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Record Entries For Swedish Derby/Oaks

Over 500 horses are eligible for the 10-race 2022 Swedish Derby & Oaks Series which closed on Mar. 22, Svensk Galopp announced on Tuesday.

All the races are for 3-year-olds and run over three meetings on the Jagersro Racecourse dirt track with the exception of the Bro Park Sprint for Scandinavian-bred horses. Total prize money is almost €7.7 million and the races will be run between June and August. The Swedish Derby is worth in excess of €249,000, while the Swedish Oaks is worth almost €115,000 and the Altamira worth nearly €33,000. The entries are boosted by the inclusion of the full catalogs of the Goffs UK, Arqana and selected Tattersalls Breeze-Up sales. There is no supplemental entry stage for the Swedish Derby & Oaks Series.

Dennis Madsen Director of Racing for the Swedish Racing Authority said, “This year's record entry further endorses the innovative partnerships we have formed with the sales companies and demonstrates among the breeze-up consignors recognition of the value of an entry in the Swedish Derby & Oaks Series.

“We hope that many of the horses entered will remain after the next forfeit stage and that in addition to the horses that are imported into Scandinavia, new owners will take the chance to leave their breeze-up purchases in the series.”

“Sweden's reputation for providing good prize money and good quality racing continues to rise and last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies' Turf winner Aunt Pearl whose dam, Matauri Pearl, ran her entire career in training in Sweden is one of many examples of class performers who can claim Swedish heritage. Other notables include 2019 Swedish Derby contender, Tribhuvan, who only last weekend won the GII Fort Marcy S. at Belmont Park.”

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Arqana Breeze-Up Moved To Doncaster

For the second straight year, the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale will be staged at Goffs UK's Doncaster sales complex in light of coronavirus-inflicted travel restrictions. The sale was originally slated for Deauville on May 13 and 14, and will now take place at Doncaster on May 28, with the breeze show on May 26.

The decision to move the sale was prompted by the fact that 80% of the 2-year-olds catalogued are based in Ireland, and thus the personnel accompanying them to France would have had to undertake a strict two-week hotel quarantine. As has become customary since the pandemic began more than a year ago, telephone and internet bidding will also be available.

Arqana President Eric Hoyeau said, “First of all, we would like to acknowledge the flexibility and understanding of all our vendors in this situation. We were looking forward to a return of the Breeze Up to Deauville but in the current context and after having looked at all the possible solutions, the organisation of the sale at Doncaster will be much simpler for a large majority of them. We would also like to thank Goffs, whose entire UK team has adapted to accommodate our sale. As with last year, we will do everything possible to welcome everyone in the best possible conditions. We will also continue to offer many opportunities for buyers to bid who could not make the trip. The entire Arqana team remains at the disposal of both buyers and vendors to answer any questions and to help with their organisation.”

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Chantilly Double For Powerstown Breezers

As Covid travel restrictions prompted delays and relocations, last season's breeze-up sales were anything but plain sailing for many consignors. Some consolation was found on Thursday at Chantilly for Tom Whitehead of Powerstown Stud, who celebrated two first-time-out winners with Keeneland yearling purchases.

The first race of the day, the Prix du Rond du Manege, went to Bellharbour Music, a May-foaled colt from the first crop of Mshawish, bought in September 2019 from Brookdale Sales for $30,000. Now trained in Chantilly by Alessandro and Giuseppe Botti, Bellharbour Music is still in Whitehead's ownership having picked up a small injury prior to his intended appearance at the Arqana Breeze-up, which last year was held at Doncaster in July.

He is the first runner and winner in France for his second-crop sire, who was himself a breeze-up graduate from the Arqana sale having been bought in Kentucky by Whitehead's friend and colleague Johnny Collins for just $10,000. A profitable pinhook, Mshawish was then resold at two to Nicolas de Watrigant on behalf of Al Shaqab Racing for $170,000 and went on to win a listed race in Deauville before becoming a dual Grade I winner in America.

After his victory in the GI Donn H., Mshawish closed out his career by running sixth to California Chrome in the Dubai World Cup of 2016 and both stallions then retired to Taylor Made Farm in Kentucky the following year. Their names were linked again at Chantilly when, two hours after Bellharbour Music's win, California Chrome's 3-year-old daughter Injera made a similarly impressive debut. The filly, trained by another French-based Italian, Gianluca Bietolini, triumphed in the Prix de la Croix Vaillant to become the first European winner for her sire, who is now at Arrow Stud in Japan.

“The colt just had a minor setback and he couldn't go to the sale. I sold the filly privately when we didn't know if the sales were going to go ahead,” explained Whitehead. who is based in Co Kilkenny, Ireland.

“I sent them both over to France around Christmastime so they've been there around six weeks. They weren't worked hard at home but by jockey bookings and betting they were both fancied so they must have been doing some nice work. I know it's only February but it's never easy winning in Chantilly.”

Whitehead is a regular at Keeneland and works the yearling sales in tandem with Nancy Sexton. He bought last season's GII Fountain of Youth S. winner Ete Indien (Summer Front) at the September Sale for $80,000 before reselling him at Arqana to Patrick Biancone for €240,000.

Casting his mind back to the purchase of Bellharbour Music, he said, “I knew the stallion Mshawish when Johnny sold him at the breeze-ups and I followed him through his racing career. When the first crop came up for sale in America I knew he was a good horse and I thought why not buy one. He won on dirt and turf and he was tough, racing until he was six.”

Whitehead's Powerstown Stud will have a team of 25 juveniles to offer at the forthcoming breeze-up sales. He added, “We're happy enough for now but the next month or two will tell. They are roughly half and half American and European horses. Now we just need lockdown to end and to get people back racing.”

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