Month: June 2023

Churchill’s Blue Rose Cen Completes Rare Treble In The Diane

As Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}–Queen Blossom {Ire}, by Jeremy) dominated the final 300 metres of Sunday's G1 Prix de Diane Longines, there was time for collective appreciation of the arrival of a new starlet for France. In pounding her peers in Chantilly's 10 1/2-furlong Classic by upwards of four lengths, the early gift from the racing gods to Leopoldo Fernández Pujals's fledgling breeding operation entered revered territory as only the fourth to add this prize to the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac and G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches. Doing so in a time second only to that of the great Treve (Fr) (Motivator {GB}), the unstoppable homebred pulled off the treble that places her in French racing's own Sacré-Cœur. Whether anybody truly believed beforehand that Christopher Head's versatile, straightforward and fearless filly was in the same league as the country's past queens Allez France, Divine Proportions and Zarkava (Ire) is questionable, but following this rampage it is a debate with legs.

Granted, she had the ideal draw in one and an almost acting bodyguard in stablemate Wise Girl (Fr) (Recoletos {Fr}) to her left throughout the all-important early hustling stages of this race, but when push came to shove from the top of the straight the 16-5 favourite was all business once again. For a brief period passing the two pole, Ryan Moore looked as if he might make a fight of it on Never Ending Story (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) but that threat was quickly extinguished as Aurelien Lemaitre disappeared into the distance. At the end of a renewal that had looked so strong on paper beforehand, there were notable disappointments such as the 10-3 second favourite Jannah Rose (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) who never entered contention and wound up sixth, but one dominant force whose hogging of all the headlines was throroughly deserved.

With this Spring being a momentous and emotive time for the distinguished Head dynasty, it was even more fitting that Blue Rose Cen was to achieve her landmark 10 years on from the last of the family's Diane winners, the aforementioned Treve. For Christopher, it was a difficult thing to summarise. “I have a lot of thoughts for my grandparents today and I really hope they are looking down on this,” he said. “Blue Rose Cen is magical. Really. She changed my life. I see no imperfection in her–she is perfect overall, strong physically and with a strong mind. She runs with passion.”

Looking nothing like the group 1 star she has turned out to be when well beaten on her debut, ironically at this venue over an inadequate six furlongs last May, Blue Rose Cen spent the next two months building towards a black-type bow with wins at Saint-Cloud and Clairefontaine but met one marginally too good when the time came in Deauville's Listed Criterium du FEE. A short neck ahead of her that day was Victoria Road (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}), Ballydoyle's slow-burner who was on his own progressive course heading to eventual glory moments in the G3 Prix de Conde and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

Buoyed rather than bowed by that experience, Blue Rose Cen went to ParisLongchamp four times and with each passing visit grew in stature through the varying demands of the G3 Prix d'Aumale, the Marcel Boussac, G3 Prix de la Grotte and Pouliches. It is back there where she could achieve true immortality in October, just as Allez France and Zarkava did before her and her strong-closing final three furlongs in 35.16 suggests she can pack at least most of her formidable punch in the country's great monument which is staged virtually always on the testing ground on which she has already proven so agile.

Head would not be drawn on a possible Arc bid in the immediate aftermath. “We will have to discuss the rest of the season–in a few days we will have a meeting with Yeguada Centurion to discuss her future, as we had a plan up until the Diane. The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a new distance and we will have a discussion and make a plan for the rest of the season.”

The Arc may also ultimately be the target for the third-placed 43-1 shot Tasmania (Ger) (Australia {GB}), Gestut Schlenderhan's stamina-endowed homebred who failed by a short head to get the silver medal and whose final three furlongs were run in an eye-catching 34.75 on a stunning black-type debut. It will also be a race to forget for connections of Running Lion (GB) (Roaring Lion), who faded to be last, TDN Rising Star Pensee Du Jour (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) who also bowed out of the action early and ended up 13th, as well as the Pouliches runner-up Lindy (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) who had a prominent position but no answer to the winner's kick as she backtracked to finish eighth.

Pedigree Notes
Blue Rose Cen, who was providing her emerging-force second-season sire with a third Classic, is the only known foal to date out of the G3 Park Express S. and GIII Santa Barbara S. winner Queen Blossom (Ire) (Jeremy), a daughter of the G3 Silver Flash S.-placed Mark Of An Angel (Ire) (Mark Of Esteem {Ire}). She in turn is a granddaughter of the 10-times-winning South African mare Grey Angel (GB) (Kenmare {Fr}), whose career included two of those at group 3 level and a runner-up finish in the G1 Gosforth Park Fillies & Mares Challenge H. This is also the family of the GI Arlington Washington Futurity hero Well Decorated and the prolific sire Distinctive.

Sunday, Chantilly, France
PRIX DE DIANE LONGINES-G1, €1,000,000, Chantilly, 6-18, 3yo, f, 10 1/2fT, 2:05.09, g/s.
1–BLUE ROSE CEN (IRE), 126, f, 3, by Churchill (Ire)
1st Dam: Queen Blossom (Ire) (GSW-Ire & US, $220,859), by Jeremy
2nd Dam: Mark Of An Angel (Ire), by Mark Of Esteem (Ire)
3rd Dam: Dream Time (GB), by Rainbow Quest
O/B-Yeguada Centurion SLU (IRE); T-Christopher Head; J-Aurelien Lemaitre. €571,400. Lifetime Record: 9-7-1-0, €1,250,730. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Never Ending Story (Ire), 126, f, 3, Dubawi (Ire)–Athena (Ire), by Camelot (GB). O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Westerberg; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €228,600.
3–Tasmania (Ger), 126, f, 3, Australia (GB)–Tusked Wings (Ire), by Adlerflug (Ger). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. O/B-Gestut Schlenderhan (GER); T-Francis-Henri Graffard. €114,300.
Margins: 4, SHD, HF. Odds: 3.20, 16.00, 43.00.
Also Ran: Wise Girl (Fr), Elusive Princess (Fr), Jannah Rose (Ire), Lady Ewelina (GB), Lindy (Fr), Romina Power (Fr), Caroline Street, Novakai (GB), Left Sea (GB), Pensee Du Jour (Ire), Khahira (Fr), Running Lion (GB). Video, sponsored by TVG.

 

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TDN Rising Star Ramatuelle Pulverises Prix du Bois Rivals

Breaking the juvenile track record at Chantilly on Sunday, Christopher Head trainee Ramatuelle (Justify–Raven's Lady {GB}, by Raven's Pass) justified 6-4 favouritism in the G3 Prix du Bois Longines by dominating her nine rivals with a spectacular display in the six-furlong contest.

The eventual winner was positioned in a handy second as market rival Zorken (Fr) (Goken {Fr}) set the tone up front. Inching into second at halfway, she quickened to the fore entering the final furlong and powered clear in highly impressive fashion to easily outclass her rivals by five lengths and more. Zorken kept on well to finish second, 1 3/4 lengths ahead of 'TDN Rising Star' Les Pavots (Ire) (No Nay Never) in third. Ramatuelle became sire Justify's fifth 'TDN Rising Star' when delivering a taking display in her Apr. 11 unveiling over five furlongs at this venue, but was narrowly denied by fellow 'TDN Rising Star' Beauvatier (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) when returning in a May 28 six-furlong conditions heat at Saint-Cloud in her only other start. Ramatuelle's time of 1:08.05 eclipsed the prior best of 1:08.31 set by Blackbeard (Ire) (No Nay Never) in last year's G2 Prix Robert Papin.

“We have some great partners, we're creating some great relationships and we feel very blessed,” commented part-owner and NBA All-Star Tony Parker. “We had a great experience with [G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches winner] Mangoustine last year and here we are winning another big race. It's unbelievable. It's all you can ask, to have a horse that allows you to dream, and we are really excited after this win. There was no panic and we weren't disheartened by her defeat last time and, hopefully, she recuperates well and is ready to go for her next target. [Trainer] Christopher [Head] told me in February her programme will include the [G2] Prix Robert Papin and the [G1] Prix Morny and maybe we can now go for those big races.” Head added, “The plan is going exactly as we wished, so we will do our best to take her to the Papin now.”

Pedigree Notes
Ramatuelle, full to a weanling colt and half to a yearling filly by Uncle Mo, is the first of three foals produced by G2 Goldene Peitsche and G3 Summer S. victrix Raven's Lady (GB) (Raven's Pass), herself out of an unraced half to G1 Prix d'Ispahan-winning sire Best Of The Bests (Ire) (Machiavellian), G2 Dante S. third Dunhill Star (Ire) (Danehill) and the dam of MGSW G1 Melbourne Cup runner-up Prince Of Arran (GB) (Shirocco {Ger}). The February-foaled chestnut's third dam, G3 Fred Darling S. winner Sueboog (Ire) (Darshaan {GB}), is a half-sister to the dam of GSW G1 Grand Prix de Paris and G1 Prix Jean Prat runner-up Shaanmer (Ire) (Darshaan {GB}) and stakes-winning GI Garden City Breeders' Cup H. second Nordican Inch (GB) (Inchinor {GB}).

Sunday, Chantilly, France
PRIX DU BOIS LONGINES – FONDS EUROPEEN DE L'ELEVAGE-G3, €80,000, Chantilly, 6-18, 2yo, 6fT, 1:08.05 (NTR), g/s.
1–RAMATUELLE, 122, f, 2, by Justify
1st Dam: Raven's Lady (GB) (GSW-Eng & Ger, $238,499), by Raven's Pass
2nd Dam: Pivotal Lady (GB), by Pivotal (GB)
3rd Dam: Sueboog (Ire), by Darshaan (GB)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. (€100,000 Ylg '22 ARQAUG). O-Infinity Nine Horses, Arthur Hoyeau, Ecurie des Monceaux, Hollymount Stud France SC, Mme Ilse Smits & Clement Tropres; B-Yeguada Centurion SLU (KY); T-Christopher Head; J-Aurelien Lemaitre. €40,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, €81,800. Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Zorken (Fr), 126, c, 2, Goken (Fr)–Zorra Chope (Fr). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (€6,500 Wlg '21 ARQDEC; €3,500 Ylg '22 ARQOCT). O-Ecurie Jean-Louis Bouchard & Bruno de Montzey; B-Werner Neumann (FR); T-Bruno de Montzey. €16,000.
3–Les Pavots (Ire), 122, f, 2, No Nay Never–Sparrow (Ire), by Oasis Dream (GB). 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O-Craig Bernick & Haras d'Etreham; B-Coolmore Stud (IRE); T-Francis-Henri Graffard. €12,000.
Margins: 5, 1 3/4, 3/4. Odds: 1.50, 2.80, 4.80.
Also Ran: Balon D'Or (GB), Antifona (Fr), Dubai Hills (GB), Dance Sioux (Ire), Gotta Skedaddle (Ire), Ziggy's Dream (Ire), Royal Mylea (Ire). Video, sponsored by TVG.

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American Fingerprints on British-Trained Royal Ascot-Bound Inquisitively

Typically, the names Sangster, Manton, Tattersalls, and British-bred runner at Windsor don't scream `American connections,' but in the case of Inquisitively (GB) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}), peel back the onion a bit and you'll find more than a few stars and stripes among the connections.

Inquisitively, a barely-beaten second at Windsor in his May 29 debut, is entered in Wednesday's Windsor Castle at Royal Ascot, and will carry his owners' hopes as well as a bit of history on his back.

Inquisitively sold for 40,000gns euros at the 2022 Tattersalls October yearling sale from the Glenvale Stud consignment to trainer Ollie Sangster.

“He was a very nice yearling,” said Sangster. “It's easy to say that now. Flash Conroy had bought him as a foal, and he actually had a setback the week before the yearling sale, and was lame at the sale. But he was a very nice model and I know Flash and I liked the horse, so I bought the horse under the condition that if I wasn't happy, they would take him back. But the issue was something of a nothing, something he had done right before the sale, and in a few weeks would right itself. In that respect, he's a horse I never would have been able to afford working with a limited budget, and I was able to buy a much nicer physical that I would have been able to buy.”

American bloodstock agent Justin Casse was at the sale, and had inspected Inquisitively, and also had liked him, but left before Book 2.

“He looked like a very precocious type, great hind quarter, good balance, a very good mover,” said Casse. “And Flash is a tremendous judge with whom I've had a bit of luck. He's actually who I bought (G1 Fillies Mile winner) Pretty Gorgeous from.

He was a nice horse and I thought there was value there. And I'm trying to align myself with young people in the industry who I know who have spent time with great trainers or who have learned from the right people.”

So Casse called Sangster and offered to buy half of the horse from him.

In Sangster's case, those great trainers and right people included Wesley Ward, the first American trainer to ever saddle a winner at Royal Ascot, and who has dominated there in recent years, winning 12 races. Sangster spent several formative years with Ward, working at Keeneland in the spring, taking his Ascot horses over, and then coming back with Ward to Saratoga. He has helped Ward out at every Ascot since 2018.

The family connection between the Casses and the Sangsters goes back even further. Justin's father Norman Casse was the breeder of Beldale Ball, who won the 1980 Melbourne Cup for Sangster's grandfather Robert, and he considered it one of his greatest breeding achievements, said Justin, who was born the year of the win and keeps the plaque given to his father for the achievement hanging in his office today.

“To me, the whole thing is interesting,” said Casse. “I've traveled all over the world. I've won the richest race in South Africa. I've won a Group 2 in Australia. And all these things have come full circle in my life to this connection between young Ollie Sangster and my father who has passed away, and our families, and is still going on. And here we are. We have American connections through Australian connections to running at Ascot and it really is a dream come true. My first experience at Ascot, literally the first race on the first day of the first time I was at Ascot was Tepin winning.” Tepin, who won the 2017 G1 Queen Anne S., was trained by Justin's brother Mark. “That experience was extremely special and continues to grow in significance,” he said.

But if Inquisitively isn't quite Tepin, at least not yet, Sangster is serious about giving him a chance.

“His first start was particularly pleasing because he had a very difficult draw,” he said. “Windsor has a bend in the track and he had drawn 14 and had to move a good few lengths to get across, and did the hard work at the front that day. If he had had a nicer draw, he would have won the race nicely. It was visually quite impressive, the times were good and and subsequently the third and fourth finishers out of that race have won their next start. That has confirmed what the times were showing us. He deserves to have a chance there, and the winner of the race (Chief Mankato {GB} {Sioux Nation}) is going to Ascot himself.”

Sangster will also be the trainer of record for Bledsoe (Iqbaal), who Wesley Ward trained to win the opening race of the spring meet at Keeneland. Ward is also the horse's owner and breeder, and owns and stands his sire. Sangster said that Bledsoe arrived at his training center, Manton, in April with the intention of getting a prep in, and while that hadn't worked out, he'll now go into the Windsor Castle off the Keeneland maiden win.

Sangster said he realized how special it was to have two starters at the meet in his first year of training.

“I think Inquisitively is about 25-1, but if someone had asked me at the beginning of the year what my chances of getting to Ascot were this year, they would have been significantly longer!” he said. “It means everything. The reason we get up at the crack of dawn is to have the winners, and hopefully–not that I've had it yet–but a winner on a big stage. We're a close-knit team, and everyone works really hard, and we're looking forward to having a runner. I think we have a little bit of an each-way chance and it's exciting. Hopefully a few people will notice us.”

Casse said it was hard to imagine how emotional a win would be for him.

“You can't put a price on these experiences even though we try to regularly through the auction ring or private sales. But that doesn't always mean that you're going to get there. So I'm just going to try to make the most of it. And listen, leading into the race, the horse is training well against winners. He has not really put a foot wrong to this point. And from the videos that Ollie sends us, I really couldn't be happier. And then of course, these other horses winning flatters our form. So although I think we're going to go in there probably 25 or 30-1, I just get the feeling that we're going to run a big race.”

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‘Seeing Familiar Things Entirely Afresh’: The Work of John Reardon On Show in London

If you are in London over the coming weeks with a few hours to spare, that time would be well spent by taking a trip to a retrospective exhibition of the work of John Reardon, entitled (After) Whistlejacket, at the MMX Gallery.

Reardon, who died in 2018, was a revered photographer and picture editor of the Observer, but this exhibition covers some of the work undertaken in the later years of his life when commissioned by his former colleague Jocelyn Targett to photograph the Darley stallions.

This is stallion marketing reimagined. Reardon's collaboration on the project, which would last for 16 years, came at a time when the Darley operation was expanding globally, looking to make an impact across the Thoroughbred industry. That it did, through Reardon's use of medium-format cameras and monochrome, his images featuring in lavishly produced brochures and head-turning advertising, both in print and on the racecourse.

In an accompanying essay by Targett, he says of his old friend, whose work prior to the equine sphere ranged from war zones to celebrities, “Racehorses, and the people in their realm, turned out to be his ideal subjects. Reardon's eye found the elegance, power, and plaintive vulnerability of whatever settled before his camera, and the thoroughbred is abound with elegance, power and vulnerability.”

The exhibition, in New Cross in south-east London, runs until July 1.

 

 

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