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Making Waves: Frankel Colt Prevails In Florida

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of Royal Majesty in a maiden race at Gulfstream Park.

Frankel Colt Lords It Over His Rivals At Gulfstream

Benjamin Leon's Besilu Stables' homebred Royal Majesty (GB) (Frankel {GB}) won in his American unveiling at Gulfstream Park on Saturday (video).

The Bill Mott trainee is out of former Besilu runner and GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. winner Crown Queen (Smart Strike). A half-sister to dual Eclipse champion Royal Delta (Empire Maker) and fellow Grade I winner Delta Prince (Street Cry {Ire}), she was purchased by Leon for $1.6 million out of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale in 2011. Her latest foal is a 2-year-old filly by Kingman (GB), and she was covered by Flightline in 2023. Second dam Delta Princess (A.P. Indy) was a three-time graded winner and a half-sister to Group/Grade 1 winners Biondetti (Bernardini) and Indy Five Hundred (A.P. Indy).

Juddmonte's Frankel (GB), who is standing for an all-time high fee of £350,000, now has 27 winners from 52 runners (52%) in the U.S. His 11 North American stakes winners include top-level scorers McKulick (GB) and champion Inspiral (GB).

 

 

Sir Percy Filly Breaks American Duck

Bred by Kirsten Rausing, Khinjani (GB) (Sir Percy {GB}) won her U.S. debut for trainer Mark Glatt at Santa Anita last weekend (video).

The daughter of Kandahari (GB) (Archipenko) won a pair of handicaps for her breeder during her 10-start career in the UK including an Oct. 16 affair at Windsor before changing hands for 160,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale. She now races for Jackpot Farm, Lordship Stud, Rancho Tememscal, Thoroughbred Partners and Joseph Navarro.

A full-sister to Rausing's stakes-winning and multiple group placed Kawida (GB) (Sir Percy {GB}), Kandahari is followed by a trio of half-sisters–the unraced duo of Vera Cao (GB) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) and Khadidja (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}), and a yearling full-sister to the latter. Kandahari's half-brother Zaaki (GB) (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}) is extremely successful in Australia with four Group 1 titles to his name.

The pensioned Lanwades Stud stallion Sir Percy has sired 15 winners from 18 runners (83%) in the U.S. His six stakes winners (33%) are anchored by GI Man o' War S. winner Wake Forest (Ger).

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Champion Fierceness Breezes for Holy Bull

Repole Stable's 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light), newly honored as 2023 champion 2-year-old, breezed at Palm Beach Downs Saturday morning in advance of next Saturday's GIII Holy Bull S. at Gulfstream Park. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, he was timed in :49.55 (20/29) for a half-mile.

“I was very pleased. He had a serious work last week–fifty-nine-and-change [for five furlongs]. We were just looking for a maintenance work today,” Pletcher said.

Fierceness is coming off a 6 1/4-length romp in the Nov. 3 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita.

“Knock on wood. He's done everything super this winter. We're excited getting him going again,” Pletcher said.

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, who guided Fierceness to victory in the Juvenile, was aboard for Saturday's breeze.

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Lucky Sweynesse Part of Baker’s Dozen For Centenary Sprint Cup

Having been officially recognized as the world's top-rated sprinter in London earlier this week, Lucky Sweynesse (NZ) (Sweynesse {Aus}) figures difficult to beat in defence of his title in Sunday's G1 Centenary Sprint Cup at Sha Tin Racecourse.

The 5-year-old added last season's G1 Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup in March and the G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize the following month, but took a pair of defeats under big weights in his first two starts this season. More workmanlike than brilliant in besting Victor the Winner (Aus) (Toronado {Ire}) in the G2 Jockey Club Sprint in November, Lucky Sweynesse was more dominant in defeating Lucky With You (Aus) (Artie Schiller) in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint, making him the first to win each of the jurisdiction's Group 1 sprints in a calendar year. Still, champion jockey Zac Purton believes his mount can do even better.

“It's not easy to win any international race in Hong Kong, so you've got to put it towards the top of his list,” Purton told South China Morning Post. “But it wasn't one of his most devastating performances. I think he's feeling pretty good. I think he's taken another little step again so I'm looking forward to the race.”

 

 

 

Wellington (Aus) (All Too Hard {Aus}) is winless since taking the 2022 Hong Kong Sprint, a race in which Lucky Sweynesse endured a checkered passage, and was second in this event last season. Now under the care of Jamie Richards, the 7-year-old was a sound third in the International Sprint last time out.

Courier Wonder (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}) was runner-up to Lucky Sweynesse in the Chairman's Sprint Prize, but hasn't seen a winner's enclosure since running his record to a perfect five-from-five in Group 3 company in May 2021. He returns from a six-month absence and now resides in the barn of Mark Newnham.

“I'm very pleased with him,” the Aussie expat told the HKJC's Declan Schuster. “We've had him for about eight weeks now and so far the preparation has been without incident. I've been riding him a lot in work myself and I am happy with the way he is moving.”

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Bergen Delivers Strong Performance In Jimmy Winkfield S. At The Big A

With a pair entered from his shedrow, Brad Cox's barn celebrated as Bergen (Liam's Map) took home the Jimmy Winkfield S. and stablemate Air Cav (Mitole) finished third.

The winner broke his maiden at first asking by 3/4 length at Keeneland Oct. 7, but could not keep the streak going when he was late getting to the wire as the runner-up at Churchill Downs Nov. 25.

Facing only four others as the well-backed 4-5 choice here, the grey took up a spot to the outside in the second flight up the backstretch. The colt fanned three-wide around the far turn and began to drive home with the lead secured just before the eighth pole. Fully extended and flashing even more speed in the shadow of the wire, the 3-year-old got the money and his first black-type win. Iridescent (City of Light) was second by 5 1/4 lengths.

Brad Cox's assistant Dustin Dugas said about his barn's entries, “I told both jockeys that it's a small field and to play it how it comes. It looked like there would be more speed in there than we had to offer, and they both rode their horses really well. I'm happy with both performances, but Bergen is a really cool horse and he's a very forward horse in his training and his races. He likes what he does. Trevor [McCarthy] worked him two breezes back and he came back with some really good feedback, so we used that today.”

The winner's dam is responsible for GI Test S. heroine Chi Town Lady (Verrazano), a 2-year-old filly named Aledean (Game Winner), who sold to Greg Tramontin for $600,000 at last year's Keeneland September Sale, and a yearling filly by Not This Time. She visited Justify for this season.

JIMMY WINKFIELD S., $97,000, Aqueduct, 1-27, 3yo, 6f, 1:12.63, my.
1–BERGEN, 118, c, 3, by Liam's Map
                1st Dam: Toni's Hollyday (SP, $119,047), by Harlan's Holiday
                2nd Dam: May Day Vow, by Broken Vow
                3rd Dam: May Day Bluff, by Pine Bluff
($205,000 RNA Ylg '22 KEESEP; $375,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Spendthrift Farm LLC, Martin Schwartz, Gandharvi LLC, Big Easy Racing LLC, Rick Kanter, James J. Bakke, Titletown Racing Stables, Kueber Racing, LLC, Golconda Stable, Ali Goodrich and Mark Parkinson; B-Castleton Lyons, Kilboy Estate & Gavin Tierney (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Manuel Franco. $55,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $136,975. *1/2 to Chi Town Lady (Verrazano), GISW, $462,913.
2–Iridescent, 118, c, 3, City of Light–Resolu, by Smart Strike. ($150,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O/T-David Jacobson; B-Dixiana Farms LLC (KY). $20,000.
3–Air Cav, 118, c, 3, Mitole–In a Cloud, by Elusive Quality. ($125,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Calumet Farm; B-Highlight Thoroughbreds & Haugh Stables (KY); T-Brad Cox. $12,000.
Margins: 5 1/4, 6 3/4, 5. Odds: 0.90, 3.85, 5.50.
Also Ran: El Divino Nino, Stolen Magic.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

 

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