The best of days

Qipco British Champions Day was a triumph for jockeys Tom Marquand and Hollie Doyle, but it was a brilliant day for sire Pivotal too, writes Aisling Crowe

THE GROUP 1 ACTION On QIPCO British Champions Day was dominated by Cheveley Park Stud’s remarkable Pivotal, who featured in the pedigrees of three of the winners and in those belonging to some of the placed horses too.

In fact, Marie D’Argonne, dam of Pivotal’s sire Polar Falcon, had genetic input into the winners of all four Group 1 winners at Ascot as her grandson Le Havre sired Wonderful Tonight, winner of the Fillies and Mares Stakes.

Glen Shiel, who provided Hollie Doyle and Archie Watson with their breakthrough winner at the highest level with his thrilling success in the Group 1 Champions Sprint, became the 32nd Group 1 winner sired by Pivotal.

The 27-year-old kingpin is also the sire of Brando, who was a nose behind Glen Shiel in second and already a Group 1 winner, while Pivotal is the broodmare sire of the third-placed One Master, who completed an historic hat-trick of successes in the Group 1 Prix de la Forêt at Longchamp just 13 days previously.

The winner is a six-year-old gelding and related to another of Pivotal’s Group 1 winners, the 2013 Champion Stakes winner Farhh, who has carved out a successful career as a stallion for Darley despite fertility issues. It has certainly been a lucky meeting for the equine family – his son King Of Change won the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Champions’ Day 2019.

Chris Richardson, managing director of Cheveley Park Stud, reflected on another significant day for the Group 1 winner and brilliant sire Pivotal: “Many of his stock prefer some ease in the ground as highlighted again today, there are many of his stock that are still running although they may be slightly of an age but Pivotal produces fantastically sound, reliable beautifully well-bred and balanced horses.

“It has been so exciting to be part of it and for the moment it’s not over yet.

“It’s quite something, it has exceeded all expectations not only for ourselves but for the industry as a whole.

“When you think of the fact that we were lucky enough to have five or six colts from the first crop of Polar Falcon and fortunately we decided to keep Pivotal and race him – the rest were all offered as part of the policy to offer the colts. It was a great relief that we did keep him!”

“Pivotal produces fantastically sound, reliable beautifully well-bred and balanced horses

Glen Shiel hails from the family of Group 1 winner and sire Fame And Glory and was bred by Darley out of the Group 3 Princess Elizabeth Stakes winner Gonfilia, who is a daughter of Big Shuffle.

Her sire stood at Gestüt Auenquelle but was bred and raced by Moyglare Stud and was placed in both the July Cup and Prix de l’Abbaye (G1).

Gonfilia, who died two years’ ago at the age of 18, was bred by Auenquelle and is out of Gonfalon, who was bred by Lord Howard de Walden out of his Derby winner Slip Anchor.

She is a full-sister to the Group 3 Grosser Preis der Dortmunder Wirtschaft winner Gonlargo and a half-sister to the Lando mare Gonbarda, winner of the Preis von Europa and Deutschland Preis, both Group 1 races.

Gonbarda is the dam of Farhh, who also won the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes in 2013, and of Group 3 Winter Hill Stakes winner and Group 1-placed Racing History, a fullbrother to Farhh.

Second dam Gonfalon is a half-sister to Gryada, dam of Fame And Glory and second dam of the triple Group 1 winner Legatissimo. Third dam Grimpola won the Group 2 Schwarzgold-Rennen (German 1,000 Guineas).

We featured the Archie Watson, Hollie Doyle and bloodstock agent Tom Biggs team in last month’s issue after Glen Shiel picked up his Group 1 second at Haydock. At Ascot the trio got the result they were looking for and all three became first-time Group 1 winners in the Champions Sprint

Glen Shiel was trained by Andre Fabré for Godolphin and won the Listed Prix le Fabuleux over 1m1f at Chantilly. He was sold at last year’s Goffs UK Spring Horses In Training Sale to Blandford Bloodstock for £45,000 and runs in the colours of Hambleton Racing Xxxvi and Partner.

Justified win for Addeybb

Addeybb, victorious in the Group 1 Champion Stakes, was the second Group 1 winner on Champions’ Day for Pivotal and the second from his 2014 crop after Glen Shiel.

Trained by William Haggas for Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum, Addeybb had finished second to Magical in the 2019 running before travelling to Australia for Sydney’s Autumn Carnival and winning two Group 1 contests, in which he beat Verry Elleegant who won the Group 1 Caulfield Cup hours before Addeybb’s Ascot triumph.

Champions’ Day continued a thread that has run through the entire season with older horses dominating the Group 1 contests through the likes of Battaash, Enable and Stradivarius.

Three of the four Group 1 races on Champions’ Day were won by five or sixyear-olds and William Haggas, who trains One Master, spoke about career longevity in his post-race comments.

“It has been quite interesting,”said Haggas. “I said after six-year-old One Master won the Forêt for a third time that, if you can keep them happy, sound and not abuse them when they are young, they will reward you when they are older.

“This is exactly what she has done. Look at today – the QEII winner is five, the Sprint winner is six – if they are sound, healthy and keep their enthusiasm, which she has done, then they can enjoy life. I think that was her best-ever performance at the age of six.”

Addeybb was bred by Rabbah Bloodstock and sold by Genesis Green Stud to Shadwell for 100,000gns at the 2015 Tattersalls October Book 2 Yearling Sale.

He is a half-brother to the Grade 3 Generous Stakes third Meer Kat and is out of Bush Cat, a Kingmambo half-sister to stakes winners Busha’ and Rip N Run.

Wonderful Tonight (left) backed up her Group 1 Prix de Royallieu win on Arc weekend in the Fillies and Mares. Four of sire Le Havre’s five Group 1 winners are females

Bush Cat’s dam Arbusha is a daughter of Danzig and won the Schwarzgold Rennen, making her the second winner of that German Classic to feature in the pedigree of a Group 1 winner on Champions Day.

Arbusha is a half-sister to Group 2 Goldene Peitsche winner Nicholas and to the dam of Irish St Leger and Gran Premio di Milano (G1) winner, Strategic Choice.

Bush Cat was sold to Paul Nataf for €31,000 at Goffs February 2015 Sale. She now has a three-year-old-winning Lawman filly named Wild Spirit trained by Frederic Rossi, while her two-year-old Literato colt is in training with Andrea Marcialis.

She has a Dream Ahead yearling filly, who was unsold at the Arqana Select Yearling Sale in September.

Pivotal is also the broodmare sire of the so-consistent Magical, winner of last year’s race who stayed on to claim third, and Roseman, who was second in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

Pivotal has been champion broodmare sire in Great Britain and Ireland for the last three seasons, a feat matched only by St Simon and Sadler’s Wells since the start of the 20th century.

He was also the European Champion Broodmare Sire last season and the success of Pivotal’s daughters is an aspect of his career that has provided David and Patricia Thompson with great satisfaction, according to Richardson.

“He just continues to produce fantastic racehorses that provide a huge amount of pleasure at the top level and broodmares who have foaled the likes of Magical, Advertise and Veracious, so it’s a dream come true and something that Mr and Mrs Thompson are so thrilled and excited about.”

The Revenant a 44th top level winner for Dubawi

The Revenant won the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes under jockey Pierre-Charles Boudot and for trainer Henri-Francis Graffard

By Dubawi, and the 44th winner of a Group 1 race by Darley’s flagship stallion, he was the day’s third Group 1 winner connected to Pivotal. Al Asayl Bloodstock’s home-bred winner is out of Hazel Lavery, a daughter of Excellent Art, who is a son of Pivotal and a winner of the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes in 2007.

Hazel Lavery won the Group 3 St Simon Stakes for Charlie Hills. She has a two-year-old Oasis Dream filly named La Viette, who is in the same training yard as her older half-brother, and she foaled a filly by Saxon Warrior in the spring. She returned to The Revenant’s sire Dubawi this year.

The Revenant was second to King Of Change in the 2019 renewal of this race, and warmed up for his crowning glory at Ascot with a second successive victory in the Group 2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein at ParisLongchamp on Arc weekend.

The Revenant and Pierre-Charles Boudot

Marie D’Argonne rules the roost

Pivotal himself had no direct input into the success of Wonderful Tonight in the Group 1 British Champions’ Fillies And Mares Stakes, but winning sire Le Havre is from the family of Pivotal’s sire Polar Falcon.

The Haras de Montfort et Preaux’s Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club stallion is out of a half-sister to Polar Falcon, giving his second dam Marie D’Argonne a starring role in yet another Group 1 winner’s pedigree.

Bred by Ecurie la Cauviniere, the former name for Montfort et Preaux, and bought by owner Chris Wright for €40,000 at Arqana’s August Yearling Sale from Coulonces Sales, the three-year-old Wonderful Tonight is one of five Group 1 winners now for Le Havre. Three are out of a mare by a son or grandson of Sadler’s Wells.

Le Havre is still only 14 with his most expensively bred crops just hitting the track so his future would seem bright

Wonderful Tonight is out of the Montjeu mare Salvation, who has produced four winners from four runners, including the multiple Listed-placed Penjade, but the dual Group 1 winner Wonderful Tonight, the second Champions Day winner to also be successful on Arc weekend, is the best so far.

Salvation is a half-sister to the Group 3 Providencia Stakes winner Hostess, and to Il Paparazzi (Royal Applause), who was third in the Group 3 Acomb Stakes, and to the Paco Boy gelding Mr Garcia. He has twice been Listed-placed in Australia.

Wonderful Tonight’s second dam Birdie (Alhaarth) won the Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial and is half-sister to the Listed winner Faru, and to Fickle, the Listed-winning second dam of leading young sire Camelot.

Salvation’s two-year-old full-sister to Wonderful Tonight is named Chuppy and is in training with Pascal Bary.

She has a yearling colt and a filly foal by the Acomb Stakes winner Recorder, who stands alongside Le Havre. The colt, from the sire’s first crop, was sold at Arqana’s October Yearling Sale for €70,000.

Le Havre is still only 14 with his most expensively bred crops just hitting the track so his future would seem bright.

As for Pivotal’s future as a stallion, nothing has been decided as yet, and it will be up to the great chesnut himself to decide if he should bow out in the spring.

“He covered 30 mares this year and got 15 in-foal, he covered 54 mares last year but whether he will cover anything next year we haven’t decided yet,” said Richardson.

“He will tell us in February if it is something he is going to be capable of doing, we don’t know but at the age of 28 it would probably be highly unusual.”