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Dubawi’s Ancient Wisdom Powers To Autumn Triumph

Godolphin's €2-million Arqana August 'TDN Rising Star' Ancient Wisdom (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}–Golden Valentine {Fr}, by Dalakhani {Ire}), who ran third to subsequent G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagradere victor Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) in July's Listed Pat Eddery S., came back off a 77-day sabbatical to trounce his six-strong opposition in Saturday's Emirates Autumn S. at Newmarket.

Positioned off the clear leader in third until taking closer order once past halfway, the 2-1 joint-favourite seized control approaching the final furlong and powered clear of toiling rivals up the hill to easily outpoint Chief Little Rock (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) by an impressive 3 3/4 lengths. Ancient Wisdom had previously followed up a taking debut performance at Haydock in June with a second triumph, under a six-pound penalty, at Newmarket's July track.

“We were disappointed that we were beat at Ascot, but that race worked out so well you couldn't really be disappointed in it,” commented Charlie Appleby. “I've probably mismanaged him running him back at Newmarket. He broke his maiden at Haydock Park and I went to Newmarket thinking I could try and get a bit more experience. He is a Dubawi and I was probably forcing him a bit too much so, after Ascot, we said collectively we will give him a break and we toyed with this and the Zetland. I told William [Buick] he is a horse that will travel for fun stepping up a furlong and also the conditions out there were going to suit him. I said to ride him with mega confidence, to sit up there and travel in the van as he will pick up for you, and he has duly obliged. He is a horse next year that will be a middle-distance type. He is a horse that I do feel a mile-and-a-quarter will be well within his compass and I personally think he will appreciate going a mile-and-a-half. He is a Dubawi and, as we know with those middle-distance Dubawis, you can't force them too much in the spring of their 3-year-old career, so therefore something like the [G2] Dante might be a target for him. We will see where we are in the spring, but we have a long winter ahead of us now. It is nice to be able to put these horses to bed on the back of an impressive victory.”

Pedigree Notes

Ancient Wisdom, full to a weanling colt and half to a yearling colt by Lope De Vega (Ire), is the third of five foals and one of two scorers produced by G3 Prix Minerve winner Golden Valentine (Fr) (Dalakhani {Ire}), herself one of seven stakes performers out of G3 Prix Cleopatre victrix Gold Round (Ire) (Caerleon). Golden Valentine's siblings include her G3 Prix du Lys-winning full-brother Goldwaki (Ger), GIII Robert J Frankel S. victrix and GI Rodeo Drive S. runner-up Luck (Kitten's Joy) and the dam of G3 Prix Vanteaux winner and GI E P Taylor S. third Platane (GB) (Le Havre {Ire}). Gold Round, in turn, is a half-sister to storied multiple champion and three-time GI Breeders' Cup Mile heroine Goldikova (Ire) (Anabaa), G1 Prix Vermeille victrix Galikova (Fr) (Galileo {Ire}) and multiple Group 1-placed sire Anodin (Ire) (Anabaa). Golden Valentine was a €520,000 purchase at Arqana's 2012 December Broodmare sale.

Third to subsequent G1 scorer Rosallion last time out, the exciting Ancient Wisdom (Dubawi) is all class for team @godolphin in the G3 @emirates Autumn Stakes pic.twitter.com/N169vzyfmd

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) October 14, 2023

Saturday, Newmarket, Britain
EMIRATES AUTUMN S.-G3, £60,000, Newmarket, 10-14, 2yo, 8fT, 1:37.92, sf.
1–ANCIENT WISDOM (FR), 129, c, 2, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Golden Valentine (Fr) (GSW-Fr, $125,200), by Dalakhani (Ire)
2nd Dam: Gold Round (Ire), by Caerleon
3rd Dam: Born Gold, by Blushing Groom (Fr)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. TDN Rising Star. (€2,000,000 Ylg '22 ARAUG). O-Godolphin; B-Ecurie des Monceaux & LNJ Foxwoods (FR); T-Charlie Appleby; J-William Buick. £34,026. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-1, $60,512. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Chief Little Rock (Ire), 129, c, 2, Galileo (Ire)–Amicus (Aus), by Fastnet Rock (Aus). O-Mrs John Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £12,900.
3–Ambiente Friendly (Ire), 129, c, 2, Gleneagles (Ire)–Roxity (Ire), by Fastnet Rock (Aus). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (25,000gns RNA Ylg '22 TATOCT; 80,000gns 2yo '23 TATBRE). O-The Gredley Family; B-Al Shira'aa Farms SARL (IRE); T-James Fanshawe. £6,456.
Margins: 3 3/4, 1 3/4, 5. Odds: 2.00, 3.50, 16.00.
Also Ran: Orne (Ire), Per Contra (Ire), Arabic Legend (Ire), Starliner (Ire).

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Pinatubo Colt Adds to Najd Stud’s Major Investment

NEWMARKET, UK–As the week wore on, the shorts came off and the waterproofs went on. Goodbye summer, and hello more realistic weather for October, bringing with it more realistic prices for yearlings.

Shamardal's sons have had plenty to say for themselves of late. Blue Point (Ire) leads the freshman sires' championship with his first runners, and Pinatubo (Ire) and Earthlight (Ire) have found favour in the sales-rings of Europe with their first yearlings. During the opening session of Book 3 on Thursday, an Earthlight yearling passed the test of one fine judge in Tony O'Callaghan at 95,000gns, and come Friday, it was a son of Pinatubo who topped proceedings, bought for 90,000gns by Saud Al Qahtani of Saudi Arabia's Najd Stud. Bred by Rabbah Bloodstock, the colt (lot 1733) is a half-brother to Mighty Gurkha (Ire) (Sepoy {Aus}), winner of the G3 Sirenia S., out of the unraced Royal Applause (GB) mare Royal Debt (GB).

Al Qahtani explained after the sale of the Barton Stud-consigned colt that Najd Stud has bought 30 yearlings so far in 2023, the majority of which will go into training in Britain.

He said, “I hope, Inshallah, that Pinatubo will be a good sire. He was the champion two-year-old by Shamardal so why not? We hope that he will be a very good sire. We put 100,000gns on him as a budget.

“He might stay here in Britain or go to Saudi. We'll think about this and decide later. We've bought 30 yearlings this year. Eight of those will go to Saudi and the rest will stay here. It has been a very good market, very competitive.”

Najd Stud is represented in Saturday's G1 Native Trail Dewhurst S. by Eben Shaddad (Calyx {GB}), who was bought earlier this year at the Arqana Breeze-up Sale.

As the weather deteriorated dramatically through the late afternoon, there were at least two bright spots for Tattersalls when October Sale graduates Ylang Ylang (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Inquisitively (Ire) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}) took the G1 Fillies' Mile and G3 Cornwallis S. respectively on the Rowley Mile. That pair had come from Books 1 and 2 last year, but Just Beautiful (GB) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}) and Honey Girl (GB) (Mayon {GB}) are among the Book 3 graduates to have won group races this season, and they were bought for 8,000gns and 4,500gns. A reminder that good racehorses can be found at all levels of the market for those with enough staying power to last the fortnight at Park Paddocks after a hectic fortnight prior to that in Ireland.

Talking Points

The market adjustment has continued through this week, with Book 3 figures running below last year. The clearance rate has remained pretty high, however, and is currently at 83% with another session of Book 3 yearlings still to sell on Saturday morning. In Friday's session, 141 yearlings (74%) were sold for an aggregate of 1,725,500gns, average of 12,238gns and median of 10,000gns. Comparative figures are tricky as the Book 3 format has changed from last year owing to the sale clashing with two days of racing in Newmarket. Generally, though, trade is running between 15 to 20% down on last year.

The favourable first impression created by the stock of Haras d'Etreham's Hello Youmzain (Fr) had been a feature of the Arqana August Sale and that continued at Tattersalls. During Book 3, he has had three yearlings sold for an average of 55,667gns, to James Tate, Mick Fitzpatrick, and the buying team of Jamie Piggott and Oliver Cole. The son of Kodiac (GB) also achieved a 71,000gns average with his three sold at Book 2.

Far Above (GB) has been the fastest son of Farhh (GB) to grace the track to date, and one man who knows more about the Group 3-winning sprinter than most is his former trainer James Tate. He stepped in to buy lot 1835, a colt consigned by Q-Cross Stables and out of the dual-winning New Approach (Ire) mare Bittern (Ire), for 70,000gns. Tate, who said that he has three Far Above yearlings in his yard, also noted that he is no longer a private trainer for Rabbah but is open to offers from all owners.

Buy of the Day

Good luck to Marcus Collie, who looks to have secured a bargain in lot 1769, a filly by Masar (Ire) from Mickey Stud. Bought for 9,000gns, well below Masar's covering fee of £14,000, she is out of Tadpole (GB), a winning Sir Percy (GB) half-sister to group winners Beaten Up (GB) and Harris Tweed (GB), and to Lingfield Oaks Trial winner Vow (GB). The dynasty has received a further boost in recent years with the exploits of multiple Group 3 winner and Irish St Leger runner-up Hamish (GB), who is out of another of Tadpole's half-sisters, Tweed (GB).

It's a prolific family whose members tend to improve with age, so here's hoping that this daughter of a Derby winner can bring some compensation to breeder David John Meaden by way of reflected glory as and when she adds to her clan's tally of victories.

Thought of the Day

Books 3 and 4 bring the curtain down on the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale on Saturday, a day which also sees yearling sales take place in Spain and Germany, along with a mixed Flat sale which includes foals and yearlings at Auctav in France. That's before another five days of action kicks off at Arqana on Tuesday.

The sales calendar is more congested than it has ever been, and the increase in dates, for both physical sales and those held online, is clearly in response to a growing demand from owners and breeders to trade. It is a sign of the times, but it is one which must lead to scheduling headaches for sales companies, and logistical nightmares for consignors and agents.

And for those with a season ticket on the sales charabanc, all I can say is keep taking the Berocca, maybe with the odd dash of gin.

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Newmarket: Will The Rain Dampen City Of Troy’s Dewhurst Show?

Newmarket's wet spell would not have been what connections of City Of Troy (Justify) would have wanted, so all credit to “the lads” for their full commitment to running their new “big horse” in Saturday's G1 Native Trail's Dewhurst S. We already know what we are dealing with in terms of talent, with his performance in the G2 Superlative S. an adequate barometer, and luckily we will now get to measure his versatility and character as well with conditions as well as classy peers offering a sticking point.

As with Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) at Doncaster 12 months ago, soft ground will not mean a no-show from the colt that is certain to draw extra numbers to Future Champions Day and Ryan Moore was not too concerned about conditions immediately after steering Ylang Ylang (GB) to glory in the G1 Fillies' Mile. The times on Friday's card suggested good-to-soft was more accurate at that point, but the rain that came after the feature was heavy and relentless so this could be more of a slog then expected.

“He's ready for run and is three weeks down the road from The Curragh and Dean [Gallagher] is very happy with him,” Aidan O'Brien commented. “We've always loved him and he's done everything we've asked of him, so this should be a lovely run to finish off the season and a good experience.”

Soft ground holds no fears for Teme Valley and Ballylinch Stud's G2 Champagne S. winner Iberian (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), who had the subsequent G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere hero Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) and Listed Star Appeal S. winner Mountain Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never) behind when taking Doncaster's G2 Champagne S. last month. Largely due to the dominance of Irish-trained colts in this race this century, Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}) last year and Too Darn Hot (GB) in 2018 are the only two to complete the Champagne-Dewhurst double since Distant Music in 1999, so Charlie Hills' exciting colt is up against it.

“I was very impressed at Doncaster, like everyone else who was watching him, and he showed a good turn of foot which is what you need over seven in a Group 1,” Iberian's jockey Tom Marquand said. “There have obviously been Group 1 winners behind him, albeit on different ground. We've only seen City Of Troy on a racecourse twice and he's off a three-month absence since the Superlative. While he was impressive in that, if ever there is a day to take on a horse like that, this is it. Circumstances are probably as in our favour as they can be and I'm looking forward to it.”

Given how well Shadwell's Alyanaabi (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) operated on the fast going prevalent for last month's G3 Tattersalls S., this shift underfoot has to be a question mark as it is for the G3 Acomb S. winner Indian Run (Ire) (Sioux Nation) and Prince Faisal bin Khaled and Najd Stud's TDN Rising Star Eben Shaddad (Calyx {GB}), who hardly looked a stout stayer over course and distance when third in the Tattersalls. Juddmonte's Array (Ire) (No Nay Never) handled heavy when edging the six-furlong G2 Mill Reef S. at Newbury, but these are far deeper waters and stamina is not guaranteed.

Owen Burrows said of Alyanaabi, “I felt he had to quicken at a few stages in the Group 3 last time. I'm not concerned if there is lack of pace in the race as this horse has won over six furlongs. He is pretty versatile. We always felt he was this level and the fact I pitched him in a listed race on his second start instead of going for a novice race under a penalty suggested that.”

More Autumn Offerings?

While the celebrated half-siblings Nashwan and Nayef and fellow class act Dr Fong captured the Autumn S. in its former guise as a listed contest at Ascot, it was not until the mile juvenile contest was shifted to Newmarket and upped to Group 3 status that it really took on an extra dimension. Since 2017, Godolphin's Dubawi luminaries Ghaiyyath (Ire) and Coroebus (Ire) and the Fabre A-lister Persian King (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) have graced its honour roll so this is always a race to take seriously.

Charlie Appleby has found another son of Dubawi to bid for a fourth consecutive edition and fifth since 2017 for the stable and a fifth in a row for Godolphin, with Military March (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) successful for Saeed bin Suroor in 2019. Not seen since finishing third in the Listed Pat Eddery S. on the King George card in July, Ancient Wisdom (Fr) becomes the latest to represent the form of that deep contest and his trainer is happy he is at a peak for this. “Ancient Wisdom has done very well for a break since Ascot,” he said. “I felt he lost little in defeat that day, as seven furlongs was on the sharp side and he was still learning. He has done very well since physically and it was always the plan to give him some time off ahead of an autumn campaign. His work has been good and he should handle testing conditions if the rain does come. We feel that he will be a strong player.”

Stamina will also be of concern to Aidan O'Brien, who puts forward the G2 Beresford S. runner-up Chief Little Rock (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), while Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's TDN Rising Star Arabic Legend (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) also looks likely to relish a soft-ground mile test given the way he won on debut over seven furlongs at the July Festival here and finished second in Salisbury's Listed Stonehenge S. over this trip in August. Another big player is the Gredleys' Ambiente Friendly (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), who was a notable first-time winner for the James Fanshawe not renowned for big debut efforts when impressive over seven at Leicester last month.

Arabian Crown The One To Beat In The Zetland

Completing the trio of juvenile pattern races on the Future Champions Day card is the G3 Ghaiyyath Zetland S., where another of Appleby's Dubawi projects Arabian Crown (Fr) is likely to start at prohibitive odds. His defeat of aforementioned Arabic Legend in the Stonehenge gives him the form edge over some intriguing rivals including Ballydoyle's Curragh maiden winner Gasper De Lemos (Ire) (Justify) and Chasemore Farm's Sandown debut scorer Dambuster (GB) (Kingman {GB}) from the Andrew Balding stable.

“Arabian Crown brings a nice profile into this,” commented Appleby, who has won the last two editions with similar types. “He has a pedigree and running style that suggests stepping up to a mile and a quarter will produce further improvement, so he should be very competitive.”

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Arqana Autumn Sale, November Yearling Sale Catalogues Now Online

The Arqana November Yearling Sale and Autumn Sale Catalogues are now available online. The November Yearling Sale will take place on Saturday, Nov. 18 while the Autumn Sale gets underway on Nov. 20 and runs through Nov. 23.

Flat yearlings, lots 1 to 181, will sell on Saturday, Nov. 18. The Monday, Nov. 20 catalogue features horses-in-training selling as lots 201 to 483. An even 10 lots will be offered through the Aga Khan's draft during the Flat portion, including the stakes-placed Behtar (Fr) (Kitten's Joy) (lot 428), while Andreas Schutz consigns Dawn Intello (Fr) (Intello {Ger}) (lot 373), who has won twice at group level.

Two-Year-Old Stores and National Hunt-bred yearlings will go through the ring (lots 484 to 606) on Tuesday, Nov. 21, while additional National Hunt-bred yearlings are set to sell as lots 607 to 728 on Wednesday, Nov. 22. The final day of the sale will offer National Hunt breeding stock (foals, mares, fillies) catalogued as lots 729 to 964. A total of 259 National Hunt and Flat prospects will be on offer in the horses-in-training section with 24 wild cards slots still available.

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