Month: December 2023

Frankel Waltzes to a Second Sires’ Championship 

Frankel (GB) has recaptured the crown he first wore in 2021 and is the champion sire in Britain and Ireland for 2023, as well as being the leading sire in Europe, for the second time. It won't be the last.

Whether or not he will be able to emulate the long reigns of his sire Galileo (Ire) and grandsire Sadler's Wells remains to be seen, but it would be unwise to bet against it. Yes, Frankel's launch into his stud career was the stallion equivalent of being born with a silver spoon in his mouth, so great was the support from major international breeders from the outset, but there have been plenty of examples of that not equating to a horse becoming a top sire. Frankel is just that, any way you look at it.

He is quickly being joined at stud by a number of his best sons, and there are plenty to choose from. This year alone in Britain, the trio of Chaldean (GB), Mostahdaf (Ire) and Triple Time (Ire) join the Newmarket powerhouses of Juddmonte, Shadwell and Darley, while Onesto (Ire) is now at Haras d'Etreham in France. Irish Derby winner Hurricane Lane (Ire) joins the National Hunt ranks where St Leger winner Logician (GB) already resides, and Derby winner Adayar (Ire) and another Irish Derby winner, Westover (GB), have headed east to Japan. That's seven new Group 1-winning sons of Frankel in one year's intake alone.

Frankel has won this year's championship in a manner not dissimilar to his performances on the track: by a wide margin. His progeny earnings in Britain and Ireland of just over £7 million put him almost £3 million clear of last year's champion Dubawi (Ire), with a margin of roughly £30,000 separating the runner-up and third-placed Dark Angel (Ire). In fact, it was pretty tightly packed among the first six horses in Frankel's wake.

To return to the champion momentarily, his 39 stakes winners worldwide in 2023 (23 in Britain and Ireland) included his 2,000 Guineas winner Chaldean, who now stands alongside him at Banstead Manor Stud, Soul Sister (GB), who became his second winner of the Oaks, Inspiral (GB), who recorded her sixth Group/Grade 1 win at Santa Anita at the Breeders' Cup, and her fellow Group 1 winners Nashwa (GB) and Jannah Rose (Ire). Three of these four fillies/mares remain in training, with Jannah Rose's immediate future yet to be decided. 

Dubawi is also not short of the company of his sons at stud either. On the Darley roster alone, there is Night Of Thunder (Ire) (who is 12th on this year's table), along with Ghaiyyath (Ire), Space Blues (Ire) and Too Darn Hot (GB), and that group has been bolstered by the arrival of Modern Games (Ire), a Group/Grade 1 winner at two, three and four. Dubawi's wide-margin G1 National S. winner Henry Longfellow (Ire), out of the champion mare Minding (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}, should be high among his Classic colts to follow next year.

Good old Dark Angel. There is little doubt that his books will have risen in quality over the years but he would not be covering as many bluebloods as Frankel and Dubawi. He has been in the top seven sires in the last six years and takes third again, equalling his best performance of 2020. The six-year-old Art Power (Ire) typifies Dark Angel's profile as a sire who provides stock that are generally fast and hardy. Art Power is classy too, and he brought the curtain down on a good year for his father with victory in the G1 QIPCO British Champions Sprint.

Three of the stallions to have finished in the top 20 in Britain and Ireland for the year are no longer with us. Galileo (Ire), for so long such a dominant force in Europe, and Deep Impact (Jpn), of whom the same can be said in Japan, died in 2021 and 2019 respectively. Recently Ballyhane Stud lost its stalwart Dandy Man (Ire), who ends this year in 19th place in the table and was one of only five stallions to sire 100 or more winners this year.

Galileo, 12 times the champion sire, took the fourth spot, with the dual Group 1 winner Warm Heart (Ire) being his stand-out performer of the year from his 15 stakes winners in Britain and Ireland, which put him third in this sector behind only Frankel and Dubawi. 

Not surprisingly, Deep Impact had only 11 runners in Britain and Ireland this year, but four of them won, and when one of those is the dual Derby and Irish Champion S. winner Auguste Rodin (Ire) then a decent slot in the table is guaranteed. The late Shadai stallion duly finished in 13th place.

In fifth was France's leading sire Siyouni (Fr), who had another banner year beyond his home country, with Paddington (GB) and Tahiyra (Fr) winning the Irish 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas respectively, before landing another five Group 1 victories between them. Paddington becomes the third son of Siyouni to join the Coolmore roster after Sottsass (Fr) and St Mark's Basilica (Fr).

Galileo's half-brother Sea The Stars (Ire) ensured that two Aga Khan Studs stallions made the top six. King George hero Hukum (Ire) was of course his best runner. He is now at stud in Japan, while we live in hope that the G1 Coronation Cup winner Emily Upjohn (GB) returns to training next year having not been seen since finishing seventh behind Hukum at Ascot in July.

The 103 British and Irish winners (and 11 stakes winners) for Kingman (GB) this year came at a 50% strike-rate to put him in seventh position, one ahead of the prolific Kodiac (GB), who is the leader by number of winners on 118 and was also represented by nine stakes winners.

Lope De Vega (Ire) was another member of the quintet with winners into three figures – 101 and eight stakes winners. No Nay Never completes the top ten with nine stakes winners to his credit, including new Coolmore stallion Little Big Bear (Ire).

Of those bubbling just under, it is hard not to think that we won't see Wootton Bassett (GB) shooting up the charts from next year. His 11th place finish in 2023 came from just 58 runners in Britain and Ireland, around a quarter of the number fielded by most of those names above him. 

From 2024, we will see the first two-year-old runners to have been conceived following his move to Ireland, and Wootton Bassett was represented by three new Group/Grade 1 winners this year in three different countries. The hugely likeable King Of Steel was his real talking horse, and he returns next year, along with the Classic prospect Unquestionable (Fr) and Bucanero Fuerte (GB).

The dependable Derby winners Australia (GB) and Camelot (GB) were also in the top 20, along with Classic sire Nathaniel (Ire), who is surely one of the best value elite stallions in Britain. 

An honourable mention must also go to Havana Grey (GB), who in 16th was the youngest of the top 20 finishers with only two crops to have raced for him so far, and eight stakes winners to his credit this year. And let's not forget Muhaarar (GB), which is what many perhaps tried to do when he left Shadwell to stand at Haras des Faunes in France in 2022. Now that people have worked out that most of his progeny are not sprinters, as he was, we can also admit that he's not a bad sire at all. He's had a jolly good year, in fact, with Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Marhaba Ya Sanafi (Ire) leading the charge and backed up by G2 Princess of Wales S. winner Israr (GB) and Group/Grade 3 winners Annaf (Ire) and Motorious (GB) among his nine stakes winners worldwide (four in Britain in Ireland). Muhaarar is on the move again and will stand at Haras de Petit Tellier in 2024.

France and Germany

The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is such a valuable race that it usually guarantees French champion status (or thereabouts) to the sire of the winner.

Last year Frankel took the title, thanks largely to his wonderful daughter Alpinista (GB) but this year he has to play second fiddle to his son Cracksman (GB), sire of the brilliant Ace Impact (Ire). Frankel's influence loomed large in the Arc trifecta, with his sons Westover and Onesto taking second and third.

Of the stallions standing in France, Siyouni continues to stand tall and was third in the French table overall, with his daughter Mqse De Sevigne (Fr) landing a notable Group 1 double for her owner-breeder, the outgoing France Galop president Edouard de Rothschild. Siyouni notched the highest number of winners (66), and had Wootton Bassett just behind him in the table in fourth.

Next for the home team came Anodin (Ire), who was sixth overall with 60 winners and his first Group 1 winner, King Gold (Fr), in the Prix Maurice de Gheest. Dabirsim (Fr), now at Haras de Montaigu and sire of the multiple group winner Horizon Dore (Fr) this year, came next, while Zarak (Fr), another to have a first Group 1 winner his year when Zagrey (Fr) won the Grosser Preis von Baden, was ninth overall.

It is worth noting that, along with Zagrey, Zarak had another seven group winners this year: three more in Germany, and one in America. This unsurprisingly put him high in the German table in fourth position, with Straight (Ger) having won the G2 Union Rennen, while Shagara (Ire) won the G3 Preis der Winterkonigin and Princess Zelda (Ger) took the G3 Mehl-Mulhens-Trophy.

King of the hill in Germany, however, was Sea The Moon (Ger), which is no surprise given that he supplied the G1 Deutsches Derby winner Fantastic Moon (Ger) and the first three home in the G1 Preis der Diana, led by Muskoka (Ger). The Lanwades resident had another three group winners in Germany in 2023, as well as one each in Ireland, America and Italy.

Separating Sea The Moon and Zarak was the late duo of Areion (Ger) and Adlerflug (Ger), and special mention must go to Iquitos (Ger), who finished seventh in the table despite having had just five runners. That quintet included the stakes winners Mr Hollywood (Ire) and Drawn To Dream (Ire), both bred by Gestut Ammerland from Hurricane Run (Ire) mares.

 

 

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TDN Horses of the Year: Quickthorn 

Continuing the profiles of the favourite horses of TDN Europe's editorial team in 2023, Heather Anderson selects a bold frontrunner with huge reserves of stamina.

At first glance, the admirable Quickthorn (GB), by Newsells Park Stud's perpetually under-appreciated Nathaniel (Ire), had compiled a fairly successful record as a member of the staying ranks throughout his five-year career prior to his Goodwood heroics this August. However, the Lady Blyth homebred elevated his game to another level when taking the G1 Goodwood Cup this summer, and it was the manner in which he did it, that made this the performance of the year for me.

The Hughie Morrison trainee first came to my attention in August of 2022, when winning the G2 Lonsdale Cup S. at York as, from my home in America, that was my first opportunity to stream one of his races live. Teaming up with regular pilot Tom Marquand, Quickthorn delivered a front-end processional performance and I marked him down as one of my horses to follow. Granted, Quickthorn's proclivity for excelling when out on his lonesome was not exactly a state secret, as he'd earlier won the G3 Henry II S. and G2 Prix Maurice de Nieuil in the spring and summer of 2022 utilising similar tactics.

He put me in mind of noted U.S.-based frontrunner Presious Passion (Royal Anthem), a two-time winner of the GI United Nations S. at Monmouth Park in New Jersey (2008/2009), who gave Conduit (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}) a scare in the 2009 GI Breeders' Cup Turf when just failing to last.

Needless to say, Quickthorn, a son of three-time winner Daffydowndilly (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) and one of six winners from six foals of racing age from his dam, is well suited to his profession as a quality stayer. He has proven time and again that he not only has the stamina, but also a truly devastating cruising speed, if allowed to employ it. Indeed, immediately prior to the Goodwood Cup, the gelding had landed a listed race at York, giving the impression that he was rounding back into his late-summer form of the season before.

So, it was at first with bemusement and then with incredulous glee that I saw the 6-year-old bowling along alone on the lead over the Goodwood turf, a chilly Marquand doing his best statue impression (video). The margin between Quickthorn and his rivals increased with every stride the farther they travelled from the starting stalls.

Surely, with all the experienced and feted jockeys signed on–Dettori, Moore, Buick and Murphy to name a few–they wouldn't let Marquand and Quickthorn just gallop? The rest of the 11-horse field was loaded with quality horses, with no less than three Group 1 winners in attendance–Eldar Eldarov (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), Courage Mon Ami (GB) (Frankel {GB}), and Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}). Most of the remainder had at least one group title to their names, befitting the sheer class of one of the preeminent staying challenges of the British Flat season.

Despite the quality of the competition, it was worth remembering that Quickthorn, a proven stayer, would not fold once the real running began. The multiple group winner belonged in a field of this calibre, and had developed a reputation of being an especially tough nut to crack when given his ideal set up. And they gave it to him–a critical miscalculation–on a silver platter.

Running through my mind as the race unfolded was the simple fact that he shouldn't be able to get away with this in a Group 1 race. These were some of the best stayers and jockeys in the world. They knew his game and they knew it before the stalls ever opened. Surely at least one of the rival jockeys would send their mount to apply some pressure?

By the time the final quarter-mile was reached and the multi-pronged chasing pack was mounting a fruitless challenge a short time later, I was hard pressed to remember when was the last time I'd enjoyed watching a race to this extent. And it was this enjoyment, of watching a horse and rider in their undisputed element, that made the race linger in my mind long after Quickthorn and Marquand continued their relentless gallop all the way to the winning post. Nigh uncatchable. 

A tip of the cap to Quickthorn, who was later nominated for the 2023 Cartier Stayer award, and to his connections. It was truly a delight and privilege to watch.

 

 

The post TDN Horses of the Year: Quickthorn  appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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This Week In History: A Young Secretariat Edges La Prevoyante For Year-End Honors

These days, it's almost hard to imagine that any horse might be considered more deserving of accolades than Secretariat. He's possibly the most universally-known racehorse, and his record before and beyond the 1973 Triple Crown has more than stood the test of time.

But an article from the New York Times on this week in 1972 reminds us that at the conclusion of his 2-year-old season, his legacy had a serious rival.

Writer Steve Cady analyzed the results of voting for year-end divisional championships, which are now known as the Eclipse Awards, and apparently, Secretariat's Horse of the Year title was almost usurped by a filly named La Prevoyante.

1972 marked just the second year the season-ending honors were consolidated into one voting effort and one set of awards. From the 1930s until the 1970 title honors, the Daily Racing Form and the Thoroughbred Racing Associations of North America each had their own separate divisional championship awards. Before that, a panel of experts at The Blood-Horse chose the year-end champions and printed their choices in the magazine.

Starting in 1971, there were three voting bodies who chose year-end champions together – the Daily Racing Form, National Turf Writers Association, and the Thoroughbred Racing Associations – similar to the structure today. Back then, however, the bodies voted as blocs, so the majority vote getter in a category among one organization received all of that organization's votes (much like the electoral college). This was later abandoned for the modern variation of a popular vote system which we detailed here.

Why does it matter? Because the turf writers actually voted La Prevoyante over Secretariat for Horse of the Year; Secretariat was ultimately victorious because the majority of Daily Racing Form writers and TRA voters chose him.

Secretariat had had an incredible start to his career, running nine times and crossing the finish line first in all but one start. (He had traffic trouble in his first start and was disqualified from a win in the Champagne for interference.) He won the Sanford, Hopeful, Futurity at Belmont, and Laurel Futurity.

La Prevoyante was undefeated in a campaign that included 12 races between July and November, with margins ranging from 1 ¼ lengths to 14 lengths, according to the Times. Her 2-year-old resume included the Schuylerville, Matron, Frizette, and Spinaway, as well as the My Dear and Princess Elizabeth in Canada (her country of origin). She also won the Colin that year, which was open to males.

Even though the Thoroughbred Racing Association's votes went to Secretariat, he wasn't a runaway choice for Horse of the Year; he got 77 votes in that organization versus 56 for La Prevoyante.

At the time, it was rare for any 2-year-old to be under serious consideration for Horse of the Year, let alone to have the choice come down between two of them. Cady noted that only two other 2-year-olds at that time had been selected as Horse of the Year in the old system – Native Dancer in 1952 and Moccasin in 1965.

Of course, we know how the story ended – Secretariat became, well, Secretariat. La Prevoyante had a solid year in her 3-year-old season but did not replicate her juvenile brilliance. She was second in the Kentucky Oaks and third in the Canadian Oaks, though she did win the La Troienne and the Quebec Derby.

La Prevoyante met with a sad and sudden end when she suffered a cardiac event and died following the Miss Florida Handicap at the end of her 4-year-old season.

She was part of the inaugural class of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and was later elected to its American counterpart. There is a stakes race named after her at both Woodbine and Gulfstream Park.

Perhaps equally surprising in a look-back to the 1972 Eclipses – Secretariat stablemate Riva Ridge was passed over for champion 3-year-old colt, despite a season that included wins in the Derby and the Belmont. Key to the Mint won that honor, having had a stronger summer/fall campaign than Riva Ridge with victories in the Whitney, Travers, and Woodward. Racing luck is sometimes as much about when a horse is born as the trip they take to the wire – a truism Riva Ridge certainly knew very well.

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