Month: July 2023

Justify’s City Of Troy A New TDN Rising Star

The Curragh's seven-furlong Barronstown Stud Irish EBF Maiden has proved a font of high-class performers down the years and it could be Saturday's race played host to another as Ballydoyle's City Of Troy (Justify–Together Forever {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) justified 6-4 favouritism in style to join the ranks of TDN Rising Stars. Withdrawn from his intended debut here in May, the son of the G1 Fillies' Mile winner was quickly at the fore alongside the experienced Instant Appeal (GB) (Advertise {GB}). Asserting from the two pole, the full-brother to his London Gold Cup-winning stablemate Bertinelli finished off strongly to hit the line with 2 1/2 lengths to spare over the Joseph O'Brien-trained newcomer Galen (GB) (Gleneagles {Ire}), with 1 1/4 lengths back to Instant Appeal in third.

In doing so, City Of Troy who is the sixth TDN Rising Star for Justify was maintaining Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore's 100% record at this year's Irish Derby Festival with the pair combining with a treble on Friday. O'Brien has won this particular maiden under its different titles with the promoted Rip Van Winkle (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Gleneagles (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Roderic O'Connor (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Duke Of Marmalade (Ire) (Danehill), while Horatio Nelson (Ire) (Danehill) and Australia (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) were beaten in it before proving top-class.

The way the trainer spoke afterwards, City Of Troy could easily fit into that category. “Ryan has just said it's the first time he's ridden a two-year-old here and thought that he wasn't going to be able to pull him up–he just started getting longer and longer towards the line and ended up at the boards,” he said. “He is relentless and has a great presence. His brother is more of a three or four-year-old and this one is made like a two or three-year-old.”

“He's strong and powerful and a medium-sized horse with a giant stride, the Ballydoyle handler added. “His stride is twice the size of his body and that's very rare, but it's what Justify had. With the big ones, you have to wait but with these medium-sized ones you now see what they can do. Justify had speed as well as stamina and is matching very well with the European mares. Ryan said 'you can go anywhere with him and as far as you want', so he'll go into one of those seven-furlong races next [the Tyros, Futurity and National].”

Justify's five other TDN Rising Stars include the exciting 2-year-old filly Ramatuelle, who captured the G3 Prix du Bois by five lengths last month, and the stable's unbeaten Statuette who took this fixture's G2 Airlie Stud S. 12 months ago.

Pedigree Notes
City Of Troy is also a half-brother to War Front's trio of black-type performers Military Style, Absolute Ruler and King Of Athens with the former successful in the G3 Tyros S. Along with Bertinelli, who looks a surefire future pattern-race performer, this colt's debut effort means that Together Forever's first five foals have all made an impact. A half-sister to the high-class Lord Shanakill (Speightstown), who was successful in the G1 Prix Jean Prat, G2 Lennox S. and G2 Mill Reef S., she hails from the family of Al Bahathri. Next up is a yearling filly by Uncle Mo and a filly foal by Dubawi (Ire).

1st-Curragh, €20,000, Mdn, 7-1, 2yo, c/g, 7fT, 1:23.96, gd.
CITY OF TROY, c, 2, by Justify
     1st Dam: Together Forever (Ire) (G1SW-Eng, SW-Ire, $318,729), by Galileo (Ire)
     2nd Dam: Green Room, by Theatrical (Ire)
     3rd Dam: Chain Fern, by Blushing Groom (Fr)
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $13,094. O-Mrs John Magnier & Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Orpendale/Chelston/Wynatt (KY); T-Aidan O'Brien. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Buick Set to Partner Eclipse Favourite Emily Upjohn

John and Thady Gosden had some of their star fillies on the July Course early on Saturday morning with their former stable jockey William Buick replacing Frankie Dettori on Emily Upjohn (GB) for the first time ahead of their engagement in next Saturday's G1 Coral-Eclipse S.

The Coronation Cup winner was joined by her fellow Epsom heroine, the Oaks winner Soul Sister (GB) (Frankel {GB}), and they were led in their mile-long gallop by last season's G2 Park Hill Fillies' S. winner Mimikyu (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). 

Emily Upjohn, whose sire Sea The Stars (Ire) won the Eclipse in 2009, will aim to become her stable's fifth winner of the race. John Gosden said of the statuesque four-year-old, “She is very laidback in the mornings but I'm very happy with her and William was happy with her. I was pleased with all three fillies' work.

“Mimikyu always works well but the other two are always a bit more laidback about life but I'm pleased with them.”

He added that no decision has yet been taken as to where Lady Bamford's Soul Sister will run next. While Emily Upjohn heads to Sandown for the Shack family and Watership Down Stud, the options for George Strawbridge's homebred Mimikyu include the G2 Lancashire Oaks and G2 Lillie Langtry S.

On Thursday, Dettori failed in his appeal to overturn the nine-day suspension he received for interference at Royal Ascot. He also picked up an eight-day whip ban, which will be served immediately after the interference suspension, ruling him out of action from July 4 to 22.

Explaining the booking for the Eclipse, Gosden, who has previously won the race with Nathaniel (Ire), Golden Horn (GB), Roaring Lion and Enable (GB), said, “The owners talked after the appeal hadn't worked out for Frankie and they wanted William and it makes total sense. The owners all know each other well and the fact that William didn't have a ride in the race made it easy. ”

He continued “She was impressive the other day at Epsom. She has had a good winter and come to herself well.  We said after the Coronation Cup we were going to go to the Eclipse and that remains the plan. She is coming back to a mile and a quarter but [Sandown] should suit her as she won her novice there in good style so she has been round there before.”

 

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Kodiac’s TDN Rising Star Star Of Mystery Dominates The Empress

Backing up the impression of her 11-length Haydock novice success last month, Godolphin's TDN Rising Star Star Of Mystery (GB) (Kodiac {GB}–Mistrusting {Ire}, by Shamardal) turned Newmarket's Listed Maureen Brittain Memorial Empress Fillies' S. into another procession on Saturday. Travelling strongly for William Buick throughout the first half of the six-furlong contest, the Charlie Appleby-trained half-sister to Dark Angel's GI Summer S. winner Mysterious Night (Ire) and GI Just a Game S. and GI Diana S. heroine Althiqa (GB) was allowed to stride to the front before two out and was totally dominant from there. At the line, the 4-5 favourite had recorded a fast time for good ground four lengths ahead over Cry Fiction (Ire) (El Kabeir), with the same margin back to Unbreak My Heart (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) in third.

“She's a neat and strong model and has always shown natural pace, but has been a little bit buzzy and not easy so the team has done a great job,” Charlie Appleby said of the winner, who was runner-up to the G3 Albany S. disappointment Carla's Way (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) on debut over nearly 6 1/2-furlongs at Doncaster 12 days before her Haydock romp. “It's great winning by those distances, it's just that sometimes they don't learn a great deal but she can't do any more than she's been doing so we're delighted. My daughter named her, so I've got her to thank. We'll work back from a [G1] Cheveley Park, but where she goes in between I don't know.”

Star Of Mystery is the fifth foal out of Mistrusting, who captured the Listed Boadicea Fillies S. before proving such an important broodmare for the Godolphin via her aforementioned high-class Dark Angel duo who have recorded a total of six black-type and graded-stakes wins between them including their three at the highest level. The second dam is Misheer (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), who was successful in the G2 Cherry Hinton S. over this course and distance before finishing runner-up in the G1 Cheveley Park S. on the Rowley Mile over the way. Like Althiqa's first foal born this year, Mistrusting's yearling colt is by the operation's powerhouse Dubawi (Ire).

Saturday, Newmarket, Britain
MAUREEN BRITTAIN MEMORIAL EMPRESS FILLIES' S.-Listed, £40,000, Newmarket, 7-1, 2yo, f, 6fT, 1:10.67, gd.
1–STAR OF MYSTERY (GB), 128, f, 2, by Kodiac (GB)
1st Dam: Mistrusting (Ire) (SW-Eng, $120,206), by Shamardal
2nd Dam: Misheer (GB), by Oasis Dream (GB)
3rd Dam: All For Laura (GB), by Cadeaux Genereux (GB)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O/B-Godolphin (GB); T-Charlie Appleby; J-William Buick. £22,684. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $37,786. *1/2 to Althiqa (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}), MGISW-US, GSW-UAE, SW & GSP-Fr, MGSP-Eng, $761,213; and Mysterious Night (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), GISW-Can, GSW-Fr & MGSP-Eng, $308,358.
2–Cry Fiction (Ire), 128, f, 2, El Kabeir–Fictitious (GB), by Mayson (GB). 1ST BLACK TYPE. (€7,000 Ylg '22 GOFSPT). O-Ruffles Racing Club; B-Tom & Hazel Russell (IRE); T-Jonathan Portman. £8,600.
3–Unbreak My Heart (GB), 128, f, 2, Showcasing (GB)–Place In My Heart (GB), by Compton Place (GB). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-C J Harper; B-Whitsbury Manor Stud (GB); T-Clive Cox. £4,304.
Margins: 4, 4, 4. Odds: 0.80, 40.00, 12.00.
Also Ran: Indispensable (GB), Point Of Attack (GB), Ziggy's Phoenix (Ire), Rare Jewel (GB), What A Question (GB), Neverstopdreaming (Ire). Scratched: Denruth Diamond (Fr).

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Hagyard’s Dr. Walter Zent Dies at 84

Renowned equine reproduction specialist Dr. Walter W. Zent, D.V.M. passed away June 29 in Lexington, Kentucky. He was 84 years old.

A New York native, Zent began his love affair with horses as a young child when visiting family in Kentucky. He graduated from Cornell University's School of Veterinary Medicine in 1963, interned at Purdue University, then spent two years investigating infectious disease outbreaks and pathology at the University of Kentucky's Department of Veterinary Science. He began practicing at Hagyard-Davidson-McGee, now Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, in 1966 and was synonymous with that institution for decades.

Zent also remained affiliated with the Veterinary Science Department at the University of Kentucky, as well as the Gluck Equine Research Center. He served as Chair for the Gluck Equine Research Foundation and was instrumental in securing funding for facilities on the University's research farm. The mare reproduction facility is named the “Walter W. Zent-Mare Reproductive Health Facility.”

Zent's career focused on advancing the field of equine reproduction, particularly among Thoroughbreds, and nurturing theriogenology (the reproduction specialty in veterinary medicine) among other veterinarians. He played a pivotal role in revolutionizing mare management practices. A past president of the Society for Theriogenology, he was also involved in many other professional veterinary and equine organizations, including the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP). He was an honorary Diplomate of the American College of Theriogenologists and delivered numerous presentations at national and international conferences, as well as authored several book chapters and articles for publication.

In partnership with Tony and Susan Holmes, Zent and his wife June bred a number of successful Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds, including 2005 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Stevie Wonderboy (Stephen Got Even) and 2010 GI Breeders' Cup Turf winner Dangerous Midge (Lion Heart).

Zent is survived by his wife, June; daughter Megan Neelis (Trey); son, Drew Zent (Lisa); grandchildren Christine Neelis, Carter Zent, Harry Neelis, Emma Zent, and Maggie Zent; his sister, Phyllis Shapiro; and two nieces.

Visitation will take place Thursday, July 6 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Kerr Brothers Funeral Home, 463 East Main Street, Lexington. A celebration of Zent's life and contributions will be held later this year.

Any donations in Zent's name may be made to the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute Scholarship Endowment through The Foundation for the Horse and/or the Society for Theriogenology.

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