Tag: Congratulation

‘Emperor’ Leads European-Raced Hong Kong Derby Entrants

During the nine-year stretch from 2006-2014, no fewer than five European-bred and -raced gallopers were successful in the BMW Hong Kong Derby: Viva Pataca (GB) (Marju {Ire}, 2006); Helene Mascot (Ire) (Peintre Celebre, 2008); Collection (Ire) (Peintre Celebre, 2009); Akeed Mofeed (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}, 2013); and Designs On Rome (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), 2014). Sunday's 2000-metre feature at Sha Tin includes five horses–four European-bred, one US-bred–that were imported with this very race in mind. Here is a brief recap of how they have gotten to this point. For handicapping insights, please refer to the special BMW Hong Kong Derby cheat sheet.

RUSSIAN EMPEROR (IRE) (c, 4, Galileo {Ire}–Atlantic Jewel {Aus}, by Fastnet Rock {Aus})

The second foal for his four-time Group 1-winning and dual Australian champion dam, Russian Emperor won the G3 Hampton Court S. at Royal Ascot last June for Ballydoyle, but struggled home seventh in the G1 Investec Derby. His first two local runs lacked any spark, but the entire sprung to life in his final prep, has drawn well and is a live chance.

CONGRATULATION (g, 4, American Pharoah–Up {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire})

Former 'TDN Rising Star' Monarch of Egypt sneaks into the Derby field off a lofty rating upon import. Competitive against the likes of Siskin (First Defence) at two, including a runner-up effort in the G1 Keeneland Phoenix S., the $750,000 Keeneland September grad wasn't a factor in the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas, but was a smart runner-up in the G3 Jersey S. at Royal Ascot. Drawn the parking lot and stretching out for this, the task at hand is very tall. (Click here for a feature on Congratulation)

DELIGHTFUL LAOS (IRE) (g, 4, Baltic King {GB}–Pepys Tillergirl {Ire}, by Tillerman {GB})

A €50,000 purchase out of the 2019 Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze-Up, the former Now The King was a Dundalk maiden winner in three runs for trainer Michael O'Callaghan at two before being sold on. His three wins in Hong Kong–including a debut victory at 59-1–have all come at Happy Valley and he was no factor against many of these last month.

MAXIMUS (GER) (c, 4, Ivawood {Ire}–Coco Demure {Ire}, by Titus Livius {Fr})

Bought in for €32,000 as an Arqana August Yearling, the former Chares bolted up by a combined 12 1/2 in his first two career starts for trainer Christophe Ferland and added the Listed Criterium de Lyon in September 2019 before being purchased for €710,000 by Lohan Equine/Narvick International at that year's Arqana Arc Sale. Victorious in the 'Road to the Kentucky Derby' conditions stakes in a single appearance for Jane Chapple-Hyam, Maximus has a pair of minor placings from five local runs.

PACKING WALTHAM (FR) (g, 4, Wootton Bassett {GB}–Baki {Fr}, by Turtle Bowl {Ire})

Sports a very similar profile to Maximus, as he was conditioned by Christophe Ferland to three wins from four starts, including the Listed Prix Maurice Caillault over the Chantilly fibresand last March. A €110,000 ARQAUG purchase who was unsold at that same price as an ARQMAY breezer, the former Waltham has yet to taste local success in five trips postward, but looms an interesting each-way play this weekend nonetheless.

The post ‘Emperor’ Leads European-Raced Hong Kong Derby Entrants appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

‘Up’ and Coming Son of American Pharoah Set for Hong Kong Derby

Jan Vandebos and her late husband Robert Naify paid a visit to Coolmore on a trip to Ireland several years ago, fueling a desire to seed her high-quality broodmare band with a mare by the world's most dominant stallion. That rendezvous set in motion a chain of events that will see the RanJan Racing-bred Congratulation (American Pharoah), the former 'TDN Rising Star' Monarch of Egypt, take part in one of the world's richest age-restricted events, the HK$24-million (US$ 3.09 million) BMW Hong Kong Derby (NH/SH 4-year-olds only, 2000mT) Sunday afternoon at Sha Tin Racecourse.

“I fell in love with Galileo (Ire) and Montjeu (Ire), when he was still alive on our visit,” she said. “We were just getting started in bloodstock and studied the pedigree and we had decided at the time that we wanted to find a great Galileo mare. I looked for six or seven years at mares that were presented to me from Europe and I didn't see anything I liked.”

That all changed when Galileo's then newly turned 6-year-old daughter Up (Ire) was entered for the 2015 Keeneland January Sale. A half-sister to Group 1-winning juvenile and sire Dutch Art (GB) (Medicean {GB}), Up–fourth to Stephanie's Kitten (Kitten's Joy) in the 2011 GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies' Turf–was runner-up for the Coolmore ownership group in the 2012 G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas) and was a two-time winner at group level at The Curragh after a sixth against older females in the GI Beverly D. S. She was retired following a seventh-place effort in that year's GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf and was covered by War Front in early 2013.

Having produced a filly to the Claiborne stallion, she was bred back to the Danzig son and was consigned to the 2015 January Sale by Four Star Sales.

“I saw her walking video and I'd never seen anything like it,” Vandebos said. “Never seen a shoulder like that or a hip or a walk. I said to [Taylor Made's] Frank [Taylor], 'I think this is the one,' and, on one bid, I was able to get her. She's pure class, she's a lovely, lovely mare. She's not large–she's probably only 15.2 to 15.3, but everything she's produced has been pretty good-sized.”

Taylor signed the sales-topping ticket at $2.2 million.

“That's about where we pegged her,” Taylor told the TDN's Brian DiDonato of Up, whose War Front filly was the top-selling short yearling at the same sale when hammering for $800,000 to Solis/Litt on behalf of LNJ Foxwoods. “We looked at some comparable mares–some of those mares by Galileo in foal to War Front were bringing a lot of money, so we thought that was a fair price.”

Up was among the first book of mares to visit Coolmore America's American Pharoah in 2016 and produced a colt by the Triple Crown winner Mar. 31, 2017. The colt they nicknamed 'six-pack' was raised at Taylor Made by Naify and Marshall Taylor, son of Taylor Made President and CEO Duncan Taylor.

“He was pretty spectacular from the day he was born,” Vandebos said. “Very muscular, very intelligent, everything was just in the perfect place. We sold him well.”

Monarch of Egypt, a $750,000 purchase by M. V. Magnier and Peter Brant's White Birch Farm at KEESEP in 2018, became his sire's first winner from that first crop when scoring by 2 3/4 lengths on debut at Naas to earn his 'Rising Star.' Second to the talented future G1 Irish 2000 Guineas hero Siskin (First Defence) in the G2 Railway S. and G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. at two, Monarch of Egypt was a cracking runner-up in a soft-ground renewal of the G3 Jersey S. at Royal Ascot last June. Sold to Hong Kong interests, the bay gelding was a sound fifth, beaten just over four lengths, in the Class 1 Chinese New Year Cup H. (1400m) at Sha Tin Feb. 14 (video) for former leading jockey and now trainer Douglas Whyte.

“I really thought he would be a 2 1/2 to 3-year-old because of what the dam had done at the races,” Vandebos said. “I honestly don't think he's reached his full potential and I am really excited about this race. I don't really think he's a sprinter, but I think it's very interesting that he's in Hong Kong.”

Up was entered for, but was withdrawn from another trip through the Keeneland sales pavilion in November 2017 when carrying to Pioneerof the Nile. That proved a fruitful decision when that produce, a colt, was sold for $1 million at the 2019 September sale. Now named Khartoum, he is a maiden winner in two starts for Aidan O'Brien.

Up's foal of 2019 is a Medaglia d'Oro filly Vandebos proudly describes as “one of the most–if not the most–beautiful filly I've ever owned.” Vandebos elected to take her home after bidding stalled out at $575,000 at KEESEP last fall. The filly, named Star of India, is with Dr. Barry Eisaman in Ocala, but “I am in no rush with her,” Vandebos said.

Next in the pipeline is a now-yearling filly by Quality Road that will most likely be offered at Keeneland this fall, “unless I fall in love with her before then, which is quite likely!”

Up was not bred in 2020 and was recently covered once again by Medaglia d'Oro. And to bring it all full-circle, Up's first foal is now the dam of the 2-year-old colt Direct (Aus) (Siyouni {Fr}), who was third in the G2 Silver Slipper S. at Rosehill in Sydney last month.

Vandebos, who also bred the late Roaring Lion (Kitten's Joy), keeps her 10-strong broodmare band at Lane's End. One of RanJan's most beloved producers, Cambiocorsa (Avenue of Flags), is likely to be pensioned this year to live out her days at Lane's End, Vandebos said.

“I want to keep it small,” she said. “I have a boutique operation that I manage myself. I am back and forth to Kentucky, I spend a week at a time back there about every other month. It's what I love. It's not about the business. It's about breeding the horses and being proud of my mares and their progeny. It's really a labor of love for me. I don't consider it a business, although my accountant tells me I need to start considering it as a business! But I've had good luck. I just hope my horses and mares stay healthy and they can show the world what we can do.”

The field for the BMW Hong Kong Derby will be drawn Thursday at midday (local time).

The post ‘Up’ and Coming Son of American Pharoah Set for Hong Kong Derby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

American Pharoah Represented By First Hong Kong Starter

'TDN Rising Star' Congratulation (American Pharoah), previously raced in Europe as Monarch of Egypt, will become his sire's first runner in Hong Kong when he steps out in Sunday's Class 1 Chinese New Year Cup H. over 1400 metres at Sha Tin Racecourse.

Bred in Kentucky by Ran Jan Racing Inc. and trained by Aidan O'Brien for Peter Brant, Michael Tabor, Sue Magnier and Derrick Smith, the $750,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase won on Naas debut in April 2019 to become American Pharoah's first winner before finishing runner-up to Siskin (First Defence) in the G2 Railway S. and in the G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. (video).

Beaten just over five lengths behind Siskin in last year's COVID-delayed G1 Irish 2000 Guineas June 12, the bay returned on six days' rest to be second in the G3 Jersey S. at Royal Ascot (video) and makes his first appearance since finishing fifth in the G3 Ballysax S. over the Dundalk all-weather last June.

Now conditioned by Douglas Whyte, Congratulation (no 's') has trialled three times and has been the subject of positive reports. His most recent jump-out came over the Sha Tin dirt track Feb. 2 (video), when he ran on nicely from midfield to be second to the talented California Rad (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who he meets again Sunday.

 

 

Congratulation debuts off a lofty local rating of 89 in the 110-85 event and will carry 113 pounds, some 20 pounds fewer than top-weighted MGSP Fat Turtle (Aus) (Smart Missile {Aus}). Keith Yeung rides from gate seven in a competitive field of nine.

“He's settled in well and he's a lovely horse–he's obviously thrown in the deep end for his first run, but having said that, he's had a very good grounding with three trials leading in to this and he's progressively improved with every trial,” Whyte told the Hong Kong Jockey Club's Declan Schuster.

He continued, “I'm going in hopeful that he'll run well, the way that he has progressively increased his competitiveness at the trials shows to me that he's at the right frame both mentally and physically to run a race–it's a small field, it's a competitive field but he's got the quality behind him. He's taken time to adjust– he's been running on tracks with a bit of give in them and he's hit the tracks here and it's just taken time for him to adjust to the firmer tracks, which he has done now. He's on the right track–I have no doubt that he is going to show his true ability going forward and it's his first run, but he has a lovely galloping weight–he's certainly in there with a chance.”

Congratulation is a son of Up (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a dual winner at Group level in Ireland and second in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches in 2012, and a half-sister to G1SW Dutch Art (GB) (Medicean {GB}).

The Chinese New Year Cup goes as race eight on an 11-race program Sunday, with post time set for 4.05pm local time (8.05am GMT).

The post American Pharoah Represented By First Hong Kong Starter appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights