Coolmore America's Mendelssohn, a son of the much-missed sire of sires Scat Daddy, was represented by his first Japanese winner and 16th overall from his first crop when the 2-year-old filly Celadonite (Jpn) turned in a professional debut effort over 1400 meters on the dirt Saturday at Chukyo Racecourse.
Drawn widest in a field of 10 in a rare sex-restricted event for first-time starters, the early April foal jumped alertly and was part of the early mix, then eased back to sit a midfield trip in the clear while racing several paths away from the inside. Gradually working her way into contention on the turn, Celadonite was poised to strike three deep on the swing for home, accelerated nicely when asked by Christophe Lemaire with a little more than an eighth of a mile to race and stayed on well to record a 1 1/4-length victory as the 19-10 second favorite (see below, SC 10). It was the 1,600th winner on the JRA circuit for the French reinsman.
Celadonite, who races in the colors of the Silk Racing syndicate, is the third winner from four to race for his dam Celadon (Gold Halo {Jpn}), whose best produce to date is the hard-knocking Copano Kicking (Spring At Last), a three-time Group 3 winner on the dirt in Japan who added a thrilling success in the $1.5-million Riyadh Dirt Sprint in 2021. Fourth in the latter event this term, he was an intended runner in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen, but suffered a career-ending injury in the days leading up to the race.
Celadon was acquired by Indian interests in 2015 and was exported to that country in foal to Elusive Quality. She produced two winners from two to race in India, but was returned to the U.S. in 2019, where she was covered by Mendelssohn and subsequently sent to Japan. She was barren to Drefong for 2021 and slipped her foal by champion dirt horse Le Vent Se Leve (Jpn) this season.
Mendelssohn, the half-brother to Into Mischief and Beholder, has 12 winners stateside, including the stakes-placed Miracle. His other winners have come in France, Ireland and Saudi Arabia. He is also the sire of the juvenile colt Tomodachi, a $1.3-million purchase by Japan's joint-second leading trainer Mitsu Nakauchida at this year's OBS April Sale.
Godolphin jockey William Buick, who was slated to ride the Jan. 21 G2 Al Fahidi Fort hero Naval Crown (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G3 1351 Turf Sprint on the Saturday of the Saudi Cup meeting, has tested positive for Covid and will be off his mounts in Riyadh on Saturday. Also due to ride Siskany (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G3 Longines Red Sea Turf H., Noble Truth (Fr) (Kingman {GB}) in the G3 Saudi Derby and Copano Kicking (Spring At Last) in the G3 Riyadh Cup Sprint, Buick missed several rides at Meydan on Friday, as well. In Friday's G3 Dubai Millennium S., Buick had been booked for Star Safari (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), but Andrea Atzeni finished second aboard the Godolphin runner instead.
For his Saudi Cup mounts, James Doyle will deputise for Buick on Naval Crown and Siskany, while Frankie Dettori has been called up to ride Noble Truth. In place of Doyle on Happy Power (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the 1351 Cup Sprint is David Egan. The regular rider of 2021 Saudi Cup victor Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}), Egan also picks up the ride on Copano Kicking for Buick in the Riyadh Dirt Sprint.
Ginobili (Munnings) will be forced to miss the Sprint after emerging from his second gallop at King Abdulaziz unsatisfactorily. Trainer Richard Baltas told Daily Racing Form that the 5-year-old was lame in his left for, but that the first set of X-rays taken were negative. Results of a second set of images were pending and Baltas surmised that Ginobili would undergo a nuclear scan upon his return to America.
In the fall of 2018, Torie and Jimbo Gladwell, owners of the Ocala-based Top Line Sales, welcomed into their training program a colt by Curlin out of the stakes-winning Marion Ravenwood (A.P. Indy). Some 2 1/2 years later, the bay colt–now named Idol–is a Grade I winner, having flown home down the center of the track to take out the prestigious Santa Anita H. Mar. 6. The victory was the second leg of a unique triple for Top Line graduates over the last few weeks.
Idol was bred by Len Riggio's My Meadowview Farm and is out of a daughter of GSW & MGISP Andujar (Quiet American), who was acquired by My Meadowview for $2.5 million at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale in 2006. Denali Stud sold Idol for $375,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September Sale.
“He was very babyish when we got him,” said Torie Gladwell. “He was definitely going to need some time to mature and to fill out. Other than that, he was super smart and took everything in stride. He trained really, really well–the couple of breezes that we got into him, we were pretty high on the colt, and we were actually hoping we would be able to sell him as a 2-year-old at one of the later sales just to give him some time.
She continued, “While we had him, he was really laid back, just more of a two-turn type horse. Pretty good size, but didn't have that big muscle just hanging off of him like some of these horses that we buy for the 2-year-old sales. You could tell he was an immature, leaner-made type of horse than what we would normally go buy for ourselves. Curlin was going so well, so we knew when this guy came in that he'd be one to watch.”
Acquired privately by David Meah for his client Calvin Nguyen, Idol was something of a work in progress. Debuting with a runner-up effort on the GI Kentucky Derby undercard Sept. 5, he graduated smartly over seven furlongs three weeks later, then added a 9 1/2-furlong allowance by 5 3/4 lengths in new track-record time of 1:55.97. Second and running on in the Dec. 26 GII San Antonio S., Idol was third to Express Train (Union Rags) in the GII San Pasqual S. Jan. 30 and benefitted from a jockey change to Joel Rosario to reverse form in the Big 'Cap (see below).
WATCH: Idol rallies to win the GI Santa Anita H.
“They did right by the horse and the horse has done right by them,” Gladwell said. “They gave him a little time, which is what he needed, and he's shown up ever since. He's turned into a really nice horse. We're happy for all the connections.”
Top Line was represented by its second consecutive winner of the lucrative Riyadh Dirt Sprint when Copano Kicking (Spring At Last) rallied to best pacesetting Matera Sky (Speightstown) at King Abdulaziz Racetrack Feb. 20 (video). Top Line grad New York Central (Tapit) defeated the same rival in the inaugural running of that event in 2020.
A $19,000 buyback as a yearling at Keeneland September in 2016, Copano Kicking was sold to owner Sachiaki Kobayashi for $100,000 at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Florida Sale.
“He breezed really well for us at Gulfstream and we tried to get so many different people to buy him, but he ended up having a couple of issues that kept him from staying here,” she said. “They have done a fantastic job training the horse. The Japanese know Top Line because of Copano and it's great.”
A three-time winner at group level on the dirt in Japan, Copano Kicking was snapping a five-race losing streak in the $1.5-million Riyadh Dirt Sprint.
“I am just glad the connections decided to take him out there,” Gladwell said. “I really didn't think he had a shot of winning that race, because I wasn't sure his form was back to what it was when he was winning all those races in Japan. I was very proud of him that he ran as big as he ran.”
Copano Kicking makes his next start in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen at Meydan Mar. 27.
About seven hours after Idol gave Top Line its second Grade I-winning graduate (No Parole was their first), the Torie Gladwell-bred Chancheng Prince (Carpe Diem) proved victorious at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong (video). The Class 3 handicap paled in importance, but was no less thrilling for Gladwell.
“I bred that horse with my mom [in the name of Mystic Bloodstock] and when I bring my homebreds over to the 2-year-old sales, I get pretty attached to them,” she said. “When he in particular sold, I was devastated that he sold to Hong Kong. I didn't know anything about Hong Kong racing at the time. The underbidder was Dennis O'Neill and I was really excited that he might be going out to California and that Doug O'Neill was going to get him.
She added, “I was in the back ring and I saw Dennis bidding on the horse and the hammer dropped inside the ring. I go running around there to see who bought him and it was a gentleman I didn't recognize. My husband went up to him to say 'thank you,' came back and said he was going to Hong Kong and I just broke down in tears. I was so upset. I left the sale, but I am just so glad that it's worked out and that he's done so well over there.”
Chancheng Prince, a $150,000 purchase out of the 2019 OBS April Sale, now has a record of 3-2-2 from 10 starts and earnings of $338,571. Gladwell said the yearling half-sister to Chancheng Prince by Mastery “looks really fast” and is likely to be pointed to next year's breeze-up sales.
The Gladwells are looking forward to the beginning of this year's under-tack sales next week at OBS.
“I think it's going to be a good market,” Gladwell said. “[Wednesday], the day before the first breeze show, I am seeing a lot of new faces and the people are there doing their homework pre-breeze day. I don't know what kind of budget the agents are going to be on, whether they have big orders or small orders or if owners are cutting back, I really haven't heard that yet. The only thing that is going to affect the sales this year is the lack of the Korean buyers, but they don't buy too many out of March, so you won't see that impact until the April and Maryland sales.”
Top Line consigns 16 to OBS March, a half-dozen to Fasig-Tipton Florida Mar. 31 and about 50 head for OBS April.
One of three Japanese raiders, Copano Kicking (Spring At Last) came with a stinging final-furlong rally in Saturday's Saudi Arabian Airlines Riyadh Dirt Sprint and was up on the wire to defeat Matera Sky (Speightstown), who dropped a similarly gut-wrenching decision to New York Central (Tapit) in the inaugural running of the event in 2020. The locally based Faz Zae (KSA) (Mizzen Mast) finished best of the rest.
The fleet-footed Matera Sky jumped straight into the bridle from gate one and led along the inside, as recent Listed Dubawi S. hero Switzerland (Speightstown) settled on his back, with Copano Kicking worse than centerfield and out into the track after breaking from a high draw. Matera Sky still led narrowly as they neared the straight, but Switzerland was bearing down and looking every bit a winning chance. Matera Sky was clinging on gamely at the 400-metre mark and beat off Switzerland, as Copano Kicking was steered off heels and into the clear, with plenty of ground to make up. As he did in 2020, Matera Sky carried what appeared to be an unassailable advantage into the final sixteenth of a mile, but William Buick kept after Copano Kicking and shoved him across the line first. Faz Zae got his nose down ahead of Switzerland for third.
A three-time winner at group level in Japan, Copano Kicking was looking for his first victory since successfully defending his title in the G3 Capella S. in late 2019 and was a latest sixth–with Matera Sky second–in the vaulable JBC Sprint at Ohi Racecourse Nov. 3. Connections indicated that they are likely to press on to the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen at Meydan Mar. 27.
Bought back on a bid of $19,000 as a Keeneland September yearling in 2016, Copano Kicking was accepted into the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Florida Sale, where he was purchased for $100,000. He was consigned by James and Torie Gladwell's Top Line Sales, who also prepared New York Central for the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale. Celadon is the dam of an unnamed 3-year-old colt by Phoenix Tower. Click here for additional background on Copano Kicking.
WATCH: Copano Kicking leads home a Japanese 1-2 in the Riyadh Dirt Sprint
Saturday, King Abdulaziz, Saudi Arabia SAUDI ARABIAN AIRLINES RIYADH DIRT SPRINT (Cond.), $1,500,000, King Abdulaziz, 2-20, 3yo/up, 1200m, 1:10.66, ft.
1–COPANO KICKING, 126, g, 6, Spring At Last–Celadon, by Gold Halo (Jpn). ($19,000 RNA Ylg '16 KEESEP; $100,000 2yo '17 FTFMAR). O-Sachiyaki Kobayashi; B-Reiley McDonald (KY); T-Akira Murayama; J-William Buick; $900,000. Lifetime Record: MGSW-Jpn, 21-10-4-3, $3,543,367.
2–Matera Sky, 126, h, 7, Speightstown–Mostaqeleh, by Rahy. ($140,000 Wlg '14 KEENOV; $350,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP). O-Tsuyoshi Ono; B-Lynch Bages Ltd (KY); T-Hideyuki Mori; J-Keita Tosaki; $300,000.
3–Faz Zae (KSA), 126, h, 6, Mizzen Mast–Summer Forest, by Forestry. O-Prince Faisal Bin Khalid Bin Abdulaziz; B-Flhan Bin Faisal Almindeel Sons; T-Abdullah Mushriff; J-Wigberto Ramos; $150,000.
Margins: HD, 3HF, NO.
Also Ran: Switzerland, Maypole (GB), Justin (Jpn), Oxted (GB), Raaed (Ire), Brad the Brief (GB), Harry's Bar (GB), New York Central, Roman River (GB), Raucous (GB). Click for the Racing Post chart.
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