Alenquer, who was previously trained by William Haggas, hasn't started since a ninth-place finish in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp on Oct. 2.

“It wasn't a hard decision for the wildcard panel to land on Alenquer as our first wildcard and he joins a fantastic group of 10 horses, headed by Alligator Blood (Aus) (All Too Hard {Aus}), that were voted into the All-Star Mile by the public this week,” RV Executive General Manager, Racing, Matt Welsh told Racing.com. “With 11 runners now in the field, our focus will be on key races at Flemington and Randwick tomorrow before we issue the remaining four wildcards by early next week.”

In 2021 as a 3-year-old, Alenquer won the G2 King Edward VII S. at Royal Ascot. He ran third in the 2400-metre G1 Grand Prix de Paris and second in the G1 Juddmonte International S. later in the year. Last term, the son of Adlerflug won the G3 Winter Derby at Lingfield on the all-weather in February and the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at The Curragh in May.

“He's a Group 1 winner in Ireland and has contested the past two Arc de Triomphes. He's got plenty of class,” Moroney said. “He's settled in really well at Flemington since arriving from overseas and we've been pleased with how he's come to hand in his first prep for the stable. We're excited to unveil him at The Valley in a fortnight. Fresh up over a mile we think he's going to be a serious player in The All-Star Mile.”

The post Alenquer Secures All-Star Mile Spot appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Less than a decade later they topped France's premier yearling sale in 2018 when selling a Dubawi (Ire) colt out of Just The Judge (Ire) for €1.4 million, and at this year's Arqana August Sale their draft is headed by another yearling with two Classic-winning parents. The Sea The Stars (Ire) filly, who will have the lot number 234 attached to her rump as she circles the ring in Deauville, is the first foal of the G1 Prix de Diane winner Channel (Ire) (Nathaniel {Ire}).

“She's very exciting, and it's exciting that people trust us for this kind of thing. She wasn't raised at our farm, she came to us for the prep, so we put her in cotton wool and she's been really well,” says Monneraye from the couple's farm in the idyllic Normandy hamlet of Les Autels-Saint-Bazile. If you love French cheese as much as you love fledgling racehorses, then this is the farm for you, located between Camembert and Livarot.

The filly was bred at Haras des Authieux by Samuel de Barros, and she represents something of a dream start for the Parisian lawyer and his wife Elodie, for whom Channel was a first foray into owning a racehorse. Channel's racing career is lovingly chronicled on the website for their stud, a breeding operation just five years in the making and currently home to six broodmares. While her story is something of a fairytale, similar can be said for the rise of La Motteraye, though it is one which has involved an enormous amount of work by two people who had travelled the world gaining experience in the bloodstock business prior to returning to their native France. 

“It was a dream,” says Monneraye as he reflects on the last 13 years, during which time their operation has expanded to incorporate three farms which are now home to around 50 broodmares. 

“We just wanted this and we worked very hard to get it. The only thing we couldn't know beforehand is whether people would trust us to work with them. We need people to trust us and to put their horses with us. 

“When we first started, the first five first years, I'm a very hard worker, but thinking back I don't think now if I could do it again. It was madness. We had zero money.

We couldn't just buy 50 broodmares and start a farm, so we needed to earn the trust of people, and it worked. So now we are very happy and we still want to develop the farm. We have had a goal since we started and it's still in working progress.”

As well as results in the sales ring, the farm has also been represented by decent performers on the track, most recently the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup winner Alenquer (Fr) (Adlerflug {Ire}), bred by Michael Andre, who also acts as Coolmore's representative in Germany. 

Monneraye notes, “Alenquer was from the first full crop that was bred on the new farm. Before, when the farm was small and we couldn't really breed horses, we just mainly did pinhooking and consigning. And since we bought the other farm, we had the first crop which wasn't fully bred over there, but that included [Group 3 winner] Pao Alto (Fr). And then the next crop was Alenquer, so it gave us belief in what we do and in the quality of the land over there. And we were absolutely thrilled with Alenquer, and especially for his breeder, Michael Andre, who is also a friend.”

La Motteraye's clients also include some English and Irish breeders but it is predominantly backed by those in France, which is enjoying a rejuvenation of the breeding ranks with a notable range of younger participants.

Of the team at Haras des Authieux, Monneraye says, “It's great for France to have these kind of people, and they love the racing. And it is the same with Haras du Thenney and David Salabi. He's very keen in the horses, he's young, he's enthusiastic, and we also sell his yearlings. It's really a pleasure to work with these kind of people because they're nice people, they love what they do, they trust us. And so it makes our job easy.”

Monneraye and Lamotte were themselves at the forefront of a new wave of major consignors in France, their fluency in English making them popular with an increasing number of breeders from across the Channel wishing to take advantage of the lucrative French premium scheme.

“I think the first was maybe Haras de Grandcamp and then Anna [Sundstrom of Coulonces Sales] and then us, and of course we have Monceaux, that was the beginning,” Monneraye says.

“And since then, there have been a lot of young people and they work really hard to set up their consignments. And now we have also a lot of people that are setting up farms, breeding operations, and I think when I look to Europe, there are more young French breeders than probably in the rest of Europe.”

He adds, “I think one of the key factors is that land is more affordable here than in England. It's so expensive there that people maybe have to be a farm manager or they have to find another way of doing it. So that's the luck we have.”

Monneraye and Lamotte keep nine of their own mares on the farm and are keen to develop their families in the long term.

“When I go to England to Tattersalls I say to my English friends 'I want to buy a foundation mare' and they all laugh at me,” says Monneraye. “They say 'do you believe in Santa Claus?' But that's why I came into this business. I didn't come into the business just to trade. I came to one day have an amazing broodmare.”

He continues, “That's the real goal of the whole shebang, rather than to trade. My father is a farmer and I think maybe that's why I see it this way. It's the agricultural part of it, and the breeding. You need to focus on the long term. And of course you need a bit of cash and to be able to sell well at the sales, but you have to think of both ways because otherwise I don't really see the point. I don't see the passion. I think it's a very French thing; the passion is so important in France.”

Away from the farm for the next week, and in Deauville with their four-month-old daughter Olivia and some babysitting parents, Monneraye and Lamotte will be putting all their passion into selling yearlings for their clients.

A recent update has been provided for lot 143, a colt by Wootton Bassett out of Soniechka (GB) (Notnowcato {GB}), who is the dam of recent Glorious Goodwood-winning 2-year-old Sparkling Beauty (Fr), trained by Richard Hughes. He is being sold on behalf of English-based breeders Tim and Gill Bostwick of Biddestone Stud.

Another Wootton Bassett in the draft, lot 68, a filly out of Nouvelle Vague (Ire) (Henrythenavigator), also benefited from a recent update when her 2-year-old half-sister Arinniti (Fr), also bred at La Motteraye, was second first time out at Naas. She has now been sold to Team Valor and will be trained by Paddy Twomey, who has given her an entry for the G2 Debutante S. later this month. 

On behalf of breeder Al Shahania Stud, La Motteraye will also consign a filly by American Triple Crown winner Justify, who has made a promising start with his first runners this season. Lot 167 also has a strong Juddmonte family behind her as she is a daughter of Time Being (GB) (Zamindar), a full-sister to Group 1 winner Timepiece (GB) and half to her fellow top-level scorer Passage Of Time (GB) (Dansili {GB}), who has also found fame as the dam of Time Test (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}).

“Sometimes you think to yourself 'I don't know if this horse can really make it to this sale',” Monneraye explains as he expresses his satisfaction with the team of 20 yearlings which has just arrived in Deauville. “But this year, we haven't had this. We really like them all and I think overall it's a very strong draft. In France it's very popular for people to come and see them on the farm, so pretty much every second day we had people visiting. They have had a lot of practice and now we just have to make sure everything goes smoothly at the sale.”

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Vadeni, trained by Jean-Claude Rouget, was supplemented at a cost of £50,000 for the race on Monday. A hugely impressive winner of the G1 Qatar Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly when last seen, the French raider is a general 2-1 favourite to follow up on that success at Sandown.  

Georges Rimaud, the Aga Khan's racing manager, said, “We liked Vadeni's performance in the French Derby, when he showed a very decisive turn of foot. Personally, that did not surprise me because I knew he had that gear change based on his prior race in the G3 Prix Fontainebleau over a mile where his acceleration drew the best sectional times.”

Vadeni will be bidding to bridge a gap that extends back to 1959 to the last French-trained winner of the Eclipse, Alec Head's Prince Aly Khan-owned Saint Crespin III (GB), however, not many have tried since. 

Rimaud thinks that Vadeni could be up to the task and added, “Obviously, when you have a horse winning the Prix du Jockey Club by a record five lengths it's very satisfying. Going in against the older horses is a task, but it's an interesting one –it's time for him to show us what he can do.

“We'll know more on Saturday evening about his autumn campaign, but it's the only race at the distance at this time which is a Group 1. It will be a challenge, but it's one we are ready to take on.”

Vadeni was put through his paces at Deauville on Monday morning and is reported to be in rude health ahead of his trip to Britain.

Rimaud said, “I sent a message after seeing the horse work on Monday that all the lights were green. He wasn't asked to do very much, but he did work well and showed a nice action on ground that we would call good, so we decided to go ahead and supplement him as planned.”

He added, “There seemed to be an assumption after Chantilly that we were perhaps going to go for the G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano as a route to the Arc, but we don't know if he's made for 1m4f. He has a lot of speed, so we're sticking to just short of that.”

“Sandown is a different profile of track and we don't know if he will manage it, but we certainly expect him to handle it as he's a very well-balanced horse. He has always had a lovely action and doesn't get concerned by the ground being soft or fast. There is a 10-metre rise from the home turn to the winning post at Chantilly, so hopefully that will help.”

Group 1 winners Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) and Alenquer (Fr) (Adlerflug {Ger}), along with this year's G1 Irish 2000 Guineas scorer Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), are also on course for what promises to be a mouth-watering renewal.

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But back in 2018, when not many were in a hurry to get behind the little-known Adlerflug (Fr) (In The Wings {GB}), one of the ill-fated sire's most talented sons went through the ring at Arqana for that paltry sum.

It was Gerry Burke's eye and pocket who saw something in Alenquer (Ger) long before the horse confirmed himself a colt of the highest standard in winning the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh on Sunday, not that the man behind Glidawn Stud will take much credit. 

“Normally, when these horses end up becoming Group 1 winners, it's because they have been fortunate enough to have been in good hands, particularly when it comes to the trainer,” said Burke, deflecting the praise towards William Haggas.

“It's lovely when something like this happens as it gives people hope that you don't have to spend hundreds of thousands to find a Group 1 winner. 

“He [Alenquer] was a relatively inexpensive foal and was lucky for everyone he was associated with. He left me a few quid and has done very well for his new connections.” – Gerry Burke

Torquator Tasso (Ger), last season's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner, and In Swoop (Ire), had yet to fly the flag for Adlerflug by the time Burke re-offered Alenquer as a yearling, not that it mattered much.

Such was the quality of animal Burke was dealing with, Alenquer was accepted into Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Sale, and despite admitting to knowing next to nothing about the colt's sire, popular bloodstock agent Armando Duarte went to 80,000gns to secure him.

Picking up the story, Duarte, who purchased Alenquer on behalf of MM Stables, recalled, “Within three strides of seeing Alenquer walking out of his box, I thought 'wow, he is absolutely unbelievable.' He'd a great walk, a great shoulder, a lovely head with good ears and good eyes. “I went and looked at every other horse in that sale but he was the one who kept coming back to my mind. I think I looked at him 13 times. I had no clue who Adlerflug was but I just loved Alenquer.”

He added, “Bill O'Gorman, who taught me everything I know, always said to me that horses don't know how much they cost and it's a fact. He was a great mentor to me and taught me to look for the triangular shape between the withers, shoulders and the hip. Alenquer had that triangular shape that I look for.”

The Tattersalls Gold Cup has at times been rendered a damp squib, a soft touch if you like, but not Sunday's edition. 

Alenquer beat globetrotting stars State Of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) and Lord North (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Mac Swiney (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) and Group 1 scorers Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) and Helvic Dream (Ire) (Power {GB}) in recording his finest hour on the racetrack and Duarte believes the 4-year-old has more to offer at the highest level.

“To be honest, sometimes I have to pinch myself. Things like this don't happen very often so you have to enjoy it,” he said.

“It was as good a Tattersalls Gold Cup as I can remember. We like to give him a little break between races so I think we will go to the Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown next. After that, we could look at the King George at Ascot, the Juddmonte, the Irish Champion Stakes or even the Arc. There are so many options. He's improving all the time and is exciting.” 

Brilliant finish to a thrilling @Tattersalls1766 Gold Cup!

Alenquer strikes for the red-hot William Haggas and @TomMarquand combination in a race to remember at @curraghrace pic.twitter.com/DHtd13G1Vq

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 22, 2022

Alenquer was the only foal that Burke brought home from Arqana in 2018 and he counts himself “blessed” to have found him. Whether it was fate, or just sheer luck, Burke explained that Duarte was the first man to pull Alenquer out of his stable at Tattersalls and that Sunday's triumph marked the anniversary of another special day. 

The renowned pinhooker said, “I knew that Armando loved him. He was the first man to pull him out of the box. The horse was well liked by a lot of very good judges at the sales and it was nice to see the experts back up what we thought of him at home. 

“He was the only foal I bought at Arqana that year. I was blessed to find him. We sold Hula Angel (Woodman), who won the Irish 1,000 Guineas 23 years ago to the day of Alenquer's Gold Cup win, so that's how long it took me to find another one. We have been very blessed to have had him.”

Many good things come to those who deserve them least but in the case of Gwen Monneraye and Lucie Lamotte of La Motteraye, who consigned Alenquer at Arqana on behalf of Michael Andree, they have earned their place in the third and final chapter of the Alenquer story. 

Gwen and Lucie, who welcomed their first child Olivia into the world just three months ago, were zipping down to the south of France for a mini holiday when they pulled over to watch Alenquer storm to Curragh glory. 

Alenquer came from just the second crop of foals born at La Motteraye, the fast-developing stud in Normandy, with the broodmare band more than doubling since 2018 from 20 to 50 currently. 

Among them is Alenquer's dam Wild Blossom (Ger) (Areion {Ger}), happily in foal to Victor Ludorum (GB) (Shamardal), which provided the young family with extra reason to celebrate over the weekend. 

Monneraye said, “Alenquer was born and reared on our farm. Michael Andree, of Gestut Romerhof, is the Coolmore representative in Germany and is also a very good client of ours. He sent the mare [Wild Blossom] in foal to Adlerflug and she has remained on our farm ever since.”

He added, “I can remember asking Michael about the stallion as I didn't know a lot about Adlerflug. He was a nice horse to be bringing to the sales but people were not aware of Adlerflug and he made only €18,000. His statistics are looking very smart now.

“We work hard every day and to get a result like that was amazing. We were actually on the road to go on a little holiday when we pulled over to watch the race on our phone. It was the best start ever to a holiday and we drank a lot of champagne when we arrived.”

Rare are days where a horse like Alenquer comes along. They need to be celebrated and Burke, Duarte, Andree, Monneraye and Lamotte certainly have.

The post ‘I Had No Clue Who Adlerflug Was But I Just Loved Alenquer’  appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Over the last fortnight 41 horses have been sent out by the trainer and 17 of them have returned home with a trophy to add to the cabinet. Most impressively, 10 of those victories have been in stakes races. Taking up where Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and Lilac Road (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) left off the previous this week, the stable's runners over the last seven days have won a Group 1, Group 2 and four Listed races, headed of course by Alenquer (Fr) (Adlerflug {Ger}) trouncing some fairly fancy opposition in the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup and Maljoom (Ire) pilfering the G2 Mehl-Mulhens-Rennen (German 2,000 Guineas) to become the first Classic winner for his sire Caravaggio.

Haggas is also now the sole custodian in Britain and Ireland of horses in training for the Tsui family's Sunderland Holdings. Their five runners to have taken to the track so far this season have posted some impressive results. Last week alone the half-siblings My Prospero (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) and My Astra (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) each won Listed races–the latter by a whopping 12 lengths at Ayr–and those successes followed the All-Weather Mile Championship win of the eldest of the clan, 5-year-old My Oberon (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). The latter also won last year's G3 Earl Of Sefton S. before being beaten only a neck when third in the G1 Prix d'Ispahan.

Their dam My Titania (Ire) holds a footnote in racing history as the first black-type winner for her illustrious sire and the Tsuis' pride and joy, Sea The Stars (Ire). He also featured as the sire of another of the Haggas/Sunderland Holdings stakes winners last week, Sea Silk Road (Ire), who was bred by Kildaragh Stud and landed  the Listed Height Of Fashion S.

It will come as a surprise to precisely no-one that Sea The Stars has the makings of a decent broodmare sire, and there has been a flurry of promising activity in this regard of late. He features in this category for the G2 Prix Greffulhe winner Onesto (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), who is bred on the same cross as another from the Haggas stable, the Group 3 winner and G1 Queen Anne S. entrant Mohaafeth (Ire). Saturday's GIII Galorette S. winner Technical Analysis (GB) (Kingman {GB}) is also out of a Sea The Stars mare.

Currently flying up the broodmare sires' table, however, is Darley's Teofilo (GB), whose daughters have now produced three European Classic winners this season. Following the Guineas double in Newmarket of Coroebus (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}), Maljoom added to the haul in Cologne.

Legendary Riders Remembered

William Haggas would certainly be the first to admit that his wife Maureen plays a key role in the success of their stable. Her father Lester Piggott was sadly not present to see the unveiling of his statue at the Curragh on Saturday, with Maureen's sister Tracy Piggott performing that honour as her father convalesces in hospital in Switzerland. 

She said of the legendary jockey in Sunday's Racing Post, “He's still constantly watching the racing and is getting a big kick out of seeing how my sister Maureen and William Haggas are flying along.”

Piggott, now 86, was at the Curragh for the opening of the new stand three years ago. His likeness in bronze now stands outside the weighing-room looking towards the track at his request. 

Thoughts also turned to Pat Smullen on Sunday, on the day he would have celebrated his 45th birthday. He, too, would have got a kick out of seeing a runaway Classic winner for Eva-Maria Bucher-Haefner and Dermot Weld, whose stable Smullen was retained by for two decades. The trainer and jockey combined in the Irish 1,000 Guineas victory 16 years ago of Nightime (Ire), who became the first of many Classic winners for Galileo (Ire). 

Smullen rode his first British Classic winner, Refuse To Bend (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), in the Moyglare Stud colours and his long association with the Haefner family extended past his retirement from race riding in 2019 as he was appointed as an advisor to their operation. In the 60th anniversary year of Moyglare Stud there could have been no more fitting Irish 1,000 Guineas winner than Homeless Songs (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), and Bucher-Haefner has a further shot at Classic glory as co-owner of the Moyglare-bred Cheshire Oaks winner Thoughts Of June (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who is entered in the Oaks and the Irish Oaks.

Homeless Songs, bred on the same Frankel-Dubawi cross as last year's Derby winner Adayar (Ire), appears to be considered as a miler at most by her trainer, and she certainly exhibited a killer sprint kick in her five-and-a-half-length Guineas romp. Here's hoping she turns up at Royal Ascot to face Cachet and Mangoustine (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the Coronation S. Homeless Songs also provided a first proper Clasic success for Chris Hayes, who rode Moyglare Stud's Search For A Song (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in her first of two wins in the G1 Irish St Leger.

Appleby Wears The Crown

Triple Crown winners may not come along too often in this part of the world, but Charlie Appleby has designed a new Triple Crown all of his own in recording the extraordinary feat of winning the 2000 Guineas in Britain, France and Ireland with three different horses. 

For Godolphin, the Dubawi colts Coroebus (Ire) and Modern Games (Ire) would have been extra satisfying, being homebred sons of the operation's outstanding stallion. But of course Godolphin are also in the business of making stallions, and the Haras d'Haspel-bred Native Trail (GB), as a son of Oasis Dream (GB) from an excellent Juddmonte family, would be a worthy addition to any stallion barn. Moreover, it is always good to see the champion 2-year-old continue to be special at three. 

Havana Ball

When TDN visited Karl Burke in Middleham back in January 2018, Havana Grey (GB) was about a month shy of his third birthday but was delighting his trainer ahead of the season in which he would earn his Group 1 stripes in the Flying Five.
“Havana Grey is as hard as nails,” said Burke at the time. “He's a great character and he loves his work. Right from day one all he wanted to do was gallop…he's a real battler with a lot of natural speed.”

The son of Havana Gold (Ire) had by that stage already proved himself to be a hard-knocking 2-year-old, winning four of his eight juvenile starts, including the G3 Molecomb S., and finishing runner-up to his stable-mate Unfortunately (Ire) in the G1 Prix Morny. His early prowess is now being mirrored–and some–by members of his first crop.
Havana Grey, who stands at Whitsbury Manor Stud, has now streaked to the top of the freshman sires' table with 14 winners already to his credit. The most recent came on Sunday for Michael Bell and Middleham Park Racing with Maylandsea (GB), a grandson of Fiona Denniff's increasingly influential broodmare Hill Welcome (GB) (Most Welcome {GB}. He has also been represented by the highest number of runners, with 35 members of his first crop having already taken to the track, giving Havana Grey a strike-rate of 40% at this early stage of the year.
Another freshman off the mark this week was Cracksman (GB), with two winners coming in quick succession, and two of the first-crop sires are responsible for juveniles that have earned a coveted TDN Rising Star this season.
Following the performance of Tajalla (Ire), a son of Tally-Ho Stud's Kessaar (Ire), at Newmarket in April, a gold star went to the 2-year-old who has posted arguably the most impressive win of them all so far this season. Bradsell (GB), by Shadwell's Tasleet, scorched along the Knavesmire on Saturday to win by nine lengths for Archie Watson. Bred by Deborah O'Brien, who has had Bradsell's family for three generations, he was sold for 12,000gns as a yearling and then was brought back to the breeze-up sales by Mark Grant, who sold him for £47,000 to Tom Biggs at Goffs UK. Top hats are surely being readied by his owners, Primavera.

Trading Classics

While William Haggas was plundering a German Classic on Sunday, German trainer Markus Klug popped over to Rome and came home with the Derby Italiano trophy courtesy of Ardakan (GB). It would have been more appropriate for Ardakan to have won the Mehl-Mulhens-Rennen, the race named after the founding family of Gestut Rottgen, near Cologne, where he is trained and was bred, and where his sire Reliable Man (GB) stands.
This colt does not however bear the colours of Rottgen, which has had his family in its possession for a century. Ardakan was sold to Holger Faust on behalf of Darius Racing for €40,000 at the BBAG Yearling Sale and, clearly appreciating the 1m3f of the Italian Classic, he became the second black-type winner for his dam, the Listed winner Alaskakonigin (Ger) (Sternkoenig).
Klug also trains Ardakan's year-older half-sister Alaskasonne (Fr) (Soldier Hollow {GB}), who is already a Listed winner in her homeland and is entered for Tuesday's G2 Prix Corrida at Saint-Cloud. 

Another Star For International Family

The brilliant racemare Stacelita (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}), a Group/Grade 1 winner in both France and America, provided Frankel with his first top-level winner and first Classic winner when their daughter Soul Stirring (Jpn) won the GI Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) in 2017. 

Five years later the same family was back in the spotlight for that same Classic when Stacelita's grand-daughter Stars On Earth (Jpn) took another step forward in her quest for the Fillies' Triple Crown after adding the Yushun Himba to her victory in the GI Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas). As well as both being bred by Shadai Farm, Soul Stirring and Stars On Earth are connected by their jockey, Frenchman Christophe Lemaire. 

Further enhancing the broad international range of the family, Stars On Earth's dam Southern Stars (GB), a daughter of the late Lane's End Farm stallion Smart Strike, was trained in Newmarket for Teruya Yoshida by John Gosden, and won a Sandown maiden.

In the meantime, the Frankel bandwagon has rolled on at pace and he is now the sire of 21 Group/Grade 1 winners in Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Canada and Dubai.

No Squiggle For Sieglinde

When Timeform announced in October 2020 that its Racehorses annuals would no longer be published, outgoing publishing editor Geoff Greetham said, “When the history of the pandemic comes to be written, the demise of the Timeform annuals will merit no more than a footnote, but to the band of loyal readers and to the generations of writers and photographers who have worked on 'racing's bible' this will undoubtedly be a low point. Nothing lasts forever but the Timeform annuals have stood the test of time for longer than most and will still remain as a permanent written history of the sport.”

Indeed they will, and the annuals which date back to 1948 and are collectors' items, are already sorely missed.

Stepping into the breach, however, is Irish pedigree analyst and writer Dr Sieglinde McGee, who has recently published Best Racehorses of 2021. This is her second annual, containing essays, pedigree notes and breeding details of 220 of the top horses in Europe as well as a review of the season. It is a not only a true labour of love but also an incredibly valuable addition to the libraries of racing and breeding buffs. Copies can be ordered via Amazon. 

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So states William Haggas of his stable star, the Shadwell homebred Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), whose seasonal debut, which is likely to be in the G1 Al Shaqab Lockinge S. on May 14, will be one of the most anticipated returns of the season. At this stage last year, Baaeed hadn't even been seen on a racecourse, but his trainer thought enough of him to nominate him as his horse to follow in Mark Howard's Ahead On The Flat book for 2021.

“I've since looked back and thought, 'what if I'd run him in the Dewhurst?',” Haggas says. “Because the criticism of him when he goes to stud will be that he didn't run as a 2-year-old. I would say that if I had trained him to run as a 2-year-old he wouldn't have been the horse he is now, but the trouble is nobody knows the answer to that.”

He adds, “When he was two I thought he would want a mile and a half because his brother did, but he has a huge sprinter's backside. He was always nice looking and of course he has a lovely pedigree. I love Sea The Stars. But I didn't envisage Baaeed doing what he did.”

What he did was to progress from his June 7 debut in a Leicester maiden, through a Newmarket novice race carrying a penalty, to the Listed Henry Cecil S. on the July Course, which he won easily by four lengths. 

“Then I rang Sheikha Hissa and asked her if she would like to supplement him for the Sussex,” Haggas recalls. “He hadn't even run when the Sussex entries closed. I told her there was a Group 3 option for 3-year-olds only the next day and she said she would think about it. Sheikha Hissa decided it was best to go quietly, and then the Sussex was run in a ploughed field and I wasn't sure that I would have wanted to run him in that ground, but fortunately she said to go for the Group 3 [Thoroughbred S.] and he won that easily too.”

From that point on there was no avoiding a Group 1 challenge, and after a five-week break between runs, Baaeed travelled overseas for the first time to France for the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, in which he beat the GI Breeders' Cup Mile winner Order Of Australia (Ire) (Australia {GB}), G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Victor Ludorum (GB) (Shamardal) and the G1 Falmouth S. heroine Snow Lantern (GB) (Frankel {GB}).

“We had a bit of a wobble after Goodwood and I was worried that he was too fresh in the Moulin,” Haggas continues. “When I saw him go to post I was worried that I had underdone him. He was drawn wide and he was wide the whole way. He wasn't that impressive really, but I knew then, and I said to Angus [Gold, Shadwell's racing manager] 'he must be a good horse, because he has done it in spite of his stupid trainer'. Then he was really good going to Ascot and we were extremely happy with him.”

Baaeed concluded his spotless season by beating the top older miler Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in the G1 Queen Elizabeth S. on QIPCO British Champions Day, with Her Majesty in attendance to present the prize for the race named in her honour. He has remained at Haggas's Somerville Lodge as autumn turned to winter and now spring, and as he approaches his actual fourth birthday this Friday he has just completed his first piece of strong work in the countdown to Newbury.

Haggas, an avowed supporter of the brilliantly versatile Sea The Stars, with a keen interest in pedigrees, appears to be itching to try Baaeed beyond the mile at which he has so far proved so superior. He says, “He was always going for the Lockinge then the Queen Anne. He's going to be given an entry in the Prince of Wales's because I feel that he has to go up in trip at some stage. The difficulty is knowing when. Frankel did the Lockinge, Queen Anne, Sussex and then he went to a mile and a quarter and was imperious. I'm quite keen to try him at a mile and a quarter. I think if he relaxes and breathes properly then he should be better [at that distance]. I can't believe he won't stay.”

The only dark cloud on an otherwise bright horizon for Baaeed and those around him is the fact that his owner-breeder Sheikh Hamdan did not live long enough to see this fifth-generation descendant of his hugely important foundation mare Height Of Fashion (Fr) (Bustino {GB}) make such an impact on the racecourse. The reins have been passed now to his daughter Sheikha Hissa, who has already signalled her enthusiasm for the turf with appearances at track work during the Dubai International Racing Carnival, at which Baaeed's full-brother Hukum (Ire) was victorious on Super Saturday in the G2 Dubai City of Gold for trainer Owen Burrows.

“However much we mourn Sheikh Hamdan, sadly he's not coming back,” Haggas says. “Sheikha Hissa has her own identity and this is now the new era of Shadwell, and our focus is on what we can do for her and her operation.”

Among Sheikha Hissa's team of runners to look forward to this season is another Lockinge entrant, Aldaary (GB) (Territories {Ire}), who was last seen when rounding off a memorable Champions Day for the team by winning the Balmoral Handicap.

“Aldaary is a heavy-ground horse and he's pretty lethal at Ascot,” says his trainer. “Newbury is straight and just occasionally the Lockinge is heavy. If  suddenly I thought that it wasn't great for Baaeed then it would be great for Aldaary. But the idea is to run Baaeed, and he will probably run, but if it came up heavy Aldaary will run. He's never run in a stakes race before but he's rated 115 so is officially 10lbs behind Baaeed, but he's ahead of a lot of others and he's a lovely horse.”

He adds of the 4-year-old gelding, “He was very difficult to break, but he was gelded and he is a really kind horse now.”

Another in the stable for whom Haggas reserves the warmest of praise, and who is watching us keenly as we speak from his stable which is almost an annexe to the trainer's home, is the four-time Group 1 winner Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}), now eight and thankfully recovered from an infection which nearly claimed his life last year. 

“Addeybb is marvellous,” Haggas says simply of the horse who brightened the early stages of lockdown, not just for his own stable, but for much of the local racing fraternity as Addeyyb claimed back-to-back Group 1 wins in Sydney while British racing was brought to a standstill by the pandemic. 

“He's going to go for the Brigadier Gerard at Sandown and then the Wolferton, unless he wins the Brigadier Gerard, in which case he'll go for the Prince of Wales's. Otherwise he'll go for the Wolferton, which he won three years ago. It's only listed, he's dropped all his Group 1 penalties and he's eight years old, so it might give him a chance of winning again.”

He continues, “He was really good in 2020 and his performance in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes [at Randwick] and the Champion Stakes [at Ascot] were his best two. He was never quite the same in 2021 but he ran second behind St Mark's Basilica (Fr) with Mishriff (Ire) behind him in the Eclipse, and that was commendable effort. But then it didn't rain at all and we couldn't get a prep run into him before the Champion Stakes. Then I didn't think there would be much pace on, so I said to Tom [Marquand] to slide forward but Adayar took him on up front.”

Haggas adds, “We nearly lost him. He got an infection in his hock and I thought he was going to die. He went off to the vets and lost a lot of weight, so it's taken him a long time to recover, but he's going to do his first piece of work this week. He's getting on a bit and he will probably be a very nice hack eventually when he retires.”

Last season's G2 King Edward VII S. winner Alenquer (Fr) (Adlerflug {Ger}) has already been seen in action twice this year when beating Lord North (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) to win the G3 Winter Derby before running sixth of 15 in an ultra-competitive staging of the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic. 

“I think the ground was too firm for him [in Dubai],” says the trainer. “He lost a shoe but he looked uncomfortable on the ground, certainly turning for home. But he dug in quite well and ran a respectable race. I'm going to go to Ireland with him for the Tattersalls Gold Cup. We've got another six weeks which I think will be fine. I don't think he wants it firm, but he can cope with soft ground.”

He continues, “Everyone looked at Lord North winning [in Dubai] and thought Alenquer had to run well but nobody looked at the other side, which was Fancy Man (Ire), who was third in the Winter Derby and was then got rolled over in a listed race at Kempton the same day as Dubai.

“As training performances go, that was a pretty amazing training performance with Lord North, and John [Gosden] didn't get much credit for it. But to bring him back in three and a half weeks from looking ring-rusty to winning a race of that nature was pretty impressive.”

Haggas adds with a laugh, “Don't tell him that though.”

Of the fillies' division in Somerville Lodge, Haggas notes that he may send last season's G3 Nell Gwyn S. and G2 Hungerford S. winner Sacred (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) straight to Royal Ascot for the renamed G1 Platinum Jubilee S. 

“I think she's best fresh,” says the trainer, who also has Sacred's unraced 3-year-old sister Enshrine (GB), by Ulysses (Ire), for breeder Cheveley Park Stud. 

He may even have a contender to keep the Nell Gwyn trophy in his clutches for this year in the form of Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum's Perfect News (GB), a daughter of Frankel (GB) and Haggas's former star performer Besharah (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), who sadly died recently. 

“Perfect News runs next week, probably in the Fred Darling, but I'm also going to put her in the Nell Gwyn,” he says. “I think she wants soft ground but she's won on the track at Newmarket and I think that's a bit of a plus. I might also put her in the Free Handicap because she sneaks in at the bottom and there's quite often only about six runners in that race.”

Haggas has recently received news that another former stable star, the brilliant treble G1 Prix de la Foret winner One Master (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) has been scanned in foal to Frankel after delivering her first foal, a colt by Dubawi (Ire), on Jan. 27. And he has been sent another potentially top-class filly by One Master's American owner-breeders Roy and Gretchen Jackson, who snapped up the G1 Criterium International third Purplepay (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) for €2 million at Arqana last December.

“The Jacksons are marvellous and they have sent me a bit of a bonus really,” says the trainer. “Purplepay was going to America and she missed the flight. They decided to send her over here for now and I have just put her in the Irish Guineas. They would come to Ascot if Purplepay ran there, even though they are in their mid-80s now. They are wonderful people.”

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After his Royal Ascot triumph, the William Haggas-trained Alenquer finished third in the G1 Grand Prix de Paris and second in the G1 Juddmonte International. He wrapped up his campaign with a ninth-place finish in the heavy ground G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

“He's a nice horse,” Haggas said. “He ran in the Arc, which he probably shouldn't have done, but he still ran a good race and he's a pretty useful horse. He won't run before the Winter Derby. He'll run in the Winter Derby and will hopefully go on to run in Dubai in the Sheema Classic.”

Haggas also entered My Oberon (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Grocer Jack (Ger) (Oasis Dream {GB}) in the Winter Derby, but said the race is a back-up for that pair, who are being prepared for the G1 Saudi Cup, with the Neom Turf Cup also an option for Grocer Jack.

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He said: “The owners, Mubarak Alarou and Mussad Almutari, are keen to have a crack at the Arc as Alenquer is a mile-and-a-half horse, and he will handle any eventual cut in the ground. He's been in good shape since York. Obviously, it's a tough assignment but we're hopeful that he'll run a nice race.”

Alenquer is a colt with an international dimension. As his owners hail from Kuwait and he is trained in Britain, or Newmarket to be precise, by William Haggas. Furthermore, his breeders, the Gestüt Romerhof, are German. He was born and reared in France, and notably in Normandy, as he bears the hallmark of the La Motteraye Consignment.

Alenquer is unraced since his second place in the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes at York on Aug. 18, when he finished six lengths adrift of Mishriff. The latter is a possible Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe contender. He had previously finished third in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris over 12 furlongs at ParisLongchamp, won by one of the leading fancies for this year's Arc, Hurricane Lane.

Another formline also ties Alenquer in with another leading Arc fancy: as he beat Adayar in the Group 3 Classic Trial at Sandown in April. Adayar has since franked the form by winning both the Epsom Derby and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (both G1s). The latter race also rejoices in the reputation of being the British equivalent of the Arc.

Alenquer is quoted at odds varying from 25-1 to 40-1 by the bookmakers for the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

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The Juddmonte International was the only “Win and You're In” qualifying race for the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic run in Europe this year.

Mishriff was last seen finishing second to Adayar in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes (G1) at Ascot in July, a “Win and You're In” race for the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf. The 4-year-old colt is trained by John & Thady Gosden and was ridden by David Egan. Mishriff won the Saudi Cup (G1) on dirt and the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) on turf earlier this year.

After the ride, Egan said: “Mishriff has proved he can do it overseas and he can do it back home.

“I had in my mind I wanted to sit in the second row, one of the fence…he stays this flat mile and a quarter so well and I was going so easy three out I just let him slide and he took me there all the way.”

Much was made of the absence of St Mark's Basilica at the declaration stage for the race, but he could well have met his match regardless as David Egan steered Mishriff to a resounding victory over Alenquer.

Mac Swiney, winner of the Irish 2000 Guineas earlier in the year took up the running early on. A relatively steady two-by-two formation ensued for the first half of the race. The eventual winner received plenty of cover, dicing between third and fourth.

Turning into the straight the race pace began to increase, with Love and Alcohol Free making their moves on the far side. Meanwhile standside, David Egan was cruising on Mishriff and found himself in the lead two furlongs out. Any worries that the horse had a tendency to stop out in front were soon quashed as Mishriff continued to pull clear for a resounding victory.

Alenquer ran a very strong race to finish best of the rest, while Love and Alcohol Free weren't seen at their best. Although, their best still may not have been enough to topple the eventual winner.

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The colt's only loss in five starts came when third in the Epsom Derby, when he lost both front shoes during the running.

On Hurricane Lane's chances, Buick told Sky Sports Racing: “He's a horse who is still lightly-raced and he's probably still on the up… You'd expect it to be a good race but the team at home have been very happy with him and I'm really looking forward to it.”

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