Agent Mike Ryan Gives Lowdown On Chad Brown’s Juveniles And More

Bloodstock agent Mike Ryan has given the lowdown on the top Chad Brown-trained juvenile prospects that were selected at last year's Book 1 session at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

Ryan, who has sourced well over 50 Group/Grade 1 winners in his long and distinguished career, including Book 1 graduates Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Digital Age (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}), admitted to finding trade “a little easier” in 2023 compared to previous visits to Park Paddocks. 

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf heroine Newspaperofrecord featured in Ryan's debut haul at Book 1 back in 2017. She was knocked down to the agent, signing on behalf of Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables and Brown, for 200,000gns. 

Ryan has returned to Tattersalls every year since and signed for a whopping 16 yearlings in 2022 and the same number last year, the majority of which were purchased on behalf of the hugely successful owner and trainer. 

Recapping last year's activity, where Ryan spent 3,860,000gns, the agent said, “We got blown out of the water several times, for sure. But we did feel that we got a lot of quality for the money that we spent. Seth Klarman is an amazing owner. He is incredibly patient and loves the game. It's great he has enjoyed the amount of success that he has because he is a huge supporter and is an incredible investor. He loves buying these European grass horses and he's done incredibly well with them. It might have been a little easier to buy them last year. I sense that the market was probably a little bit patchy, as it is here in America, because we have more inventory than we have buyers. That's a problem here as well.”

It may only be February but Ryan has seen enough from this year's bunch of juveniles to suggest the team are in good shape for the year ahead.

He commented, “It's early days but we've been around enough good horses down through the years to know when you do see that cream rising to the top. You can base your observations on previous horses that you have had through the programme and you know pretty quickly with young horses whether you've got a decent group or an average group. We're quite pleased with the bunch of two-year-olds we have for this year. We usually buy two or three Lope De Vegas every year and we have a colt by him out of Sea of Faith (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) who we like quite a bit. He's been impressing us.”

Ryan added, “We've got a Blue Point (Ire) colt out of a mare called Blind Faith (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) who we bought from the McCartans of Ballyphilip Stud and he's a lovely horse. He'll go two turns as well because he's got plenty of scope and stretch. He's got a lot of class and has a great mind. He does things very easily. 

“We got a very strong Kingman (GB) out of Queen's Code (Ire) (Shamardal) and he's impressive. There's a magnificent turf track at Stonestreet and a bunch of them worked on it the other day. He was one of the colts who showed up nicely. The Wootton Bassett (GB) colt out of The Fugue (GB) (Dansili {GB}) could be pretty special. He's a big horse and we won't be rushing him but he moves beautifully and covers a lot of ground. He'll be a nice mile-and-a-quarter horse and gives us a lot of confidence. 

“I haven't seen the Study Of Man (Ire) colt out of Almiranta (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) training but the reports are good. We really liked him as a yearling; he'd a great frame with great angles. I'm very curious to see what he looks like on the racetrack. I'd expect him to make a two-year-old and, you know what, it wouldn't shock me if he ran on the dirt.”

All told, Ryan signed for nine fillies and seven colts at Book 1 last year. The distribution between fillies and colts was the same for a similar spend of 3,745,000gns in 2022. 

On what he looks for when searching for European-bred grass horses to run in America, Ryan explained, “We typically try to buy horses who will get a mile and beyond. We don't focus on sprinters because we don't have the opportunities on grass that you do in Europe for sprinters.

“We like horses who give us the feeling that they have a turn of foot. Horses who look like they can accelerate quickly. Our turns are tight and usually the serious running starts at the top of the stretch to the wire so you need well-balanced horses who can corner exceptionally well as well.”

He added, “We've been very lucky at Book 1 and, the first year we went over there, we bought Newspaperofrecord. She was by Lope De Vega and we've been very lucky with that stallion as well. Program Trading (GB), who won two Grade Is last year, is another example of that. We've been very lucky with Kingman (GB)–Domestic Spending and Technical Analysis (Ire)–and we've been very lucky with Dubawi (Ire)–who wouldn't be?–but we're always looking for the new horse.

“We've only bought a couple by Frankel (GB), one of which is McKulick (GB), and he is just an incredible stallion but we have found that they might not be as speedy and sharp as what we require for turf races over here. Whereas the Kingmans, they do have that natural speed and are naturally forward horses.

“We like Night Of Thunder (Ire) and Too Darn Hot (GB) is a horse we like a lot as well. We have a Too Darn Hot filly called Oversubscribed, who actually dead-heated last time at Tampa and was unlucky not to win, and she is very, very good. We thought she was Breeders' Cup class last year but she came up with a small setback and just needed some time off. We think she could be anything.”

While Ryan loves nothing more than to return to a tried and trusted source of success, he is also open-minded enough to snap up the progeny of some of the lesser-exposed stallions. Along with bagging that Study Of Man colt from Staffordstown Stud for 220,000gns, Ryan added two fillies by first-season sire Pinatubo (Ire) for a combined sum of 480,000gns and said both recruits are really impressing in their work. 

“We've a very nice Pinatubo (Ire) filly out of Sparkle Roll (Fr) (Kingman {GB}),” he said. “We bought her off Highclere Stud. We actually bought two Pinatubos. The other is out of a mare called Dreamlike (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) and we got her from Fittocks Stud for 260,000gns. “She is a three-quarters sister to Program Trading. We were very impressed by the Pinatubos and we underbid a couple of others. I actually bred to him myself and I have two yearlings by him, I've got a mare in foal to him and I'm sending two mares back to him. He's a beautifully-bred horse; a son of Shamardal and was just a superior racehorse. They just have a lot of quality and are easy to like.”

He added, “I've always been a huge fan of Shamardal. He reminds me of Into Mischief. His progeny are so determined, courageous and have a great desire to compete. They are just tough, good and dependable racehorses. Shamardal was that way himself and he seems to have passed it on. He's a great, great influence in my mind.”

As well as pedigrees and sires, there are basic fundamentals that Ryan hones in on when trying to find the next Newspaperofrecord. Given speed and, more importantly, a change of gear plays a massive role in the winning and losing of many big races on grass in America, a well-balanced, lighter and somewhat sleeker type of thoroughbred is what Ryan tends to go searching for. 

He explained, “Grass horses are different to American dirt horses. The American dirt horse is very powerfully made. They have very strong quarters and are very powerful over their backs with a deep girth and chest. I don't like heavy horses. I prefer horses with a clean neck and shoulder. We look for horses with good mechanics. Horses who move well and do it within themselves. Obviously you look for a horse with a good temperament as well. But, we're quite flexible. We will forgive some conformational flaws and I put a lot of emphasis on a horse's demeanour; the feel or the vibe you get from a horse. That's very important to me.”

He added, “We're lucky in Tattersalls that we get plenty of time to look at horses, which we do. The sale is spread out nicely and it gives trainers in particular time to look at the horses. It's such a high concentration of good horses at Book 1 and we do work it thoroughly and have really enjoyed going over there. Thankfully we have come out of there with a lot of good horses. But if you don't find them at Book 1, where else are you going to find them? Seriously. You've got 40 Kingmans, Frankels, Wootton Bassetts, Night Of Thunders, No Nay Nevers and about 25 Dubawis. You know, it's just an incredibly strong bunch of sires to choose from.”

The common denominator in this success story is Brown. The agent says that a strong mutual respect underpins their relationship and points to Brown's apprenticeship with legendary trainer Bobby Frankel as being the cornerstone to him becoming one of the most successful trainers in America. 

“He's super, super smart,” said Ryan of the trainer. “Chad is just incredibly intelligent and extremely organised. He has an incredible recall. I think he was incredibly fortunate, and I keep telling him this, to have worked for one of the greatest American trainers in Bobby Frankel. That would be the equivalent to working for Aidan O'Brien, Vincent O'Brien or Andre Fabre. That was the best university that he could have gone to and he'd often say to me, 'this is what Bobby would have done,' when it comes to a horse. 

“He's incredibly patient and he gives his horses time. That's why his horses have real longevity. He's more focussed on developing a horse to have a career and not just a season. We've a great mutual respect. I have learned a lot from him and he has learned a lot from me. We trust each other. That goes a long way.”

With that in mind, it's not just the youngsters that Ryan suggested would be worth following throughout 2024 and said that big things were expected of previous Book 1 purchases Equitize (GB) (Kingman {GB}) and Dynamic Pricing (Ire) along with Oversubscribed. 

He concluded, “There's a four-year-old called Equitize and he is very, very good. I think people are going to be reading a lot about him this summer and he could go for races like the Man O'War and the Manhattan. Dynamic Pricing is a lovely three-year-old filly by Night Of Thunder. We bought her at Book 1 a couple of years ago from Croom House Stud. She was third in the Sweetest Chant Stakes at Gulfstream on her last start but got in a lot of trouble. I'd put those two older horses forward with Oversubscribed as being our horses to follow on the grass this year.”

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Racing’s Crystal Ball – 10 Predictions For 2024

Anyone who bets on racing will know too well the perils that come with predicting the outcome of a sporting event. But what if we take it a couple of steps further and, for a bit of fun, try and gaze into the crystal ball and see what could be in store for 2024?

From Frankie Dettori returning to the saddle in Europe to Wathnan Racing continuing its march in Britain, here are 10 predictions-some fun and some serious-for the new year. 

Dettori's Groundhog Day To Continue Into 2024

We've all seen the movie Groundhog Day, haven't we? The one where Bill Murray gets caught in a time loop? Well, if you haven't, the same script could well be playing out for real through Frankie Dettori's retirement [or lack thereof].

For all the people who had convinced themselves that Dettori had achieved a dream send-off when guiding King Of Steel to victory in the Champion S. at Ascot, there were just as many people rolling their eyes at the idea that one of the world's greatest riders was ready to set off into the sunset. 

Of course, Dettori has committed to ride on in America for the winter but, what happens after that? What happens if a big-ticket ride becomes available for a Guineas or a Derby? Don't tell me that Dettori, who arguably rode as well last year as he has in years, is going to give up on that opportunity for the sake of staying true to his word?

The farewell tour served its purpose and generated a subplot for almost every major meeting that Dettori rode at in 2023. However, the thought that we have seen the last of Frankie in Europe is not something I'd be taking short odds on this year. 

Classic Glory On The Cards For Blue Point?

From a bloodstock perspective, Blue Point hogged just as many headlines as Frankie did throughout 2023. Tipped by many to scoop first-season sire honours, Blue Point delivered in no uncertain terms, coming up trumps with two genuine top-notchers in Big Evs and Rosallion. 

The latter has real claims of bagging Classic glory for his young sire sensation this year and is just 12-1 to land the 2,000 Guineas. Big Evs proved he is a classy sprinter to look forward to when bagging the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and the likelihood of him landing a major sprint in Europe is strong. 

It's worth noting that Blue Point's most famous triumphs, his back-to-back Royal Ascot successes in the King's Stand S. and Diamond Jubilee S. back in 2019, came in his five-year-old campaign. The best may yet be to come from his progeny in 2024 and beyond and, if he is to bag a breakthrough Classic success, perhaps it may come through Rosallion in the Irish 2,000 Guineas provided City Of Troy stays away. 

Bank On Sangster To Have A Big Year

Oliver Sangster | Keeneland

Speaking of breakthrough successes at the highest level, there is a chance that up-and-coming trainer Ollie Sangster can bag a first Group 1 or even Classic victory with stable star Shuwari this season. 

Grandson of the late Robert Sangster, Ollie has done his bit to keep the family name in lights and enjoyed a stellar debut season as a trainer by sending out 13 winners from 81 runners, highlighted by the Fillies' Mile runner-up Shuwari. 

According to those who know Sangster best, there are few trainers who work as hard as the 27-year-old, who would be thoroughly deserving of a major day in the sun in 2024. Here's hoping Shuwari can provide Sangster just that and her 1,000 Guineas claims would be greatly aided by the word soft appearing in the going description. 

Tough Task For City Of Troy To Live Up To Lofty Reputation

City Of Troy proved himself to be something out of the ordinary as a two-year-old by going unbeaten in three starts, culminating with a jaw-dropping performance in the Dewhurst. 

It was after the Dewhurst where Aidan O'Brien described City Of Troy as being the best two-year-old he has ever trained while Michael Tabor took it up a notch or two by comparing the horse to Frankel.

City Of Troy has generated much debate since that brilliant Dewhurst display but perhaps it might be wisest to side with Mick Kinane, who, in acknowledging the awesome talent the Ballydoyle-trained colt clearly has, said that he still has a lot to prove in order to be compared with the likes of Sea The Stars and Frankel

Certainly at this juncture, City Of Troy would appear the most likely winner of the 2,000 Guineas, which his general even-money odds reflects. However, whether we will be speaking of him in the same ilk as Frankel come the end of the season, now that is a big ask. 

One thing that isn't up for debate is that Justify is quickly confirming himself as a very serious stallion, not only in America and Australia, but also in Europe. Not long after City Of Troy recorded his Dewhurst demolition, Justify's daughter Opera Singer did something similar in the Prix Marcel Boussac.

Both horses sit at the head of the 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas betting respectively and it will be fascinating to see how their careers progress this term. 

Japan To Win The Derby

Yoshito Yahagi | Emma Berry

Now this would be a bit of fun; what if Japan were to win the Derby? Or, if I was to be more specific, what if trainer Yoshito Yahagi was to take out another major prize on the international circuit by sending out a brother to Sottsass to score at Epsom? You know, it's not impossible. 

Shin Emperor is clearly bred for the job. Bought by Yahagi, who has recorded major success at the Breeders' Cup, Dubai World Cup and Saudi Cup meetings in recent years, for €2.1 million at Arqana in 2021, Shin Emperor has always been held in high regard. 

A Group 3 winner already in Japan, he went down by less than a length in the G1 Hopeful S. at Nakayama over the festive period, doing his reputation no harm in the process. 

Yahagi is famous for travelling his horses all over the world and, in Shin Emperor, he has a colt who clearly fits the Derby profile being a brother to the Arc winner Sottsass. In betting terms, this is one of the more fanciful predictions for 2024, but what a story it would be. 

Pinatubo To Emulate Blue Point 

Sottsass, of course, is one of the first-season stallions that many enthusiasts are looking forward to this year. While his stock has gone down extremely well, highlighted by the sale of a €525,000 colt at Arqana last year, it seems as though everyone who is anyone is tipping Pinatubo to emulate Blue Point by coming up trumps for Darley yet again. 

Many of the top industry judges hitched their wagon to Blue Point's wheel last year and we all know how that ended. The same theme developed at the yearling and foal sales last year with Pinatubo and to a similar extent with fellow Darley stallions Earthlight and Ghaiyyath. One thing's for certain: Darley appears to hold all the aces with a view towards this year's first-season sires' championship and, while it is only January, few people will be betting against Pinatubo being a big success. 

It should also be noted how well Hello Youmzain performed with his stock at the sales in France. He could be well placed to clinch champion first-season honours in France. 

Breeze-Up Market To Stay Strong Despite Market Correction

There were some tough moments in 2023 and it's fair to say that the yearling and breeding stock sales were a struggle for many. Market correction was a term we heard plenty of as many of the key figures at some of the major sales in Europe settled back into pre-Covid levels. 

With that in mind, there is understandably some apprehension heading into the new year and the first major metric into how well things are going in 2024 will come at the breeze-up sales.

But just how much of a correction can we expect to see here? There seems to be a huge demand for the ready-to-run horses and the breeze-up sales have never been a more popular shopping outlet for international buyers than it is now. 

It should also be noted that unbeaten two-year-old and dual Group 1 winner Vandeek, who sold to Anthony Stroud for 625,000gns at the Craven Breeze-Up Sale at Tattersalls last year, did his bit to fly the flag for this sector of the market. 

In many ways, the breeze-up market could be viewed as something of an anomaly as, similar to the point-to-point sphere, there should, in theory, always be a demand for a good horse. 

The middle to upper tiers can be expected to be solid at the breeze-up sales come the spring but it will be interesting to see how the median and clearance rates hold up. 

Wathnan Racing To Continue Its March

Richard Brown: buys on behalf of Wathnan Racing | Zuzanna Lupa

One man who is sure to be out in force at the breeze-up sales is Blandford Bloodstock's Richard Brown but, perhaps most interesting of all, will be the bloodstock agent's buying on behalf of Wathnan Racing. 

Wathnan Racing embarked on ownership in Britain with a number of statement victories, none more so than when private purchase Courage Mon Ami won the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot on just his fourth career start. 

It's likely that Wathnan Racing, which is the ownership vehicle of the Emir Of Qatar, can go from strength to strength in 2024. 

Tough Times Ahead For Smaller Breeders 

Ed Harper of Whitsbury Manor Stud said something frightening in a recent TDN Q&A. When commenting on some of the smaller clients of his who enjoyed a touch when selling foals by the stud's superstar stallion Havana Grey, he revealed that for many, their big payday would be just enough to keep them going for just a few more years, such are the choppy waters the smaller breeders are navigating through right now. 

If you were to take an x-ray of the breeding game in its current form and peg it into the light, it wouldn't make for pretty reading, especially in Britain. That was there for everyone to see on the first and last days of the foal sales at Tattersalls in December where many key stakeholders voiced their concerns about the future of the smaller breeder in Britain. 

Of course, this is not a problem exclusive to Britain, but Brexit and the lack of small-time buyers and pinhookers getting into the game compared to Ireland clearly contributed to some of those frightening figures. 

It begs the question; for how long can this continue? Where there is a will there's a way, and in that same Q&A, Harper called on smaller breeders to take a look at themselves in the mirror when it comes to breeding horses for the sales ring. 

Some will take that advice and reinvest but, inevitably, more will slip away. It appears as though there could be some tough times ahead for the smaller breeders. 

No Sign Of Polarisation Slowing Down Over Jumps

On a similarly depressing theme, there doesn't appear to be any pause to polarisation in the markets, particularly when it comes to the National Hunt game. There could be a different winner to ever race at the Cheltenham festival and, chances are, people will still be honing in on the same two stallions at the major store sales. 

King George hero Hewick once again reminded that a good horse can come from anywhere. Shark Hanlon's 800 quid wonder is by Virtual, a son of Pivotal and, without doing the horse a disservice, is what many would describe as a non descript stallion. 

But here he is, siring the winner of one of the most important jumps races of the year, and once again proving that the love is more readily shared than what some would lead you to believe over jumps.

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Blue Point Blasts His Way To Champion First-Season Sire Honours

There will be a lot of I-told-you-sos when looking back on the first-season sires' championship with Blue Point (Ire) living up to his lofty billing by amassing 50 individual winners in Europe including two Group 1 scorers in what can only be described as a dream debut season. 

The pledge of support behind Blue Point from a very early stage, in what was viewed by many as the most competitive first-season sires' championship in a long time, was telling. 

Perhaps one of the most accurate predictions came from trainer Richard Hannon in his TDN two-year-old tour back in April. He said, “I don't think I will be able to afford many of these Blue Points next year–he could have a big year which will make them very expensive.” 

Little did Hannon know at the time but it was the stable's Rosallion (Ire) who would go on to add to that growing reputation for the stallion in running out an impressive winner of the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at ParisLongchamp on Arc weekend.

Add that to the exploits of Big Evs (Ire), winner of the Windsor Castle S. at Royal Ascot before signing off on a brilliant campaign by scorching to GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint honours at Santa Anita, Blue Point didn't just live up to expectations in 2023; he smashed it. 

So, how does he compare to previous champion first-season sires and is his fee jump to €60,000 justified?

The answer is that Blue Point compares favourably with each of the past five leading first-season sires–Havana Grey (GB), Cotai Glory (GB), Mehmas (Ire), Gutaifan (Ire) and No Nay Never–on almost every metric. 

In terms of prize-money amassed, only Havana Grey has managed to better Blue Point's debut season haul of €1,235,165 in Britain and Ireland, albeit by just €21,747. Standing on 41 individual winners in Britain and Ireland, Blue Point has bettered each of the previous five leading first crop sires bar Mehmas, who ended his respective campaign with 46. 

Meanwhile, 57 wins all told in Britain and Ireland is just eight shy of what Mehmas recorded in 2020 but is on a par with what Havana Grey achieved last year. 

These are the sort of statistics that led Con Marnane, one of the titans of the game, to label Blue Point as 'pound for pound the best stallion in Europe' while top pinhooker Paul McCartan is another man to have been heard singing the praises of the young stallion on the sales circuit this year. 

It is one thing having a clatter of winners but something altogether different to produce quality performers and this is another area where Blue Point excelled this season. Along with top-notchers Rosallion and Big Evs, Blue Point was responsible for another 100-plus rated juvenile in Action Point (Ire), who scored at listed level and reached an official rating of 101 for Archie Watson. 

It is clear that Blue Point, a tremendous racehorse in his own right who recorded an amazing Royal Ascot double when landing the King's Stand S. and the Diamond Jubilee S. in the same week, is injecting a lot of class into his offspring with 17 of his two-year-olds ending the campaign on an official rating of 90 or above. 

Too Darn Hot (GB) put the cherry on top of what was a memorable year for the Darley roster by ending the campaign strongly with a host of high-class winners, including G1 Moyglare Stud S. winner Fallen Angel (GB). 

A genuine 1,000 Guineas contender for Karl Burke to look forward to next season, Fallen Angel was one of five juveniles by Too Darn Hot to achieve official ratings of 100 or more.

Too Darn Hot ended the year with 22 individual winners in Britain and Ireland, which was the same number that Soldier's Call (GB) managed. However, the latter amassed 29 total winners, which was just one more than Too Darn Hot managed. 

Too Darn Hot is set to stand for £65,000 in 2024 while Soldier's Call, who has recently switched from Joe Foley's Ballyhane Stud in Ireland, where he has stood since 2020, to Dullingham Park, will command a fee of £8,500. 

The move makes sense. For all that Soldier's Call lived up to what was expected from him in 2023, and in many ways hardened his reputation as a rock-solid producer of sprinting talent, he might stand out a little better in the British market compared to in Ireland, where there are plenty of options at a similar level. 

Calyx (GB) may not have racked up the numbers Soldier's Call managed but he was represented by a number of talented juveniles, not least the Dewhurst third Eben Shaddad and the unexposed Purple Lily (Ire), who justified her €155,000 price tag at the breeze-ups when winning on debut at Galway for Paddy Twomey. She rates an exciting filly going forward for the stallion next season and featured among the 19 individual winners and 26 total wins recorded by Calyx in 2023. 

Advertise (GB) [19 individual winners in Britain and Ireland], Phoenix Of Spain (Ire) [17], Inns Of Court (Ire) [16], Land Force (Ire) [14], Ten Sovereigns (Ire) [14] and Invincible Army (Ire) [12] were others who managed to get into double figures this year.

Perhaps Phoenix Of Spain is deserving of most credit out of that group for what he achieved with his first crop two-year-olds as his progeny are almost certain to improve at three and beyond. 

Study Of Man (Ire) could fit into that category as well. Nobody would have predicted that the G1 Prix du Jockey Club winner would have blasted out a host of two-year-old winners with his debut crop and he probably exceeded expectations through the exploits of Deepone (GB). Winner of the G2 Beresford S., historically a good guide for future Derby contenders, Deepone would appear to have leading Classic claims in 2024 for Twomey and his owner Vimal Khosla. 

Like Study Of Man, Magna Grecia (Ire) ended the year with six individual winners in Britain and Ireland while Masar (Ire) was just two behind that pair on four. Given Magna Grecia is out of a Galileo (Ire) mare, it will be wise to judge him properly at the end of 2024 while Derby winner Masar is another deserving of more time. 

It should also be noted that City Light (Fr) enjoyed a banner year in France and ended the campaign as the clear leading first-crop sire with 15 individual winners and 19 total wins. A son of Siyouni, City Light also had a winner in Britain and Ireland is shaping up to be an interesting stallion in his own right. 

 

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Big Day for Europe? That’s Unquestionable  

ARCADIA, USA — A clean sweep for Europe in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. How about that to start the Breeders' Cup? And then for the closing act, a one-two for Aidan O'Brien in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf after the drama of the early-morning scratching of race favourite River Tiber (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}).

For the curtain up, Big Evs (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), named to honour a fallen friend, paid the best possible tribute to the late Paul Evans in giving his British owners Paul and Rachael Teasdale an extraordinary introduction to racing on the other side of the world.

“This is absolutely fantastic for Paul. It's a year on Wednesday since he died, so it's very fitting for a great guy with a great horse. It couldn't be any better,” said Paul Teasdale.

“This is what it's all about. We came here knowing that it was going to be a tough race and that we were racing against the best in the world, but we have a little saying that we wanted to be brave and to be among the best, and that's what the guy who this horse is named for would have said. It's a tribute to him with an amazing horse.”

Big Evs, trained by Breeders' Cup debutant Mick Appleby, is the stand-out performer from a strong first crop of runners by European champion freshman sire-elect Blue Point. He had been picked up for 50,000gns as a yearling by breeze-up pinhooker Micky Cleere, but was withdrawn from his intended appearance at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale when sold privately.

Teasdale continued, “I bought the horse in March of this year and didn't necessarily plan to call him Big Evs, which was Paul's nickname, but when Mick called me and said he was going to enter him and we needed a name it just seemed the natural thing to do.

“He was a personal friend for 40 years and we went racing together for 25 years. He was diagnosed last year with lung cancer and he died after a short illness.”

Since winning the Listed Windsor Castle S. at Royal Ascot on only his second start, Big Evs has been in the sights of plenty of potential purchasers. As he added the G3 Molecomb S. and G2 Flying Childers S. to his burgeoning resume, the offers kept coming and the price kept rising. So was Teasdale ever tempted to sell his horse with such an emotional connection for him?

“Absolutely not,” he replied without a moment's hesitation. “We're delighted with what he's done. We didn't have to do any soul searching, we just turned them down.”

For Tom Marquand, it was a case of one and done, as he triumphed on his first ever Breeders' Cup ride and heads off now to Australia for the Melbourne Cup Carnival and on to Japan for a winter in which his international profile can only continue to be enhanced.

“That's his run style at home but English gate speed is different to American gate speed and we were just hoping that he would be fast enough to get a good pitch,” said the jockey. “I think he's tough as well because he did break half a length slower than some of them and he needed that top gear, but he trucked along. I'd say he was learning around the bend, he wasn't the smoothest but he got the hang of it. To be perfectly honest for as much confidence that you have that you're going to win, he just felt that there were two gears left all the way.”

In behind Big Evs and closing fast was another Royal Ascot winner, Amo Racing's Valiant Force (Malibu Moon), with champion jockey William Buick aboard, while Frankie Dettori and Starlust (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}) claimed third for Ralph Beckett and Jim and Fitri Hay to give Britain and Ireland the trifecta in the opening contest.

A Ballydoyle one-two is nothing out of the ordinary, even at this exalted level, but the team could well have been left wondering whether they might have had the first three home in the Juvenile Turf but for the withdrawal on the insistence of the veterinary team at Santa Anita that River Tiber be stood down from the race. In his place, Unquestionable (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) was an emphatic winner – O'Brien's sixth in this contest – with Mountain Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never) the valiant runner-up sustaining a non-displaced condylar fracture of his cannon bone in running. 

“We thought that he might be a miler as a three-year-old so we thought that we would get away with a mile around here now,” said O'Brien of Unquestionable. “We hope he might be a French Guineas horse.”

On Mountain Bear's injury, he added, “[The fracture] is not displaced, so that's good. He'll get a cast on it for four weeks and he should be fine. He's back at the barn and settled in now. They were unbelievably quick to pick him up and bring him down so he did no damage.”

O'Brien also said that he felt prior to Friday morning that Unquestionable would have finished behind River Tiber.

“We felt that River Tiber was in a different place to where he's been for his last two runs. His work had been excellent and everything had been very good with him,” he said. 

“We were sorry to see him go out. But the rules are the rules. We thought he was ready to run but the vets didn't agree, and it's their job. Whatever the authorities decide happens, and we accept that. It's just the way it was.”

While this was essentially a victory for an Irish-Qatari partnership, Unquestionable, who runs in the colours of Al Shaqab Racing, is a member of the final crop of Wootton Bassett to be conceived in France. Nobody at Santa Anita had bigger smiles on their faces than Guillaume and Camille Vitse, who bred the colt with their daughters Valentine and Axel at their “boutique” farm in France.

“It's just amazing. It's something we couldn't even think about when we started our operation five years ago,” said Vitse, the former manager of Haras de Colleville who started the family business, Normandie Breeding.

“Being here at the Breeders' Cup is amazing enough but winning is just like a dream. I have had that dream for 35 years now, since I was a kid, so I'm over the moon.”

He added, “There was so much pressure when River Tiber came out and Unquestionable became favourite, and when it goes like that it often doesn't happen, but today everything went fine. It's unbelievable.”

Wootton Bassett adding yet another string to his bow with a juvenile Grade I winner in North America will have delighted the Coolmore team that purchased him three years ago. Having already been represented by Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Audarya (Fr) in 2020, he could yet add to that record with his son King Of Steel being one of the leading fancies in the Breeders' Cup Turf on Saturday. 

But really this was a day for two of the most exciting young stallions on either side of the Atlantic. Blue Point is uncatchable in Europe, and then there's Justify, who is fast becoming an international sire sensation. His first crop are now three, and that vintage includes the GI Belmont Oaks winner Aspen Grove and GI Woody Stephens S. winner Arabian Lion. It is Justify's second crop that has really caught the imagination, however. He has arguably the best juvenile colt and filly in Europe in City Of Troy and Opera Singer, and in the space of 40 minutes on a roasting Friday afternoon, he added two juvenile Breeders' Cup winners, on dirt and turf, to the list in Just F Y I and Hard To Justify. It's a record which is all the more impressive when one considers that Justify didn't even see a racecourse until he was three. His career lasted for four short months but it included a Triple Crown. 

This is the Breeders' Cup, and one breeder in particular who will surely be sending mares back to Justify is Leopoldo Fernandez Pujals of Yeguada Centurion, who produced the Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Hard To Justify from the Quality Road mare Instant Reflex. Pujals has also been represented as breeder this year by the Justify filly Ramatuelle, who was runner-up to Vandeek (GB) in the G1 Prix Morny, and in his own colours the breeder has two of the best three-year-olds in France in the Christopher Head-trained duo of Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) and Big Rock (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}). 

They call this meeting the World Championships, and it starts with the breeders. After day one, breeders from Dubai, France, Spain, and of course America have already seen their labours rewarded with success at the big show. There's plenty more excitement to come. 

The post Big Day for Europe? That’s Unquestionable   appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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