NEWMARKET, UK–The dissolution of a successful partnership and formation of a new powerful allegiance by Graham Smith-Bernal led to Waldlied (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), the Group 2-winning sibling to Arc winner Waldgeist (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), heading a stellar list at the Tattersalls December Mares' Sale at 2,200,000gns. 

A solidly stacked session, which included Juddmonte fillies for the first time on the Tuesday of the sale, soared way above last year's returns. With 115 six-figure transactions throughout the day, turnover climbed 68% to 41,912,000gns, while the median was up 75% at 105,000gns and the average by 39% to 187,107gns. An extra 38 lots were sold compared to the same day last year, with the clearance rate jumping to 85%.

The 6-year-old Waldlied (lot 1839), sold in foal to Kingman (GB), will return to Newsells Park Stud, where she was born and raised when in the ownership of the Jacobs family, who sold the farm and all stock to Smith-Bernal in June. The mare's co-owner/breeder Dietrich von Boetticher of Gestut Ammerland was underbidder via his representative Crispin de Moubray. 

“She's coming home, back where she belongs,” said Smith-Bernal after his agent Jill Lamb prevailed in the battle between the two partners to buy out the other following early interest from American bidders Greg Goodman and Barry Weisbord. 

Together, Newsells Park Stud and Gestut Ammerland have successfully raced not just the Group 2 winner Waldlied but more notably her Arc-winning three-parts-brother Waldgeist (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), who now stands at Ballylinch Stud, as well as another half-brother, the Group 3 winner Waldkonig (GB) (Kingman {GB}).

He continued, “She's a beautiful mare in terms of her demeanour and attitude; she's just a very special horse from a very special family. That was breaking one partnership and forming a new partnership.”

Declining to name his new partner, Smith-Bernal added, “We now own 100% of [dam] Waldlerche (GB) as well as her number one daughter so far. [Waldlied] was a great racehorse but unfortunately she damaged a tendon after just four races and winning a Group 2 by two lengths without coming off the bridle. I think she was rated as high as Waldgiest by Andre Fabre. She was a very special racehorse and we are delighted to have her back with us.”

WALDLIED, the G2 winning half-sister to Arc winner Waldgeist sells for 2,200,000gns at #TattsDecember. This mare by New Approach (@DarleyEurope) is in foal to Kingman (@JuddmonteFarms) & was bought by @jlambbloodstock. She was consigned by @newsellspark & returns there. pic.twitter.com/uEy5soKSZk

— TDN (@theTDN) November 30, 2021

Along with Waldlied, Lamb has signed for another five mares in the last two days on behalf of Newsells Park to the tune of 3,965,000gns. But the stud has also had a successful couple of days as vendor, and it consigned the second-top lot of the day, the late Jon Kelly's G2 Blandford S. winner Cayenne Pepper (Ire) (Australia {GB}), who will now join the Coolmore broodmare band having been bought for 2,000,000gns.

Tom Magnier, a welcome visitor to Park Paddocks from Australia, signed the docket on behalf of the partners and confirmed that the 4-year-old will visit Wootton Bassett (GB) next year.

“She's a lovely mare,” he said. “We knew what she could do on the racetrack and Jessie Harrington obviously held her in high regard. Jon Kelly was a close friend of our family so it is nice to get some Jon Kelly blood: we've had some in Australia and now it's nice to have some here.”

The highest rated of Australia's daughters, Cayenne Pepper (lot 1840) can boast Allegretta on both sides of her pedigree, with the influential broodmare featuring as her third dam, making Cayenne Pepper's grandam Saleela (Nureyev) a half-sister to Urban Sea (Miswaki).

Magnier added, “All the top people have been talking about her all week so we're very fortunate to have her and to have some great partners. Hopefully we'll have a bit of luck with her.”

CAYENNE PEPPER sells for 2,000,000 at #TattsDecember. This G2 winning & G1 placed daughter of Australia (@coolmorestud) was consigned by @newsellspark and was bought by @TomMagnier to visit Wootton Bassett. pic.twitter.com/HpsC7woBYm

— TDN (@theTDN) November 30, 2021

Times To Remember

Eleven years after being led out of the same ring as a yearling, unsold at 10,000gns, Sunday Times (GB) found herself a headline act on her return—bringing 1,800,000gns as lot 1810 from MV Magnier, and then being followed through the ring shortly afterwards by her daughter Daily Times (GB) (Gleneagles {Ire}), who made 800,000gns from Erdenheim Farm (lot 1829).

Since her first visit here, of course, Sunday Times had not only run second in the G1 Cheveley Park S. for Peter Chapple-Hyam, as well as winning a Group 3, but achieved still greater distinction as a broodmare. And with a sibling to Breeders' Cup winner Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) in utero, she generated fierce competition in the ring—initially from Greg Goodman of Mt. Brilliant Farm, and ultimately from David Redvers seated alongside David Howden—but every bid was answered from outside, where Magnier was bidding out of his rivals' view.

Sunday Times will therefore be joining her illustrious daughter, who was sold privately last year at the end of her career with Chad Brown, in the Coolmore broodmare band. Magnier indicated that Sunday Times is likely to be paired with Wootton Bassett (GB).

Rising 13, she has already had half a dozen foals, and had a bit of bad luck in 2018 (barren) and 2019 (slipped). But the spectacular success of Newspaperofrecord in the GI Juvenile Fillies' Turf at Churchill Downs in 2018 rendered her pregnancy by Lope De Vega critical here.

“Hopefully she's carrying a sister,” Magnier said. “It's a lot of money, let's hope she's worth it. She's an absolute cracker, and obviously she's bred a champion before. It was incredible what Newspaperofrecord did at the Breeders' Cup that day. And there's plenty going on all the way down the page.”

Magnier noted that her first foal, Classical Times (GB) (Lawman {Fr}), was also a stakes winner. And indeed, the Coolmore team had already shown their regard for the family when acquiring Pink Dogwood (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), a daughter of a stakes-placed Shamardal half-sister to Sunday Times, as an Orby yearling in 2017 for €380,000. The following year her full brother Latrobe (Ire) won the Irish Derby, while Pink Dogwood herself went on to finish second in the Oaks at Epsom.

All this of course reflects huge credit on owner/breeder Allan Belshaw and the counsel he receives from Richard Aston of Goldford Stud. Cashing in the matriarch, along with one of her daughters, was obviously bittersweet but Belshaw reasoned that it was time to open a fresh cycle.

“I'm satisfied, I'm happy,” he acknowledged after the sale of Sunday Times. “Slightly disappointed, too, as I've had her since a baby. But there comes a time when she had to move on: I've plenty of babies from the family, so it's like starting again. She has helped the cause for the young family. And now we can play up there now, with stallion fees, instead of looking at the basement!”

Yet how different everything could have been.

“I brought her here as a yearling, to Book 2,” he recalled. “Holy Roman Emperor was just starting his career. I don't know if there was even a bid. I was hoping to get 30,000gns for her! But she turned into a good racehorse, and an even better broodmare.

“The big moment, of course, was with her daughter in the Breeders' Cup. Someone bid me for Sunday Times when I was in Kentucky, and I thought I couldn't sell her then. But since then we've had two fillies: another by Lope De Vega, who's with Roger Varian; and a Kingman filly this year. We also have half a dozen half-sisters, so we're in a good place.”

Nonetheless the element of reluctance can be measured from the fact that Daily Times had been retained at this sale last year for 600,000gns. James Wigan of London Thoroughbred Services had been the underbidder on that occasion, but patience was rewarded this time round as he secured the 4-year-old, a sprint maiden winner for John Gosden, for his clients in Pennsylvania. In the meantime she, too, is in foal to Lope De Vega.

“The vendors stuck to their guns!” the agent said. “I've had to wait a year, and pay more! Yes, we have more time [relative to the more expensive mother]. But she has done it, we haven't. Hopefully we will. She'll stay here for the time being. She will foal here and probably then go to Kingman, before travelling to the U.S.”

Belshaw was indebted for the presentation of mother and daughter alike to the Goldford team. “Allan is such an enthusiast,” Aston said. “He gets all the books out, all around him on the floor! We decided on Lope De Vega because Shamardal had already done well with the family, and we loved the toughness he showed in winning the Poule d'Essai des Poulains and Prix du Jockey-Club in such quick succession.”

SUNDAY TIMES sells for 1,800,000gns at #TattsDecember! This mare is the dam of @BreedersCup winner Newspaperofrecord (@BallylinchStud) & is carrying a full sibling to her. Consigned by Goldford Stud @sallygoldford, bought by M V Magnier & visits Wootton Bassett @coolmorestud. pic.twitter.com/ZiRd0VVcR4

— TDN (@theTDN) November 30, 2021

First Lady To A Million

With a name like Flotus (Ire) she really should have been the first lady, and the daughter of Starspangledbanner (Aus) was indeed the first to make it to the seven-figure mark when selling for 1,000,000gns to Northern Farm.

Sold by Simon and Ed Crisford's Gainsborough Thoroughbreds as lot 1798 for her syndicate of owners, Flotus is now under the new ownership of Katsumi Yoshida's Northern Farm, which has made its presence felt at the sale so far with five horses bought for 2,870,000gns.

Just last year in the same ring, she was bought by Arthur Hoyeau for 125,000gns at Book 1. Since then, Flotus has raced six times, winning on debut and following up in the listed Champion Two Yrs Old Trophy before running second to Tenebrism (Caravaggio) in the G1 Cheveley Park S.

An understandably wistful Simon Crisford congratulated Northern Farm's buyer Shingo Hashimoto before saying, “She is a beautiful filly, top class, and we wish her new connections the best of luck for the future. We are very sorry to see her go, but she has done a fantastic job for us.”

He added, “I am sure she will have a fantastic career not only on the racetrack but also as a broodmare. She has not stopped growing all year, and I am sure she will have a very successful 3-year-old career.”

Whether or not Flotus will indeed race on is still unclear, with Hashimoto noting that no firm plans have been made for her future. 

“We have not decided yet whether she will race on, I need to talk to the boss. If she stays in training, she will stay in Britain. She was brilliant at Newmarket, it was an outstanding performance and we are very excited to have her.”

1,000,000gns for lot 1798 at #TattsDecember! FLOTUS (by @coolmorestud Starspangledbanner) who was 2nd in the G1 Cheveley Park is headed to Japan after Katsumi Yoshida of Northern Farm had the final bid. She was consigned by her trainer @gainsboroughHQ pic.twitter.com/x19sbrdqGh

— TDN (@theTDN) November 30, 2021

Blue For Peter

Sottsass (Fr) gave his owner Peter Brant of White Birch Farm both a Classic and an Arc victory and since the son of Siyouni's retirement to Coolmore, the owner/breeder has been intent on supporting his young stallion. The latest addition to Brant's team of mares to be visiting Sottsass in 2022 is the speedy listed winner Shades Of Blue (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) (lot 1765), who was also twice a runner-up at Group 3 level and third in the G2 Queen Mary S. With the extra enticement that the 5-year-old is in foal for the first time to Frankel (GB), she eventually sold for 850,000gns to Brant's advisor Michel Zerolo.

“The plan is simple, she will be sent to be bred Sottsass,” he said. “She was a good 2-year-old and she is good-looking mare. She is by a stallion you can cross with Sottsass. The whole package is there–the physical, the race record, the stallion she is in foal to, she is a young mare, she is what we are looking for for Sottsass.”

Shades Of Blue made her last of 13 starts for Clive Cox in August 2020 and was sold for 320,000gns at last year's December Sale. She was one of three purchases on Tuesday by Zerolo on Brant's behalf for a total outlay of 1,640,000gns.

The Bradley Touch

How do you take three relatively inexpensive purchases and turn them into six-figure breeding prospects? The simple answer would appear to be to race them under the Nick Bradley Racing banner, for that is the glue that binds together Dandalla (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}), Mystery Angel (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}), and Fev Rover (Ire) (Gutaifan {Ire}). Each member of that trio has earned black type within the last two seasons having been bought respectively for €22,000, 22,000gns and £20,000.

As lot 1735, Dandalla, winner of the G2 Duchess of Cambridge S. and G3 Albany S. last season, brought the hammer down at 750,000gns in favour of Shingo Hashimoto, who was representing Katsumi Yoshida. Originally sold for €15,500 as a foal, she had been unearthed as a yearling for not much more by her trainer Karl Burke's daughter Kelly at the Tattersalls Ireland September Sale.

Burke said, “She's been a fantastic filly. Kelly spotted her at Tatts. She was over at the sales a few days before I went over there and she said she'd found a lovely Dandy Man filly, and it went from there. I was hoping she would reach the million but she probably didn't have a good enough season to do that.”

He continued, “To be honest I cocked the season up as I was convinced she'd stay seven [furlongs] starting the year and hopefully turn into a Guineas filly and we went that route. At home she was nice and relaxed but every time she went to the track she just got quicker and stronger, so we dropped her back to the five and we missed a few nice races there.”

Dandalla eventually raced in the partnership name of Nick Bradley Racing 28 and Elaine Burke, the trainer's wife, but Kelly Burke explained that she was the last yearling left on the shelf at the family's Spigot Lodge Stables.

“I didn't sell a share in her until February, no one was really interested, and she was our last filly to sell. I pretty much had to beg Nick to take a share,” she said.

“But from an early stage she bounded up the gallop. My sister Lucy rode her and she also used to ride Laurens (Fr), and before Dandalla ran, she said, 'I hate comparing anything to a superstar like Laurens, but this filly is the only one I have ridden who takes me up the gallop like Laurens did'.”

Recalling her first impressions of Dandalla at the yearling sale, Kelly added, “She wasn't your typical Dandy Man, she wasn't small and robust, she was always athletic and scopey. She was just really correct and had a lovely walk. When I do the shortlist for Dad, I take off anything that I don't like or is incorrect, and she just floated along and went about her business, I just really liked her.

“The year before I had picked Lord Of The Lodge at the same sale and he is a Dandy Man colt and he was second in the Gimcrack so I had a bit of a soft spot then for Dandy Man.”

DANDALLA, the G2 winner by Dandy Man (@BallyhaneStud) who was trained by @karl_burke for @NBradleyRacing is sold for 750,000gns at the #TattsDecember Mare Sale. She was lead through the ring by @kieran_k24 and heads to Japan after Northern Farm landed the winning bid . pic.twitter.com/AcE755szKp

— TDN (@theTDN) November 30, 2021

Mystery Angel To Oiwake Farm…

Also heading to Japan but this time for Haruya Yoshida's Oiwake Farm is the Oaks runner-up and listed winner Mystery Angel, who was bought for 500,000gns. The daughter of Kodi Bear was properly tried by her rising trainer George Boughey and she duly answered the call, winning three races and notching six places in stakes company.

Uppermost in the memory was her hugely game performance at Epsom when leading the Oaks field for much of the race before bowing only to Snowfall (Jpn), who would go on to win both the Irish and Yorkshire Oaks. This run behind a daughter of Deep Impact (Jon) clearly caught the attention of Japanese watchers. 

Buying on behalf of Oiwake Farm, Yuya Yasuda said of Mystery Angel (lot 1746), “She was very talented and is a very good mover. She has a really good long stride. She was beaten by Snowfall and even though she was defeated it was still a really honourable run.”

…And Fev Rover To Race On In The U.S.

In her young life, the 1000 Guineas third Fev Rover (Ire) (Gutaifan {Ire}) (lot 1758) has already raced in Britain, Ireland, France and Bahrain, and she will now head stateside to continue her career in Florida under the care of Mark Casse.

The bidding opened at an eye-catching 600,000gns and at 695,000gns, the former Richard Fahey trainee was bought for owner/breeder Tracy Farmer by Lincoln Collins and Joe Miller. The same owner and trainer combination was recently at the other end of a transaction which saw the GI Spinaway S. winner Perfect Alibi (Sky Mesa) sell for $2 million at Fasig-Tipton to Spendthrift Farm.

“We thought she was the best racing prospect in the sale,” Miller said. “She should have plenty of residual value as a Group 2 winner and Classic-placed filly.”

Collins added, “The trip is just right, she was effective at a mile to 1m2f, which is perfect, it looks as if her best ground is firm or good to firm. There are plenty of opportunities for her in the U.S. if she is as good there as she was here.”

Fev Rover was bred by the Barry family at Manister House Stud and, second to Dandalla in the G2 Duchess of Cambridge S. on only her second start, she went on to win the listed Star S. and G2 Prix du Calvados.

Tracy Farmer will also take charge of Shadwell 3-year-old Talbeyah (Ire) (lot 1681). The 94-rated daughter of Lope De Vega (Ire) was twice a winner this season for Owen Burrows and changed hands for 250,000gns.

Beautiful But Bittersweet For Furtado

Another fantastic touch was completed when Just Beautiful (GB) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}), an even cheaper yearling, brought her five-for-seven record into the ring as lot 1739. Found here as a Book 3 yearling in 2019 for just 8,000gns, when knocked down to Ivan Furtado and Doncaster Racing, she was last seen winning the G3 Sceptre S. at Doncaster in the silks of Gary White and the Giggle Factor Partnership—the biggest success to date in Furtado's training career. Her sale here, for 625,000gns to Paddy Twomey through BBA Ireland, represented a 77-fold yield on her original cost.

“It's a fantastic story, a dream come true for us,” said Furtado. “She has been a joy to deal with, and took us to the next level. We're ever so grateful to her: she has been really easy to deal with, the team at home have done a great job, and thanks also to Jamie Railton for consigning her so well. I wish the best to her new connections.”

Reflecting on her original, rather cheaper passage through the same ring, Furtado said, “She was great-looking—not the biggest, but well put together, a nice dark bay who walked well. And from the beginning she always moved well, always had a great head, was always very professional. She's a very clever filly and she transferred that to her racing, where she always tried so hard. We did talk about keeping going for another year. We don't want her to go, we love her to bits. But she has done fantastically for us and the time is right.”

Twomey welcomes her into his care on behalf of an existing client, who at some point down the road will have the option of exploiting what has become a pretty helpful pedigree by Book 3 standards. Just Beautiful is out of G3 Oh So Sharp S. runner-up Astrelle (Ire) (Makfi {GB}), who has meanwhile had a couple of useful upgrades to her produce record: Fearless King (GB) (Kingman {GB}) won a German Classic last year, while her juvenile daughter was Grade II-placed in the U.S. this summer. Her yearling colt by Cracksman (GB) duly made 200,000gns this autumn.

“Look, she's a lovely filly,” Twomey said. “Ivan has done a great job with her, let's hope we can do a good job too. We hope she still has miles on the clock, certainly we bought her with racing in mind and we can see about breeding later on.”

Silk Another Flourish For Brocade Line

Twomey had himself taken a role in the success of Silk Forest (Ire), who entered the ring soon afterwards as lot 1764. He had trained her to win a listed race at Naas, before alertly placing her to finish third of four starters in a Group 2. She added a second Group podium shortly before coming through this sale last year when knocked down to Mandore International for Sunderland Holding at 260,000gns. Returned with the benefit of a Sea The Stars (Ire) cover, this time the 5-year-old more than doubled her value at 575,000gns.

Luke Lillingston, signing for Kern/Lillingston, was accompanied by Peter Stanley who explained, “She's for a partnership between Chris Kilroy and my brother Teddy [Lord Derby], who was very keen to reinvest in a young mare. And this was a bit of a queen, from one of the great families, built up by one of the greatest breeders.”

That was Gerald Leigh, who bred the mare's Grade I-placed second dam Free At Last (GB) (Shirley Heights {GB}) from Brocade (GB), also mother of those elite milers by Sadler's Wells, Barathea (Ire) and Gossamer (GB). Lillingston and Stanley had earlier had a crack at Jouska (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}), who is out of a half-sister to Silk Forest, but could not meet the vendors' valuation and she was retained at 260,000gns.

In both cases they were spurred by admiration for Leigh's work. “There are no weak links, in blood or performance,” said Lillingston, running his finger down the page. As for the soaring market, he gave a shrug and said: “It's a small number of mares, the best that come up for public sale, at the best auction of its type in the world—and in an 'up' market.”

Rose The Highest Bloom

Though she never made it to the racetrack, Highest Ever (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) has gradually repaid the €1,000,000 she cost MV Magnier as an Arqana August yearling in 2013. Two of her daughters, Joie De Soir (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and Villa d'Amore (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), have been placed at Group level for the Coolmore partners; and last year another, Rose d'Etoile (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), won twice as a 3-year-old, when also listed-placed.

Villa d'Amore was sold here last year for 290,000gns, and now it was the turn of Rose d'Etoile, who brought 600,000gns as lot 1731 from Adrian Nicoll of BBA Ireland.

“She's for a partnership I've put together with Ben Sangster,” the agent explained. “That was absolutely top whack, in terms of what we could pay, we'd like to have given a bit less. But she's one of the best-looking mares on the place, she has all the sisters to breed, she had ability—and she's in foal to a good horse.”

She certainly is: she has a February cover by Coolmore soaraway Wootton Bassett (GB). She also has younger siblings by Dubawi (Ire) (yearling filly) and a weanling half-brother by Kingman (GB).

“She will go back to Ben's place at Manton,” Nicoll added. “My investor hasn't really been in the horse business before, but he's Irish so we can call it an Anglo-Irish partnership. Let's hope she has a good foal.”

Highest Ever is out of the G1 Prix Jean Romanet winner Alpine Rose (Fr), herself a sister to another elite scorer in Fragrant Mix (Ire) (Linamix {Fr}).

ROSE D'ETOILE sells for 600,000gns at the #TattsDecember Mare Sale. This L. placed daughter of Zoffany is in foal to Wootton Bassett (@coolmorestud) and was consigned by Nee England Stud. She was bought by Adrian Nicol of @BBAIreland. pic.twitter.com/v7wfi38kIM

— TDN (@theTDN) November 30, 2021

Lemon Adds Some Fizz To Highclere

Following on from the sale of a Too Darn Hot (GB) foal for 270,000gns last week, a strong December Sale for Appletree Stud continued when Jake Warren stepped in to buy Lingfield Oaks Trial winner Sherbet Lemon (Lemon Drop Kid) for 450,000gns.

Offered as a horse in training (lot 1730), the grey, who was bought for $200,000 at Keeneland's September Yearling Sale, will however be retired to the paddocks with her stakes victory and smart pedigree giving her a strong base from which to launch her second career. 

“She's for a client of Highclere who has a lovely bunch of broodmares,” said Warren, who admitted to being a fan of Lemon Drop Kid mares, with another Lingfield listed winner by the sire, Mischief Making, already among the ranks at Highclere. 

“What we really appreciated about her is that she's a stakes winner and an Oaks Trial winner by Lemon Drop Kid and a really lovely physical. She'll be easy to mate. You could send her to just about any stallion within reason. Our client is trying to buy one high-class mare per year to try to build up a strong broodmare band. He's in it for the long haul and she just had all the attributes we look for.”

Far More To Come From Farmah

The first mare to raise the bar from Monday's opening session had actually been one of its principal contributors. For Farmah (Speightstown) (1724), knocked down to David Redvers for 500,000gns, is the dam of Taraateel (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), who had brought 230,000gns from Mascalls Stud as lot 1450.

Farmah is now 10, but she is one of three Group scorers out of the French Classic winner Torrestrella (Ire) (Orpen) and also had the glittering bonus of a Kingman (GB) cover. In a good example of the opportunities for regeneration latent in the poignant cull of Shadwell stock, she will now serve an operation only now putting down its first roots.

“She has been bought as a foundation mare for David Howden's young operation, hoping to breed future racehorses to carry his colours,” Redvers explained. “David has half a dozen mares with us and he's a massive enthusiast. He has plenty of horses in partnership with Sheikh Fahad, there's a really good synergy between them and they get on famously. We haven't thought about covering plans yet, but we'll come up with a plan and have something to dream about over the winter.”

Like Susan Hearn the previous day, Redvers had taken the trouble to get his card marked by Francois Rohaut, who recently saddled Farmah's juvenile daughter Zawaaya (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) to win at Deauville.

“I spoke to the trainers of her 2-year-old and 3-year-old, and both were complimentary about their chances of going on to win stakes races,” said the Tweenhills man. “This mare is a beautiful physical, and of course is in foal to a great stallion.”

Another daughter of Speightstown discarded by Shadwell, incidentally, had created plenty of interest among the Americans in town. Tawreed (1617) is out of a half-sister to champion Dreaming Of Anna (Rahy), whose own dam was a half-sister to none other than Kitten's Joy, and has a half-sister by Gun Runner who had won on debut for Brendan Walsh at Keeneland since publication of the catalogue. In the end it was Mt. Brilliant Farm that saw off competition from several other Bluegrass operations at 230,000gns.

lot 1724 – FARMAH is G3 winning own sister to Wusool by Speightstown (@WinStarFarm). She is the dam of two winner and is in foal to Kingman (@JuddmonteFarms). She was consigned by @ShadwellStud and bought by @dredvers. pic.twitter.com/Njp39pJ30E

— TDN (@theTDN) November 30, 2021

The post Win-Win For Newsells As Waldlied Returns At 2.2 Million appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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CAYENNE PEPPER sells for 2,000,000 at #TattsDecember. This G2 winning & G1 placed daughter of Australia (@coolmorestud) was consigned by @newsellspark and was bought by @TomMagnier to visit Wootton Bassett. pic.twitter.com/HpsC7woBYm

— TDN (@theTDN) November 30, 2021

The post Tom Magnier Signs For Cayenne Pepper At 2-Million Gns appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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2.00 Leopardstown, Mdn, €16,500, 2yo, 7fT
HOWTH (IRE) (Churchill {Ire}), who hails from a Ballydoyle stable with a potent strike-rate in the juvenile department with six individual winners so far in 2021, is a stand-out on pedigree as a half-brother to the G2 Blandford S. and G3 Flame of Tara S. winner and G1 Pretty Polly S. and G1 Irish Oaks runner-up Cayenne Pepper (Ire) (Australia {GB}). The February-foaled bay meets another son of Coolmore's first-season sire in the Donnacha O'Brien-trained Unconquerable (Ire), Atlantic Thoroughbreds's unraced 210,000gns Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1 graduate whose dam is a half to the G1 Epsom Derby hero North Light (Ire) (Danehill).

The post Churchill Half To Cayenne Pepper Debuts appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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They will not been seen out on the track until Thursday once they have cleared quarantine.

On a very cold Monday morning, the Jessica Harrington-trained duo of Cayenne Pepper (IRE) (Filly & Mare Turf) and Oodnadatta (IRE) (Juvenile Fillies Turf) were the first horses onto the training track just after 6:30. Both trotted a full circuit before heading back to the barn.

Their work riders were happy with their horses and reported that they have settled into their new surroundings well. Harrington is due to be on site Wednesday morning.

English 2000 Guineas winner Kameko (Mile) headed the next group joined by the John Gosden trained trio of Lord North (IRE) (Turf), Mehdaayih (GB) (Turf) and Terebellum (IRE) (Filly & Mare Turf). The Gosden trio trotted one circuit before heading back to the barn.

Kameko trotted for one circuit and then did a light canter for one circuit. Maddy O'Meara, Kameko's regular work rider reported him to be in fine shape.

“He seems in really good form. He traveled over well and is settled. I think he was pleased to get out onto the training track for a leg stretch.”

James Fanshawe accompanied by his wife Jacko were at the training track to see Audarya (FR) (Filly & Mare Turf) exercise. She did a trot and a light canter by herself with her work rider Geoffrey De La Sayette reporting she “moved like a dream.”

Fanshawe, who is having his first Breeders Cup runner, said: “Flew over yesterday and it's great to be here. The filly looked great out on the track so I'm very pleased.”

Nazuna (IRE) (Juvenile Fillies Turf) spent plenty of time on the track trotting and did a very light canter.

Mighty Gurkha (Juvenile Turf Sprint) accompanied Cadillac (IRE) (Juvenile Turf) and Tarnawa (IRE) (Turf) onto the training track and did a nice canter covering a circuit under regular work rider Michael Murphy. “In great form, really pleased with that,” he said.

Tarnawa was slightly on her toes when first stepping on to the training track but soon became at ease and looked in great shape.

Ubettabelieveit (IRE) (Juvenile Turf Sprint) was ridden by his trainer Nigel Tinkler this morning and looked well. They trotted two circuits of the training track and did a very light canter.

“The horse is absolutely fine,” Tinkler said. “Rowan Scott, who rides him on Friday, is flying out today so he will have a sit on him tomorrow morning.”

Safe Voyage (IRE) (Mile) and Siskin (Mile) came out together both trotting a circuit of the training track before having a light canter.

John Quinn the trainer of Safe Voyage is traveling over with his son and assistant Sean and will be at the training track tomorrow morning.

Glass Slippers (GB) (Turf Sprint) was due to have a canter on the turf track but because of the frost in the ground rerouted to the training track. She did a light canter and Jimmy Gee, representing trainer Kevin Ryan, reported all to be well with the filly.

Jockey Mickael Barzalona was at the training track to watch his mount Sealiway (Juvenile Turf) exercise this morning.

Barzalona, who already has a Breeders' Cup victory to his name when partnering Talismanic to win the Turf in 2017, said: “I flew over on Friday and I'm delighted to be here. The weather is colder than I expected but its brilliant to be out at the training track to see Sealiway. I'm very much looking forward to riding him and the plan is to sit on him tomorrow or Wednesday.”

Japanese representatives Pingxiang (Dirt Mile) and Jasper Prince (Sprint) did two laps of the training track before heading back to their barn. Both horses are now very familiar with their surroundings and connections have been very pleased with their preparations.

The post Breeders’ Cup: First Group Of European Challengers Step Out At Keeneland appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The Breeders’ Cup is a fantastic meeting, one that serves as an end-of-year championship between Europe and the U.S. In a year such as this it is fantastic that we are still able to go over and have those great match-ups.

I had my first runner at the Breeders’ Cup last year at Santa Anita, with Albigna (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) finishing fourth in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, and I am looking forward to running three horses at Keeneland next weekend. I can remember Breeders’ Cups going way back, like when Lester Piggott came out of retirement and won the 1990 GI Breeders’ Cup Mile aboard Royal Academy. That was the most amazing race and there have been loads of fantastic races at the Breeders’ Cup, so it’s great to be part of it. I’m hoping the weather in Lexington stays nice and dry; I’m hearing they had some rain recently but that it’s supposed to be nice and dry next week, so as long as the ground is nice ground I’m perfectly happy.

This year I’ll be running Cayenne Pepper (Ire) (Australia {GB}) in the GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, Oodnadatta (Ire) (Australia {GB}) in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and Cadillac (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. They all did a breeze on Wednesday and they all seem very well. They’ll leave here on Friday and fly to England before heading on to the U.S. The plan is for our stable rider Shane Foley to go across and ride them. He has had an excellent year and is in contention for the Irish jockeys championship, but the Breeders’ Cup is too big an opportunity for him to miss.

Sarah Kelly’s 3-year-old filly Cayenne Pepper has been very good this year. She was a bit slow to come to hand, not running until June after showing such promise last year when winning her first three starts, including the G3 Flame of Tara S. and finishing fourth in the G1 Fillies’ Mile. Cayenne Pepper was second behind Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) on her first run this season over 10 furlongs in the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup on June 28, and then was twice beaten over 12 furlongs when second in the G1 Irish Oaks, beaten by Even So (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), and by Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal), Dermot Weld’s horse who also goes to the Breeders’ Cup, in the G3 Give Thanks S. in Cork.

I suppose both those runs were a bit disappointing, but then I brought her back to a mile and a quarter at The Curragh where she won the G2 Blandford S. very easily from Amma Grace (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who won the Listed Trigo S. at Leopardstown last weekend, so our form has been well franked. I think Cayenne Pepper is a proper mile and a quarter filly. She’s run on good ground, good to yielding ground, and good to soft ground so she’ll go on any sort of ground. She’s in good form, she’s had just the four races so far this year so she hasn’t done too much.

Bob Scarborough and Susan Magnier’s Oodnadatta won her maiden impressively first-time out at Leopardstown on June 21 and then she ran back at Leopardstown in the G3 Silver Flash S. She got a bump jumping out of the stalls and the whole thing went wrong and she finished fifth, beaten 7 1/2 lengths. So we then let her be and the next time we ran her in the G1 Moyglare Stud S. on Irish Champions Weekend. She ran very well again over seven furlongs to be a fast-finishing third. She will appreciate the step up in trip as long as the ground is nice ground, and I think she’s improved a bit since her last run.

Cadillac ran very well the first time he ran, winning first-time up in Leopardstown very easily and we were delighted with him. He then went to The Curragh for the G2 Futurity S. and he finished second, a half-length behind Mac Swiney (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}), who won the G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy last Saturday. In September he went to the G2 KPMG Champions Juvenile S. on Irish Champions Weekend and he won that beating Van Gogh (American Pharoah), who won the G1 Criterium International last weekend, so his form has been franked a few times.

We then went to Newmarket for the G1 Dewhurst S. and the ground was very soft and he finished fifth, beaten 4 1/4 lengths, behind St Mark’s Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}). He just got stuck in the ground; both times he’s been beaten the ground has been soft so we really are looking for a bit of nice ground for him, and they seem to think it’s going to be nice at Keeneland.

Cadillac is owned by Alpha Racing, which is a syndicate we set up and it’s got some American interest in it as well. This is the second year we’ve been running Alpha Racing and we’ll be continuing next year. It’s very exciting for the syndicate members because Cadillac was bought for €40,000 as a yearling at Goffs Orby, so it’s very exciting for them to have a horse that can run in the Breeders’ Cup.

We set up Alpha Racing two years ago with a double view of both racing and trading horses. We want to give the syndicate members lots of action on the racecourse with also a very strong commercial objective of trying to generate a return on investment. It can be a lot of fun owning a racehorse, but in the long term if you’re spending a lot of money it’s important to see some return on investment. We have eight horses in the syndicate and we do take it strongly into consideration that they’re traded at the opportune time-from the first year we’ve traded seven of the eight.

The syndicate members were keen that if we came across a horse that was of the highest order that we’d roll the dice and let him run and that decision was taken with Cadillac. But in general a part of our job, as much as it is to race them and win, is to make it commercially viable and trade them.

While we have been preparing our Breeders’ Cup runners we have also been out shopping for our next stars at the yearling sales. With the bulk of the yearling sales now over for another season, I can say it was a strange year. I feel for Goffs, who suffered having had to move their sales overseas; that made a big difference to them. Tattersalls Book 1 was down and suffered a bit, but then you came along to Tattersalls Book 2 and it defied all the trends, which was great. That was good for the industry and the breeders, but it made it quite hard to buy horses, being on the other end of it.

It is always interesting to see the first progeny of new sires, and a few first-season sires stood out to me. The yearlings by Churchill (Ire) were very good-looking horses, and the Caravaggios looked very speedy; they look like they’ll run. And we saw some very nice yearlings by Almanzor (Fr).

In terms of other young sires, I think Belardo (Ire) has done very well as a first-season sire; he is probably still a bit under the radar. I think another who has done very well this year is Pride Of Dubai (Aus). And of course there is Sea The Moon (Ger), who is the sire of the Niarchos Family’s Alpine Star, with whom we won this year’s G1 Coronation S. Sea The Moon has had a very good year on the racecourse and people are starting to follow up in the sales ring, too.

I am very fortunate to be able to train for some leading owner/breeders, but also supplement those with some stock from the sales for groups like Alpha Racing. For the syndicate, when we’re out at the sales we’re looking for a horse that will run at two. Hopefully they will go on at three, but firstly we want them to run at two. We’re looking for the same things that most people look for: a good-looking, well-balanced horse, and hopefully the mare has produced a winner or it’s the first foal, and by a sire we like. When you get them in from owner/breeders they are as they are, but when you buy them you can pick and choose what you like.

There is plenty to look forward to with the next generation set to arrive in the yard in the months ahead, and in the meantime there is the Breeders’ Cup. I’ll be traveling to Lexington on Tuesday; having three runners in the Breeders’ Cup might never happen again, so I must be there to see it. Although I have been to Keeneland for the sales I have never been there for racing, so I’m greatly looking forward to it. I’m thrilled with all the horses and I think all three go in with an each-way chance.

The post The Jessica Harrington Column: Breeders’ Cup Triple Threat appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Instead, this is an article about how the Galileo daughters and a particular son of the old boy are doing.

The son is English Derby winner Australia (out of Oaks winner Ouija Board), who sired his first Group 1 winner in Galileo Chrome, the winner of the Group 1 St. Leger at Doncaster. The oddly-named Galileo Chrome – who's a plain bay – galloped comfortably to the outside of the well-regarded Pyledriver for most of the mile and three-quarters and 115 yards, then maneuvered through traffic, and finished fastest to win the longest classic.

A winner in his three prior starts, including the Yeats Stakes at Navan on his last outing, Galileo Chrome is a progressive colt who appears to have a lot of scope and can only improve for greater maturity and strength.

In addition to the winner of the St. Leger, Australia sired Cayenne Pepper, who won the G2 Blandford Stakes at the Curragh from Galileo's daughter Amma Grace. Also this weekend, Australia had the third-place racer behind Shale in the Group 1 race mentioned above.

Shale and other daughters of Galileo are broodmare prospects of a high order, and they tend to go to some of the better sires around the world. Over the past weekend, one daughter of Galileo was the dam of the winner of the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden, Barney Roy, and another daughter produced Ghaiyyath, who was second to Magical in the Irish Champion.

Barney Roy's dam, Alina, was unplaced in a pair of starts, whereas the dam of Ghaiyyath is Nightime, winner of the 2006 Irish 1,000 Guineas. The simple statistics of racing success, with about 3 percent stakes winners to foals, mean that far more of any stallion's racers will fail than will succeed at a high level. Therefore, some nice prospects and subsequent producers will show little on the racetrack.

Another of the great sire's non-winning daughters produced Pista, this year's winner of the Park Hill Stakes, which is the filly equivalent to the St. Leger.

In her third victory from four starts, Pista has risen rapidly since winning a maiden at Galway in early August to become a listed stakes winner and now a group winner.

Bred in Kentucky by Lynch Bages Ltd. and a $675,000 yearling at the 2018 Keeneland September sale, Pista is out of Mohini, a daughter of the Storm Cat mare Denebola, who was the highweight 2-year-old filly in France in 2003 after victory in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac.

That proved the high point of Denebola's racing, but she has three stakes-producing daughters, including Beta Leo (A.P. Indy), who is the dam of Senga (Blame), winner of the G1 Prix de Diane.

And the sire of Pista?

American Pharoah.

Four Star Sales's Tony Lacy acted as agent for the Heider family in the purchase and recalled the process that led to the acquisition of Pista. He said, “We'd been looking at the first-crop yearlings by American Pharoah and had been very impressed. They were largely big, athletic prospects with scope and great minds. With their bone and toughness, I thought they might be very effective on turf.

“And this prolific family, that had been developed in the Niarchos family stud for generations, had a lot of turf excellence that I'd seen first-hand during my time working in France. This is the family of the highweight filly Coup de Folie, her full brother Machiavellian” (both by Mr. Prospector), who was a highweight on the European handicaps and then a leading sire, “and it goes right on back to a half-sister to Northern Dancer.”

Yeah, nice family.

As an individual, Lacy noted, “This filly was a big yearling who turned into a growthy 2-year-old, and we decided not to race her at 2 because she wasn't ready. Even early at three, she didn't show much promise until the late spring and early summer, and then she began to come on so strongly that Joseph O'Brien (who trains the filly) became optimistic about her debut. Pista, however, walked out of the gate and raced greenly.

“Joseph said the penny dropped after the first race, and in her second start, Pista jumped off nicely, laid up with the pace, and powered away to win her maiden” by 6 1/2 lengths at Galway. “Then we stepped her up to a listed race against colts,” Lacy continued, “in the Vinnie Roe Stakes at Leopardstown.”

The elegant filly won again, this time while competing at a mile and three-quarters and winning from Sunchart (Teofilo) and Dawn Patrol (Galileo), who ran eighth and sixth respectively in the St. Leger. So that is positive form suggesting that Pista could have beaten at least half the field in the classic.

Another reason that the connections, including the trainer, were quite pleased with the effort at Leopardstown is that Pista “is so laid back on the gallops that she doesn't show what she's capable of till she's put in a race,” Lacy said. “So we said, 'let's try the Park Hill,' and that result was a resounding 'yes.' The plan now is to go for the Group 1 Prix de Royallieu on the Arc weekend.”

That will be a further step up in a race that typically draws a set of experienced Group 1 fillies, three and up, but with the mental and physical toughness of the American Pharoah and Galileo stock, don't discount her chances.

The post Bloodlines Presented By Gary Contessa’s Integrity Bloodstock: Galileo’s Grandkids Now Make Their Mark appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Of the sales to come, Tattersalls October has remained intact and in situ, as has the Arqana October sale which will also incorporate horses from the cancelled Osarus September Sale and will now be held over five days. Further relocations from Ireland will be faced by vendors at the Goffs Orby and Sportsman’s Sales, which will now be held in Doncaster from Sept. 24 to Oct. 1.

It is fair to say that this year has been a logistical nightmare for sales houses, vendors and buyers, with the need to weigh up varying travel and quarantine restrictions from country to country. A number of Irish pinhookers have made their way to Kentucky for the Keeneland September Sale, which is taking place across the next fortnight and has proved such a fertile source of material for the European breeze-ups in the last few years. But almost every trip now comes at the cost of another in a sales season which has become increasingly crowded. It will almost certainly contract somewhat in the coming years as the full economic force of the pandemic is felt and breeders fall by the wayside. One of the very few upsides to the current situation may be that breeders take a keener look at the quality of mare they cover, particularly if they have no intention of racing her offspring themselves.

So how have the yearling sales held up so far in Europe? Given the extraordinarily awful backdrop of 2020, the answer has to be not too badly, with positive indicators to be found at each.

At the Goffs UK Premier Sale, which has been notably upwardly mobile in recent years, a clearance rate of 84% has to be considered a success, even though average and median figures dropped by 29% and 25% respectively. This is a level of reduction that many in the industry had anticipated and which is generally being seen elsewhere.

The clearance rate at both BBAG and Arqana was lower, but that tends to be the norm for those sales, where the best of Germany’s and France’s yearling crops are offered and top-end breeders in those countries can be selective over whether to sell or not. In a difficult year, it is perhaps better to stick than to twist.

But it is worth reiterating that, despite pre-sale nerves from vendors, each of these auctions saw some decent action within the almost recession-proof top tier. At Baden-Baden, last year’s record price of €820,000 was matched, once again for a filly by Sea The Stars (Ire), though the number of six-figure lots was less than half of the 2019 tally of 21. Just as Goffs UK missed Sheikh Hamdan, so did BBAG miss Sheikh Mohammed, as well as the Australian buyers who have visited the sale in pursuit of staying-bred yearlings in recent years.

International participation is also a cornerstone of Arqana’s August Sale (which was renamed the Select Sale this year in its later slot). Three million-plus yearlings were sold, compared to two last year, and the two highest prices of €2.5 million and €2 million both surpassed last year’s top price, albeit for collector’s items. Of the seven-figure lots, Coolmore and Godolphin took home one each, but were otherwise very selective in their purchases, buying five yearlings between them. The same number was purchased by the sale’s emerging Bahraini force of the brothers Sheikh Khalid and Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, two of eight sons of the King of Bahrain. Sheikh Nasser owns Queen Daenerys (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), who helpfully won the listed Prix Joubert at Longchamp on Thursday just hours before the Dubawi (Ire) half-sister to Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) and Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) took to the ring. Through Fawzi Nass and Oliver St Lawrence, the sheikhs ended up outbidding Sheikh Mohammed for the sale-topper. Sheikh Khalid’s KHK Racing has also enjoyed some success lately with the unbeaten Bahrain Pride (GB) (Kodiac {GB}), winner of the listed EBF Ripon Champion Two Yrs Old Trophy.

Furthermore, the most expensive colt at the BBAG Sale, a €260,000 offering by Sea The Moon (Ger), was purchased by fellow Bahraini, Shaikh Duaij Al Khalifa, the owner of four-time Group 2-winning sprinter A’Ali (Ire) (Society Rock {Ire}), whose intention it is to buy some more middle-distance types at this year’s yearling sales.

The relatively new Tattersalls Ascot Yearling Sale, which has only been in existence for four years, continues to progress gradually, and it is no small feat in this year to have improved on both the average and the median at the same time as the catalogue has expanded. It is probably fair to say that this particular sale was introduced to provide an outlet for lower-tier yearlings, but some decent horses have emerged from the Ascot Yearling Sale since its inception, most recently the G2 Lowther S. winner Miss Amulet (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}). Again, a clearance rate of 81% was encouraging. However, when one considers that only around 25% of the yearlings sold will have covered their production costs, the precarious nature of breeding at this end of the market is all too apparent.

Believe In Ringfort
It was perhaps fitting that Derek and Gay Veitch’s Ringfort Stud topped the Ascot Yearling Sale with a first-crop daughter of Profitable (Ire). If any operation deserves to have a profitable year it is Ringfort. The Veitches must by now have a particular fondness for Yorkshire racecourses. During York’s Ebor meeting, Minzaal (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) became the farm’s second consecutive G2 Gimcrack S. winner, and that victory came a day after the aforementioned Miss Amulet had won the G2 Lowther S.

Ringfort’s good year was enhanced further on Friday by the G2 Flying Childers S. victory of another of the farm’s graduates, Ubettabelieveit (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}).

As has already been noted in this column, Miss Amulet was sold for just €1,000 as a foal before being brought to Ascot by Rockview Stables, who sold her for £7,500.

The good updates on the track this year led to Ringfort consigning two of the top four lots at Ascot. The sale-topper at 58,000gns was a filly out of Sassy Gal (Ire) (King’s Best), a half-sister to the dam of Minzaal, while Miss Amulet’s half-sister by another freshman sire, El Kabeir, sold for 45,000gns to Nick and Michael Bell.

There’s likely to be plenty of traffic to the boxes holding the 22 yearlings for the Ringfort Stud consignments at Goffs Orby and Tattersalls October.

Advance Australia Fair
There were 28 group races across Britain, Ireland, France and Germany in the last week, with nine of them falling to the offspring of Galileo (Ire) or two of his lesser-heralded sons Australia (GB) and Noble Mission. In fact, the weekend has to be viewed as a successful one for dual Derby winner Australia, who was represented by his first Classic winner, Galileo Chrome (Ire), in the St Leger, while Cayenne Pepper (Ire) saw off her run of seconds this season with victory in the G2 Moyglare ‘Jewels’ Blandford S. for Jessica Harrington. The latter races for American owner Sarah Kelly, whose husband Jon died in July and was a great supporter of the British and Irish bloodstock scene over a number of years.

The Harrington stable also sent out a promising juvenile by Australia, Oodnadatta (Ire), to be third in the G1 Moyglare Stud S. The three-parts sister to G3 Glorious S. winner Pablo Escobarr (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) races for Australian co-owner/breeder Bob Scarborough in partnership with Susan Magnier. Melbourne-based Scarborough has played a significant role in the story of another Coolmore stallion as the breeder of 2000 Guineas winner Magna Grecia (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) as well as his half-brother St Mark’s Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), who was third in the G1 Goffs Vincent O’Brien National S. on Sunday. Their dam Cabaret (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) has a yearling full-brother to St Mark’s Basilica for sale through Norelands Stud in Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

Dreaming Of Autumn
Though the sun is still shining across much of Europe, there’s an autumnal chill to the mornings, which is good news for fans of Dream Ahead, as this appears to be the time of year for the 12-year-old stallion to shine. Last year his two Group 1 winners Glass Slippers (GB) and Donjuan Triumphant (Ire) came within weeks of each other at the Arc meeting and British Champions Day.

The 4-year-old Bearstone Stud homebred Glass Slippers found only Battaash too fast for her when second in the G2 King George S. at Goodwood and she bounced back to claim another international Group 1 win in Sunday’s Flying Five at the Curragh for Kevin Ryan, who reported that a return to Paris to defend her Prix de l’Abbaye title is very much on the cards. The filly’s win came just eight days after Dream Of Dreams (GB) landed the G1 Haydock Sprint Cup, while in Germany on Friday the hardy Dark Vision (Ire) gained his sixth victory, and second at Group 2 level, when winning the Kronimus Oettingen Rennen at Baden-Baden.

Having started his career at Ballylinch Stud, Dream Ahead has recently completed his third season at Haras de Grandcamp in Normandy. He remains in the ownership of his original syndicate, including Ballylinch, which is also enjoying a golden run with its Irish-based stallions. At the head of the roster, commanding a €100,000 service fee, is Lope De Vega (Ire), whose popularity extends beyond Europe to the southern hemisphere. He is also a stallion very much on the radar of American buyers following the success of his Grade 1-winning daughters Capla Temptress (Ire) and Newspaperofrecord (Ire), while another recent White Birch Farm purchase Editor At Large (Ire) was impressive in her debut at Saratoga last week.

Lope De Vega’s ten yearlings sold at the Arqana Select Sale returned an average of €226,500 and he appears to have another exciting juvenile on his books in Ireland in the form of G2 KPMG Champions Juvenile S. winner Cadillac (Ire). Yet another from the Harrington stable, the colt, bred by Sunderland Holdings, was a €40,000 Orby purchase by Patrick Cooper last year.

Lope De Vega’s younger stud-mates are also showing very promising signs. Make Believe (GB), with his first crop of 3-year-olds this year, has been represented by the Classic winner Mishriff (GB) as well as the G3 Musidora S. winner Rose Of Kildare (Ire), and is second in the second-crop sires’ table behind Night Of Thunder (Ire). Meanwhile freshman sire New Bay (GB), who boasts a near-50% strike-rate with his runners, notched a first stakes winner on Friday, New Mandate (Ire), in the listed Flying Scotsman S. at Doncaster.

Where Aigles Dare
The Duke of Devonshire’s memoir of his great mare Park Top carried the lovely title A Romance of the Turf, and it is one that could equally be applied to the story of Cirrus Des Aigles (Fr) and his trainer Corine Barande-Barbe.

An epilogue to the latter was started at Longchamp on Sunday when Air De Valse (Fr) became the first group winner for her late and little known sire Mesnil Des Aigles (Fr), a half-brother to Cirrus Des Aigles by the equally obscure stallion Neverneyev (Fr).

Barande-Barbe’s name is woven alongside a number of the names in the bottom half of the pedigree of Air De Valse, whom she bred, co-owns and trains. Sunday’s G3 Prix du Petit Couvert winner is from the largest crop of Mesnil Des Aigles, but that numbered just eight—precisely half the number of foals he left when he died in August 2015 at Haras de Saint Roch.

With her former husband Patrick Barbe, Barande-Barbe bred the filly’s dam Air Bag (Fr) (Poliglote {GB}), whom she trained to win four races in her own colours. She also trained Air Bag’s dam, Avrilana (Fr), a dual winner for Ecurie Muserolle, and that mare’s sire Deep Roots (Fr) was owned by Barande-Barbe and trained by Pascal Bary to win the G1 Prix Morny and G1 Prix de la Salamandre in only Bary’s second year with a training licence.

The front-running Air De Valse didn’t make her debut until last year as a 3-year-old and she has a long way to go to equal the 22 victories, including seven Group 1s, of her ‘uncle’ Cirrus Des Aigles. But she has already won seven of her 17 starts, and she will return to Longchamp for the G1 Qatar Prix de l’Abbaye on Oct. 4.

Her trainer described Air De Valse on Sunday by saying, “Like me, she’s a bit of a character.”

It would be folly to think that Air De Valse is not capable of taking the next step up to the top level. After all, all great stories need strong characters, and what better setting for a romantic tale than Paris?

The post The Weekly Wrap: Positives To Be Found In Yearling Market appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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It is an understatement to say that it has been a very strange year. In Ireland we managed a few meetings behind closed doors before racing shut down completely, and we then had some uncertainty over when it was going to start again. We eventually accepted the fact that there was going to be no Aintree, no Fairyhouse, no Punchestown, no Guineas at the right time.

For a while it looked like we might get back before the end of May, but then that was scuppered, and that was really like having all your toys taken away from you in one go. It felt like you’d been hit in the stomach and it knocked all the wind out of you.

The Flat has been relatively unaffected and it was a particularly good effort by the authorities to ensure that all of Ireland’s Group 1 races will have been run this year, even if not necessarily all in their usual slots. The jumping calendar has obviously been more disrupted, and this week we received the news, disappointing but understandable, that the Boylesports Irish Grand National won’t be run at all this year. Initially it had been postponed from its usual Easter Monday slot to some unspecified point in the autumn, but now it has been cancelled. I can understand that. It’s such a special occasion that it’s much more than a raceday. It’s always been a real social occasion in the Dublin area and, while no race-meeting is the same without crowds, that is one in particular which revolves around the general public. Everyone always has so much fun there. We’ve been lucky enough to win it (courtesy of Our Duke in 2017) but it’s fun however your horse runs and whatever role you attend in. We’ll just have to look forward to going there again, hopefully next year.

When racing did eventually start up again in June it was great to be back, except of course I was told I couldn’t go racing because I was too old. That was a bit annoying at the time but I kind of got used to it. Richie [Galway], my son-in-law, went to England three times, so he effectively had six weeks of isolating here, and then Kate went to York and to Deauville for me, so I’m lucky to have lots of people and family around, and that does make a difference.

At the beginning of July I was finally allowed to go racing again, and that was a great novelty but I have to say that going racing behind closed doors is not a great experience, especially when the weather is bad. Over here, there’s only a smattering of other trainers present but at least now you can get a cup of coffee and a sandwich. For the first few meetings there were absolutely no facilities like that at all. So it’s been different and it’s been challenging, but it has worked. My feeling is that we’ll put up with all these things as long as we can in order to keep racing going. That’s the most important thing for the whole industry–

for the breeding, for the stallions–and not just in Ireland.

When we were in lockdown we were videoing the horses on the gallops, walking round, trotting round, and we kept trying to think of new ways to film the horses for the owners to make sure they weren’t getting the same thing every week. Now we’ve started racing, we do a video of the horse going round the parade ring, then a clip of the jockey before the race saying what he’s going to do, and then we record some more comments when he comes back in, and the owners get a video of the race. So even though they can’t be there to see their race, we are trying to keep the horses’ owners involved as much as possible.

The last few years have been great fun, having fillies, and now hopefully a few colts, who have competed at the top level on the Flat. This year would of course have been much more fun if I could have gone to Ascot or to Deauville or Chantilly, but we will just have to look forward to it next year. The fillies especially have been very good this year.

Alpine Star (Ire) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) is a really tough filly. She won the G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot so well and has tried so hard in her two races in France since then. She is very different physically to her half-sister, [four-time Group 1 winner] Alpha Centauri, who was a big strapping filly. This one is rather small, but she just wants to please you. Then we’ve had Cayenne Pepper (Ire) (Australia {GB}), who runs in the G2 Moyglare Blandford S. on Irish Champions Weekend, One Voice (Ire) (Poet’s Voice {GB}), Millisle (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) and Silence Please (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}). They’ve all competed at the top level, and hopefully our G1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner Albigna (Ire) (Zoffany Ire}) is on her way back to doing that as well.

Last year Albigna became our first runner at the Breeders’ Cup and I’m very much hoping to get to Keeneland for the Breeders’ Cup this year. We’ll have to see how difficult, or not, that is. Hopefully we can at least get the horses there and the American owners can see them run. It doesn’t matter if I can’t go. The Niarchos family have always been tremendous supporters of the Breeders’ Cup, and I know Craig Bernick would love One Voice to be there, and we also have Silence Please for Team Valor. We would very much like to be there.

The same could be said about the Breeders’ Cup as the Irish Grand National, in that it’s much more than just a race meeting. Obviously as a race meeting it’s top class, with some of the best horses in the world. But it’s also a great occasion, particularly as in America the sport in general has a lower profile and it doesn’t break through to the wider consciousness that often. The Breeders’ Cup provides a great opportunity for racing in America to do that, and so it too just won’t be the same without crowds. However, it does look like it’s definitely going ahead, which will be a great feat of organisation as, with the overall COVID-19 situation in the States and with the consequent restrictions on travel etc., it’s not going to be easy. We’re lucky enough to have some horses good enough to attend, so God willing we’ll be there.

There are of course plenty of options for those horses here in Europe but we want to keep our options open and hope we can get to America. It’s going to be challenging to get the staff out there and we need to find out what isolating they will have to do once they get out there or when they come home. The staff have been fantastic and anyone who looks after a horse who is good enough to race internationally is very keen to go with them. We’ll do our best to go because it’s good for racing and good for owners, and it’s good for the sport internationally.

It’s the time of year when the National Hunt horses are starting to increase their work again. We don’t have as many jumpers in as usual but Sizing John (GB) (Midnight Legend {GB}) is working away and we are hoping to run him at Listowel–that’s our plan. We are keeping everything crossed and we hardly dare speak about it, but we’d love to get him back.

The Flat and the National Hunt horses all do the same thing really. I train them all muddled up together. The jumpers are great when the yearlings come in and start to be ridden. There’s always a few who go out with the jumpers, and the older horses behave so the yearlings realise there’s no point in jumping around because the other horses don’t jump around, and they learn like that.

We have a couple of very nice horses to look forward to, like Sizing Pottsie (Fr) (Kapgarde {Fr}), who was a good novice chaser from last year and he seems to have come back very strong. And of course we have the evergreen Magic Of Light (Ire) (Flemensfirth), who was runner-up to Tiger Roll (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}) in the Grand National in 2019 and will go for the National again this season. She’ll probably go down her usual route of mares’ hurdles and mares’ chases first. It’s nice for her to do that and to get her confidence up before Aintree.

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