The Weekly Wrap: While The Light Lasts

Last orders are being called for the European Flat turf season. Cheltenham and Aintree have been knocking loudly on the door but there are still some important scores to settle on the level, and in Paris, where this correspondent was fortunate enough to be billeted this weekend, the major Group 1 action was conducted in a blaze of life-affirming autumnal glory that may almost sustain us until the spring.

The four Group 1 races around the world on Saturday, in England, France and Australia, went to the offspring of Irish-based stallions, with State Of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) getting the ball rolling in the Cox Plate.

A combination of travel difficulties and the stringent new veterinary checks means that there are fewer European horses in town for the key races in Melbourne this spring but that didn't stop Moonee Valley's flagship race going to the sole international challenger, trained by Jospeh O'Brien, who has already lifted the Melbourne Cup twice in his relatively short career.

Bred at Tinnakill House by Dermot Cantillon and Meta Osborne, the 3-year-old State Of Rest has already clocked up more airmiles than many of his older stable-mates and it was perhaps a bold move to take him to New York for the GI Saratoga Derby off the back of one third-place finish this season in a listed race at the Curragh. But it was one that paid off handsomely for his owners in the Teme Valley Racing syndicate. He had the Belmont Derby winner Bolshoi Ballet (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) behind him that day in fourth and 77 days later he returned on the other side of the world to cause a bit of a stir in the Cox Plate. 

It was a great day for Irish racing, as not only was he bred and trained in the country, but State Of Play was ridden by one-time journeyman jump jockey Johnny Allen who has carved out a great career for himself on the Flat in Australia.

In his post-race interview conducted after a prolonged enquiry into possible interference between State Of Play and runner-up Anamoe (Aus), Allen remembered his former boss, the late Joe Crowley, who was also the grandfather of Joseph O'Brien.

“I'm sure if he's looking down from above he'd have a smile on his face,” said Allen, before adding, “There were too many Paddys in [the enquiry] and the boys were saying they couldn't understand us.”

Sweet Success For Sansgter

Ten years after Joseph O'Brien rode Camelot (GB) to victory in the then-Racing Post Trophy for his father, Aidan O'Brien was in the limelight again at Doncaster when sending out his tenth winner of the renamed Vertem Futurity, appropriately enough with a son of Camelot, Luxembourg (Ire).

In many ways Luxembourg weaves some old and new strands of the Coolmore/Ballydoyle empire neatly together. The colt, who is now 9/2 favourite for next year's Derby, was bred by Ben Sangster, whose father Robert bred Luxembourg's great grandsire Sadler's Wells. Both man and horse have played such significant roles in the development of Coolmore. 

Luxembourg carries the colours of one of the syndicate's newer members, Georg von Opel, who races under the Westerberg banner, and whose significant investment in bloodstock in recent years is certainly deserving of a colt with such promise. 

The same can be said for the likeable and reserved Ben Sangster. Not one to blow his own horn, he can certainly permit himself a quiet smile of satisfaction following a successful autumn on the track and in the ring. At Goffs in late September, Sansgter sold Luxembourg's full-brother for a sale-topping €1.2 million. Three days later at Newmarket he enjoyed a Group 1 victory as an owner in partnership with his wife Lucy, son Ollie, and James Wigan when Saffron Beach (Ire) (New Bay {GB}), trained by Sangster's step-sister Jane Chapple-Hyam, won the Sun Chariot. Bought by Liam Norris as a foal for 55,000gns as an intended pinhook, Saffron Beach was never really supposed to run for the partners, but a foot issue scuppered her appearance at the yearling sales. Bad luck turns to good luck.

Now Sangster can spend the winter dreaming of becoming the breeder of a Derby winner, having already notched one Epsom Classic in this regard with the Oaks heroine Dancing Rain (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}).

Jane Chapple-Hyam is likely to be high on Ballylinch Stud's Christmas card list after this season for not only has she provided resident stallion New Bay with his first Group 1 winner in Saffron Beach, but last week she sent out an exciting youngster from his second crop in Claymore (Fr), a €5,000 yearling purchase-turned-£10,000 breezer who stormed the Rowley Mile for a four-length novice victory over Godolphin favourite Noble Order (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) on Wednesday.

It was a good week for New Bay with four new juvenile winners, while his G2 Champagne S. winner Bayside Boy (Ire)–another in the Teme Valley Racing ownership–finished third in the G1 Vertem Futurity after filling the same spot in the G1 Dewhurst S.

A Day To Remember For Ferguson…

Marc Chan's Angel Bleu (Fr), bred by Pan Sutong at Ecurie Des Monceaux, has been highly tried this season but has answered almost every call. Having made three starts for two wins before Royal Ascot, the son of Dark Angel (Ire) was perhaps a touch unlucky in the G2 Coventry S when finding himself short of room as he attempted to make his run, and he has thrived since then. Runner-up on his next start at Ascot in the listed Pat Eddery S., he bounced out three days later to take the G2 Vintage S. at Goodwood in soft sound and has relished even more testing conditions when taking back-to-back Group 1s in France. Three weeks after his Prix Jean-Luc Lagardare victory he battled home to take the Criterium International by a head from Coolmore's Ancient Rome (War Front).

Angel Bleu's trainer Ralph Beckett indicated at Saint-Cloud on Saturday that a return to France may well be on the cards for the youngster for the Poule d'Essai des Poulains next spring.

It was another good day weekend for the Brits in Paris with all three Group 1 contests falling to cross-Channel raiders. For James Ferguson, only in his second season of training, it was a day he will never forget as the diminutive El Bodegon (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) led his rivals a merry dance when making all in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud to give his trainer a first Group 1 success.

Bred by Cecil and Martin McCracken, the tenacious El Bodegon joins his full-brother Best Solution (Ire) in being something of an outlier among Kodiac's stock as a colt who clearly relishes a decent trip. Those reserves of stamina are doubtless drawn from his dam's side, as he has Eva Luna (Alleged) as his third dam, with her offspring including the St Leger winner Brian Boru (GB) (Sadler's Wells) and his full-sister Soviet Moon (Ire), who is the dam of Derby and Arc winner Workforce (GB) (King's Best).

Best Solution, who was second in a strong renewal of the same race in 2016, which was won by subsequent Arc winner Waldgeist (GB), with fellow subsequent Group 1 winners Capri (Ire), Wings Of Eagles (Fr) and Rekindling (GB) behind him, became a stalwart of the Godolphin operation, landing two Group 1 races over a mile and a half in Germany en route to winning the Caulfield Cup. He is now standing at Gestut Auenquelle alongside Soldier Hollow (GB).

“Pretty incredible,” was how Ferguson described his first Group 1 winner as El Bodegon returned to the winner's enclosure. “We love the horse and we planned this as his next race after his previous win in France, but to be ahead with a furlong to go wasn't really part of my plan. I thought he would have to work very hard but he has obviously improved with every run and he takes travelling very well.”

He added, “This horse is not overly big but he has a lot of presence and it's very exciting to wonder what we might have for next year. You have to aim high when you have a horse like this.”

Prior to starting out on his own, Ferguson, who turned 32 on Sunday, served time as a pupil assistant to Sir Mark Prescott and also as assistant to Charlie Appleby at Godolphin.  Touchingly, Appleby, along with William Buick and Godolphin's managing director Hugh Anderson, were among the first to embrace their former colleague at Saint-Cloud after their Godolphin representative Goldspur (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) finished third to El Bodegon.

And Also For Hornby…

The weekend's action in France also provided a memorable couple of days for Ralph Beckett and Rob Hornby. Beckett posted a Group 1 double when the Julian Richmond-Watson homebred Scope (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) landed the Prix Royal-Oak 24 hours after the victory of Angel Bleu at Saint-Cloud. 

The win was extra special for Hornby as it was his first Group 1 success on his first ride at Longchamp. The jockey, who was sidelined last December with a serious shoulder injury after a nasty fall at Wolverhampton, had clearly done his homework, however, and was spotted out walking the track before racing. 

He said, “It's unbelievable. I'm just delighted for everyone involved and for the whole team–it's been a Group 1 double on Saturday and Sunday.

“He had to dig deep off the elbow. They came at him on either side, but he just stuck his neck out; he's really thriving. I'd like to think that there's more to come next year. If it all keeps going the right way we could have a very exciting horse to look forward to.”

Hornby continued, “I'm very grateful to Mr Beckett for the opportunity and to everyone who has supported me the whole way through–Andrew Balding, who I was apprenticed to, and Jonny Portman, there are so many people to mention. My agent works very hard, we all work hard, so when it pays off on days like this it's very special.”

Last year's Prix Royal-Oak runner-up Valia (Fr) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) returned for a second attempt, finishing sixth this time around having won the G2 Prix Radio FG at the track back in July. The 4-year-old Aga Khan-bred filly also provided a footnote in history as the final Group 1 runner for her illustrious trainer Alain de Royer Dupre, who retires at the end of the season and has notably been training for the Aga Khan for 40 years. He will be succeeded at Aiglemont by his former assistant Francis Graffard.

The post The Weekly Wrap: While The Light Lasts appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Brother To Luxembourg Tops Final Orby Session

KILDARE, Ireland–A hugely impressive Group 2 winner with Classic pretensions is just the kind of update every breeder dreams of within days of a major yearling sale, and that is exactly what Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) delivered in the Beresford S. at the Curragh on Saturday on only his second start. He had himself been sold by breeder Ben Sangster for 150,000gns but his brother, offered as lot 366 through the Castlebridge Consignment, caused the same buyer MV Magnier to dig deeper into his pockets for the colt to become the second seven-figure yearling this week at €1.2 million.

“I'm delighted for Ben, Lucy and all the Sangsters,” Magnier said. “This is a great result for them and they have supported our stallions for years. Luxembourg looks like something out of the ordinary. We couldn't believe how good he was on Saturday.”

Luxembourg is not the first good horse produced by his dam Attire (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), an eight-race maiden who was bred and raced by the Sangsters from the family of Breeders' Cup Classic winner Arcangues (Fr). Her second foal Leo De Fury (Ire) (Australia {GB}) won the G2 Mooresbridge S. for Yuesheng Zhang, while Sense Of Style (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) has been Group 3-placed this year. The  12-year-old mare also has a Camelot filly foal this year.

With each day's top lot added to the portfolio, Magnier was the top buyer at the sale, signing for six yearlings at an outlay just shy of €4 million.

A further €20,931,000 was added to the sale's aggregate from Wednesday's trade, when 182 of the 204 yearlings offered found a buyer at an average price of €115,005, with the median at €80,000.

Across the two days, 409 yearlings were offered and 372 of those were sold at a clearance rate of 91% for an overall tally of €40,581,500 (+74%). The average was €109,090 (+46%) and median was €75,000 (+44%). These figures represented a dramatic improvement on the disappointing results of the relocated 2020 Orby Sale, and were well on their way to recovering to the pre-pandemic returns of 2019, when €42,927,000 was spent on 364 horses. The average then was €117,933 and the median slightly lower than this year at €65,000.

Such a revival in trade unsurprisingly delighted Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby, who said at the sale's end, “It's good to be back. Very good indeed. The Irish National Yearling Sale obviously belongs in Ireland at Kildare Paddocks and it is simply wonderful to have returned with a sale of such depth and consistency over the two days after last year's hiatus. Indeed, Orby has reclaimed its rightful place at the top table of yearling sales with seven-figure top prices, a six-figure average and a staggering 91% clearance rate that points to a vibrant two days of bidding for the superb catalogue that was assembled.”

He continued, “We are indebted to many people and several entities. Firstly our vendors who placed their trust in the Goffs service at a time when several factors may have worked against making that decision as memories of last year's disappointment combined with Covid-induced uncertainty in the summer made the choice of sale more complicated than ever. That so many took that leap of faith is very gratifying and we are just delighted that we have been able to repay their trust with a really good sale whilst laying such solid foundations for the future.”

Beeby pointed to a boost in trade from the reinstated Goffs Million, adding, “Our buyers have embraced the sale with enthusiasm and a hunger for quality. Many have been driven on by the lure of Europe's richest two-year-old race, the Goffs Million next year, and we can't wait to see how the picture develops as next season progresses. Suffice to say that the concept has been a powerful tool in reinvigorating Orby and we will look to develop the model as the years progress with enhancements and additions for Orby 22 and beyond.

“As we reflect on two good days our mantra of 'we can't do it without you” is as relevant as ever as the focus of Orby must always be the horse because all the spin in the world is worthless without a catalogue of quality. Our vendors backed us and we threw everything at it with new agents, the Million, a variety of incentives and more as we recognised this was going to be a pivotal year for the sale. That said there is still so much to do to make Orby the clear first choice for more of the best yearlings in Ireland and we will not rest in our endeavours as we strive to improve and evolve. However I would venture to suggest that Orby 21 has made the point once again that we will deliver when we have the horses; in fact, not just deliver but exceed expectations and Irish breeders need look no further for a global market for the best.”

McPeek's Power Play

Frankel's sensational year could get even better on Sunday, with his two Derby-winning colts Adayar (Ire) and Hurricane Lane (Ire) in the top three in the betting for the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Owners from both sides of the pond were investing in his young stock on Wednesday, with Kenny McPeek extending his shopping spree significantly when signing up Marlhill House Stud's colt out of Belesta (GB) (Xaar {GB}) for €900,000.

The trainer, who was acting on behalf of Swiss Skydiver's owner Peter Callahan and Paul Fireman of Fern Circle Stables, said, “I spoke to both of them this morning and they were happy to play. We may get a couple of others involved. This is the kind of colt you could play at a high level and if he does it then he's a stallion prospect.”

It's no empty claim as lot 377 is already a half-brother to three black-type horses, including the G2 Herbert Power S. winner Adjusted (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}). His dam, bought by breeder Eddie Irwin for 280,000gns from George Strawbridge, is a daughter of the Group 3 winner Bellarida (Fr) (Bellypha {Fr}) and thus a half-sister to In Clover (GB) (Inchinor {GB}), the dam of three Group 1 winners in With You (GB), We Are (Ire) and Call The Wind (GB), the latter also being a son of Frankel.

McPeek, one of a sizeable group of American buyers at Goffs this week, was the second-leading buyer at the Orby with four yearlings bought for €1.61 million.

He added of the Frankel colt, “My wife and I walked through the group and he was a 'wow' horse. He looks to have a great mind, too.”

Happy Days For Hayes  

There was a very special start to the day for breeder John Hayes when the hammer came down at €650,000 for his filly by Frankel (GB) out of Sophie Germain (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}).

Hayes has owned the mare for almost all of her 14 years, having bought the daughter of the Oaks d'Italia winner Nydrion (Critique) at Goffs as a foal for €25,000. She never made it to the racecourse but has been a success in her secondary career, with her first foal, the Andrew Slattery-trained Creggs Pipes (Ire) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}), having won seven of her 23 starts, including the G2 Lanwades Stud S.

“This has exceeded my expectations, I'm absolutely thrilled with that result,” said Hayes after lot 254, consigned by Pa Doyle of Galbertstown Stables, was bought by Kieran Lalor to add to the half-sisters to the Classic winners Poetic Flare (Ire) and Mother Earth (Ire) bought on Tuesday for Al Shira'aa Farm.

He added, “Thanks to Pa who has brought her here in wonderful condition and to my long-suffering wife Una.

“It's a big responsibility having a mare of that quality. I was very lucky, I had no clue when I bought her mum here all those years ago, but her mother was a Group 1 winner and Roberto was on the bottom line of the page, whom I love. I'm really a student of pedigrees, that's my thing, and [the filly] is the product of all that study.”

A resident of Tipperary, Hayes has retained Creggs Pipes along with her half-sisters, the listed-placed Silver Spear (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}) and In My Business (Ire) (Roderic O'Connor {Ire}). Their dam has a filly foal by Invincible Spirit (Ire) on the ground but did not get back in foal when returning to him this year.

Late in the session, Hayes sold a Sea The Stars (Ire) filly out of Creggs Pipes (lot 418) for €180,000 to Sunderland Holdings.

Lalor has been kept busy on behalf of Sheikha Fatima Bint Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan's Al Shira'aa Farm, which now also owns Meadow Court Stud in Kildare. 

He said of his trio of purchases, “The two yesterday are from hardy, sound families and that's what we are looking for. The back end of their careers are what's important for our operation. We also have a half-sister to St Mark's Basilica (Fr). 

“Then the Frankel filly today was the dream of this whole sale. I think I only slept a few hours last night praying and hoping that she would fall within my range, and the stars aligned and we have her. They all come from lovely farms and I think it's great business–€450,000 for two half-sisters to Guineas winners.”

Star Turn For No Nay Never

“He's the star of the show,” Timmy Hyde Jr told TDN in the days leading up to the Orby Sale of lot 276, outlining the No Nay Never colt's similarity to Group 1 winner Ten Sovereigns.

Bred by Camas Park Stud, Lynch Bages and Summerhill, Ten Sovereigns won the G1 Middle Park S. and G1 July Cup for Aidan O'Brien and the Coolmore partners, and the colt out of the listed winner Sweet Charity (Fr) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) will follow the same path to Ballydoyle after being bought by MV Magnier for €620,000.

Three lots earlier (273), a No Nay Never filly went the way of Alex Elliott and Ben McElroy, buying together for Amo Racing. Bought at €300,000, the Diamond Creek Stud-bred is a grand-daughter of the G3 Ballyogan S. winner Lesson In Humility (Ire) (Mujadil {Ire}), her dam Surprisingly (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) being a sister to Irish Derby and Melbourne Cup runner-up Tiger Moth (Ire).

Hot Cross For Newtown Anner Stud

A Galileo (Ire) filly out of a Scat Daddy mare topped the first day of trade at €1.5 million and the second bred on that pattern to be offered at Goffs by breeder Phoenix Thoroughbreds brought the more modest price of €360,000. Bids were exchanged for a time between Michael Donohoe and PJ Colville, with the latter finally succeeding in signing up lot 280.

“She's been bought for Maurice Regan of Newtown Anner Stud,” said Colville. “It's the same cross as the filly who made all the money yesterday. We liked both of them so we're very happy to get her.”

A first foal, the filly is out of Take Me With You, bought for $800,000 at the Fasig-Tipton breeze-up by Kerri Radcliffe and later a winner and placed in the G3 Albany S. for Jeremy Noseda and Phoenix Thoroughbreds. 

Flag Flying High

U S Navy Flag started his stud career at Coolmore at €25,000, a fee which was halved for the 2021 breeding season. His first yearlings on offer at Goffs have been well received with all 13 sold for an average of €98,692.

They included the half-sister to the outstanding 3-year-old miler Poetic Flare (Ire), who sold on Tuesday for €220,000, and top of the list on Wednesday was a half-sister to another top-level winner, the G1 Del Mar Oaks victrix Going Global (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}).

Sold as lot 317, the filly bred by Nicky Hartery had also received updates from two other half-siblings after the catalogue was printed, with Finans Bay (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) having placed in the G3 Royal Whip S., while 2-year-old winner Mitbaahy (Ire) (Profitable {Ire}) has twice been listed-placed.

Dwayne Woods ended up as the successful bidder at €290,000 and confirmed that the filly will be trained in Newmarket by his brother Sean.

Beeby Looks To West

American interest continued to be strong during the second session of the Orby Sale, with Niall Brennan, Anthony Dutrow, Kim Valerio and DJ Stable, Ben McElroy and Jacob West all contributing to a strong middle to upper market.

Acting through Demi O'Byrne, Peter Brant's White Birch Farm picked up lot 382, an Acclamation (GB) half-brother to German Group 3 winner K Club (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}). The colt out of Big Boned (Street Sense) had been pinhooked as a foal by Michael Fitzpatrick of Kilminfoyle House Stud for €195,000.

Lot 331 was bought by Deuce Greathouse and Pura Vida for €150,000 and represented a good result for the Irish National Stud's Mare Syndicate. The daughter of Night Of Thunder (Ire) was in utero when the Irish National Stud bought her dam Adhwaa (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) from Shadwell for €110,000 at Goffs two years ago. Since the catalogue was published her first foal, Mejthaam (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) has won for the second time and is now rated 84.

Acknowledging the American participation in the Irish yearling market, Henry Beeby said, “Orby has always been a magnet for global interest but we focused extra attention on the USA and we salute our new US Agent, Jacob West, who attracted unprecedented numbers from across the Atlantic. Happily they liked what they saw and really engaged with the promise of even more in future years as they were so enthused by the quality of the catalogue, the workability of the complex and the warm welcome and helpfulness of the Goffs Purchaser Attraction Team and our colleagues at Irish Thoroughbred Marketing, the latter of which have proved absolutely invaluable in making a trip to Ireland truly memorable for every visitor.”

The post Brother To Luxembourg Tops Final Orby Session appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Beach A Winter Warmer For Chapple-Hyam

With few natural barriers to blasts of icy wind, Newmarket’s flatlands can make the winter feel extra arduous, particularly in a year which begins with the third British lockdown in the midst of a pandemic which refuses to abate.

More than ever, we all need something to look forward to, and for Jane Chapple-Hyam, hope is embodied in the form of a robust chestnut filly. The trainer is blessed with an irrepressible spirit which has surely seen her through some tougher times and, in early January, despite the absence of her annual return to her native Melbourne, she is full of aspiration for the season ahead. With a genuine Classic prospect in a stable of just 32 horses, it is easy to see why.

The filly who can be described as a proper winter warmer is Saffron Beach (Ire). She didn’t enter training until last July but quickly became one of the star performers from the first crop of her Ballylinch Stud sire New Bay (GB). In fact, it was fortuitous that the filly came to Chapple-Hyam’s stable in the first place. Initially bought as a foal by Liam Norris on behalf of the trainer’s erstwhile step-brother Ben Sangster as a pinhooking prospect, Saffron Beach missed two yearling sales and was also withdrawn from last July’s sale at Tattersalls as a foot problem took its time to be resolved. In partnership with co-owner James Wigan, Sangster and his wife Lucy eventually opted to place the filly in training with Chapple-Hyam, who the previous season had won the listed Chalice S. with Love So Deep (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) for a syndicate involving Sangster’s brother Adam, the owner of Swettenham Stud in Australia.

“She had issues with her feet but Ben and Lucy’s farrier and then my farrier Ian have sorted her out and we haven’t looked back,” says Chapple-Hyam of Saffron Beach. “Everything has been fine, but that’s why she came in very late. Back in July when the first lockdown was lifted I went down to Manton to view her and she was just about over all her issues.”

Whatever frustrations may have been felt at the filly missing her sales engagements were quickly dispelled when she made an eye-catching debut at Newmarket in late September, winning a seven-furlong maiden by more than four lengths. A fortnight later she was back on the Rowley Mile and made light work of the heavy ground to win the G3 Oh So Sharp S. It has been a short and sweet racing career to date, but very much one which entitles her connections to dream their way through lockdown.

Chapple-Hyam recalls, “As she was getting fitter, Abi Harrison, who rides her every day, said that she had a good gear change and that she really liked her very much.  Then I got Adam Kirby to come in and sit on her once and he also liked her, and away we went. But by then the turf season was getting close to finishing.”

This year, the trainer’s eye will be firmly on the start of the turf season, with her preferred path to the 1000 Guineas being via the G3 Nell Gwyn S.

“The obvious thing for her would be to start just up the road in the Nell Gwyn. She’s two from two at Newmarket so it makes sense to go there instead of the Fred Darling,” she says.  “She’s versatile on the going having won on good and very soft. We haven’t really seen what she can do on good quick ground. At the moment I’m just looking forward to the Nell Gwyn and we’ll take it from there.”

Following her Group 3 success, Saffron Beach was turned out for a six-week break with the Sangsters at Manton, a place with which her trainer has had a long association. She started out working there for her stepfather Robert Sangster, initially when Michael Dickinson was the resident trainer and later under Barry Hills. During this time she met her now-former husband Peter Chapple-Hyam, to whom she was assistant trainer for 16 years before she started training in her own right in Newmarket in 2005 following their separation. 

“I must have had a good 18 years at Manton,” she says. “I took the filly back down there in the horse box so it was nice to have another tour around with Ben and Lucy. It has changed, as things do, but is’s still a special place.”

Known at home as ‘Petal’, after her dam Falling Petals (GB) (Raven’s Pass), who is a half-sister to the dam of young Tally-Ho Stud stallion Cotai Glory (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), Saffron Beach appears to have blossomed over the winter and she undertook her first canter of the year under Harrison on Wednesday morning.

“She’s definitely grown and she’s a good doer, in fact she’s a monster like that,” says Chapple-Hyam. “She loves her food and guards it in her stable. You want to leave her alone when she’s munching but she has a lovely character though. She’s sweet and kind, but as soon as the bridle and saddle are put on she turns into a pro athlete. And she has a lovely presence when she’s out. You instantly look and say, ‘who’s that?'”

The trainer knows she is fortunate still to have Saffron Beach in her stable as, inevitably for a horse who made such a notable start to her career, the offers came in for her after her black-type win.

“I am obviously very pleased that Mr Wigan and Mr Sangster are both at that age when they don’t really need to sell,” she says with a laugh. “I think we are all really excited to see how far we can go with her this season. To me, she has trained on. Physically you can see that. It’s great for Ben and Lucy. They have another good filly [Sense Of Style] with Joseph O’Brien as well so it could be a good year for them.”

In Chapple-Hyam’s first full season with a licence in 2006, with just ten horses in her care, she sent out the 100/1 winner of the Ebor H., Mudawin (Ire) (Intikhab), and has had a decent amount of stakes performers in the ensuing years, including treble Group 3 winner Mull Of Killough (Ire) (Mull Of Kintyre), from a string which has rarely grown beyond 30. 

She says, “Saffron Beach is certainly a nice one to progress with, but we also have some other older horses in the yard that we are looking forward to getting going again.

“Albadri (Ire) has a Saudi Derby entry, he’s a Dandy Man (Ire) and I’m looking forward to him, and I’m also looking forward to seeing Ambassadorial running again. I’m aiming at Super Saturday in Dubai with him. He pulled up lame on the July Course at Newmarket but thankfully it wasn’t anything that required surgery. We gave him the rest and the time and he’s been cantering for the last few weeks. I don’t know what the travel restrictions will be like for Dubai but we will aim to have him fit for then.”

She adds, “I still call myself a rookie trainer but I have been training for 14 years now so I guess I’m over that. But it’s a thrill for me to be aiming at a Guineas. Obviously we don’t know what’s going to happen but I don’t think she was just a 2-year-old. At the moment it’s exciting enough for me that she is just having her first canter back.”

The post Beach A Winter Warmer For Chapple-Hyam appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights