Al Shaqab Racing | Horse Racing Free Tips

G1SW Wooded Retired to Haras de Bouquetot

Group 1 winner Wooded (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}-Frida La Blonde {Fr}, by Elusive City) has been retired and will stand at Haras de Bouquetot in France next year. A fee for the winner of the 2020 G1 Prix de l’Abbaye will be announced later.

“Wooded stood out from the day he arrived for his good looks and ability and he was very sound, never missing a day’s work,” said trainer Francis-Henri Graffard. “In the G3 Prix Texanita he announced himself as a potential superstar and we were confident he would go close in the Commonwealth Cup. The difficulties of travelling this year made it impossible for him to run. As a racehorse he had so many qualities, class, courage and speed and he fully deserved his Group 1 win this year.”

A winner and placed in both the G3 Prix la Rochette and G3 Prix Thomas Bryon as a juvenile in the Al Shaqab colours, the bay did his best running at three. Successful in the G3 Prix Texanita, he was second in the G3 Prix du Petit Couvert three starts later in September prior to his Group 1 win facing elders on Arc Day. The Gestut Zur Kuste-bred €90,000 Arqana October yearling retires with a mark of 9-3-3-1 and $250,081 in earnings.

“Wooded has been a very special racehorse to us at Al Shaqab, winning such a prestigious sprint race as the Prix de l’Abbaye on Arc day, at 3-years-old and against much more experienced horses,” said Al Shaqab General Manager Khalifa Al Attiya. “He will now be starting a new exciting career at Haras de Bouquetot, and we feel confident that such a standout sprinter who performed at the highest level with such consistency at 2- and 3-years’-old will be very well received by the breeders.”

Out of a full-sister to SW & MGSP Fred Lalloupet (GB) (Elusive City) and a half-sister to SW & GSP Mon Pote Le Gitan (Thunder Gulch), Wooded is a full-brother to G3 Sovereign S. bridesmaid Beat Le Bon (Fr). His second dam, Firm Friend (Ire) (Affirmed), won at the listed level in France, and was also second in the G2 Italian 1000 Guineas and third in a further two French Group 3s.

Added Haras de Bouquetot Stud Manager Benoit Jeffroy, “We’re delighted to welcome a Group 1-winning son of Wootton Bassett to join the roster at Haras de Bouquetot for 2021. An athletic mover of 1m67 (16.2 hh), Wooded has outstanding looks, is a very balanced and correct horse with great depth. He’s always shown plenty of speed and we are confident he’ll be an attractive sort to the European market.”

The post G1SW Wooded Retired to Haras de Bouquetot appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Wootton Bassett’s Wooded Wins the Abbaye

There as a slow-motion finish to the G1 Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp Longines on Sunday, where Al Shaqab Racing’s 3-year-old Wooded (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) gave his all to prevail in a drawn-out finale. Missing the kick a touch but able to grab the rail under Pierre-Charles Boudot, the 13-2 shot who had captured the six-furlong G3 Prix Texanita at Chantilly May 13 was marginally ahead passing the two-furlong marker. After seeing off his close companion Liberty Beach (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}), the lightly-raced bay hit the line a neck in front of last year’s winner Glass Slippers (GB) (Dream Ahead) as Liberty Beach stayed in the mix to be a short neck away in third. “I have always held him in high esteem and since he won the group 3 nothing has gone right,” winning trainer Francis-Henri Graffard said. “Because of the pandemic, he had to miss Royal Ascot and then I had to run him over the wrong trip and I was running him today for education, as I thought next year would be his year.”

Campaigned solely over seven furlongs as a juvenile, Wooded opened his account at Deauville in August before finishing a short-head runner-up to Kenway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}) in the G3 Prix la Rochette here in September and third behind the Charlie Appleby-trained duo King’s Command (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Royal Crusade (GB) (Shamardal) in the G3 Prix Thomas Bryon at Saint-Cloud the following month. After springing back to the fore in the Texanita, he was next seen finishing fourth in the G1 Prix Jean Prat back over seven at Deauville July 12 before running sixth in the 6 1/2-furlong G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest also there Aug. 9. Shortened up for the course-and-distance G3 Prix du Petit Couvert, he was runner-up to Air de Valse (Fr) (Mesnil des Aigles {Fr}) Sept. 13 and made the requisite improvement in the interim to turn that form around.

Graffard added, “I was upset, because I knew he was going to run very well in the Commonwealth Cup and there were no races for him over six furlongs over the summer. We have a nice sprinter on our hands and the only question was the ground. He is much better on fast ground and Pierre-Charles said he wasn’t the same horse on soft, but I wanted to toughen him up for next year. He went on it today because he’s a very good horse.”

Wooded is the second foal out of Frida La Blonde (Fr) (Elusive City), whose first was the talented G3 Sovereign S. runner-up Beat le Bon (Fr) also by Wootton Bassett. The second dam is the Listed Criterium d’Evry winner and G2 Premio Regina Elena (Italian 1000 Guineas) runner-up Firm Friend (Ire) (Affirmed) who also produced the Listed Prix Servanne and Listed Prix Cor de Chasse scorer and G3 Prix de Ris-Orangis runner-up Fred Lalloupet (GB) (Elusive City) and another Prix Servanne winner Mon Pote le Gitan (Thunder Gulch) who was also placed in the G3 Prix de Cabourg. The third dam Cherie Amie (Fr) (Gay Mecene) is connected to the G3 Cornwallis S. and G3 Norfolk S.-winning sire Magic Ring (Ire) who was third in this race. The dam’s 2-year-old filly is by Ajaya (GB), while she also has a filly by Intello (Ger) due to sell at the upcoming Arqana Deauville October Yearling Sale.

Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France
PRIX DE L’ABBAYE DE LONGCHAMP LONGINES-G1, €210,000, ParisLongchamp, 10-4, 2yo/up, 5fT, :58.52, hy.
1–WOODED (IRE), 136, c, 3, by Wootton Bassett (GB)
1st Dam: Frida La Blonde (Fr), by Elusive City
2nd Dam: Firm Friend (Ire), by Affirmed
3rd Dam: Chere Amie (Fr), by Gay Mecene
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (€90,000 Ylg ’18 AROCT). O-Al Shaqab Racing; B-Gestut Zur Kuste AG (IRE); T-Francis-Henri Graffard; J-Pierre-Charles Boudot. €119,994. Lifetime Record: 9-3-3-1, €218,398. *Full to Beat Le Bon (Fr), GSP-Eng, $362,908. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Glass Slippers (GB), 133, f, 4, Dream Ahead–Night Gypsy (GB), by Mind Games (GB). O/B-Bearstone Stud Ltd (GB); T-Kevin Ryan. €48,006.
3–Liberty Beach (GB), 133, f, 3, Cable Bay (Ire)–Flirtinaskirt (GB), by Avonbridge (GB). (£16,000 RNA Ylg ’18 TASAYG). O/B-Phillip Wilkins (GB); T-John Quinn. €24,003.
Margins: NK, SNK, 1. Odds: 6.50, 1.70, 10.00.
Also Ran: Lady In France (GB), Keep Busy (Ire), Air de Valse (Fr), Batwan (Fr), Make A Challenge (Ire), Sestilio Jet (Fr), Archer’s Dream (Ire), Livachope (Fr). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

The post Wootton Bassett’s Wooded Wins the Abbaye appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Planteur on the Move to Chapel Stud

Planteur (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}–Plante Rare {Ire}, by Giant’s Causeway) will stand at Chapel Stud in Worcestershire as a National Hunt stallion in 2021. The former Marco Botti-trained bay will stand on behalf of owner/breeder Simon Davies with the deal brokered by Richard Venn Bloodstock.

The 2011 G1 Prix Ganay victor who was also runner-up in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club, G1 Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris and two editions of the G1 Prix d’Isapahan previously stood in France at Haras de Bouquetot (2014-2018) and Haras du Grand Courgeon (2019-2020). Bred by Dayton Investments, Ltd., the dual G1 Dubai World Cup third has sired three black-type winners on the Flat.

“Planteur is an exciting new opportunity for NH breeders with an exceptional race record and pedigree to match neatly packaged in an attractive, correct and athletic horse with a fantastic temperament,” said Chapel Stud Director Roisin Close on the half-brother to the dam of MG1SW Persian King (Ire) (Kingman {GB}).

The post Planteur on the Move to Chapel Stud appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Saeiqa Looks To Back Up Coventry Effort

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Today’s Observations features a highly regarded maiden coming off a Royal Ascot placing.

1:15 Newmarket, Mdn, £10,000, 2yo, c/g, 7fT
SAEIQA (GB) (Shalaa {Ire}) comes back to competitive maiden company after a third placing in the G2 Coventry S. for Al Shaqab and John Gosden, with the relative of the G1 Middle Park S-winning sire First Trump (GB) (Primo Dominie {GB}) holding the edge on that evidence. Godolphin have won this four times in the last eight years and are represented by a trio headed by the Charlie Appleby-trained Magical Land (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), a half-brother to the smart Althiqa (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) who was runner-up here when the operation’s first juvenile runner last month.

The post Saeiqa Looks To Back Up Coventry Effort appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post