Seven Days: A Good Week If Your Name is Egan

We've been waiting so long for the proper Flat to start that it seems almost criminal to veer straight off to the other side of the world, but there was plenty of interest for breeders from this side at Rosehill in Sydney on Saturday morning. 

One person who managed to stay awake past 2am to watch the highly impressive last-to-first romp of Post Impressionist (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) in the G3 N E Manion Cup was his breeder Henrietta Egan, who is based at Corduff Stud with her husband David. 

Now five, Post Impressionist is the first foal of Island Remede (GB) (Medicean {GB}), who was bought by Egan from the Tattersalls December Mares Sale for 43,000gns. Already a winner for Ed Dunlop, she was put back into training with Henry de Bromhead the following season as a five-year-old and went on to be placed twice in Listed races at Leopardstown and Cork as well as winning over hurdles at Limerick. That National Hunt form didn't deter Shadwell from giving 260,000gns for her Teofilo colt at the yearling sales. 

“I was a gibbering wreck when he sold as a yearling to Shadwell and this horse has taken me on the most extraordinary journey,” Egan told TDN on Saturday morning. 

“We had dreams of winning the Mares' Hurdle at Cheltenham, which was a bit crackers. David is great mates with Henry and we had big dreams of having fun with her, and we did. She ran at Leopardstown first time out and finished third in a Listed race and I think that was the first black type on the Flat for Henry.”

Egan's association with Island Remede stretches back further than the sale ring at Tattersalls, however, to before she was even born.

“I was riding out for Ed Dunlop when she was in training with him, and weirdly I worked for her breeder Ian Quy, who had two mares, and I did the nomination for her, so we have a very long story,” she says. 

“I'm slightly gobsmacked really. David had a foal last night. I was out to a birthday party and David had to stay behind to watch the mare. I came back to find David fast asleep and it was about one o'clock so I thought I'd pour myself a gin and tonic and try to stay awake for the race. I was screaming downstairs watching this horse and I ran upstairs and couldn't wake my husband who was out for the count. The foaling season is so exhausting, but this is why we do it. It's what dreams are made of.”

Later in the day, Island Remede's three-year-old filly Cabrera (Ire) (Phoenix Of Spain {Ire}) ran a promising fourth on debut at Newcastle for Egan and Hot To Trot Racing. The mare is in foal to Cracksman (GB), carrying another filly, and will be sent to Native Trail (GB) this season.

There is likely to be more early-morning screaming in the Egan household this spring as Hong Kong superstar Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), who was bred by Corduff Stud and Tim Rooney, will be seeking his seventh Group 1 win when he lines up for the FWD QEII Cup on Sha Tin's Champions Day. As well as his wins in Hong Kong, the six-year-old also won last year's Cox Plate, and there could be more Group 1 success on the cards in Australia for Corduff Stud with Post Impressionist, now owned by Lloyd Williams, likely to head next for the Sydney Cup.

“With Romantic Warrior being such a success for the farm as well, it's just such a cool year,” Egan said. “I'm thrilled for David. He works so hard. Good stuff like this just makes it worthwhile.”

She added that Romantic Warrior's dam Folk Melody (Ire) (Street Cry {Ire}) has a New Bay (GB) yearling colt but no foal this year. She is booked to Havana Grey (GB).

Haggas Gives Waller a Lead

Australian trainers must dread seeing the name William Haggas among the nominations for runners for Sydney's Autumn Carnival. His raids down under have shown him to be the ultimate target trainer and Post Impressionist gave Haggas his third win in the N E Manion Cup in the last five years after Young Rascal (Fr) (Intello {Ger}) in 2020 and Favorite Moon (Ger) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) 12 months later. 

In 2020, while all of European racing was shuttered by Covid, Haggas sent out Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) to give us all something to cheer about when he won the G1 Ranvet and G1 Queen Elizabeth S., and that lovely old warrior returned the following year to tussle with Chris Waller's super mare Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}), finishing second to her in the Ranvet before winning his second Queen Elizabeth. 

Last year, Haggas pulled off that same Group 1 double with Dubai Honour (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}), while Protagonist (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) pitched in to take the G3 Sky High S. Frustratingly for all involved with Dubai Honour, a setback ruled him out of a return to Sydney, but that news will doubtless have come as a relief to Waller. He told Sky Racing World last week that he had taken a leaf out of the Haggas playbook in his training of Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who joined his team after being sold for 2.7 million gns last December at Tattersalls, having won the G1 Pretty Polly S. for George Boughey and owner Rebecca Hillen. “We prepared her in Newmarket, I kept a close eye on what Mr Haggas has done with a few of his horses which have beaten Verry Elleegant a number of times,” Waller said. “He just gets it right every year.”

Waller is not exactly a novice himself when it comes to winning Group 1 races. Born in New Zealand, he has been champion trainer in Sydney every year since the 2010/11 season. But it is a mark of his professionalism that he continues to look and learn, and his approach paid off handsomely when Via Sistina landed the Ranvet on her Australian debut. 

The five-year-old now races in the colours of Yulong Investments, who also own the Ranvet runner-up Place Du Carrousel (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), another expensive December purchase, bought for €4.025 million at Arqana. The European-bred trifecta was brought up by another Waller trainee, Buckaroo (GB), who was bred by The Roheryn Partnership at Tweenhills on that same productive Fastnet Rock-Galileo cross as Via Sistina.

It was a banner day at Rosehill for the Yulong team, whose stallions Written Tycoon (Aus) and Pierata (Aus) were responsible for the first two home in the G1 Golden Slipper, Lady Of Camelot (Aus) and Coleman (Aus). Another of the team's stallions, Grunt (NZ), sired the G1 George Ryder S. winner Veight (Aus), who was bred and sold by Yulong as a yearling. 

A Different Egan

Let's return closer to home where another David Egan, this one the jockey, was in the spotlight on Saturday as turf racing commenced at Doncaster. Egan's major breakthrough came when, as retained rider to Prince AA Faisal, he rode the Prince's homebred Mishriff (Ire) to victory in the Saudi Cup, Dubai Sheema Classic and Juddmonte International. Signed by Amo Racing in December, Egan has grabbed that new opportunity with both hands. 

He won the first Irish two-year-old race of the season last Monday aboard Arizona Blaze (GB) (Sergei Prokofiev) on the Curragh, where he grew up, and then delivered Mr Professor (Ire) (Profitable {Ire}) to win the Lincoln at 33/1. He will be itching to hop aboard the Amo Racing star King Of Steel (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who was seen on Newmarket Heath in Saturday morning's sunshine looking a picture of health amid Roger Varian's string under Raul da Silva. 

Varian himself got off to a perfect start by saddling the first winner of the British turf season, Charyn (Ire), who bowled home in the Listed Doncaster Mile. He certainly should have won as he did as the son of Dark Angel (Ire), who was bred by Guy O'Callaghan at Grangemore Stud, is a classy individual and looks to have improved again physically over the winter. A Group 2 winner at two for Nurlan Bizakov, Charyn was fourth in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and third in both the St James's Palace and Sussex S. last year. If he continues to run as well as he looked on Saturday, he could well rival King Of Steel for the title of the best grey at Carlburg Stables and edge his way onto Bizakov's burgeoning roster of Sumbe stallions for next year, alongside the aforementioned Mishriff. 

Less than 24 hours later, Charyn's sire Dark Angel was in the spotlight with a rare winner in Japan, and this one at the highest level. Mad Cool (Ire), bred by Moyglare Stud and sold to Katsumi Yoshida as a foal at Goffs for €225,000, landed the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen at Chukyo for Sunday Racing Co and trainer Manabu Ikezoe.

The five-year-old, who became the 16th Group/Grade 1 winner for Dark Angel, was beaten by a nose in the G1 The Sprinters S. last October and is from one of the families which has underpinned the success of Moyglare Stud over a number of generations. His dam Mad About You (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}) won the G3 Gladness S. and was runner-up in the both the Irish 1,000 Guineas and G1 Pretty Polly S. in the hands of Pat Smullen, and she is a half-sister to the G2 Ribblesdale S. winner Princess Highway (Street Cry {Ire}) and G1 Irish St Leger winner Royal Diamond (Ire) (King's Best).

Keep An Eye On Cunha

Profitable, who is now at stud in Turkey, was represented on Saturday by the Lincoln winner Mr Professor, while another son of Invincible Spirit (Ire), Territories (Ire), provided South African trainer Dylan Cunha with his first win in the Brocklesby. Cunha, a former airline pilot and also a Grade 1-winning trainer in his homeland, set up in Newmarket two years ago. His string has grown significantly for this season and, since William Jarvis ceased training, he is now occupying Phantom House Stables, having started out in the bottom yard there with a handful of horses. 

Cunha, who spent some of his early years working in Newmarket for Robert Armstrong, certainly knows how to get one ready, and the game Zminiature (GB) battled his way home in heavy ground at Doncaster to take the first British two-year-old race of the season for owner-breeder Jonathan Sarkar and family, who have supported the trainer since his return. 

There is an abundance of early races in an expanded spring programme for two-year-olds in Britain. The William Hill EBF Brocklesby S. kicked off the series of High-Value Development races and was worth £40,000, as is the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden at Chelmsford on Good Friday. They are two of 16 juvenile races that will be run in the UK before we even get to the Craven meeting on April 16. 

No Escaping Scat Daddy

The vaunted Storm Boy (Aus) may have had to settle for third in the Golden Slipper, but we are guaranteed to be hearing plenty about his sire Justify this season as the likes of City Of Troy, Ramatuelle and Opera Singer swing back into action. 

In the meantime two other sons of Scat Daddy are off the mark with their first winners in these very early days of the European juvenile programme. Sergei Prokofiev supplied Arizona Blaze to win at the Curragh's opening day, as mentioned above, while on Saturday at La Teste de Buch, Sweet Chop became the first winner for his sire, the G2 Railway S. winner Van Beethoven, who stands at Karwin Farm.

The only other freshman to have sired a winner in Europe is New Approach's son Hey Gaman (GB), who was beaten a neck when second to Olmedo (Fr) in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains and now stands at Haras du Taillis. His son Eagle Gate (Fr) won in Marseille on Wednesday.

Vive Les Turistes

France has led the way on the Flat front in the last few weeks and the country's racing administrators are celebrating the fact that 2023 saw a 17% increase in attendance figures across French racecourses, including trotting tracks. This certainly bucks the trend being seen in other countries. 

There has been an early TDN Rising Star among the French ranks in the three-year-old Puchkine (Fr) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), who remains unbeaten in four starts for Jean-Claude Rouget after landing the Prix Torrestrella at Toulouse on Wednesday. While he is on course for the Poule d'Essai des Poulains, his fellow Rising Star of the same day, Clipper Logistics' Night Raider (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) is on course for the 2,000 Guineas after keeping a clean sheet with an emphatic win at Southwell for Karl Burke. 

Also at Toulouse, Dancing Queen (Fr), from the penultimate crop of Le Havre (Ire), enhanced the Classic dream of her trainer Fabrice Vermeulen when winning the mile maiden on Saturday. She carries the colours of Haras du Logis Saint Germain, which won the Poule d'Essai des Poucliches of 2020 with Dream And Do (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}). Unlike that filly, Dancing Queen is not a homebred as she was bred by Peter Savill, for the former BHB chairman who has recently returned to the forefront of British racing politics, if not in an official capacity.

Another who had gone into the notebook last October when winning the Prix de Saint-Desir on debut was the Wertheimers' Bright Picture (Fr) (Intello {Ger}). He has done nothing but confirm that good impression with two further wins, the latest in the Listed Prix Francois Mathet on March 16. As a gelding, he cannot be aimed at the Classics but he is clearly highly regarded, and our colleagues at Jour de Galop dubbed him 'the next Junko' after his stakes victory at Saint-Cloud. 

That is high praise indeed, and we will see the G1 Hong Kong Vase winner Junko (GB), another son of Intello, at Meydan in Saturday's tantalising G1 Dubai Sheema Classic. While Junko was bred by Wertheimer et Frere, Bright Picture is a rare sales purchase, bought from his breeder John Carrington for €72,000 at the Arqana October Yearling Sale. The brothers' support of their stallion Intello also led to the purchase of Pao Alto (Fr), who went on to win the G3 Prix La Force among his five victories. 

Thinking of Stefano Cherchi

We end this column with a heavy heart while, at the time of writing, Stefano Cherchi remains in a serious condition in hospital in Canberra, Australia. The 23-year-old jockey sustained serious head and internal injuries when his mount Hasime (Aus) fell, bringing down two other horses, at Canberra's meeting last Wednesday.

An enormously popular figure in Newmarket, where he served his apprenticeship with Marco Botti, Cherchi is originally from Sardinia. He remains in the thoughts of his many friends throughout the racing world. 

 

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“We’re Very Proud Of Him,” – Corduff Stud Camp Delighted With Romantic Warrior

Hong Kong Cup winner Romantic Warrior (Ire) has truly earned his stripes on the international stage after slamming an up-to-scratch field at Sha Tin, according to his co-breeder David Egan of Corduff Stud.

David and his wife Henrietta are no strangers to offering big-ticket horses and enjoyed another Book 1 to remember at Tattersalls this year when selling a colt by Too Darn Hot (GB) and a Sea The Stars (Ire) filly for a combined 1.4 million gns. 

Romantic Warrior was knocked down to Mick Kinane on behalf of the Hong Kong Jockey Club for 300,000gns at Book 2 in 2019 and, after Sunday's big-race triumph, was hailed as one of the smartest horses Corduff Stud has ever produced by Egan. 

He said, “Today was a big day because Romantic Warrior had already beaten everything he'd faced in Hong Kong but, to beat the international challengers, and beat them comprehensively, proves that he is a very good horse. 

“We're very proud of him and it's great for my father, the farm and for Tim Rooney, who bred him. He's the best horse to have come off the farm in a long time. He's a proper one.”

Egan is hopeful that this is just the beginning for Romantic Warrior's dam Folk Melody (Ire) and revealed plans for the 11-year-old who was knocked down to Blandford Bloodstock from Godolphin in 2016 for €82,000. 

He said, “The mare is still quite young. We've a nice Showcasing (GB) colt out of her and she is in foal New Bay (GB). The plan is to breed her to Night Of Thunder (Ire) next spring. It's all very exciting. 

“He was a lovely, lovely horse [as a yearling]. Jake Warren was underbidder on him. My Dad has a breeding right in Acclamation (GB) and we are massive fans of the stallion but to get 300,000gns for one is a big whack. He really was a beautiful yearling.”

Romantic Warrior was not the only European graduate to star at Sha Tin. Just 40 minutes earlier, California Spangle (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), bred by Michael Enright and sourced by Jim McCartan for €150,000 at the Goffs Orby Sale in 2019, did what many thought was impossible by lowering the colours of Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro )Aus) in the Hong Kong Mile. 

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Sea The Stars Colt Lights Up Second Day Of Tattersalls October Book 1

A colt by Sea The Stars was the star turn on the second day of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1, selling for 1.2 million guineas during a session that saw a clearance rate of 87 percent and turnover of 30,116,000 guineas.

The top lot on the second day of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1 was the Sea The Stars colt from Lord and Lady Lloyd Webber's Watership Down Stud, who realized 1.2 million guineas to the bid of Charlie Gordon-Watson on behalf of Woodford Racing's Bill Farish. The colt is out of the Dubawi mare So Mi Dar, winner of the Group 3 Tattersalls Musidora Stakes and placed in the Group 1 Prix de l'Opera. So Mi Dar is a half-sister to champion 2- and 3-year-old Too Darn Hot and a daughter of Lloyd-Webber's triple Group 1 winning Dar Re Mi, herself a daughter of the farm's foundation mare Darara.

Lady Lloyd-Webber was at Park Paddocks to see her homebred colt sell, and husband Andrew Lloyd-Webber arrived in Newmarket just in time to catch the sale too.

“I got here just in time in a taxi, I just walked in at the 600,000 guineas mark,” laughed Lord Lloyd-Webber.

“We never expected to break the million-guinea barrier, because no one ever does. Maybe Andrew is our lucky omen,” said a delighted Lady Lloyd-Webber. “It is very difficult to do that. The Dar Re Mi family is carrying on, and that is what it is all about from a foundation mare. We are now in the third generation, it is really wonderful to see this family keep going.

“He is a beautiful horse, hopefully he will win the Guineas. And then will carry on winning Group 1s like the rest of the family.”

Purchaser Charlie Gordon-Watson said the purchase was the result of a last-minute phone call.

“Bill Farish rang me just an hour ago and said, 'What about this horse? What do you think?' I told him that I thought he was the best horse I have seen at the sale.

“I know the family backwards, as Bill does, and he is a great friend of Simon Marsh, but he did not want to Simon to know anything about it. Simon had no idea.”

Gordon-Watson added: “It all happened in the last hour and a half. I think I got the valuation right as I told Bill that I thought he'd make between 800,000 guineas and 1.2 million.

“I have been involved in the family all the way through, I bought Darara and this colt is very typical of the family, perhaps a bit bigger because they are all slightly smallish, Darara was quite small. He is a very athletic horse, I have been going on about Lot 277 for a long time.”

Of Farish's plans for his new colt and reasoning behind the purchase, Gordon-Watson said: “Bill liked the pedigree and the mare, everything is so international now. The horse will stay here, and no trainer has been decided as yet.”

Early in the evening the Kingman colt out of the G2 May Hill Stakes winner Turret Rocks became the second lot to breach the million-guinea mark when knocked down to M.V. Magnier for 1.1 million guineas after a bidding war with Anthony Stroud stood alongside David Loder and trainer Charlie Appleby. The colt is the first foal of the Fastnet Rock mare and was consigned by the Egan family's Corduff Stud on behalf of the Andrew & Roseanne O'Grady Walshe's Farmleigh Bloodstock.

Corduff Stud's David Egan was suitably delighted;

“He is a magnificent horse, he really is. I am delighted they bought him, I was not sure they were on him, but they stood up and bought him. It is great.

“This horse was bred by John Corcoran and he bred the horse with Jim Bolger, and bought him out in training. John had a vision of what he wanted to do with the horse, he had a plan and facilitated a way to make it happen. He owned this horse in with his children, Andrew and Roseanne O'Grady Walshe, through Farmleigh Bloodstock.

“She is a beautiful mare, she is by Fastnet Rock, she is big, she is robust, she is strong. She was so honest on the track and John, unfortunately is not with us, but he was very involved in the mating. He chose Kingman, it is great.

“The bidding took a long time, but it got more enjoyable as we went on.”

The colt traces back to the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary winner Riviere d'Or and the family of ten-time Group 1 winner Goldikova.

Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale continues on Thursday, 7th October from 11am with the third and final session.

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Kingman Colt Is The Second Millionaire at Tattersalls

A son of Kingman (GB) brought 1.1 million gns from MV Magnier and Peter Brant's White Birch Farm to become the second millionaire during Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale on Wednesday. Consigned by Corduff Stud, lot 321 is out of G2 May Hill S. victress Turret Rocks (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who also was first past the post in the G3 Blue Wind S. and G3 Meld S. A half-sister to Australian Group 3 winner Beyond Thankful (Ire) (Whipper), Turret Rocks also ran second in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac and was third in the G1 Pretty Polly S. The colt's extended family features the great Goldikova (Ire) (Anabaa).

 

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