Observations on the European Racing Scene: July 25, 2020

HALF TO GOLDEN HORN DEBUTS AT NEWMARKET

1.15 Ascot, Novice, £10,400, 2yo, f, 7fT
SNOW LANTERN (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is the first filly bred by Rockcliffe Stud out of their four-times group 1-winning 1000 Guineas heroine Sky Lantern (Ire) (Red Clubs {Ire}). Likewise a grey in training with Richard Hannon, she encounters some similarly blue-blooded rivals in the race her stable won last year with the subsequent Guineas runner-up Cloak of Spirits (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}).

1.40 Newmarket, Mdn, £6,400, 2yo, 7fT
DHAHABI (IRE) (Frankel {GB}) understandably caused a sensation when the second highest-priced lot at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1, being a half-brother to the Epsom Derby and Arc hero Golden Horn (GB). Making his debut for Charlie Appleby in the race won 12 months ago by fellow Godolphin representative Military March (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), the March-foaled bay encounters another notable newcomer in Saeed Suhail’s Diamond and Gold (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), a Sir Michael Stoute-trained 400,000gns half-sister to Ladys First (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) who is the sole filly in the line-up.

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Next Targets Set for Serpentine, Santiago

Trainer Aidan O’Brien has announced plans for two of his 3-year-old stars of 2020, G1 Investec Derby upsetter Serpentine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and G1 Irish Derby hero Santiago (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}).

Serpentine will make his next start in the G1 Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris at ParisLongchamp on Arc Trial day Sept. 13.

“The lads [owners Coolmore] wanted to keep him at a mile and a half, with a view that he could go for the Arc or something like that,” O’Brien said. The Grand Prix de Paris replaces the G2 Prix Niel, the customary 3-year-old course-and-distance prep for the Arc, which has been suspended this year.

Santiago, who gave O’Brien his 14th Irish Derby success late last month, will take on Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the G1 Goodwood Cup over two miles and will be in receipt of 15 pounds.

“It was always the plan to come here after Ascot, and we took in the Irish Derby on the way,” said O’Brien. “He seems to have come out of the Irish Derby well–we’re very happy with him at the moment.

“We always thought the Goodwood Cup was a race that would suit him. He’s a horse we always thought would stay very well– that’s why he ran him first time out this year at Ascot over a mile and six (furlongs).

“He’s a very straightforward horse to handle and to train and he’s very clean-winded. He’s a very exciting horse, and we always viewed him as possibly a Cup horse for next year, so this is all good experience for him really.

“If everything goes well, he’ll probably go straight from here to the [G1] St Leger, because there isn’t really anything for him in between.”

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Derby Festival In Need of New Sponsor

The Derby Festival at Epsom is open to a new lead sponsor and naming partner from 2021 after the Jockey Club and Investec agreed to end their 12-year partnership.

As well as the Derby itself, sponsorship of the Oaks and the Coronation Cup is up for grabs, with the latter event set to return to Epsom in 2021 having been moved to Newmarket this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In normal years, the Derby Festival is usually run over two days, with Derby day taking place on the first Saturday in June. This year the meeting was condensed to one afternoon on July 4 and successfully delivered behind closed doors.

The event ordinarily welcomes tens of thousands of spectators, including the Queen, and this year the British viewing audience on ITV reached a peak of 2.3 million, with many millions more watching around the world as Aidan O’Brien’s Serpentine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) stormed to an all-the-way success.

Both parties insist the agreement to end the partnership is unrelated to the outbreak of COVID-19 or the nature of this year’s event.

Malcolm Fried, chief marketing officer of Investec, said: “Our partnership with the Derby Festival has been fantastic for Investec. After more than a decade of the association, though, late last year we began a review of our marketing objectives and are now working to a new set of priorities and a new mix of marketing channels.

“We and the Jockey Club have agreed, as a result, to conclude the sponsorship sooner than intended.

“On behalf of Investec, we’d like to thank the team at the Jockey Club for a great partnership. Our thanks also go to the racing industry and the media who cover the sport. Whoever succeeds us as sponsor, we wish them every success and we hope the event goes from strength to strength. We’ve been proud to play a role in the Derby’s recent history.”

Phil White, who runs Epsom Downs as London regional director for Jockey Club Racecourses, said: “I’d like to thank the Investec team for their great partnership.

“Together we’ve enjoyed year-after-year of Classic generations battling to lift our sport’s most coveted prizes, along with magical moments such as Her Majesty The Queen presenting the Derby trophy as part of her 90th birthday celebrations.

“We look forward to welcoming a new partner for the next chapter in the history of one of Britain’s most iconic events.”

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Slow Start Can’t Stop Uncle Mo Filly; Named TDN Rising Star

Girl Daddy, sent out by the same connections that have used the Pea Patch in recent years as a springboard to launch the careers of graded stakes-winning juveniles Not This Time (Giant’s Causeway) and Dennis’ Moment (Tiznow), turned heads on debut Friday to earn the ‘TDN Rising Star’ distinction. The $500,000 KEESEP buy displayed a fairly unassuming Churchill worktab for a typically patient conditioner, but took some tote attention to be off at 9-5–longer than only fast-working fellow firster Malibu Bird (Malibu Moon). Flat-footed at the start, the grey rushed up in between rivals down the backside and was all the way up into third while wide rounding the turn. She ranged up three deep off of the favorite’s flank hitting the top of the lane, sustained that rally to wear down Malibu Bird in upper stretch and kicked away impressively while geared down to score by a promising 5 1/2-length margin in 1:11.20. The winner is the second foal and first to race out of Cara Marie, a $460,000 KEESEP yearling herself who took a turfy stakes race at Indiana Downs and was a close third at long odds in the 2015 GII Lake George S. at Saratoga. Cara Marie sold for $650,000 in foal to Speightstown at the 2016 Keeneland November sale. She most recently produced a colt by Quality Road in 2020. Cara Marie is half to the SW/GSP dam of UAE GSW and G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen runner-up Comicas (Distorted Humor); and 2010 G1 Darley Irish Oaks runner-up Miss Jean Brodie (Maria’s Mon). Girl Daddy is bred on the same Uncle Mo–Unbridled’s Song cross as recent GIII Los Alamitos Derby winner Uncle Chuck.

6th-Ellis, $36,912, Msw, 7-24, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:11.20, ft.
GIRL DADDY, f, 2, Uncle Mo
1st Dam: Cara Marie (SW & GSP, $103,650), by Unbridled’s Song
2nd Dam: Miss Kilroy, by A.P. Indy
3rd Dam: Miss Caerleona (Fr), by Caerleon
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $22,200. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-Albaugh Family Stables LLC; B-China Horse Club International Limited (KY); T-Dale L. Romans. *$500,000 Ylg ’19 KEESEP.

 

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