Nashwa Will Skip Breeders’ Cup In Favour Of Champions Day; Will Remain In Training Next Year

Imad Al Sagar's Blue Diamond Stud silks will be carried by his star filly Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) for another year, but the multiple Group 1 winner will skip the Breeders' Cup in favour of competing at QIPCO British Champions Day later this month, The Sun reported on Thursday.

Both the one-mile G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. or the 1 1/4-mile G1 QIPCO Champion S. are under consideration for the 4-year-old at Ascot on Oct. 21. Trained by John and Thady Gosden, the regular mount of Hollie Doyle was third in last year's G1 Oaks before taking the French equivalent and the G1 Nassau S. and running second in the G1 Prix de l'Opera. Fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf last November, Nashwa added a second at Group 3 level in June before padding her Group 1 resume in the Falmouth S. in July. She has run third in both the Aug. 3 G1 Nassau S. and Sept. 9 G1 Irish Champion S. in her last three starts, with a second in the G1 International S. in late August in between.

Al Sagar told The Sun's Matt Chapman, “Nashwa is heading to Ascot and is entered in both the QEII and Champion. She will run on one or the other.

“There will be no Breeders' Cup for her but Ascot is not her last race. She will train on as a 5-year-old.”

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‘He Is What It Says On The Tin’: Nashwa’s Dubawi Half-Brother Among Stellar Lots at Tattersalls

NEWMARKET, UK–Whether up top or down below, the consignors at Park Paddocks all agree that the major redevelopment work that has been carried out by Tattersalls over the last few years has been a huge boost.

The extended yards of R, S and T in the Somerville Paddock seem to have almost doubled in size during the levelling-up process, with extra rubber runways making the business of showing and viewing horses that bit easier.

Gerry Meehan, the yearling manager of Blue Diamond Stud, is delighted with the position for his quartet of yearlings, describing the renovation as a “game-changer”.

He says, “Even though the yard is only a metre wider all round, it seems massive compared to how it used to be.”

Imad Al Sagar's Blue Diamond Stud is selling four colts by big-name stallions in Dubawi (Ire), Kingman (GB), Lope De Vega (Ire) and Sea The Stars (Ire), and on paper, at least, it is hard to look past the Dubawi half-brother to the treble Group 1 winner Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}).

“He is what it says on the tin,” says Meehan of lot 35. “He's a star: he looks a star and he does everything like a star. He'a a proper horse and he shows off when he comes out here.”

He adds, “They are four very nice horses; we're very lucky.”

Down at Solario yard EE, which was revamped impressively last year, there's a strong French flavour, with La Motteraye Consignment making a rare reappearance at Tattersalls and stabled just around the corner from Michel Zerolo's European Sales Management draft.

Gwen Monneraye, who runs the Normandy-based La Motteraye operation with his partner Lucie Lamotte, is on hand with a pair of Book 1 yearlings, including a filly by Night Of Thunder (Ire) from the family of The Wow Signal (Ire) [lot 495].    The consignors have 39 yearlings being prepared for the October Yearling Sale at Arqana, which is naturally much closer to home for them, but Monneraye admits to a touch of FOMO necessitating a return to Tattersalls after a four-year absence.

“In French we have a saying 'Les absents ont toujours tort', which roughly translates to 'if you're not there you are missing out on something',” he says.

“We sell for ourselves but we also sell for lots of clients and it's nice to provide the options for them. When you want to sell in France and in England, you have to be very well organised, and we don't do anything unless we are well organised. We are building a bigger barn to make it more practical for us to come here more often, so I think in two years' time we will have a bigger draft.”

Monneraye adds, “The horses travelled over really well, so we were able to show as early as Friday afternoon, which I didn't expect, but all through the weekend we have seen a lot of people. We have another four for next week so it's going to be a full month of sales.”

Making their Book 1 debut is Natalie Folland and Matt Bowen, who consign from Fonthill Stud in Wiltshire as Folland-Bowen Bloodstock and offer a son of Showcasing (GB) as lot 63 on behalf of breeder Jane Keir. The colt, from a well-established and successful international family, enjoyed a good update since the publication of the catalogue when his half-brother Flight Plan (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) won the G2 Dullingham Park S. for Steve Parkin's Clipper Logistics on Irish Champions weekend.

“The update came just at the right time. We're still pinching ourselves,” says Keir.

“Liam Norris found his dam Romp for me and said, 'Jane, this mare probably won't be to everyone's taste but she's worth looking at.' She was on the end of the row and she ended up costing 14,000gns.

“She's a Pivotal mare with Singspiel as her broodmare sire too, and [Breeders' Cup Turf winner] Rebel's Romance is in the family as well, so hopefully it's building.”

Romp, who wasn't covered this year, now has a Pintaubo filly foal at foot, and she resides at Lord Margadale's Fonthill Stud, which is leased by Folland and Bowen. Keir herself was the former owner of Elkington Stud, which was managed by Folland until its sale a few years ago.

Keir adds, “There was no question that the mares would go with Nat. They are treated like royalty there.”

While Keir admits that Flight Plan's sire Night Of Thunder is now at the top of her list for Romp next year, it is another Darley-based son of Dubawi, Too Darn Hot (GB), that has brought an extra large smile to the face of Watership Down Stud's Simon Marsh this season. It is with good reason, too, as not only was Too Darn Hot bred at Watership Down Stud by Lord and Lady Lloyd Webber, but they retained a significant share in him when he retired to Dalham Hall Stud. With his first crop of juvenile runners, the stallion from Watership Down's signature family of Darara (Ire) now has four group winners to his name, including the G1 Moyglare Stud S. winner Fallen Angel (GB).

“He was always a horse that one would have thought that his 2-year-olds would be later types, and since August he has done exceptionally well. His pedigree is really full of later-maturing horses, like Dar Re Mi and So Mi Dar, and then Darara and Darshaan. Everything he's doing at the moment is really a bonus and we hope that next year his 3-year-olds will really develop and do even better,” Marsh says.

“It's fantastic to have bred a horse who could become a significant influence, and for us to have ended up owning half of him is extraordinary. We have a couple by him to sell this week, including a filly who is interestingly inbred 3×3 to Darara [lot 259].”

With Too Darn Hot's sire Dubawi, the reigning champion, still in full flow and responsible for 19 of the yearlings in Book 1, it is fair to expect to see him feature prominently on the leaderboard at Tattersalls this week, especially with Sheikh Mohammed in attendance. On Monday afternoon, the ruler of Dubai was patrolling the sales grounds, inspecting yearlings with his principal trainer Charlie Appleby, and the Godolphin buying team of Anthony Stroud and David Loder.

The sheikh is far from the only major player in town, however. His niece Sheikha Hissa was also spotted alongside Shadwell's Racing Manager Angus Gold, while owners and breeders from as far afield as Australia, America and Japan have also made the bloodstock pilgrimage to Newmarket. There seems little doubt that the next three days will bring with them yet more staggering trade for a very special bunch of yearlings.

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Blue Diamond Stud Branches Out With Acquisition of Kentucky’s Stonereath Farm

Imad Al Sagar's Blue Diamond Stud is the new owner of Stonereath Farm in Kentucky in a purchase which “underlines the intention of the stud to compete on the world stage”.

The Kuwaiti-born owner-breeder of Group 1 winners Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Decorated Knight (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) has a burgeoning involvement in racing and breeding in North America, where his Blue Diamond Stud has been represented this season by the homebred Wonderful Justice (Justify), winner of the Black Gold S. at Fair Grounds. The 3-year-old colt is trained by Brad Cox alongside the Grade II-placed Free Look (Tapit), a recent purchase at the Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age Sale.

Situated just outside Paris in Kentucky, Stonereath Farm was previously home to the celebrated broodmare Best In Show while under the ownership of Darrell and Lindy Brown. Its most recent owner was Dr. Christoph Berglar, the German owner-breeder of international Group 1 winners Protectionist (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) and Novellist (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}). Set on 252 acres, the historic farm's facilities include 60 stalls in four barns, 24 paddocks and a yearling show ring area.

“We are excited to add Stonereath Farm to the Blue Diamond Stud portfolio,” said Al Sagar, whose aforementioned filly Nashwa was runner-up to Mostahdaf (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in Wednesday's G1 Juddmonte International, having won the G1 Falmouth S. at Newmarket in July as well as last year's G1 Prix de Diane and G1 Nassau S.

“With such a long history of producing such good racehorses, I am confident that it will be a valuable complement to our European division while allowing us great opportunity to diversify. We look forward to growing our presence in the US and yielding the advantages of everything that Kentucky and its differing bloodlines has to offer.”

Blue Diamond Stud chief executive officer Ted Voute has previously been involved in the launch of Clearsky Farm in Kentucky. He added: “Imad Al Sagar has incredible foresight and energy to invest in a vein of land in Bourbon County that is a proven source of Kentucky Derby winners.

“Stonereath Farm has not been over-horsed in recent times and is in pristine condition. I am excited for the future combining some of Blue Diamond's already illustrious bloodlines with this fertile land. Imad has infectious, overwhelming enthusiasm driving everyone that works with him to produce Thoroughbreds to perform either at the sales or on the racetrack at the top level.”

The team of stud staff employed during Berglar's tenure under his Narola banner will remain in place, led by Walter Nathaniel Lobato and office manager Donna Callaway.

In Britain, Blue Diamond Stud owns two Newmarket-based properties, with Blue Diamond Stud South, which is home to the mares and foals, overseen by broodmare manager Andrew Rawlin, and Blue Diamond North, which is primarily the yearling division, run by yearling manager Gerry Meehan. In 2018, Al Sagar bought out his former partner in the stud, Saleh Al Homaizi, with whom he raced the Derby winner Authorized (Ire) and G1 Irish 2000 Guineas winner Araafa (Ire) as well as Decorated Knight.

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Classic Heroine Nashwa Supplemented To Falmouth

Imad Al Sagar's Classic winner Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) has been supplemented at a cost of £20,000 to the G1 Falmouth S. at Newmarket on July 14.

Trained by John and Thady Gosden, the dual Group 1 winner captured both the Prix de Diane and Nassau S. after running third in the G1 Oaks at Epsom last term. A good second in the G1 Prix de l'Opera that October, she ended her season with a fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf in the U.S. Now four, the Blue Diamond Stud homebred was fourth to Group 1 winner Above The Curve (American Pharoah) in the G2 Prix Corrida at Saint-Cloud in May, and improved to be second in the G3 Hoppings Fillies' S. at Newcastle at the end of June.

John Gosden, who also trains former Falmouth favourite and now G1 Sussex S.-bound Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}), said, “We have supplemented her for the Falmouth. As you know, she has been very slow to come to hand this year. The race in France brought her on a bit. Again the other day, she probably went a little hard early, but didn't finish off.

“She is in great form and she needs racing, and we don't really want to be waiting from two weeks ago all the way to the Nassau S. So, it is close to home and she's in great form and I don't think she'll have any problem with the mile.”

Last week's G1 Pretty Polly S. heroine Via Sistina (Ire) (Fasnet Rock {Aus}) is one of nine signed on to face Nashwa for trainer George Boughey, while Ralph Beckett's G1 Coronation S. runner-up Remarquee (GB) (Kingman {GB}) will carry new silks in the Newmarket showpiece having been purchased by Wathnan Racing. Aidan O'Brien will likely saddle both Breeders' Cup winner Meditate (Ire) (No Nay Never) and G1 Prix de Diane second Never Ending Story (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}).

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