Wednesday Insights: Foreign-Flavored Firsters at Churchill

4th-CD, $120k, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16mT, 2:15 p.m. ET
LE LEVRE (Le Havre {Ire}) makes her first trip to the races for the sneaky debut barn of Al Stall, Jr. and is a half-sister to four winners from as many to race out of Sunny Again (GB) (Shirocco {Ger}), whose notable produce include Italian highweight and Group 3 winner Elisa Again (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}); Berkshire Rocco (Fr) (Sir Percy {GB}), a winner at listed level in England and narrowly beaten in the 2020 G1 Pertemps St Leger; and Group 1-placed Sunset Shiraz (Ire) (Time Test {GB}). Bred by Luke Lillingston's Mount Coote Estates and sold for 125,000gns from that operation's draft at Tattersalls October in 2021, the chestnut filly is also kin to a now-juvenile colt by Sea The Stars (Ire) that fetched 550,000gns from Godolphin at TATOCT last fall. La Voie (Quality Road) lands the deepest draw in the field of 12 and brings a million-dollar pedigree to the table. A May-foaled daughter of Debonnaire (GB) (Anabaa), she is a half-sister to Hartnell (GB) (Authorized {Ire}), a Group 3 winner in England before adding four Group 1 tests once sent to continue his career in Australia. She capped her worktab with a best-of-51 half-mile from the gate in :47 3/5 at Keeneland Apr. 27.

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Berkshire Boys Hit The Big Time

ASCOT,UK—It was a dream that started with the purchase of two relatively inexpensive yearling fillies at the Tattersalls December Yearling Sale of 2013.

Berkshire Honey (GB) (Sakhee's Secret {GB}) never raced and Berkshire Beauty (GB) (Aqlaam {GB}) eventually won over a mile at Southwell in January as a 4-year-old. Hardly the stuff of dreams at this stage, but standing in the winner's enclosure on a sundrenched day at Royal Ascot is something quite different. 

A little over seven years on from their first foray into the racing world, that's where Paul and Lisa Spickett found themselves on Tuesday thanks to the Coventry S. winner Berskhire Shadow (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}).

The colt's purchase from one of the best breeders in Britain, Cheveley Park Stud, may have marked a step up in quality, but by Book 1 standards, his 40,000gns price tag was still fairly modest. It's safe to say, however, that the grandson of Ballymacoll Stud's outstanding racemare Islington (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) is worth considerably more than that now, and that the Spicketts will likely be on the receiving end of enquiring phone calls from several stallion masters.

“I'm ecstatic,” said Paul Spickett after the Andrew Balding-trained Berkshire Shadow extended his record to two wins from two starts–both in his owners' home county of Berkshire. “This is a childhood dream come true. It's just a magical day.”

He added, “The vibes were that we were going to win but we were up against a lot of good horses. Shadow didn't put a foot wrong [on debut] at Newbury; we wanted to run him again but we couldn't, so Andrew said 'let's just go straight to Ascot and, win or lose, we've got a good 3-year-old'.”

Berkshire Shadow is the second runner at Royal Ascot for the Spicketts after Berkshire Rocco (Fr) (Sir Percy {GB}), who was runner-up in the G2 Queen's Vase when the meeting was held behind closed doors last year. He then went on to fill the same spot in the St Leger. 

“We had our first Royal Ascot runner last year so we decided to get all dressed up at home as we couldn't come racing, and we had a second in the Queen's Vase which was amazing, but this is phenomenal,” said Spickett, who runs his horses in the name of his company Berkshire Parts and Panels. 

“I work hard with all my guys on the shop floor so when I get the odd hour off I put the odd little wager on and I have just been looking forward to coming racing with my wife and enjoying the day.”

Spickett credits his trainer's mother, the notably good breeder Emma Balding of Kingsclere Stud, for helping him with getting started on the racing and breeding front.

He continued, “I had a very good mentor, which was Andrew's mum, who told me in no uncertain terms not to spend too much money. So I took that on board, although I was originally only supposed to buy one horse and I came back with two. The great thing about today is that Berkshire Shadow was bought for my wife. She loves greys and she wanted to get back into racing and we couldn't have hoped for a better day.”

The owner has kept his first two racehorses and he can now add breeder to his list of racing interests. 

“I still have them both as broodmares and they board with Jenny Norris. Honey has bred [dual winner] Jojo Rabbit (GB), which has been brilliant, and everything Beauty breeds is just so pretty I almost don't care about the racing. I take my grand-daughter Ophelia over to visit the mares and foals and she loves to go to see them so it's something nice for us all to do as a family. I'd like to step up the breeding a little bit and might look for a nice mare.”

Spickett has all his horses in training at Kingsclere with Balding, including the returning Berkshire Rocco, who was a late withdrawal with a minor injury on the morning of the Dubai Gold Cup in March.

“Rocco is back in training and we hope to see him back racing in the autumn,” he reported. “The Baldings are an amazing family. I'm just a working-class boy and they took me on board as I am and it has been fantastic. I feel really blessed.”

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Perseverance Pays Off For Noor Al Hawa In Amir Trophy

Making a remarkable fifth straight appearance in the marquee race on the Qatar racing calendar, the US$1-million H.H. The Amir Trophy, Al Wasmiyah Farm's Noor Al Hawa (Fr) (Makfi {GB}) took advantage of a soft trip attending a modest pace and raced away to a convincing victory Saturday in Doha. Berkshire Rocco (Fr) (Sir Percy {GB}), who nearly took out the 2020 G1 St Leger S., came home second ahead of last year's Qatar Derby hero Hellenistique (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in third. The Amir Trophy is one of three races contested locally that is eligible for full black-type per international cataloging standards.

Noor Al Hawa bounced well from gate one, but was content to allow the slightly longer-winded Off He Goes (Aus) (Casino Prince {Aus}) a very easy time of things up front. With Alberto Sanna hard against him entering the final 800 metres, Noor Al Hawa always traveled like a winner, wresting command with a bit less than a quarter-mile to race before lengthening clear. Berkshire Rocco raced prominently throughout and was narrowly runner-up ahead of Hellenistique, who rallied from last to collect third money. Top-rated Aspetar (Fr) (Al Kazeem {GB}) would have been inconvenienced by the lack of pace and ran on gamely to be fourth after sitting an inside trip behind midfield.

The champion of his generation in Germany in 2016, Noor Al Hawa won that year's Qatar Derby in his local debut before finishing runner-up to Chopin (Ger) (Santiago {Ger}) in the 2017 Amir Trophy. Third, but placed second behind local legend The Blue Eye (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) the following February, he was unplaced in the last two renewals, but was in career form for 2021, having won four on the bounce with Sanna at the controls.

Noor Al Hawa is out of Majestic Roi, upset winner of the 2007 G1 Kingdom of Bahrain Sun Chariot S. for Jaber Abdullah and Mick Channon. The half-sister to 2012 G3 Newbury Arc Trial hero Black Spirit (Black Minnaloushe) is the dam of a 2-year-old Mastercraftsman (Ire) filly and a yearling colt by Kodiac (GB).

 

WATCH: Noor Al Hawa breaks through in the Amir Trophy in Qatar

 

Saturday, Al Rayyan, Qatar
H.H. THE AMIR TROPHY (Black-Type), $1,000,000, Al Rayyan, 2-20, 4yo/up, 2400mT, 2:30.65, gd.
1–NOOR AL HAWA (FR), 128, h, 8, Makfi (GB)–Majestic Roi (G1SW-Eng, GSP-Fr, $346,585), by Street Cry (Ire). O-Al Wasmiyah Farm; B-Rabbah Bloodstock Limited; T-George Mikhalides; J-Alberto Sanna; $570,000. Lifetime Record: Hwt. 3yo-Ger at 7-9.5f, Hwt. Older Horse-Qat at 9.5-11f & 11-14f, MGSW-Ger, GSW-Fr, 33-15-6-5, $2,595,878. *1/2 to Majestic Jasmine (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}), SW-Ger.
2–Berkshire Rocco (Fr), 126, c, 4, Sir Percy (GB)–Sunny Again (GB), by Shirocco (Ger). (€35,000 Wlg '17 ARQDEC; €50,000 Ylg '18 GOFORB). O-Berkshire Parts & Panels; B-SAGL Seserve; T-Andrew Balding; J-Jason Watson; $220,000.
3–Hellenistique (Fr), 126, c, 4, Wootton Bassett (GB)–Hasturianita (Ire), by Dubawi (Ire). (€130,000 Ylg '18 ARQAUG; €56,000 HRA '20 ARQNOV). O-Injaaz Stud; B-Haras d'Etreham; T-Zuhair Mohsen; J-Ronan Thomas; $110,000.
Margins: 2 3/4, NK, HF.
Also Ran: Aspetar (Fr), Standard Deviation, Off He Goes (Aus), Pedro Cara (Fr), Otwo, Masterpiece (Fr), Quelindo (Ger).

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Aspetar Looms Large In Amir Trophy

A winner at the highest level in Germany and victorious in group races in France and England, Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Thani's homebred Aspetar (Fr) (Al Kazeem {GB}) appears the class of the field as he makes his Qatar debut in Saturday's US$1-million H H Amir Trophy (2400m) at Al Rayyan Racecourse in Doha.

The lightly raced 6-year-old won the G2 Grand Prix de Chantilly and G1 Preis von Europa in 2019 while under the care of Roger Charlton and punched his ticket to the G1 Cox Plate with a 1 1/2-length success in last year's G2 Sky Bet York S. July 25. The dark bay failed to land a serious blow when a distant 11th to Sir Dragonet (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) in the Moonee Valley feature Oct. 24, but a return to his best European form would make him very tough here. Julian Smart now handles the training duties and Maxime Guyon has the riding assignment.

Berkshire Rocco (Fr) (Sir Percy {GB}) raids for trainer Andrew Balding on the heels of a very successful 3-year-old campaign in England in 2020. Second to subsequent G1 Irish Derby hero Santiago (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}) in the G2 Queen's Vase at the Royal meeting in June, he atoned for a fourth in the G2 Great Voltigeur S. in August with a narrow defeat at the hooves of Galileo Chrome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) in the Sept. 12 G1 St Leger S. He makes his first start since taking out the Listed Noel Murless S. at Ascot Oct. 2.

Noor Al Hawa (Fr) (Makfi {GB}) makes his fifth straight appearance in the Amir Trophy, having finished second in 2017 and 2018 (promoted from third). The 8-year-old comes into this test on a four-race winning skein, including a one-length score over Qatar Derby hero Hellenistique (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in a 2200-metre conditions test Jan. 28.

The rare Australian-bred in the jurisdiction, Off He Goes (Aus) (Casino Prince {Aus}) was named champion older horse at staying trips in Qatar in 2020 and carried Tomas Lukasek to a three-length win in the Khor Al Adid Cup (Local G3) over 2800 metres Jan. 21.

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