Diane.

“It’s a week you dream of – you get up every morning to do this job and to be part of the game at this level,” smiled Graffard.

“That’s why I set up in Chantilly, I wanted to win Classics and big races. It happened on Sunday, which was a big day for a Frenchman, and I was confident today again.

I trusted in my filly, and she has worked well, which gave me confidence.”

Galileo also appeared as broodmare sire of Group 3 Jersey Stakes winner Space Traveller, a son of Juddmonte Farms’ Bated Breath, and another variation on the Danehill-Galileo cross.

Owned by Steve Parkin’s Clipper Logistics, Space Traveller was bred by the El Catorce Partnership and bought by Ballyhane Stud’s Joe Foley for 85,000gns as a yearling.

He is a half-brother to the Group 3 Dick Poole Stakes third Pellucid by Exceed And Excel, who was trained by David Simcock for Mrs Doreen Tabor.

Space Traveller has a year-younger full sister Rubia Bella, who was second on her debut for Simcock at Kempton in May, a yearling half-sister by Exceed And Excel and Sky Crystal produced her third filly in a row this year, a daughter of Postponed.

His dam Sky Crystal was bred by Lord and Lady Lloyd Webber’s Watership Down Stud and is a member of their famous Crystal family.

It was a top week for the Juddmonte sires – all those with runners getting winners.

Bated Breath stepped out of the shadows of his more celebrated Banstead Manor companions with the Juddmonte homebred siring three winners – the Group 3 Albany Stakes winner Daahyeh and Britannia Stakes winner Biometric preceeding Space Traveller’s Jersey victory.

His studmates Frankel, Kingman (who sired the first and second in the Group 3 Hampton Court Stakes) and Oasis Dream garner much more of the limelight than Bated Breath, who surely is one of the most underrated sires around, and excellent value at his fee of £10,000.

Two of his three Royal winners came from his current crop of three-year-olds, while the other is an unbeaten two-year-old (see later).

royal ascot

The only non-British or Irish-trained winner through the week, Watch Me collects the Coronation Stakes for trainer Francis-Henri Graffard and French champion jockey Pierre-Charles Boudot. She is a first Group 1 winner for Haras de Bouquetot’s stallion Olympic Glory

New Jersey

Biometric is another with a deep Juddmonte pedigree as he is fourth-generation on both his dam’s side and the stallion line to be bred

by Khalid Abdullah’s operation.

The three-year-old is a half-brother to the Group 3 Earl Of Sefton Stakes winner Phoenix Tower, who was also second in the Juddmonte International, the Eclipse, Lockinge and Prince of Wales’s Stakes.

He is one of the few progeny of Juddmonte’s Grade 1 Arlington Million winner Chester House, who was a Mr Prospector half-brother to Empire Maker and the first foal of Juddmonte’s blue hen Toussaud.

Biometric’s dam Bionic is a Zafonic halfsister to the Group 3 winners Sense Of Joy and Day Flight out of the Group 2 Prix de Malleret winner Bonash by Rainbow Quest.

She is a half-sister to Media Nox, winner of the Group 2 Buena Vista Stakes and dam of the Prix de Diane and Prix du Moulin heroine Nebraska Tornado.

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royal ascot 2yos Coolmore’s Arizona takes the Coventry Stakes, a second Group 2 winner for No Nay Never

No Nay Never, Gleneagles, Bated Breath, Slade Power: young sires of Royal Ascot 2019 two-year-old winners

NO NAY NEVER’s second-crop son Arizona proved that his sire, the European champion first-season sire of 2018, was no one season wonder with Group 2 Coventry Stakes success.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained colt became the first stakes winner from his sire’s second crop, his tenth stakes winner and his second Group 2 winner.

His first crop included the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes winner Ten Sovereigns (fourth in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup), the Group 2 Richmond Stakes winner and Group 2 Norfolk Stakes second Land Force and the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes second The Irish Rover.

O’Brien is looking for more over further from Arizona, with the 2,000 Guineas hovering on the horizon.

“You’d imagine he will be a miler next year,” said O’Brien. “He’s probably quicker than he lets on, because he's still a baby, but you’d always think he’d have no problem getting seven.

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“After he won at The Curragh, if he was eligible for the Chesham Stakes we’d have had no problem running him in it. Often his type of horse can get quicker when they learn; he was very babyish today and still came home so well.”

Arizona was bred by Stephen Sullivan and bought for 65,000gns by Charles Briére’s Fairway Partners (see August’s edition for our feature on Fairway) from Houghton Bloodstock at the 2017 Tattersalls December Foal Sale.

MV Magnier went to €260,000 to secure him at Arqana’s August Yearling Sale.

He is the third foal out of the English Channel mare Lady Ederle, which gives Arizona four lines of Mr Prospector in his pedigree.

Lady Ederle was placed at two in America and is a half-sister to the dam of European champion two-year-old and Royal Ascotwinning sire Dabirsim.

Their dam, the Group 1 winner Bright

Arizona: distantly related to Sea Of Class

Generation, is a half-sister to the dam of Holy Moon, whose Classic-winning daughters include last year’s champion three-year-old filly Sea Of Class.

Lady Ederle was sold in-foal to Dabirsim’s sire Hat Trick for $27,000 at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale to Milestone Farm and she has a yearling filly from the first crop of Estidhkaar.

royal ascot 2yos Eyes on the Prize

Second-crop sire Slade Power made a solid start to his stallion career, but as he was lacking a Group winner from his first bunch of two-year-olds it meant he was a little lost among the crowd.

His daughter Raffle Prize wrote her sire’s name back into the headlines with victory in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes.

It was fitting that the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes hero of 2014 achieved the most important victory of his stallion career at Royal Ascot.

Winning trainer Mark Johnston remarked: “We had some doubts about coming back to 5f with Raffle Prize because we weren't sure if she could mix it in a Queen Mary over this trip, but she did it well.

“We haven’t looked beyond this and, for any owner of a filly, the Queen Mary is the number one two-year-old race because everyone wants a Queen Mary-winning broodmare – anything beyond this is a bonus.”

Raffle Prize was bred by Godolphin and races in the colours of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed al Maktoum.

She is out of the Pivotal mare Summer Fete and is yet another Group winner for Cheveley Park Stud’s 2018 champion broodmare sire.

A Darley homebred, Summer Fete won the Group 3 Oak Tree Stakes and was second in the Group 2 Celebration Mile.

It is the family of the popular Hungarian sprinter Overdose, who was fourth in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes of 2011, and the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes and Group 1 Sun Chariot Stakes third Musicanna, who is the dam of the Group 2 Godolphin Mile winner One Man Band.

Raffle Prize is the fourth winner out of Summer Fete who has a yearling filly by Exceed And Excel and foaled a Dubawi filly this year.

Her three-year-old Dubawi filly Summer Flair is catalogued as Lot 143 in the Tattersalls July Sale and Parting Clouds, her four-year-old daughter by Street Cry, was purchased for 100,000gns by Tweenhills Farm and Stud at last December’s Tattersalls’ Mares Sale.

Pinatubo takes the Listed Chesham Stakes in a juvenile course record time

stakes winner for his sire, who won the St James’s Palace Stakes in 2015.

Southern Hills is one of four winners so far for Gleneagles, who won the 2,000 Guineas and Irish 2,000 Guineas at three and the Group 1 National Stakes as a juvenile.

He was also first past the post in the Group 1 Prix Jean Luc Lagardère, but was demoted to third for interference.

Aidan O’Brien sees plenty to like in Gleneagles’ progeny, who appear to have inherited the toughness of their grandsire Galileo.

“He’s a fast horse. The Gleneagles offspring are fast and they are brave, which are two massive things in a horse.

That’s evident in his stock so far.

They have those traits; they have pace, they are brave and they've got good minds.”

His Royal Ascot-winning

son is the second foal out of the Invincible Spirit mare Remember You, a 300,000gns yearling purchase by Coolmore.

Winner of a maiden at two, she was second in the Group 3 Round Tower Stakes and her first foal is the Australia filly I Remember You, winner of a Leopardstown nursery last season for Ballydoyle.

Southern Hills’s pedigree features inbreeding that is likely to become more prevalent as breeders tap into the genes of the brilliant mare Allegretta, who features twice in the fourth generation of Southern Hills’ pedigree.

Her daughter Urban Sea is the dam of Gleneagles’s sire Galileo, while her son King’s Best, a three-parts brother to Urban Sea, is the sire of the colt’s second dam Miss Dela.

On the final day of the meeting, Gleneagles produced a second stakes performer with Highland Chief running third in the Listed Chesham Stakes.

The Newbury maiden winner is owned by his breeder Fitri Hay and is inbred 3x3 to Sadler’s Wells as his dam is the Montjeu mare Pink Symphony, who won the Group 3 Give Thanks Stakes.

More memories of Society Rock

The victory of A’Ali in the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes prompted more questions of what might have been for his sire Society Rock, whose premature death at 11 from laminitis

Gleneagles stakes race score

Gleneagles became the first of the season’s new stallions to record a Royal Ascot winner, courtesy of the victory of Southern Hills in the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes.

The Coolmore-homebred is also the first

Southern Hills: the son of first-season sire Gleneagles wins the Windsor Castle Stakes

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31

DEADLINE

30 JUNE BOUGHT A US BRED AT THE BREEZE UPS TO RACE IN EUROPE ?

CHECK WHETHER YOUR 2YO NEEDS NOMINATING D E A D L I N E F O R N O M I N AT I N G T W O - Y E A R - O L D S F O R $ 6 , 0 0 0 – 3 0 T H J U N E KEY DATES

(EBF payments and deadlines)

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:

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royal ascot 2yos looks a huge loss for the industry and the O’Callaghan family’s Tally-Ho Stud, who bred the winner.

A’Ali is from the third and final crop of the Group 1 Golden Jubilee Stakes winner and is the his sire’s third Group winner.

He joins Group 1 Prix Morny winner Unfortunately from his first crop and Grade 2 Appalachian Stakes winner and Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes second The Mackem Bullet as Society Rock’s Group winners so far and all three were bred by Tally-Ho Stud.

A’Ali is a half-brother to the three-yearold Kodiac colt Slowmo, a winner at two and three for Tom Dascombe.

They are the first two foals of their dam Motion Lass, a placed Motivator half-sister to the Group 3 Darley Stakes winner and dual Group 1 placed Enforcer by Efisio. The third dam is the US Grade 3 winner Willowy Mood.

Howson and Houldsworth Bloodstock purchased the colt for £35,000 at the GoffsUK Premier Yearling Sale on behalf of Star Bloodstock, who, after a good breeze, sold him to Stroud Coleman for £135,000 at the GoffsUK Breeze Up Sale.

Daniel Creighton and Josh Schwarz bagged themselves a bargain when they picked up Motion Lass for just 9,000gns at the Tattersalls February Sale earlier this year. The nine-year-old mare was in-foal to Cotai Glory at the time of her sale and has a yearling daughter by Sir Prancealot.

No stopping Daahyeh

Winning sires Royal Ascot 2019 Sire

1st 2nd 3rd

Shamardal 4

0 1

Galileo 3 5 2 Sea The Stars 3

0

2

Bated Breath 3

0

0

Frankel 2 1 3 Kingman 1 2 1 No Nay Never 1

1

0

Farhh 1 1 0 Gleneagles 1

0

1

Oasis Dream 1

0

1

Pivotal 1 0 1 Showcasing 1

0

Dalakhani 1

0 0

Mukhadram 1

0

Nathaniel 1

0 0

Olympic Glory

1 0

1 0 0

Sir Percy 1 0 0 Slade Power 1

0

0

Society Rock 1

0

0

Whipper 1 0 0

Daahyeh: the daughter of Bated Breath wins the Albany Stakes. She is unbeaten in two starts

Daahyeh comes from a deep Juddmonte family as a daughter of the Oasis Dream mare Affluent, a winning half-sister to Deportivo, who won the Flying Five Stakes when it was a Group 2, and the Listed Harry Roseberry Stakes winner Irish Vale.

Affluent is also a half-sister to the gelding So Beloved, winner of the Group 2 Supreme Stakes and second in the Group 1 Prix de la Forêt, and to Cantabria, who was placed at Group and Grade 3 level.

Both are by Bated Breath’s sire Dansili.

Affluent’s dam Valencia is a half-sister to the three-time US Grade 1 winner Wandesta, De Quest, who won the Group Prix de Conseil and was third in the Group 1 Coronation Cup, while dam De Stael is a half-sister to the Group 1 Coronation Cup winner Peacetime and out of one of Prince Khalid Abdullah’s foundation mares Peace.

Her family has provided Juddmonte with Group 1 winners including Midships, Continent, Zambezi Sun, Byword and Proviso.

Affluent was a Juddmonte cast-off and was sold to Oakgrove Stud carrying Daahyeh at the 2016 Tattersalls December Mare Sale.

Mr and Mrs Deer paid 36,000gns for Affluent and recouped all that and more when selling Daahyeh as yearling for £75,000 at last year’s GoffsUK Premier Yearling Sale, boguht by Oliver St Lawrence for his boss Fazwi Nass.

He owned the filly until her first-time-out victory in May, and she won the Albany for Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

Affluent has a yearling colt by the Deers’s star Al Kazeem and a colt foal by Ribchester.

It is a family that the Deers and former Oakgrove Stud manager Tim Lane, now manager of the National Stud, must hold in high regard.

In 2012 they purchased an unraced three-year-old filly named Espagnolette from Juddmonte at the December Mare Sale for 25,000gns.

She is a full-sister to Affluent and has a three-year-old Bated Breath-winning gelding named Cockney Hill. Her yearling filly by Havana Gold and was bought by Lane from Oakgrove at last December’s Tattersalls sales, in-foal to Territories, for 8,000gns.

Daahyeh, Cockney Hill and Juddmonte homebred Biometric are three of the 12 runners and 11 winners by Bated Breath out of Oasis Dream mares, which has also produced three stakes performers, including the John Oxx-trained three-year-old Could Be King and Take A Deep Breath from Bated Breath’s first crop.

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33

stallion stats Leading sires in Europe 2019: (by prize-money earned to June 23, 2019) Stallion

Breeding

Galileo Shamardal Siyouni Sea The Stars Le Havre Dark Angel Frankel Dubawi Kingman Lope de Vega Kodiac Invincible Spirit Kendargent Zoffany Nathaniel Pivotal Mastercraftsman Oasis Dream Dandy Man Camelot Acclamation Showcasing Zebedee Olympic Glory Bated Breath Dream Ahead Teofilo Exceed And Excel Rajsaman Elusive City Dawn Approach Iffraaj Dansili Footstepsinthesand Holy Roman Emperor Kyllachy Casamento Rock of Gibraltar Rip Van Winkle Champs Elysees Lawman New Approach Makfi Dutch Art Whipper Soldier Hollow Australia Dalakhani

Sadler’s Wells (Urban Sea-Miswaki) 2002 Giant’s Causeway (Helsinki-Machiavellian) 2005 Pivotal (Sichilla-Danehill) 2011 Cape Cross (Urban Sea-Miswaki) 2010 Noverre (Marie Rheinberg-Surako) 2010 Acclamation (Midnight Angel-Machiavellian) 2008 Galileo (Kind-Danehill) 2013 Dubai Millennium (Zomaradah-Deploy) 2006 Invincible Spirit (Zenda-Zamindar) 2015 Shamardal (Lady Vettori-Vettori) 2011 Danehill (Rafha-Kris) 2007 Green Desert (Rafha-Kris) 2003 Kendor (Pax Bella-Linamix) 2008 Dansili (Tyrann -Machiavellian) 2012 Galileo (Magnificient Style-Silver Hawk) 2013 Polar Falcon (Fearless Revival-Cozzene) 1997 Danehill Dancer (Starlight Dreams-Black Tie Affair) 2010 Green Desert (Hope-Dancing Brave) 2004 Mozart (Lady Alexander-Night Shift) 2010 Montjeu (Tarfah-Kingmambo) 2014 Royal Applause (Princess Athena-Ahonoora) 2004 Oasis Dream (Arabesque-Zafonic) 2011 Invincible Spirit (Cozy Maria-Cozzene) 2011 Choisir (Acidanthera -Alzao) 2015 Dansili (Tantina-Distant View) 2013 Diktat (Land of Dreams-Cadeaux Genereux) 2012 Galileo (Speirbhean-Danehill) 2008 Danehill (Patrona-Lomond) 2004 Linamix (Rose Quartz-Lammtarra) 2013 Elusive Quality (Star of Paris-Dayjur) 2005 New Approach (Hymn of the Dawn-Phone Trick) 2014 Zafonic (Pastorale-Nureyev) 2007 Danehill (Hasili-Kahyasi) 2001 Giant’s Causeway (Glatisant-Rainbow Quest) 2006 Danehill (L’On Vite-Secretariat) 2007 Pivotal (Pretty Poppy-Song) 2003 Shamardal (Wedding Gift-Always Fair) 2013 Danehill (Offshore Boom-Be My Guest) 2003 Galileo (Looking Back-Stravinsky) 2011 Danehill (Hasili-Kahyasi) 2010 Invincible Spirit (Laramie-Gulch) 2008 Galileo (Park Express-Ahonoora) 2009 Dubawi (Dhelaal-Green Desert) 2011 Medicean (Halland Park Lass-Spectrum) 2008 Miesque’s Son (Myth to Reality-Sadler’s Wells) 2006 In the Wings (Island Race-Common Grounds) 2008 Galileo (Ouija Board-Cape Cross) 2015 Darshaan (Daltawa-Miswaki) 2003

34

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To Stud

Courtesy of Weatherbys Rnrs 150 154 165 132 144 246 97 137 82 183 298 166 155 191 124 95 177 157 210 134 162 135 186 73 145 115 128 157 136 120 103 154 120 146 147 114 140 122 94 132 131 109 111 124 45 99 70 41

Runs 385 442 509 336 464 796 232 332 181 513 988 490 570 610 374 312 533 518 727 368 603 429 715 209 429 401 393 576 519 511 259 481 338 503 535 464 445 458 335 417 453 282 392 425 166 286 179 129

Wnrs 47 42 49 52 54 72 41 50 34 50 80 48 49 47 35 33 52 43 62 42 41 32 56 18 40 30 26 47 39 34 20 45 33 45 44 35 41 34 27 40 33 32 30 44 10 41 20 11

Wins 60 61 61 60 71 92 58 64 41 70 97 59 65 60 43 51 65 53 81 53 58 42 69 24 47 37 36 62 53 47 25 58 42 58 57 51 47 42 32 52 41 41 38 56 10 54 26 13

Wnrs/Rnrs% SWnrs SWs 31 27 29 39 37 29 42 36 41 27 26 28 31 24 28 34 29 27 29 31 25 23 30 24 27 26 20 29 28 28 19 29 27 30 29 30 29 27 28 30 25 29 27 35 22 41 28 26

9 11 5 5 7 6 9 9 6 5 5 6 4 4 3 4 5 4 2 4 1 2 2 2 4 3 3 2 0 1 0 2 1 0 1 2 1 0 1 4 2 4 1 2 1 5 3 1

£

14 4,266,520 16 2,563,579 6 2,076,678 8 2,043,561 7 1,829,171 6 1,707,489 11 1,678,268 11 1,566,505 7 1,470,394 6 1,418,033 5 1,365,684 8 1,342,764 4 1,184,537 5 1,134,247 3 1,109,804 4 1,039,948 5 1,012,516 5 999,251 2 985,684 4 979,008 1 897,180 2 871,474 2 824,948 3 795,932 4 790,470 3 786,783 4 777,292 2 768,767 0 748,172 1 739,420 0 729,684 2 727,719 1 723,233 0 719,118 1 707,964 3 661,386 1 656,623 0 651,172 1 644,484 4 642,876 2 618,030 5 595,070 1 578,604 2 575,006 1 557,588 5 548,230 4 545,409 2 545,275

Start with a Darley stallion Dubawi, the world’s leading sire of Stakes winners in 2019

...and the rest will follow

Dubawi’s freshman sire sons Night Of Thunder and Hunter’s Light are already siring winners...

DATA 12/6/19

Darley

stallion stats Leading sires of two-year-olds in Europe 2019: (by prize-money earned to June 23, 2019) Stallion

Breeding

No Nay Never War Front Shamardal Dark Angel Dandy Man Epaulette Cable Bay Kodiac Society Rock Starspangledbanner Lope De Vega Gleneagles Anjaal Slade Power Sidestep Kheleyf Bated Breath Due Diligence Gutaifan Penny’s Picnic Charm Spirit Brazen Beau Zebedee Bungle Inthejungle Footstepsinthesand Ivawood Kendargent Power Sir Prancealot Zoffany Wootton Bassett Camacho Outstrip Iffraaj Sakhee’s Secret Invincible Spirit Coach House Galiway Siyouni Lethal Force Hot Streak Kingman Hurricane Cat Pastoral Pursuits American Devil War Command Poet’s Voice First Defence

Scat Daddy (Cat’s Eye Witness-Elusive Quality) 2015 Danzig (Starry Dreamer-Rubiano) 2007 Giant’s Causeway (Helsinki -Machiavellian) 2005 Acclamation (Midnight Angel -Machiavellian) 2008 Mozart (Lady Alexander-Night Shift) 2010 Commands (Accessories-Singspiel) 2014 Invincible Spirit (Rose de France-Diktat) 2016 Danehill (Rafha-Kris) 2007 Rock of Gibraltar (High Society-Key of Luck) 2014 Choisir (Gold Anthem-Made of Gold) 2011 Shamardal (Lady Vettori-Vettori) 2011 Galileo (You’resothrilling-Storm Cat) 2016 Bahamian Bounty (Ballymore Celebre-Peintre Celebre) 2016 Dutch Art (Girl Power-Key of Luck) 2015 Exceed And Excel (Dextrous-Quest for Fame) 2016 Green Desert (Society Lady-Mr. Prospector) 2005 Dansili (Tantina-Distant View) 2013 War Front (Bema-Pulpit) 2016 Dark Angel (Alikhlas-Lahib) 2016 Kheleyf (Zerky-Kingmambo) 2014 Invincible Spirit (L’Enjoleuse-Montjeu) 2015 I Am Invincible (Sansadee-Snaadee) 2016 Invincible Spirit (Cozy Maria-Cozzene) 2011 Exceed And Excel (Licence To Thrill-Wolfhound) 2015 Giant’s Causeway (Glatisant -Rainbow Quest) 2006 Zebedee (Keenes Royale-Red Ransom) 2016 Kendor (Pax Bella-Linamix) 2008 Oasis Dream (Frappe-Inchinor) 2013 Tamayuz (Mona Em-Catrail) 2013 Dansili (Tyranny-Machiavellian) 2012 Iffraaj (Balladonia -Primo Dominie) 2012 Danehill (Arabesque -Zafonic) 2006 Exceed And Excel (Asi Siempre-El Prado) 2016 Zafonic (Pastorale -Nureyev) 2007 Sakhee (Palace Street-Secreto) 2009 Green Desert (Rafha -Kris) 2003 Oasis Dream (Lesson In Humility-Mujadil) 2015 Galileo (Danzigaway-Danehill) 2016 Pivotal (Sichilla-Danehill) 2011 Dark Angel (Land Army-Desert Style) 2014 Iffraaj (Ashirah-Housebuster) 2016 Invincible Spirit (Zenda-Zamindar) 2015 Storm Cat (Sky Beauty-Blushing Groom) 2007 Bahamian Bounty (Star-Most Welcome) 2006 American Post (Alcestes Selection-Selkirk) 2015 War Front (Wandering Star-Red Ransom) 2015 Dubawi (Bright Tiara-Chief’s Crown) 2012 Unbridled’s Song (Honest Lady-Seattle Slew) 2009

36

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To Stud

Rnrs

Runs

Courtesy of Weatherbys Wnrs

28 46 7 14 30 6 6 13 3 41 73 11 43 93 13 19 52 7 22 58 8 44 89 10 17 35 2 19 40 7 9 16 5 11 16 4 29 64 5 13 24 2 10 28 3 12 31 5 15 23 2 18 42 4 31 65 9 13 26 5 13 25 4 18 36 5 23 46 5 14 31 6 9 18 4 22 47 4 12 22 4 7 20 2 15 41 5 18 34 4 10 15 3 38 81 4 16 29 5 10 16 3 14 25 3 11 19 4 15 37 3 5 10 2 14 20 3 19 32 5 22 43 4 13 19 4 5 10 3 5 10 2 4 10 1 13 24 2 13 22 3 1 2 1

Wins

Wnrs/Rnrs% SWnrs SWs

8 7 6 12 15 9 11 10 2 8 5 4 7 3 5 6 3 7 9 5 5 6 5 7 4 4 4 4 7 4 3 5 6 4 4 4 3 3 3 5 4 4 4 3 2 3 4 2

25 42 50 26 30 36 36 22 11 36.

55 36 17 15 30 41 13 22 29 38 30 27 21 42 44 18 33 28 33 22 30 10 31 30 21 36 20 40 21 26 18.

30 60 40 25 15 23 100

£

1 1 195,924 1 1 164,077 2 2 140,825 0 0 134,659 0 0 120,322 0 0 110,658 0 0 109,498 0 0 100,534 1 1 97,863 0 0 97,709 0 0 96,696 1 1 95,824 0 0 92,096 1 1 89,567 1 1 88,830 0 0 86,513 1 1 77,901 1 1 76,633 0 0 72,323 0 0 70,914 0 0 68,543 1 1 67,166 1 1 66,269 0 0 62,609 0 0 59,450 0 0 58,388 0 0 56,936 0 0 56,920 0 0 56,622 0 0 56,107 0 0 55,925 0 0 52,079 1 1 51,451 0 0 50,897 0 0 50,738 0 0 49,854 0 0 49,815 0 0 48,219 0 0 47,532 0 0 47,453 0 0 47,199 0 0 43,460 0 0 42,163 0 0 41,241 0 0 41,217 0 0 40,716 0 0 40,618 1 1 39,313

BRITISH-BRED HORSES WON 15 OF 30 RACES AT THE ROYAL MEETING 50% STRIKE RATE FOR SECOND YEAR RUNNING

GBRI is the British horse racing industry’s designated first point of contact for overseas individuals interested in becoming part of the world’s leading racing and bloodstock industry.

Please contact: Amanda Prior aprior@greatbritishracing.com +44 (0)7471 216 075

euro classics Five on the line: Anthony Van Dyck under Seamie Heffernan edges ahead of Madhmoon and the Aidan O’Brien three to grab Derby success, a first race victory for his jockey in 12 rides and a record-equalling seventh success for the Ballydoyle master trainer

38

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euro classics

Galileo glory... again Aidan O’Brien and Coolmore’s champion sire have achieved so much together, writes Jocelyn De Moubray, and this year the partnership took things to new heights.

The stallion became the sixth to sire four Derby winners, while O’Brien trained his seventh Epsom Derby winner matching the record jointly held between Robert Robson, John Porter and Fred Darling

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39

euro classics

A

IDAN O’BRIEN has been dominating Britain’s first four Classic races for some time, but in recent years the Coolmore group’s principle trainer’s presence in the Guineas races at Newmarket and the two Epsom Classics has become overwhelming.

Over the last ten years O’Brien has won 18 of the 40 Classics (45 per cent), but over the five years since 2015 he has won 12 of the 20.

That is a stunning 60 per cent of the races which count the most for an operation geared towards producing stallions.

At Epsom in 2019 O’Brien’s stable provided no fewer than seven of the first ten home in the Derby and the Oaks, four of the first five in the Derby behind Anthony Van Dyck and the second, third and fifth in the Oaks behind Meon Valley Stud’s Anapurna.

As has been well documented Galileo’s influence on the Epsom Classic was as important as Coolmore’s sire was responsible as sire or grandsire for the first four home in the Derby, as well as the winner and the fifth in the Oaks.

For all of O’Brien’s success at Epsom it is more than possible that the best three-yearold in his stable didn’t make the trip from Tipperary.

Hermosa, the third Group 1 winner her dam Beauty Is Truth has produced with Galileo, was, in the end, a decisive winner of the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, even if for a long time it looked as if Lady Kaya was going better just behind her.

Three weeks later at The Curragh for

Anthony Van Dyck’s victory was a fourth Derby win for Galileo. The colt is out of an own-sister to Kuroshio, a son of Exceed And Excel who stands at Clongiffen Stud

the Irish 1000 Guineas Hermosa looked a different proposition.

The ground was firmer and ridden this time by Ryan Moore, Hermosa set a significantly faster pace. The result was a brilliant 4l victory over Pretty Pollyanna and Foxtrot Liv, who had chased her from the beginning. None of the others were ever able to be competitive.

Hermosa’s full-sister Hydrangea won Group 1’s over a mile and 1m4f and Hermosa looks as if she will have no trouble stepping up in trip.

Epsom’s undulations invariably amplify the difference between horses, particularly when those concerned are three-year-olds running over 1m4f in June.

In recent years Workforce, Camelot

The winning time of of 2min33.38s was the seventh-fastest Derby-winning time, Workforce (2010) still holds the record of 2m31.33s

40

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euro classics

Frankie Dettori weaves his magic again in a Group 1: he picks up his fifth Oaks win, this time on board the Meon Valley Stud-owned and bred Anapurna, beating Pink Dogwood (Ryan Moore). Dettori’s first Oaks win came 25 years ago on board Balanchine in 1994

and Golden Horn have won the Derby by comfortable margins, and often two or three contenders draw well clear of the remainder.

A bunched finish like this year’s edition in which Anthony Van Dyck, Madhmoon, Japan, Broome and Sir Dragonet finished within a half length of each other is a far more unusual.

The last time there was a similar finish came in 2006 when Sir Percy, Dragon Dancer, Dylan Thomas and Hala Bek finished in a bunch. Dylan Thomas, Aidan O’Brien’s 25-1 third string, was the only one of the quartet who went on to win Group 1 races afterwards.

Anthony Van Dyck was also the stable’s third choice, but a well backed one at 13-2 behind Sir Dragonet and Broome.

The son of the Australian-bred Exceed And Excel mare Believe N Succeed must have been at far longer odds in running as when the leaders quickened coming off Tattenham Corner he was one of the first to come off the bridle.

Even at the 2f pole Seamie Heffernan and Anthony Van Dyck were caught behind their main rivals and appeared to be going nowhere.

However, once switched over to the rail Anthony Van Dyck quickened and was able to pass Madhmoon, who had looked the most likely winner for most of the straight, to win by a half length.

The dual Guineas winner Hermosa

Japan had been alongside Madhmoon at the top of the straight, but took longer to find his balance and stride on the camber and it was only in the final furlong that the son of Galileo and Shastye began to quicken.

Japan was finishing best of all at the winning post and it will be no surprise if he turns out to be most successful of the quintet in the future. However, a good case could also be made for Madhmoon, Broome and the inexperienced Sir Dragonet.

If recent seasons have brought even more success for O’Brien’s Ballydoyle stable in the British Classics, the explanation is probably the dominance of Galileo as a Classic sire.

Aside from the proportion of his progeny who are top class performers there are many other distinctive features of Galileo’s production.

His better horses are remarkably tough, both Hermosa and Anthony Van Dyck ran seven times as two-year-olds and competed in five Group races each (Anthony Van Dyck even took a trip to the US for the Breeders’ Cup), and yet they were still competing and progressing at the end of May and the beginning of June as three-year-olds.

And there are few middle-distance sires who cross so well with sprinters, both Beauty is Truth and Believe N Succeed were sprinters at their best over 5f.

The Oaks also ended in a close finish although this time only three fillies ever really

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41

euro classics looked like winning.

At the 3f pole Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum’s Maqsad was going to win very easily as the daughter of Siyouni was still on the bridle when all of her rivals were being stretched to stay in contention.

A furlong later Maqsad’s stamina gave out and her stride shortened and she dropped away to finish only eighth. At this point it was Pink Dogwood’s turn to look a sure thing as she raced smoothly alongside Frankie Dettori and Anapurna.

In the final furlong the balance changed again, Dettori and Anapurna edged back into the lead to win by a neck from Pink Dogwood with Fleeting and Manuela De Vega, who were both finishing well, third and fourth.

A

NAPURNA is the first British Classic winner for sire Frankel, and his second major Oaks winner after Soul Stirring’s win in the 2017 Yushun Himba, the Japanese Oaks.

Frankel himself, of course, never ran further than 1m2f, but he has turned out to be a middle-distance sire with some 60 per cent of the wins of his three-year-olds coming over 1m2f or further.

For her trainer John Gosden, Anapurna is a third Oaks winner in the last six years following Enable, like Anapurna closely inbred to Sadler’s Wells, and Taghrooda.

For her owner and breeder Meon Valley Stud, Anapurna is yet another top-class winner descended from the four fillies Egon Weinfeld bought in 1976 and 1977.

Now in the hands of Weinfeld’s children Mark Weinfeld and Helena Ellingsen, Meon Valley has continued to produce top class racehorses for more than 30 years with remarkable regularity.

Anapurna is the third Oaks winner bred on the farm following Colorspin, the winner of the Irish Oaks, and Lady Carla, who won the Oaks at Epsom in 1996.

Meon Valley covers around 30 mares every year and has been producing consistently excellent results, season after season from its foundation to 2019.

The British and Irish Classics in 2019 have been a clear advertisement for the quality of horses offered for sale as foals.

Phoenix Of Spain, the Irish 2000 Guineas The 2000 Guineas winner Magnia Grecia

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Anapurna is the first British Classic winner for her sire Frankel, and his second major Oaks winner after Soul Stirring’s win in the Yushun Himba winner, and Magna Grecia, the 2000 Guineas winner, were both sold at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale for 78,000gns and 340,000gns respectively.

Pink Dogwood is another graduate of the same sale where the Camelot filly fetched 115,000gns, as is Foxtrot Liv, third in the Irish 1,000 Guineas.

She made only 6,000gns, while the Oaks third Fleeting

was sold at Arqana in December as a foal for €50,000.

Lady Kaya, the runner-up in the 1000 Guineas, made €15,000 as a foal at Goffs, while the third Qabala made $300.000 at Fasig Tipton November as a foal.

Of those sold as yearlings the most expensive of the Classic performers is Japan, who made 1.3 million guineas at Tattersalls October Book 1, while the cheapest of those sold, rather than Pretty Pollyanna, Lady Kaya and Foxtrot Liv who were bought back as yearlings, is the Paddy Twomey-owned and trained Decrypt. He was third in the Irish 2000 Guineas after being bought for £55,000 as a yearling at the Doncaster Premier Sale.

Phoenix Of Spain became a first Classic winner for his sire Lope De Vega when making all the running at The Curragh to defeat the champion two-year-old Too Darn Hot by 3l with Decrypt a half length behind in third.

Tony Wechsler and Ann Plummer’s grey colt looks to be Europe’s best three-yearold miler after this decisive victory on his seasonal reappearance.

At two he had finished second in big races to Too Darn Hot and then Magna Grecia, but the Charlie Hills-trained colt looks the most likely of these three to repeat a Group 1 win in the immediate future.

Sottsass impressive in France Jean Claude Rouget’s ascent to the top among

euro classics

Sottsass and Cristian Demuro win the Prix du Jockey-Club. It was a second 2019 Derby win featuring Galileo: the Coolmore champion is sire of Sottsass’s dam Starlet’s Sister. It was a third career Classic victory for Siyouni following Ervedya and Laurens

France’s Classic trainers is an extraordinary story.

After a long career as a provincial trainer Rouget has won no fewer than 14 of the last 43 runnings of the four French Classic races, (33 per cent) since winning his first in 2009.

His total of 14 Classic races during this period puts him some way ahead of the next trainer André Fabre, who won eight French Classics in these years, as well as two in Britain.

Rouget has achieved this while training first in Pau in the south-west of France, and more recently splitting his operation between Pau and Deauville, and without having the pick of Galileo’s best progeny.

Le Havre, Almanzor, Sottsass, Olmedo, Brametot and Avenir Certain were all bought in Deauville and it is largely due to Rouget’s successes that Le Havre, Siyouni and Wootton Bassett have become international stallions.

In 2017 his Pau stable was hit by a virus so virulent that two horses died and the majority

Both Commes and Sottsass were given a typical Rouget preparation for a Classic race of the stable’s best colts were affected.

The beginning of the 2019 season was not a straight-forward one for the stable either, and most of its best prospects, including Sottsass, ran below expectations on their first starts of the year.

Many questioned whether having two

stables so far apart was going to work, but when the Classic season started Rouget was back and his horses were ready to run to their very best.

Commes, a Le Havre filly owned and bred

by Gerard Augustin Normand, was beaten only a nose by Godolphin’s Castle Lady in the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches, while Sottsass put up a brilliant performance to give his trainer his third Prix du Jockey-Club in the last four years. The colt also set a new race record and comprehensively defeated an international field to do so.

Commes and Sottsass both ran only twice at two and despite winning their maidens in style in Deauville and Clairefontaine neither were asked to run in a Group race before their respective Classics.

In short, both Commes and Sottsass were given a typical Rouget preparation for a Classic race.

The least surprising aspect of the JockeyClub was that the Racing Post should give Sottsass a lower rating than the one Anthony

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euro classics

A second Jockey-Club win for Demuro, and a fourth for trainer Jean-Claude Rouget

Van Dyck achieved at Epsom the day before.

It is impossible to give an accurate rating to the best horses without having equally precise evaluations of all the average or just good horses they have run against in their careers.

Without all the average French-raced horses to use as a benchmark, you have to judge the Jockey-Club, for instance, by the performances of the horses who have run in England and Ireland.

And we have seen year after year that as a result the Racing Post frequently gets the ratings of foreign trained horses very wrong.

T

HERE ARE several reasons to believe the 2019 Jockey-Club was a high-class renewal of a race which in recent years has proved such a good guide to future stallion success.

The race was run in a new record time of 2mins3secs and the first four, who finished two and a half lengths ahead of the rest, had all shown great potential beforehand.

Some Jockey-Club winners have run the first 5f of the race faster than Sottsass did, in particular Lope De Vega in 2010, and others have run the last 3f faster – New Bay when he passed the whole field in the straight in 2015 – but what made this Jockey-Club different

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There are several reasons to believe the 2019 Jockey-Club was a high-class renewal of a race which in recent years has proved such a good guide to future stallion success was the sustained pace throughout.

Most years, once the field has sorted itself out and those drawn wide have either succeeded in getting to the front and across to the rail or failed to do so and been forced to race wide, the leaders slow down going past the chateau’s stables and into the descent to the bottom of the turn. They then usually accelerate again once they have reached the home straight.

Not this year, Motamarris and Aurelian Lemaitre went off in front and they maintained a regular fast pace from leaving the stalls to the moment they were passed by Persian King and Sottsass with 2f to run.

As they raced past the chateau, Motamarris was in front and all the horses who were close up behind him at that stage were tired out by their early exertions long before the final stages of the race.

It is a remarkable performance from Motamarris, a Freddy Head-trained son of Le Havre from the Urban Sea family, who had won all his three previous starts comfortably, to keep going to take third place only 4l behind the winner.

Godolphin and Ballymore Thoroughbred’s Persian King started a short-priced favourite after two impressive victories at three in the main trail for the Poule d’Essai des Poulains and then in the Classic itself when despite the very soft ground the son of Kingman had comfortably beaten Shaman and the Englishtrained challengers.

The Fabre-trained colt had the disadvantage of being drawn 14 of the 15 runners and, once he failed to go fast enough to get to the front, jockey Pierre Charles Boudot was forced to race wide and without cover for most of the race.

At the halfway point he was alongside Sottsass, some 8l behind the leader, but crucially on the outside.

Halfway up the straight Persian King used his speed to sweep into the lead, however, in the final furlong it was Sottsass who was still accelerating and went past to win by 2l.

Fabre told the English press afterwards that he felt Persian King had failed to see out the trip, but surely the colt would have done so if they had not gone at such a strong pace form beginning to end and if he had not been forced to race wide?

Sottsass gave his owner Peter Brant his first European Classic victory. The colt is a half-brother to the multiple Grade 1 winner Sistercharlie and to the Group 3 winner My Sister Nat, the first three foals out of his unraced dam by Galileo.

He was bought by Michel Zerolo from Haras des Monceaux at the Arqana August sale for €340,000. He is the third Classic winner produced by his sire Siyouni from five crops of three-year-olds, and the first since his fee was raised to €20,000 in 2015 after standing his first four years at only €7,000.

Sottsass has a great deal going for him as a racehorse and, when the time comes, as a stallion, and not the least of his advantages is that he is trained by Rouget.

FURORE – Winner of the 2019 Group 1 BMW Hong Kong Derby. Trained by Frankie Lor.

PING HAI STAR – Winner of the 2018 Group 1 BMW Hong Kong Derby. Trained by John Size.

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us classics

It has been an “unusual” Triple Crown season and Melissa Bauer-Herzog has come to realise that this year we need to...

Expect the unexpected

I

N A TUMULTUOUS SPRING that saw Santa Anita shut down for racing after a rash of equine fatalities and a wideopen three-year-old division, the Triple Crown series followed a similar script to what has already been a dramatic year for US racing.

The most exciting two minutes in Gary and Mary West’s racing career quickly turned into the longest 22 minutes as they waited out an objection that saw their homebred Maximum Security lose the Kentucky Derby (G1) in the stewards’ room.

The decision elevated Country House to the number one spot to give his Coolmore America sire Lookin’ At Lucky his first Kentucky Derby victory and second Grade 1 winner.

Unfortunately, the quest for the third Triple Crown in five years was over before it started as Country House was taken out of the rest of the series when he came up with a virus after his win.

Maximum Security also elected to skip the rest of the Triple Crown, but his owners’ decision to fight the disqualification looks to keep the series in the headlines for months – and possibly even years – to come.

Maximum Security’s win would have also been a victory for sire New Year’s Day (Street Cry), who was sold to Brazil earlier this year.

However, it would not be a surprise to see the stallion back on a US roster in 2020 as Maximum Security’s also revealed his talent in the Florida Derby (G1).

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The most exciting two minutes in Gary and Mary West’s racing career quickly turned into the longest 22 minutes Maximum’s Security’s disqualification to 17th also provided some wider opportunities, most notably first-crop stallion Noble Mission.

Frankel’s full-brother was the sire of third-place finisher Code Of Honor, and he was moved up a spot after the disqualification an gave his sire a Kentucky Derby runner-up with his first crop of three-year-olds.

A month later, Noble Mission was the only stallion this year to have runners in both the Kentucky Derby and Derby – his son Humanitarian, trained by John Gosden, bred by Will Farish and bought by Godolphin for $200,00 as at yearling at Keeneland September, finished seventh at Epsom.

But while the Derby provided many compelling storylines, the drama of the series was just warming up.

us classics The scrimmaging on the home turn resulted in the original race winner Maximum Security (pink cap) demoted from first place in the Kentucky Derby, the verdict going to Country House (yellow), second across the line

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ASPETAR wins the 1m 4f Group 2 Grand Prix de Chantilly in a new race record time

Al Kazeem Four-time Gr.1 winner by DUBAWI

Joint Champion Older Horse in Europe in 2013 (9.5f-10.5f ) Timeform rated 128 in three consecutive seasons 56% winners to runners from his ďŹ rst crop 10 individual winners and 2 black-type performers from only 18 runners, including record-breaking Group 2 winner ASPETAR and black-type sprinter GOLDEN SPELL His second crop of 2yos are now racing STANDING AT OAKGROVE STUD Oakgrove Estate, St Arvans, Chepstow, Monmouthshire, NP16 6EH Tel: 01291 622876 Fax: 01291 622070 Email: oakgrovestud@btinternet.com www.oakgrovestud.com For Nominations Contact: David Hilton: 07595 951248 Email: david@oakgrovestud.com Vannessa Swift: 01291 622876

us classics

Sir Winston’s victory was a big one for his 25-year-old sire Awesome Again, who sired the second-place finishers in 2012 and 2013

War Of Will (War Front), who arguably came off worst of all in the Kentucky Derby when finishing seventh, won the Preakness under 24-year-old rising star jockey Tyler Gaffalione

War Of Will, one of the horses interfered with to cause Maximum Security’s disqualification, had the racing community wondering “what if?” when he won the Preakness Stakes (G1) two weeks later.

Ironically, he slipped through a hole to get the win – the same move he’d tried in the Kentucky Derby that saw Maximum Security veering into him in the turn. This time he was clear and won comfortably by length and a quarter.

The victory gave international superstar sire War Front his first US Classic winner, a milestone trainer Mark Casse also shared in.

But it wasn’t the Kentucky Derby drama carrying over to the Preakness that caught the public’s attention, instead it was maiden runner Bodexpress.

The three-year-old colt had showed a rogue side before the Florida Derby (G1) where he finished second, but when well behaved in the Kentucky Derby it had been thought to be a one-off event.

That behaviour popped back up before the field even broke from the gate with the horse bucking and dumping his jockey as the barriers opened. Bodexpress then ran loose throughout the race and became an internet sensation when he refused to be caught.

That ended Bodexpress’s Triple Crown

journey and left War Of Will as the only horse to complete all three legs when the series raced into New York for the Belmont Stakes (G1).

As is often the case with War Front runners in the long races, there was a question mark as to whether he he could get the 1m4f of the

Belmont, especially with two races in five weeks already under his belt.

Against him were three by Tapit, the stallion having sired the winners of three of the last five Belmont Stakes with top three finishers the two other years.

There were multiple other Kentucky Derby runners in the race, including Tapit’s thirdplace Kentucky Derby finisher Tacitus who was the highest-placed Derby runnerin the Belmont field.

Non-Triple Crown runners were a rarity with only three having not run in either of the first two legs of the Triple Crown.

But it wasn’t the Tapits or the fellow Kentucky Derby runners whom War Of Will had to worry about.

His own stablemate, the race-fresh Sir Winston, closed strongly from the back of the pack to win by a length over Tacitus.

The victory gave trainer Casse victories in

Sir Winston: bred by Tracy Farmer, a Kentucky breeder and an advocate for the reform of US racing

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us classics two legs of the Triple Crown after a luckless Kentucky Derby. Casse is the first trainer since D. Wayne Lukas in 1995 to win the Preakness and Belmont with two different horses.

Sir Winston’s victory was a big one for his 25-year-old sire Awesome Again, who sired the second-place finishers in 2012 and 2013.

The stallion is still actively breeding mares at Adena Springs and had a double of sorts on the Belmont card when his son Ghostzapper sired the Acorn Stakes (G1) winner Guarana.

She caught the public’s attention when winning the race in the fastest time in its history on only her second career start.

On the Turf side of the card, Rushing Fall showed she is the current Queen of the Turf in the US by winning her fourth Grade 1 in the Just a Game Stakes (G1) to kick off the Grade 1 action.

The More Than Ready daughter is only a neck from remaining undefeated after finishing second in the Grade 3 Edgewood on Kentucky Derby day last year.

Kantharos proved to be so good with his early Florida crops that the stallion was moved to Hill ‘n’ Dale in Kentucky for the 2017 season.

That proved to be a smart move and demand for his stock will rise even more after his son World Of Trouble cruised to a second Grade 1 win in the Jaipur Invitational (G1).

The victory made World Of Trouble a Grade 1 winner on two different surfaces after his Carter Handicap victory on Dirt earlier in the year.

Also the sire of Grade 1 winner X Y Jet this year, Kantharos is hitting it big on the track at just the right time.

His first Kentucky-bred crop is set to enter the sales ring this summer and autumn with seven of his yearlings catalogued to kick off the sales season at the Fasig-Tipton July Sale next month.

Fittingly, the Triple Crown season also ended with a “what if” on the Belmont card, though not in the Triple Crown race.

Bricks And Mortar continued his undefeated season in the Grade 1 Manhattan Stakes sealing the belief that he is the best Turf horse in the US right now. While many people wondered after the race how he would fare when travelling to Europe, it is unlikely we’ll see him make the trip any time soon.

Brown has also indicated that the son of Giant’s Causeway will likely skip this autumn’s Breeders’ Cup. Possibly the only time we’ll see him take on Europeans this year is if the competition comes to him.

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The current best horse in the US on Turf is Bricks And Mortar (Giants Causeway), winner of the valuable Pegasus World Cup Turf in the winter and the Manhattan Stakes (G1) in June, a race in which trainer Chad Brown took the1-2-3s

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breeze-up sales

Times really do matter at the breeze-up sales, write Simon Rowlands and Jason Hathorn, but not to the exclusion of all other considerations

What did the clock say?

This year’s €1+ million breeze-up horse was a colt by American Pharoah, sold by Brendan “Blarney” Holland of Grove Stud to Coolmore

I

T IS OVER 40 YEARS now since the first European Breeze-Up Sale was held in Britain at Doncaster.

Since then the breezeup sales have produced thousands of winners, including at the highest level, and shrugged off an undeserved reputation for producing only sharp sorts who fail to train on.

Brando, a 2014 breeze-up graduate, won at Group 1 level

as a five-year-old and again recently as a seven-year-old, Thundering Blue was placed in the International Stakes at York and the Canadian International at Woodbine as a five-year-old last year, Dream Ahead was precocious enough to be a jointchampion two-year-old with Frankel but also trained on well enough to win a trio of Group 1s at three before making a stallion.

Breeze-Up sales have evolved

over the years in terms of how buyers approach them, also.

Stopwatches came on the scene a long time ago as the importance of measuring how fast a two-year-old ran its breeze became clearer. Sales companies helped by putting people with flags at furlong markers to indicate when horses were passing those junctures.

More recently, private timing gates have been used – there can

be around half a dozen separate sets at some sales. These breakbeam devices record times to a 1000th of a second, which is far more accurate than a human clocker could ever hope to achieve, flagman or not.

There remain real-life challenges regarding timing, though they are the sort that time analysts encounter elsewhere.

Wind and rain can affect breeze times in a variable way,

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breeze-up sales Left: The Tattersalls Craven Sale top lot, Kingman ex Shyrl. The filly fetched 850,000gns, bought by Godolphin. She was a winner on her debut at Windsor in May Below: purchaser Sam Wright broke Godolphin’s domination of the top five prices, purchasing Grove Stud’s Showcasing colt out of Patronising for 350,000gns

while courses with different topographies will result in different times for identical horses. Table 1 shows how median times at breeze-ups compared at different venues in 2018 and 2019.

It remains to be seen just how good “The Class of 2019” proves to be, but it is extremely unlikely that a typical graduate is several lengths better than 12 months earlier (Ascot, Doncaster, Newmarket), rather than simply running on a faster surface, or worse (Deauville and Goresbridge).

Deauville used a different part of the track this year and Goresbridge relocated from Gowran Park to Fairyhouse.

Those times are also affected by the precise positioning of furlong markers, though this will be allowed for when establishing stride lengths (which are calculated from stride frequency and speed) by on-the-day measurement There remains some scepticism about timing at

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Table 1: Median breeze times over 2f: 2018 & 2019 (in seconds) Sale

2018 2019

Tattersalls Ascot 24.3 23.2 GoffsUK Doncaster 23.0 21.7 Tattersalls Craven 23.1 22.4 Tattersalls Newmarket Guineas 22.7 22.3 Arqana 21.5 22.3 Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge 20.0 22.6

Table 2: Breeze times and sale price 2019 (£) Group Median Sale Price Faster-than-median 47,200 Slower-than-median 19,000

Table 3: Previous sales to breeze-up sales in 2019 (£) Previous sale Median B-Up Price More expensive-than-median 54,500 Cheaper-than-median 18,100

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It has become apparent that cadence is often notably fast at breeze-up sales and not necessarily as predictive as it is later on the racecourse breeze-ups – as someone once drily observed “there are no 2f races” – but that times are a factor is impossible to deny.

The sales are a shop window, and breezing well includes, though not exclusively, breezing fast.

The market thinks so, as can

breeze-up sales be seen from Table 2, in which lots at each sale in 2019 were placed into faster-than-median and slower-than median groups.

The former retailed at about two and a half times the latter as judged by median price.

Whether time is driving price to a large degree, to a medium degree, or to a small degree, the market is not independent of time, even if some involved would rather it were otherwise.

The GoffsUK record-breaking top lot, the filly by Siyouni sold for £450,000, below, the timing equipment in action at Doncaster

T

IMES ARE not the only indicator that are being considered in this day and age.

Stride lengths, stride frequencies and efficiency of gait are others.

We have learned plenty about the first two on British racecourses in recent years from Total Performance Data figures.

In summary, stride length is a good predictor of ability, but may easily be masked by extraneous factors, such as going and course topography, while stride frequency (or “cadence”) is easier to isolate, is associated with stamina, and possibly with suitability to different tracks and surfaces.

When every two-year-old – all 200 or so of them – are running over the same track, within an hour or two of each other, extraneous factors count for less and the significance of stride length increases again.

Sheikh Mohammed dressed for the chill Newmarket breeze

At the same time, it has become apparent that cadence is often notably fast at breezeup sales and not necessarily as predictive as it is later on the racecourse.

So, times matter, yes, as you would expect given the context in which they are found and the fact that they express athletic ability to some degree.

But they do not matter to the exclusion of everything else, and no one should be pretending otherwise.

European Breeze- Up Sale results 2019 (% change compared to 2018) Sale Tattersalls Ascot GoffsUK Doncaster Tattersalls Craven Tattersalls Newmarket Guineas Arqana Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge*

Lots sold

% sold

67 111 85 205 114 179

73 85 77 86 78 91

Average 20,552 (-14) 45,750 (+14) 121,682 (-14) 21,770 (-15) 129,798 (0) 27,992 (-5)

Median 13,000 (-18) 26,000 (+1) 85,000 (+13) 14,000 (-6) 75,000 (-6) 18,000 (+12.5)

Aggregate 1,377,000 (-3) 5,078,250 (-8) 10,343,000 (-22) 4,462,800 (-14) 14,797,000 (0) 5,010,500 (0)

*2018 sale held at Gowran Park, run by Goresbridge Sale company only

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breeze-up sales

“To say buyers are too reliant on clock to me does a disservice to their skill One other piece of information which obviously matters, and which, unlike times and striding analytics, is in the public domain, is a horse’s price at a previous sale.

The bloodstock market is not perfectly efficient, as numerous examples could illustrate. But what a person is prepared to pay for a horse is still a powerful distillation of a lot of information from someone with skin in the game.

A similar grouping exercise to fast/slow breeze-up times can be undertaken with previous sales, to be found in Table 3.

Horses with past sales, typically as a yearling, were divided into “more expensive than median” and “cheaper than median”, and the two group’s median sales price at the breezeups was established.

As can be seen, there is an even bigger effect than with breeze times, with more AndréFabre: at the Arqana breeze

expensive horses at a previous sales retailing at a fraction over three times the amount of those that were not.

If you knew nothing more about a horse than what it had been sold for previously, you

could still have a decent stab at predicting what it would be sold for at a breeze-up sale.

That carries forward from the latter environment also. A horse may breeze in an ordinary time but sell for good money,

presumably because someone has seen something – in the sectionals, the conformation, the pedigree or elsewhere – which encourages them to do so.

As Star Bloodstock, an influential player in the breeze-

Top five: Tattersalls Craven Sale 2019 (gns) Lot

Price Consignor Purchaser

1. b,f. Kingman-Shyrl

850,000

Tally-Ho Stud

Godolphin

2. b,c. Invincible Spirit-Mare Nostrum

575,000

Oak Tree Farm

Godolphin

3. ch,c. Night of Thunder-Sunset Avenue 375,000

Brown Island Stables

Godolphin

4. b,c. Shamardal-Patronising

340,000

Grove Stud

Sam Wright

5. b,c. Farhh-Anything Goes

300,000

Oak Tree Farm

Godolphin

Top five: Tattersalls Guineas Sale 2019 (gns) Sale

Price Consignor Purchaser

1. b,f. Kodiac-Peace Palace

150,000

Oaks Farm Stables

2. b,f. Sepoy-Rhythm Excel

95,000

Egmont Stud

Creighton Schwartz Blandford Bstock

3. ch,c. Lope de Vega-Myrica

75,000

Meadowview Stable

Highflyer B’stock / A King

4. ch,f. Mukhadram-Mokaraba

75,000

Longways Stables

A C Elliott /Elwick Stud

5. b,c. Cable Bay-Let Me Shine

72,000

Meadowview Stable

Richard Frisby

Top five: GoffsUK Sale 2019 (£) Sale 1. b,f. Siyouni-Fig Roll

Price Consignor 450,000

Purchaser

Longways Stables

Stroud Coleman B’stock Blandford Bstock

2. b,c. Kingman-Amarillo Starlight

230,000

Grove Stud

3. b,c. Malibu Moon-Contentious

220,000

Powerstown Stud

Karl Burke

4. b,c. Cable Bay-Alzahra

200,000

Mocklershill

Peter & Ross Doyle B’stock

5. b,c. Exceed And Excel-Nidhaal

155,000

Powerstown Stud

Blandford Bloodstock

Top five: Tattersalls Ascot 2019 (£) Sale 1. b,c. Swiss Spirit-Royal Pardon

56

Price Consignor

Purchaser

110,000

Knockanglass Stables

Jamie Osborne

2. b/br, c. Summer Front-Iboughtheranyway 85,000

Brown Island Stables

Blandford Bstock / R Hughes

3. b,c. Coach House-Koharu

85,000

Aguiar Bloodstock Ltd

Cool Silk / Stroud Coleman

4. b,f. Hot Streak-Qatar Princess

60,000

Dunsany Stables

Cool Silk / Stroud Coleman

5. gr,c. Gutaifan-Burning Dawn

60,000

Meadowview Stables

Jamie Osborne

www.internationalthoroughbred.net

breeze-up sales up market, tweeted recently: “It’s clear buyers use time as a tool amongst many; they assess pedigree, stride length/cadence, stallion power, rider & consignor track results relative to sale times.

“To say buyers are too reliant on clock to me does a disservice to their skill. Expensive slow breezers outperform” Or, in the words of Ben Goldacre’s recent book, if asked “Are the Breeze-Ups all about times?”, the correct answer is “I Think You’ll Find It’s A Bit More Complicated Than That”.

Winners to runners all breeze-up sales: 2014-2019 (to June 11, 2019) Crop

Wnrs

Rnrs

Wnrs-Rnrs (%)

2014 241 429 2015 256 509 2016 256 459 2017 267 535 2018 175 486 2019 16 57

Wins

56.2 50.3 55.8 49.9 36.0 28.1

Runs

Wins-Runs (%)

712 6,589 10.8 706 6,972 10.1 570 5,244 10.9 489 4,610 10.6 279 2,516 11.1 16 75 21.3

Top five: Tattersalls Goresbridge Sale 2019 (€) Lot

Price Consignor Purchaser

1. b,c. Lope de Vega-Legal Lyric

175,000

Oak Tree Farm

2. b,f. Kingman-Pure Excellence

165,000

Kilminfoyle House

Blandford Bstock BBA Ireland

3. b,c. Night of Thunder-Martine’s Spirit

130,000

Greenhills Farm

Michael O’Callaghan

4. gr,f. Dark Angel-Lethal Lena

125,000

Knockatrina House

Michael O’Callaghan

5. b,c. Kodiac-Alexander Youth

125,000

Tally-Ho Stud

Blandford Bstock

Top five: Arqana Sale 2019 (€) Sale 1. b,c. American Pharoah-Tare Green

Price Consignor Purchaser 1,100,000

Grove Stud

Broadhurst /MV Magnier

2. gr,f. Kingman-Serena’s Storm

800,000

Mocklershill

Godolphin

3. ch,c. Lope De Vega-Quad’s Melody

700,000

Grove Stud

David Simcock

4. b,f. Kingman-Extricate

650,000

Longways Stables

C Gordon-Watson

5. b,f. No Nay Never-Miss Azeza

575,000

Mocklershill

Kerri Radcliffe

BREEZE-UP times are not taken officially and made publicly available, for reasons best known to the sales companies, but it can be assumed that recent two-year-old debutants A’Ali and Guildsman, consigned by Star Bloodstock and Church Farm & Horse Park Stud, had impressed buyers on the clock as well as in other ways, given that they appreciated from yearling prices of £35,000 and €67,000 to £135,000 and €125,000.

The former came 9l clear of the remainder when touched off by Spartan Fighter at Ripon, recording a 102 timefigure and form rating from Timeform, and he went onto win the Norfolk Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot. The latter won by 6l at Goodwood, posting the same Timefigure and a 104-form rating. He finished third in the Coventry Stakes (G2).

After their Royal Ascot both have been given a 108p rating by Timeform behind only Arizona and Pinatubo.

They ran fast enough to impress those with cheque books at the sales, and certainly can ran fast to be Group performers.

Already there have been 24 winners from this year’s breeze-up sales. Follow the form of this year’s breeze-up graduates on www.breezeupwinners.com

www.internationalthoroughbred.net

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charlie hills

Phoenix Of Spain gives trainer Charlie Hills (inset) a second Guineas success when taking the Irish 2,000 Guineas at The Curragh under Jamie Spencer

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charlie hills

The Phoenix rises

Charlie Hills has enjoyed a fabulous start to the 2019 season, writes Graham Dench, with Classic victory in Ireland and while Royal Ascot in some respects was disappointing, the yard still collected the Royal Hunt Cup with Afaak

C

HARLIE HILLS had big shoes to fill when he took over the trainer’s licence at Lambourn’s Wetherdown House from his father Barry in 2011, but he had learned well.

He might not have made quite the flying start that some were looking for, and some years have inevitably been better than others, but 2019 has begun particularly well and a career total so far of ten Group 1 or Grade 1 wins, including two Classics, represents a haul that all but a handful of elite trainers would be happy with.

Hills Snr remains a formidable character, and there is no question he was a formidable trainer too.

A self-made man who began in racing as a groom and set himself up as a trainer on the proceeds of his successful gambling – notably through a celebrated coup on the 1968 Lincoln Handicap winner Frankincense – he won most of the races that matter most in a career spanning well over 40 years.

Bad luck dogged him in the Epsom Classics – he had four seconds in the Derby, two of them agonisingly close, and a slipped saddle cost him an Oaks – but his success elsewhere covered the full gamut, from champion sprinters to champion stayers and with the

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charlie hills

“Before the race we were just hoping Phoenix Of Spain might finish in the top four really winners of the 2,000 Guineas (two), 1,000 Guineas (two) and St Leger in between.

In total there were well over 3,000 of them, and he even had a major winner at the Cheltenham Festival.

It’s a different world now, commercially speaking in particular, and Charlie Hills, the fourth of five sons who have all forged

A happy half hour: Phoenix Of Spain (left) won in Ireland for his octogenarian owners Ann Plumber (below) and Tony Wechsler 30 minutes ahead of Battaash’s Group 2 Temple Stakes win (right)

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successful careers in racing, tends to concentrate on the speedier end of racing’s spectrum, where the fruits can be enjoyed sooner and there is a vibrant market for those that do well.

The vast majority of his best winners have been sprinters or milers and he’s proved highly adept with them.

When Phoenix Of Spain won the Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas in May he was a second Classic winner for Hills over a mile following Just The Judge in the fillies’ equivalent in 2013.

There might easily had been another but for the tragic death of that year’s Fillies’ Mile and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf winner Chriselliam the following spring.

Hills’s outstanding 5f performer Battaash has not yet received the official recognition given to stable-mate Muhaarar following a stellar 2015, but many believe his 4l defeat of Nunthorpe Stakes winner Marsha in the Prix de l’Abbaye two years ago was the equal, at least, of anything achieved by that year’s champion Harry Angel.

Hills, who was riding out for his father from the age 12 and broadened his horizons with Colin and Peter Hayes in Australia, and then with a memorable three-year spell with James Fanshawe in Newmarket, is unlikely to ever forget the half-hour on May 25 during which Phoenix Of Spain won in Ireland and Battaash bounced right back to his blistering best in the Temple Stakes at Haydock.

Looking back on the afternoon, he says he knew he had his team in great form, but he was not counting on them both winning, and certainly not in quite such style.

He says: “It was an immense day. Before the race we were just hoping Phoenix Of Spain might finish in the top four really because of the stop-start preparation he’d had which had meant he wasn’t ready for Newmarket. It was a nice surprise to see him win so comfortably.

“He’d always shown plenty and we’d always liked him, and he’s such a big horse that we felt that to do so well at two he was already punching above his weight. He’s now filled into his big frame and is showing his full potential.”

Phoenix Of Spain races for Tony Wechsler and Ann Plummer, who enjoyed success with One Word More soon after Hills started training and are now reaping the rewards of investment on a much grander scale through Howson & Houldsworth Bloodstock.

A deal was done in the winter for the Lope De Vega grey to join Invincible Spirit and company at the Irish National Stud when his

charlie hills racing days are over.

Hills, who trained last year’s Portland Handicap winner A Momentofmadness for the couple, says: “Tony and Ann have been great supporters and are wonderful people whose families are taking a great interest too.

“David Powell, of Catridge Stud, recommended me to them, and having a horse such as Phoenix Of Spain, whom they’ve leased back, is a dream come true.”

The Irish Guineas preceded Battaash’s

“I’ve never been at such ease watching Battaash, which is usually a pretty tense experience!

race by just 25 minutes that afternoon, and so when Phoenix Of Spain won Hills found himself unusually relaxed while he watched the action from Haydock, where the race was won with similar ease.

Hills says: “The pressure had been on with Phoenix Of Spain because of the problems he’d had in his preparation, and I’ve never been at such ease watching Battaash, which is usually a pretty tense experience!”

Looking back on Battaash’s rapid rise as

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charlie hills

Above, the patriarch Barry Hills, and, right, with Steve Cauthen in 1979.

The 17-year-old jockey was based with Hills for his first European season when riding for owner Robert Sangster

a three-year-old he remembers: “At two he always just wanted to get on with things and do everything at a 100 miles an hour.

“We really fancied him for the Windsor Castle, when he pretty much gave it away at the start, and although we had him cut straight away it wasn’t really happening for him until he was second in the Cornwallis at the end of that year.

“It was lucky that we kept him, but when he came back in a bit later than most the following year he was a different horse.

“I remember working him with Cotai Glory [second in the previous year’s King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot] and thinking something must be wrong with ‘Cotai’ as he made him look like a selling plater.

“Then he went and won a Listed race, a Group 3, a Group 2 and finally a Group 1, at Longchamp.”

If 2018 was less successful for Battaash, notwithstanding two more Group wins, Hills thinks he knows why.

“He’d had a hard year, and a wind

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operation that winter knocked him sideways too, as he never really thrived last year,” he recalls. “He’s thriving now though, as we saw when he won the Temple Stakes again.”

Phoenix Of Spain and Battaash are not the only ones thriving, and Hills feels the whole team are doing better now.

He can explain and says: “We’ve done a few things differently this year. We’ve changed our feed to Red Mills, and we had windows put in the barns over the winter, so that the horses can put their heads out and see what’s going on while enjoying more fresh air.

“They’ve been happy and they’ve been healthy, and the staffing has become easier too, with only four lots and some good riders.”

Expectations were high when Hills sent out his first runners, but while there was a Group 2 win at Newmarket within a month or so the first really big winner did not come until 2013. It was worth waiting for though.

Hills says: “Just The Judge was a great filly who was unbeaten as a two-yearold, including in the Rockfel, and was then second in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket before she went to The Curragh for the Irish 1,000. She was my first Group 1 winner, and it was great to do it in a Classic.”

Chriselliam came along in that same year and her top level wins at Newmarket and Santa Anita at the backend saw her crowned champion European twoyear-old filly.

The pride in what she achieved is obvious, but it is still overshadowed by a conviction that the best was still to come when she was lost.

Hills says: “Chriselliam was probably the best filly I’ve trained, and she would have been something special as a three-year-old.

Then, what started off as a bruised foot,

which is quite common, spiralled out of control.

“It was horrible and went on for quite a while, but she was incredibly tough and never went off her food.

“She gave us some unforgettable days though, and it was great to have Willie Carson as an owner, with the Aspreys and Chris Wright.”

Muhaarar was the stable’s next top flight horse, and in 2015 he did something that

charlie hills had never been done before when taking four Group 1 sprints as a three-year-old.

His career might have been very different, but for Royal Ascot’s introduction that year of the Commonwealth Cup, for he started his second season with Classic aspirations and his first step in that direction in Newbury’s Greenham Stakes had been a successful one.

Hills says: “I’m sure he would have got a mile no problem, and we had a good chat about the St James’s Palace Stakes after he finished in mid-field in the French Guineas from stall 18 of 18, but Gleneagles looked unbeatable.

“If the Commonwealth Cup hadn’t been there he would probably have run in the Jersey and then the Forêt and so on, but he had won the Gimcrack, so we knew he had speed, and we went that way instead.

“That’s where it started for him really and he just got better and better from the Commonwealth Cup, through the July Cup, the Maurice De Gheest, the British Champions Sprint and then a career at stud. He had the most amazing temperament, and he got heavier and heavier with every race.”

Ascot not to be for the big guns, but Hunt Cup win for Afaak HILLS WAS HOPING he might enjoy another hour of magic when Battaash and Phoenix Of Spain both ran next on the first day of Royal Ascot, but it did not quite work out.

Battaash went first this time in the King’s Stand Stakes, but he was drawn out on a wing with the Australian filly Houtzen in a race run on rain-softened ground.

When Houtzen stumbled leaving the stalls, he found himself further back than ideal, and with little company.

For a moment, his usual surge looked as if it might take him to the front, but in the closing stages he was always being held by Blue Point and had to settle for second once again.

Hills said: “He probably just got outstayed again. It’s got to have tested his stamina, and we got a bit detached, but he’s run a good race.”

Phoenix Of Spain under Jamie Spencer looked the one to beat in the St James’s Palace Stakes and he travelled well into the straight, but his effort petered out surprisingly quickly and he finished only sixth.

Spencer said: “I thought going to the two-pole he was going to do something big, but he was beaten in a 100 yards and so something wasn't quite right.”

Sure enough, Hills confirmed the following morning that Phoenix Of Spain was “very sore” and so would be rested before we see him again.

Hills did not have to wait long for Royal Ascot success however, last year’s runner-up Afaak taking the following day’s hugely competitive Hunt Cup on his first run of the season.

Confirmation, not that it was needed, that Hills has learned well.

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racing in china

T

HE WORD SMALL really depends where in the world you are looking from. To an ant, a mouse must seem as large as an elephant would to us, while if we look at the mouse we think it is such a tiny creatures.

For the Hong Kong Jockey Club to start its new racing venture at Conghua in China in a reported “small way” is really quite relative to its position as one of the globe’s richest racing organisations with the power that its bank balance allows it.

Yes, the crowd numbered only around 1,700 compared to the average 20,000 seen every Sunday at Sha Tin, there were only five races with 44 runners in total, while at Sha Tin there is usually an average betting handle of HK$150million per race – at the inaugural exhibition race day at Conghua, not one cent was exchanged in a gambling transaction.

To the HKJC it indeed has kicked off its latest venture – using the racecourse it has alongside its pre-training and training centre built in the Guangdong province of China, around a four-hour horsebox drive from its main hub in Sha Tin – in a small way.

However, looking at the venture from a broader perspective, it was a pretty impressive start. Horseracing is not a new thing in China, there have been meetings at Whutan and in varying regions for some time, however all have really lacked the infrastructure, knowledge, financial backing and orgnisational desire that today’s global sport requires and that the HKJC brings to the party.

Just nine years ago, the HKJC-built and managed racecourse and training centre had not (in most minds anyway) even been considered. So for it to be approved, designed, built to the very highest level in essentially a neighbouring country – incidentally one that has no background in horseracing and is run by a wary and suspicious communist government – is a pretty momentous achivement.

The training centre, in action since last August, with a number of Hong Kong-based selected trainers becoming known as “dual site trainers” with around 20 of their string based in China, by March had sent out over 50 winners from a revolving population of around 250 horses.

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Chinese spectators enjoying a new experience, the first-ever race held at Conghua in the Gungdong region of China.

Worth HK2 million, the race was won by the Sha Tin-based trainer Richard Gibson and jockey Matthew Chadwick with Nordic Warrior (below right)

racing in china

And they ‘re off!

Rain failed to dampen the spirits at the first HKJC’s race meeting at its state-of-the-art racecourse at Conghua in China Photos courtesy of HKJC

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racing in china After the success achieved by the training centre project, it was up to the inaugural race day to meet the challenges it had been set.

The Sha Tin daily racing management team swung into action, and the racecourse, with its virgin facilities and a Turf track based on Sha Tin, did not disappoint.

After first race nerves, the day just felt as an ordinary raceday should feel – with smart horses, top jockeys, and a well-run infrastructure. It really was Sha Tin from Sha Tin, a high grade start for the new project.

Left: the VIPs enjoy their day, Mrs Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, and chairman of the HKJC Dr Anthony W K Chow, wave at one of the day’s winning jockeys and trainers, while the HKJC’s chief executive officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges studies his form Right: Chad Schofield after winning the inaugural Conghua Cup Below: the 15 leading HKJC-based jockeys taking part in the day’s races were introduced to the Chinese audience

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racing in china

If a racing population is to be developed in China, it has to be earnt not expected – and a far-distant rain-sodden appreciation of the equine competitors is not enough A “practice” race day had been staged in February, with racegoers made up of the local town population; the racegoers for the main “exhibition” day in March were drawn from the wider local population in Gungdong.

A crowd limit due to various health and safety reasons topped off the audience at 3,000 and according to HKJC’s executive director Richard Cheung tickets were sold out well in advance of the day.

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Although the Chinese racegoers could not get close to the horses in the parade ring, plenty of racing-themed events were laid on for the families

The racegoers were a mix of ages and generations, with a number of families enjoying a day out in the countryside and the new entertainments. There were a number of students, both as visitors and working on the racing and horse-themed stalls.

Unfortuntely, due to the biosecurity restrictions as required by the equine disease-free zone, as well as the security measures around the Chinese VIP guests, it was imppossible for the crowd to get to the paddock to see the horses ahead of racing.

Unless this can be changed, this lack of interaction will hinder any buy-in from the local population: anyone who loves racing and is not stimulated by betting will say that it is the majesty, the prowess and the speed and energy of the horses that engaged them.

If a racing population is to be developed in China, it has to be earnt not expected – and a far-distant rainy appreciation of the equine competitors is not enough.

The enthusiasm with which the crowd welcomed the day deserves to be rewarded by getting up close and personal with the equine competitors.

The first race was a decent event worth HK$2m; it was won by trainer Richard Gibson with Nordic Warrior and was a race he had targeted for some time.

“When I was interviewed to train in Hong Kong in 2012, I said that I wanted to win

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“We have taken a lot of land here, and we wanted to express our gratitude the first race at Conghua,” said a delighted Gibson. “My owner Mr Yue is thrilled and he is very emotional. He is one of the longstanding and most respected owners in Hong Kong. It’s a wonderful, special tribute to him to come up here in his 80s today and see his colours perform and he was terribly excited before the race.

“It’s a huge Hong Kong proud moment for him as well and a great credit to him and a special tribute to a man who’s been a wonderful owner in Hong Kong.”

Gibson has not yet been selected as one of the trainers able to base horses in China.

He is hoping to rectify the HKJC’s omisison and this winner will have done his selection chances no harm at all.

First-season trainer Jimmy Ting didn’t have a runner in the opening race at Conghua but won race two on the card, the Class 5 Greater Bay Area Cup (1800m), with Dragon

Warrior (Chad Schofield) and in doing so maintained an extraordinary record.

Ting has won with his first runners at Conghua, Sha Tin and Happy Valley in a debut season which has seen him prepare 29 winners.

“I’m very happy. I don’t really know what to say about winning the first time at each track but I’m happy,” he said.

Ting, like Gibson, hopes at some point to have permanent access to the Conghua training centre. “I really hope that later I will be able to set up here as well as Sha Tin”.

Chad Scholfield rode two winners, Silvestre De Sousa (in trademark SDS style) and the young Vincent Ho kicked home one apiece.

Unfortunately even the might and power of the HKJC couldn’t control the weather and the raceday was held in persistant rainfall, the clouds climbing the region’s tummocky hills and contrary to human requirements dropping their rainy loads – all day long.

The race day was given the title “exhibition” and it appears that this was not just some tag-line used to explain away the absence of gambling for the day.

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chief executive officer of the HKJC, was very keen in the post-race media briefing to stress just how important it was to show the local Chinese government ruling body just what a race meeting is.

racing in china “We can talk all we like about racing in Hong Kong,” explained Engelbrecht-Bresges, “but to actually put the meeting on here and let the locals see that it is just entertainment; that is a different matter all together.”

And the day was also about saying thank you to the local Chinese population.

“We tave taken a lot of land here, and we wanted to express our gratitude,” he added.

The day was really all about exhibiting what horseracing is for a population that has had little exposure to the sport. It is easy to forget just how alien racing is to the Chinese masses.

The local VIPs, the very important people, were well protected in two senses: from the rain with a marquee sit-down lunch, and from any uninvited interlopers – the police and security prescence notable and, if viewed with a Western eye, quite out of proportion with requirements. One thing it did manage to achieve was keep questioning journalists out of the way The crowd were well catered for with racing-themed stalls and games: Hook A Duck became Hook A Horse, there were hatmaking stands, and a stand explaining what is what regarding racing attire for horses and their jockeys.

S

O WHAT NEXT? Despite the assumption that gambling is high on the list of wannabe goals, Engelbrecht-Bresges insists that is not imminent and would need to be a proposition that the Bejing government would be comfortable with.

And unlike for most organisations, there is no pressing need for the HKJC to focus on turning the new facility into a commercial cash cow.

The HKJC appears to be in no hurry and at present is not considering another meeting until 2020 (the visitor numbers for a second meeting are likely to be increased as the health and safety directives are met) and at present are possibly considering four or five meetings a year.

“We were chatting ahead of racing as to the path we are going to take,” revealed Engelbrecht-Bresges, “and we are considering that this could be a good place for educational races, maidens and races for horse to get handicapped. They can learn here and then ship to Sha Tin.” That might be one to get past the handicapper!

As discussed size is relative, and what most of us may consider to be a logically

It is easy to overlook just how unknown the sport of horseracing is to most Chinese

achieveable path, is likely to be eclipsed by the HKJC’s ambitions and ability to sucessfully put dynamic plans into place.

The race day was a breath of fresh air – albeit on the damp side – as the glee that welcomes racing in China and in HK and even moving onto Dubai, compared with the continuing negative discussions surrounding the role horseracing plays in Europe and the US, was enlightening, and just fun.

It is such a shame that portions of the Western world are now so removed from our sport that racing needs to justify itself over

and over and over.

With the development of technology (possibly blockchain), and a growing confidence in the HKJC by the Chinese authorities, who knows it might be possible to bet in Hong Kong and abroad on the racing at Conghua without contravening Chinese law.

But for now it is perceived and reported by the HKJC that non-betting is the way it will stay and exhibtion racing is all it will be.

It is a case of slowly, slowly catchy the Chinese racing monkey.

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brendan walsh Plus Que Parfait taking the Group 2 UAE Derby, a first international training success for his US-based trainer Brendan Walsh, a former work rider and barn manager for Godolphin

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brendan walsh

More than Perfect Daniel Ross chats with US-based, Irish-born trainer Brendan Walsh, who burst onto the international scene this spring with the UAE Derby win of Plus Que Parfait

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brendan walsh

C

ARNIVAL. FESTIVAL. PILGRIMAGE. Whichever word you pick would be a fitting way to sum up the atmosphere at Churchill Downs the week before the Kentucky Derby. The arteries of the barn area clogged with camera-ready fans hoping for a wash-rack snap. Eagle-eyed throngs lining the trackside during workouts, iPhones and stop-watches held aloft like ceremonial candles. Then there’s the race itself.

“You know the Americans, what they’re like with their big sporting events,” says Irish-born, US-based trainer Brendan Walsh, the Monday before the first Saturday in May. “They make a big hallabaloo about it all.”

Don’t read anything nefarious into the remark – it wasn’t meant to ridicule or rubbish. Rather, it was made with a sense of good-humored wonder. Understandable really, considering Walsh on that Monday afternoon, and as trainer of a Derbycontender by the name of Plus Que Parfait, was very much in the thick of it.

In the end, Plus Que Parfait ran respectably, placing eighth. But on the Monday in question, fate hadn’t yet played her hand.

“It’s just a thrill to have a horse in the race,” Walsh smiles, before planting both feet squarely on the terra firma.

“This profession turns you into the biggest pessimist in the world – you get disappointed so often you eventually teach yourself not to get too carried away,” he adds, with a circumspection that provides a glimpse into the way he sees the art of training thoroughbreds.

“The main thing, you learn not to panic. No matter what kind of horse it is, they’ve all got a level, and you’ve just got to try to have them at their very best. You’ve got to listen to them and let them tell you where they’re at.”

Yes, Walsh didn’t win the Derby this year, but his participation in the race was another rung up the career ladder for a trainer who has proven swiftly upwardly mobile since taking out a licence only eight years ago.

In 2012, he picked up four wnners, and tallied a little less than $150,000 in earnings for the year.

Cut to 2018, his win score was 53 and his wallet bulged with $3.2 million in prizemoney.

“The last few years, we’ve been lucky enough to have a handful good enough to compete at the highest level,” he says. “It’s unbelievable the way things have gone.”

And yes, Walsh didn’t win the Derby this

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A proud moment for Brendan Walsh (glasses, right of the UAE Derby winner)

year, but 2019 had already thrust the 46-yearold squarely onto the world stage, thanks to Plus Que Parfait’s stunning win in the Group 2 UAE Derby at Meydan in March.

“The whole thing with Dubai was fantastic, and it probably hasn’t sunk in yet,” says Walsh when recalling the chestnut ridgling’s

“This profession turns you into the biggest pessimist in the world – you get disappointed so often you eventually teach yourself not to get too carried away”

victory in the $2.5 million contest – what he described as “definitely the biggest thrill” of his career so far. “It would be hard to match it,” he says.

A large part of the thrill, reports Walsh, belonged to his own personal connection to Dubai. He spent nine winters there, five of them working for Godolphin, first as an exercise rider then as a barn manager.

Indeed, he’s played a part in the careers of a number of famous boys-in-blue blue-bloods, including Daylami, Street Cry, Fantastic Light, Diktat, Diffident, Kayf Tara and Cape Verdi.

In a humbling twist, however, Walsh’s success in Dubai coincided with news of his father’s terminal illness, and what would prove to be a precipitous decline. After Plus Que Parfait’s victory, Walsh returned to the US only to turn tail and immediately fly back to County Cork, Ireland to see his father one last time before he passed.

“The last conversation we had was about the race in Dubai,” says the trainer. “It was the first thing he talked about. He wasn’t doing great. We chatted away about the Kentucky Derby. At least we got to have a little chat – say goodbye.”

The speed of his father’s illness came like

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brendan walsh a bolt. “When I was out there on my own, I got to thinking and I was pretty distraught,” Walsh admits of finding out the news when in Dubai.

“And then you go out there that same evening and you win probably the biggest race of your life...” he adds, alluding to one of those cosmic paradoxes – that the blue skies of ecstasy are so often tinged with thunderclouds of heartbreak.

Indeed, Walsh can’t help but wonder how the loss of his father has coincided with an unusually rich vein of form for his stable.

“It’s unbelievable – I don’t know if it’s from God or what it is,” he ponders. “I got back from Ireland the following week, and the first day I was back to work we had a double at Keenelend. It’s like there’s someone helping you or something. And I would never be someone for that kind of stuff, you know, but it really felt like there was something.”

W

HATEVER THAT inexplicable may be, Walsh credits his upbringing in the little coastal village of Shanagarry, south-east Ireland, where his father kept a small-holding with a few dairy cows, sheep and a market garden, as being instrumental in shaping his career as a horseman.

He was introduced to horses though a bull-headed little pony on which he learned to first stay on, and then ride. Out of school, he completed stints at the Irish National Stud, as well as Sheikh Mohammed’s Kildangan Stud – the tie that connected him with Godolphin.

Despite the rarified air that Walsh breathed working for Godolphin, the two employers who had “probably the biggest influence personally” on his career were trainers Mark Wallace in Newmarket, and the US-based Eddie Kenneally.

“Even to this day, they’re both two of my closest friends, and we still hang out all the time,” he says. “I still think back and think what they would do when I’m trying to figure something out myself – I’ll even call them sometimes,” he adds.

Wallace is a “fantastic horsemen,” said Walsh. “That’s why he got to where he did as quick as he did.” During only six seasons with a licence, Wallace enjoyed a bright run of big race success, and sent out Benbaun in 2007 to win the Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye at Longchamp.

After the following year, however, Wallace handed-in his license. “It’s very, very hard at

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home to have a consistency if you don’t have the support from these huge outfits, such as Godolphin or Coolmore, and I think Mark really did well with what he had.”

Kenneally, said Walsh, is a magician at coaxing the very most out of often limited stock.

“Certain horses have certain needs, and he trains them to those needs,” explains Walsh. “And his horses always look fantastic.

Anybody who goes to the races can see they’re some of the best cared-for horses on the backside of any track, and I think he gets the best out of them.”

With a nod to his past masters, Walsh doesn’t see himself marshalling large regiments.

“It’s about being around the horses themselves and having good horse people working for you – people who can read them as well as you do. That’s why I don’t think we’re ever going to be a huge outfit,” he smiles.

That’s why, still of a morning, you’ll find Walsh exercising his horses.

“It turns into a thing where it’s almost factory-like,” he adds, about the numbers game. And among those big-number operations, sometimes “certain horses that might have turned into nice horses don’t because something’s been missed.

Sometimes it only takes one or two of the smallest details to be changed and it can turn them from being an average horse to a good horse.”

That close attention to detail, says Walsh, is a product of his father’s teachings.

“He had a great way of doing things. He always gave everything to anything he did.

He put 110 per cent into it. If it worked, it worked. If it didn’t, he didn’t beat himself up about it. He learned from it and moved onto the next thing. I think that’s a great way of approaching things.”

With his father gone, Walsh lost one of his most ardent cheerleaders – someone who followed the stable fortunes day by day, week by week. Unconditional support can be a hard thing to replace.

And yet...

“My brother made a speech at the funeral and it was fantastic, I’ve never heard anything like it. At the end of it he said our father wouldn’t want any of us to be sad, and he would just want us to be happy – just keep rolling along, keep doing our thing,” says Walsh, before pointing to the one great cosmic wonder connecting time’s voluminous threads together. “We’ve got good memories of him.”

“It’s about being around the horses themselves and having good horse people working for you – people who can read them as well as you

Plus Que Parfait working at Keeneland ahead of the Kentucky Derby.

The colt by Point Of Entry went on to finish eighth in the controversial opening race to the 2019 Triple Crown series

brendan walsh

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us classic times

1950 Middleground 02:01.6 1951 Count Turf 02:02.6 1952 Hill Gail 02:01.6 1953 Dark Star 02:02.0 1954 Determine 02:03.0 1955 Swaps 02:01.8 1956 Needles 02:03.4 1957 Iron Liege 02:02.2 1958 Tim Tam 02:05.0 1959 Tomy Lee 02:02.2 1960 Venetian Way 02:02.4 1961 Carry Back 02:04.0 1962 Decidedly 02:00.4 1963 Chateaugay 02:01.8 1964 Northern Dancer 02:00.0 1965 Lucky Debonair 02:01.2 1966 Kauai King 02:02.0 1967 Proud Clarion 02:00.6 1968 Forward Pass[c] 02:02.2 1969 Majestic Prince 02:01.8 1970 Dust Commander 02:03.4 1971 Canonero II 02:03.2 1972 Riva Ridge 02:01.8 1973 Secretariat 01:59.4 1974 Cannonade 02:04.0 1975 Foolish Pleasure 02:02.0 1976 Bold Forbes 02:01.6 1977 Seattle Slew 02:02.2 1978 Affirmed 02:01.2 1979 Spectacular Bid 02:02.4 1980 Genuine Risk 02:02.0 1981 Pleasant Colony 02:02.0 1982 Gato Del Sol 02:02.4 1983 Sunny’s Halo 02:02.2 1984 Swale 02:02.4 1985 Spend A Buck 02:00.2 1986 Ferdinand 02:02.8 1987 Alysheba 02:03.4 1988 Winning Colors 02:02.2 1989 Sunday Silence 02:05.0 1990 Unbridled 02:02.0 1991 Strike the Gold 02:03.0 1992 Lil E. Tee 02:03.0 1993 Sea Hero 02:02.4 1994 Go for Gin 02:03.6 1995 Thunder Gulch 02:01.2 1996 Grindstone 02:01.0 1997 Silver Charm 02:02.4 1998 Real Quiet 02:02.2 1999 Charismatic 02:03.2 2000 Fusaichi Pegasus 02:01.0 2001 Monarchos 02:00.0 2002 War Emblem 02:01.1 2003 Funny Cide 02:01.2 2004 Smarty Jones 02:04.1 2005 Giacomo 02:02.8 2006 Barbaro 02:01.4 2007 Street Sense 02:02.2 2008 Big Brown 02:01.8 2009 Mine That Bird 02:02.7 2010 Super Saver 02:04.5 2011 Animal Kingdom 02:02.0 2012 I’ll Have Another 02:01.8 2013 Orb 02:02.9 2014 California Chrome 02:03.7 2015 American Pharoah 02:03.0 2016 Nyquist 02:01.3 2017 Always Dreaming Wet 02:03.6 2018 Justify 02:04.2 2019 Country House[b] 02:03.9 1950 Middleground 02:01.6 1951 Count Turf 02:02.6 1952 Hill Gail 02:01.6 1953 Dark Star 02:02.0 1954 Determine 02:03.0 1955 Swaps 02:01.8 1956 Needles 02:03.4 1957 Iron Liege 02:02.2 1958 Tim Tam 02:05.0 1959 Tomy Lee 02:02.2 1960 Venetian Way 02:02.4 1961 Carry Back 02:04.0 1962 Decidedly 02:00.4 1963 Chateaugay 02:01.8 1964 Northern Dancer 02:00.0 1965 Lucky Debonair 02:01.2 1966 Kauai King 02:02.0 1967 Proud Clarion 02:00.6 1968 Forward Pass[c] 02:02.2 1969 Majestic Prince 02:01.8 1970 Dust Commander 02:03.4 1971 Canonero II 02:03.2 1972 Riva Ridge 02:01.8 1973 Secretariat 01:59.4 1974 Cannonade 02:04.0 1975 Foolish Pleasure 02:02.0 1976 Bold Forbes 02:01.6 1977 Seattle Slew 02:02.2 1978 Affirmed 02:01.2 1979 Spectacular Bid 02:02.4 1980 Genuine Risk 02:02.0 1981 Pleasant Colony 02:02.0 1982 Gato Del Sol 02:02.4 1983 Sunny’s Halo 02:02.2 1984 Swale 02:02.4 1985 Spend A Buck 02:00.2 1986 Ferdinand 02:02.8 1987 Alysheba 02:03.4 1988 Winning Colors 02:02.2 1989 Sunday Silence 02:05.0 1990 Unbridled 02:02.0 1991 Strike the Gold 02:03.0 1992 Lil E. Tee 02:03.0 1993 Sea Hero 02:02.4 1994 Go for Gin 02:03.6 1995 Thunder Gulch 02:01.2 1996 Grindstone 02:01.0 1997 Silver Charm 02:02.4 1998 Real Quiet 02:02.2 1999 Charismatic 02:03.2 2000 Fusaichi Pegasus 02:01.0 2001 Monarchos 02:00.0 2002 War Emblem 02:01.1 2003 Funny Cide 02:01.2 2004 Smarty Jones 02:04.1 2005 Giacomo 02:02.8 2006 Barbaro 02:01.4 2007 Street Sense 02:02.2 2008 Big Brown 02:01.8 2009 Mine That Bird 02:02.7 2010 Super Saver 02:04.5 2011 Animal Kingdom 02:02.0 2012 I’ll Have Another 02:01.8 2013 Orb 02:02.9 2014 California Chrome 02:03.7 2015 American Pharoah 02:03.0 2016 Nyquist 02:01.3 2017 Always Dreaming Wet 02:03.6 2018 Justify 02:04.2 2019 Country House[b] 02:03.9 1950 Middleground 02:01.6 1951 Count Turf 02:02.6 1952 Hill Gail 02:01.6 1953 Dark Star 02:02.0 1954 Determine 02:03.0 1955 Swaps 02:01.8 1956 Needles 02:03.4 1957 Iron Liege 02:02.2 1958 Tim Tam 02:05.0 1959 Tomy Lee 02:02.2 1960 Venetian Way 02:02.4 1961 Carry Back 02:04.0 1962 Decidedly 02:00.4 1963 Chateaugay 02:01.8 1964 Northern Dancer 02:00.0 1965 Lucky Debonair 02:01.2 1966 Kauai King 02:02.0 1967 Proud Clarion 02:00.6 1968 Forward Pass[c] 02:02.2 1969 Majestic Prince 02:01.8 1970 Dust Commander 02:03.4 1971 Canonero II 02:03.2 1972 Riva Ridge 02:01.8 1973 Secretariat 01:59.4 1974 Cannonade 02:04.0 1975 Foolish Pleasure 02:02.0 1976 Bold Forbes 02:01.6 1977 Seattle Slew 02:02.2 1978 Affirmed 02:01.2 1979 Spectacular Bid 02:02.4 1980 Genuine Risk 02:02.0 1981 Pleasant Colony 02:02.0 1982 Gato Del Sol 02:02.4 1983 Sunny’s Halo 02:02.2 1984 Swale 02:02.4 1985 Spend A Buck 02:00.2 1986 Ferdinand 02:02.8 1987 Alysheba 02:03.4 1988 Winning Colors 02:02.2 1989 Sunday Silence 02:05.0 1990 Unbridled 02:02.0 1991 Strike the Gold 02:03.0 1992 Lil E. Tee 02:03.0 1993 Sea Hero 02:02.4 1994 Go for Gin 02:03.6 1995 Thunder Gulch 02:01.2 1996 Grindstone 02:01.0 1997 Silver Charm 02:02.4 1998 Real Quiet 02:02.2 1999 Charismatic 02:03.2 2000 Fusaichi Pegasus 02:01.0 2001 Monarchos 02:00.0 2002 War Emblem 02:01.1 2003 Funny Cide 02:01.2 2004 Smarty Jones 02:04.1 2005 Giacomo 02:02.8 2006 Barbaro 02:01.4 2007 Street Sense 02:02.2 2008 Big Brown 02:01.8 2009 Mine That Bird 02:02.7 2010 Super Saver 02:04.5 2011 Animal Kingdom 02:02.0 2012 I’ll Have Another 02:01.8 2013 Orb 02:02.9 2014 California Chrome 02:03.7 2015 American Pharoah 02:03.0

us classic times

Are US Classic races getting slower?

L

EADING RACEHORSE OWNER Bjorn Nielsen raised an interesting point in his interview with International Thoroughbred last autumn when positing that US horses are no longer being bred for a “trip”, and causing what passes for staying races in the US to be getting slower and worse.

This is a tricky proposition to prove, one way or the other, but it is certainly possible to try. This particular overview will concentrate on the US Triple Crown races over the years and consider the average speeds and closing sectionals of those races.

Neither the Kentucky Derby (1m2f), the Preakness Stakes (9.5f) or the Belmont Stakes (1m4f) would be considered stamina tests

Last autumn, owner-breeder Bjorn Nielsen discussed whether the US Classic races are getting slower because horses are not being bred for middle-distances.

Time man Simon Rowlands puts the theory to the test

by European standards, and do not even approach the 2m4f of the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot which Nielsen’s outstanding stayer Stradivarius has now won twice.

But those distances are all in the most extreme one per cent across the US racing calendar with the Belmont Stakes being one of approximately 0.25 per cent of races run over 1m4f or further. Incidentally, 6f races are the most common, at just over 25 per cent.

A study by Mark Denny in the Journal of Experimental Biology in 2008 (“Limits to running speeds in dogs, horses and humans”) unwittingly highlighted some of the problems associated with using times and Triple Crown races to measure such things.

For instance, an adjustment needs to be made to times in the non-electronic era,

Average speeds (mph) of US Triple Crown winners: 1960s to 2010s 37.5 37.0 36.5 36.0 35.5

Kentucky Derby

Preakness Stakes

Belmont Stakes

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us classic times run-ups (the untimed part of the race at the beginning) may vary in duration, and it is at least questionable to assume that track speed and race quality has been unchanging.

Nonetheless, while keeping those caveats in mind, certain trends can be observed. The table and graph overleaf gives the average speeds for the winners of each of the three races in recent decades.

The average speed of winners of the Kentucky Derby in the 2010s so far is the slowest by-decade since the 1940s, while for winners of the Preakness it is the slowest since the 1960s and the Belmont (run at Aqueduct from 1963 to 1967, which was ignored) is the slowest since the 1940s also.

The average by-decade speeds of the Triple Crown races combined were consistently at around 36.75mph from the 1970s to the 2000s inclusive, but has now dipped to to 36.48mph.

That may not seem like much difference, but it translates into more than half a length per-furlong, or more than 5l in total over the Kentucky Derby distance and more than six over the Belmont’s longer trip.

I

NCIDENTALLY, the above figures change a relatively negligible amount if surfaces described officially as “sloppy” are excluded.

Intrigued, I decided to look a bit deeper at the closing sectionals – if horses are running out of stamina in longerdistance races, you might expect it to be most obvious at the business end.

Unfortunately, due its peculiar overall distance closing sectionals for the Preakness are not directly comparable to the other two races, while sectionals for the Belmont were erratic prior to 1999.

Nonetheless, the average time of the final 2f of the Belmont increased from 25.65s in

... an average leader in the Kentucky Derby in the last nine years would get to the top of the straight about two and a half lengths behind an average leader in the preceding decade, but from there would lose another 4l the 2000s to 25.86s in the current decade.

In proportional terms, that is quite a sizeable difference for what is only the final one-sixth of the race.

The figures for the Kentucky Derby are even starker: the average final 2f in the 1990s was 25.71s, dropping to 25.37s in the 2000s, then increasing markedly to 26.17s in the current decade.

Most recent finishes of Kentucky Derbys have been slow-motion affairs.

To frame it in different terms, an average leader in the Kentucky Derby in the last ten years would get to the entrance of the straight about two and a half lengths behind an average leader in the preceding decade, but from there it would lose another 4l.

Average speeds of the winners of the US Triple Crown races by decade (mph) Decade

Kentucky Derby

Preakness Stakes

Belmont Stakes

2010s 36.56 36.74

36.15

2000s

36.95

37.07

36.35

1990s

36.67

37.13

36.35

1980s

36.64

37.16

36.44

1970s

36.76

37.16

36.44

1960s

36.92

36.64

36.23

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There are some complicating matters which need to be acknowledged, though one of the strengths of averages is that these things tend to come out in the wash providing the data is reasonably normally distributed, which it is.

Slow finishes can be down to an overlystrong pace earlier, while fast finishes may result from the opposite. There is a ready way of contextualising this – the finishing-speed per cent measure.

This expresses a horse’s or a race’s speed at the end as a percentage of the speed for the horse or race overall.

A figure over 100 indicates that the finish was faster than what preceded it, a figure under 100 indicates the opposite. Due to various factors “par” is around 96.5 per cent for the Kentucky Derby and Belmont.

American Pharoah in the 2015 Belmont was able to set a steady pace and come home in an electric 24.32s and 100.5 per cent finishing speed.

By contrast, they went much too fast early in the 2013 Belmont, won by Palace Malice, and completed the last quarter in a painfully slow 27.58s (91.1 per cent finishing speed). The implied surface speed was almost identical both times on my figures.

Every finish of the Kentucky Derby since 2011 has been slower than that 96.5 per cent par in finishing-speed terms, though this year’s race – “won” by Maximum Security then awarded to Country House – was only fractionally so (96.4 per cent). All Belmonts, besides the two mentioned above, have been close to par, with the latest, won by Sir Winston, completing in 96.6 per cent.

In conclusion, it is possible to answer the question posed at the outset with varying degrees of confidence.

Have elite US horses got slower, as judged by the times of the Triple Crown races? The answer is “yes, but it is a recent phenomenon”.

Does that indicate a lack of stamina, or something else? Those closing sectionals are persuasive in suggesting that more horses are running on empty at the end than previously, so quite probably, yes.

Is that, as Nielsen suggested, down to breeding considerations? It is difficult to say, but breeding is, at the least, a “person of interest” in this investigation.

Are US horses simply running out of stamina? “It has to be said it looks that way, though time will tell whether or not that is temporary or permanent.”

It will be interesting to see what coming years and decades reveal!

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It’s a competitive market place: be in control of your stallion’s profile

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mare of the month

Mare of the month Photo courtesy of Lanwades Stud

Above, Leaderene at Lanwades Srud with her first foal, the young Le Don De Vie. Below, now a three-year-old, the son of Leroidesanimaux won the 1m2f handicap at the Derby meeting by four and a half lengths and his new connectinos have an Australian campaign in mind

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T

HE DUAL 2019 Epsom winner Le Don De Vie is representative of the internationalism of today’s bloodstock and racing industries.

The gelding, trained in Kingsclere, Hampshire for Mick and Janice Mariscotti, was sold at the Goffs London Sale for £460,000, bought

by Howson, Houldsworth alongside Group Bloodstock on behalf of Aziz “Ozzie” Kheir – British-based agents working with Australian agents and an Australian-based businessman and owner.

For the time being the horse is to remain in the south of England – moving over the M4 from Kingsclere to East Illsley in Berkshire.

He will be trained by Hughie Morrison until a decision is made to ship him Down Under for a Melbourne Cup programme He is by Leroidesanimaux, a son of Candy Stripes, who began his racing career in Brazil, then raced in the US and Canada before retiring to stud in Kentucky. He stood at Stonewall Stud in the Blue Grass state for five years, moved to the farm’s Florida division for three and in 2015 transferred to Lanwades in Newmarket.

The farm, owned by the Swedish-born Kirsten Rausing, decided to send her own

mare of the month

Leaderene Selkirk-La Felicita (Shareef Dancer)

mare Leaderene, who hails from serious Classic German bloodlines, to visit her new stallion in his first season standing in Britain.

“She is quite ‘Selkirky’,” explains Rausing of her covering decision. “She is a fine, big 17hh, raw-boned mare with a real Selkirk head. Le Don De Vei takes after the sire – he is neat and tidy and suited the mare.”

Rausing bred Leaderene out of the privately purchased La Felicita, a winning daughter of Shareef Dancer and dam of the German 2008 champion three-year-old Lady Marian.

“I buy a mare once every 15 years and most of them disappear without leaving any discernable trace!” smiles Rausing. “I had known the family a long time, back to the 1980s and to La Colorada, the dam of Lomitas. He was bred by Gestüt Fährhof and was by Niniski, whom we stood, so I followed the progress of the pedigree for some time.

“The opportunity arose to buy La Felicita, and it is still a recognisable family – there are so few around now, those pedigrees developed by owner-breeders are disappearing.”

La Felcitia was purchased with a Lawman covering, and produced Leaderene by Selkirk from her first Lanwades-based mating.

“Leaderene went into training with Mark Johnston and was promising as a two-year-

“I buy a mare once every 15 years and most of them disappear without leaving any discernable trace!” old, but disappointed in each race,” Rausing recalls, “but she progressed to win four races at three and two as a four-year-old. She is a very genuine person.

“She ran carrying Le Don De Vie – she flourished from being pregnant. She won twice and even ran on her last permitted day.”

Le Don De Vie arrived the following April, and impressed his breeder from the start.

“I loved him as a foal, he always had great presence, he had good temperament and though he could be on the sharp side, he was willing – he took after his dam.”

Rausing sells all the colts bred on the

farm and Le Don De Vie made his way to the Tattersalls October Book 2 Sale. He was purchased by trainer Andrew Balding for 50,000gns.

Balding sold him in-house to the Mariscottis, and the colt went some way to proving his potential first time out as a juvenile when third at Newmarket over a mile behind the John Gosden-trained Sea The Stars colt Waldstern.

In September he was fifth to Godolphin’s Group 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Line Of Duty at Goodwood and then third last time out over 1m2f at Chelmsford.

This year he has had two starts at Epsom over a mile and half a furlong and 1m2f. He has won both starts – the last by four and a half lengths and off a BHA mark of 86. He is now rated 96, and although he was sold at the Goffs London Sale with a Royal Ascot entry, Morrison and the new owners did not take up the opportunity.

It is a fine start for Leaderene’s breeding career and with the promise of much more to come from her first runner.

She has a Golden Horn yearling colt who will be sold this autumn, and a filly foal by Sir Percy. She was covered by Awtaad this spring.

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photo of the month: King Power Racing’s Royal Ascot victory

Ozwald Boateng (left) presents Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha with the prize for Cleonte’s Queen Alexandra Stakes success. They are alongside King Power’s retained jockey Silvestre De Sousa and main trainer Andrew Balding. The photo on the table is of the Chairman, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, tragically killed in a helicopter accident last October. He started King Power Racing in 2017 and loved Ascot

K

ING POWER RACING’S BEAT THE BANK was just touched off in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes, the opening race of Royal Ascot week, and after a few near misses through the next four days, it was the last race on the last day that produced the much-desired victory, Cleonte (7/2) taking the Queen Alexandra by a length and a half from last year’s winner, Pallasator.

It was King Power Racing’s first Royal Ascot success, a poignant moment as Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who began King Power Racing in 2017, was tragically killed in a helicopter accident when leaving Leicester City Football Club on October 27, 2018.

As Royal Ascot was very important to Srivaddhanaprabha, and began his interests in racing, this winner was hugely emotional for the team; his son Aiyawatt now fully involved in managing the equine empire, which now numbers around 90.

Andrew Balding is the main trainer for King Power so it was fitting that the Kingsclere trainer provided the first winner for King Power.

“We thought at the beginning of the week that he was one of our better chances – we have just had some near misses for King Power – it seems a long time ago since Beat The Bank was beaten on the first race of the meeting!” laughed Balding.

“It is just a thrill for the family as it has been a real journey over the

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last 12 months. Silvestre gave this horse such a great ride. This was always the target after Chester, and I think a race like the Lonsdale might be the next.

“Ascot is a significant place for the family, they have a house near here and the Chairman’s passion for racing was coming to Ascot – he loved Ascot and this is what ignited his interest. He would be so proud.”

Of Beat The Bank, Balding added: “He has come out of the Queen Anne well, and on reflection I think the Sussex might be next.”

King Power’s racing manager Alastair Donald added: “It feels like winning five Group 1s! We’ve been hitting the post all week, we’ve just not had the run of luck though they have been running well.

“I think during the race, his son and the group put a photo of the Chairman on the table – it is all quite emotional.”

Cleonte is a six-year-old son of Sir Percy, bred by Societe Civile Ecurie De Meautry. He joined the Balding stable in 2016 from André Fabre after placing in Group 3s and winning at Listed level in France.

He joined the King Power string in the spring, one of the three original horses purchased alongside Beat The Bank and Doujuan Triumphant running ninth in the Ascot Stakes over 2m4f at Royal Ascot and then winning the 2m Shergar Cup Stayers at Ascot. Cleonte is now BHA rated 105.

LE HAVRE

OVER 50 STAKES PERFORMERS PLATANE Gr.3 Prix Vanteaux

ROMAN CANDLE

© Agence G / Scoopdyga

INCLUDING 14 IN 2019!

Gr.2 Prix Greffulhe

COMMES PLATANE

2nd Gr.1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches Prix Vanteaux Gr.3

OLENDON 2nd Gr.1 Prix Saint Alary Sylvain VIDAL • +33 (0)6 20 99 10 15 I Mathieu ALEX • +33 (0)6 26 59 19 18

ARIZONA, bred by Stephen Sullivan, won the Coventry Stakes-Gr.2 at Royal Ascot on 18th June.

to see him campaigned in some of the top “ Expect 2yo races from here on in, but he promises to make

9

“

an even better 3yo.

RACING POST

first crop SW’s including TEN SOVEREIGNS (Middle Park S.-Gr.1), LAND FORCE (Richmond S.-Gr.2) etc.

LEADING EUROPEAN 2ND CROP SIRES

Prix Morny-Gr.1 and record-breaking Norfolk Stakes-Gr.2 winner by SCAT DADDY

RK STALLION

SH

SW

1 NO NAY NEVER 2 Kingman

19 14

10 8 TO 23RD JUNE

SOUTHERN HILLS won the Windsor Castle Stakes-L.R. on 19th June.

Hills is a fast horse. These Gleneagles “ Southern are fast and brave, those are the two traits his

“

stock seem to have.

Aidan O’Brien, RACING POST

Also at Royal Ascot... Highland Chief was third in the Chesham Stakes-L.R.

Champion 2YO & European Champion 3YO Miler by GALILEO Out of an own-sister to GIANT’S CAUSEWAY

Contact: Coolmore Stud, Fethard, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, Ireland. Tel: 052-6131298. Fax: 052-6131382. Christy Grassick, David O’Loughlin, Eddie Fitzpatrick, Tim Corballis, Maurice Moloney, Gerry Aherne, Jason Walsh, Tom Miller, Neil Magee or Hermine Bastide. Tom Gaffney, David Magnier, Joe Hernon, John Kennedy or Cathal Murphy: 025-31966/31689. Kevin Buckley (UK Rep.) +44-7827-795156.

E-mail: sales@coolmore.ie Website: www.coolmore.com All stallions nominated to EBF.