Tag: Europe

Making Waves: Active Members Only

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of Activist Investing in a Saratoga race last weekend.

Kingman Colt Doubles Up In New York

The Klaravich Stables/Chad Brown axis combined with Saratoga winner Activist Investing (GB) (Kingman {GB}) on Sunday (video). Already a winner during the Belmont at Aqueduct meet third out last October, the son of Astronomy's Choice (GB) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}) was bred by Robin Geffen.

Joining the Klaravich fold for 220,000gns out of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1, the February foal is the second foal and winner for the stakes-placed granddaughter of Platonic (GB) (Zafonic). Since foaling the winner, the relative of the high class Prudenzia (Ire), Magic Wand (Ire), Chicquita (Ire) et al., has delivered a trio of foals by Darley's Too Darn Hot (GB)–the juvenile filly Wolf Alice (GB), and colts in each of the past two years.

One of 30 winners from 55 to race in the U.S. (55%) for Juddmonte's Kingman, Activist Investing's brethren have chalked up 20 stakes wins in that jurisdiction by eight individual stakes winners (18%).

 

 

A Soft Touch At Del Mar

Qatar Racing's Gentle (GB) (No Nay Never), making her U.S. debut, graduated in her third start for trainer George Papaprodromou at Del Mar this past weekend (video).

Bred by Ammerland Verwaltung GmbH & Co., she is a one of two winners for her dam, the G3 Prix de Psyche third Light The Stars (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). Sold for €200,000 out of the Arqana August Yearling Sale to her owner, Gentle's first two starts were fourth-place efforts over the British all-weather circuit last December and this May. She is a half-sister to 2-year-old filly Light The Moon (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), a yearling filly by Waldgeist (GB), and a weanling filly by Zarak (Fr). Her second dam is the group winner Lady Vettori (GB) (Vettori {Ire}), best known as the dam of G1 Prix du Jockey Club winner-turned star sire Lope De Vega (Ire) (Shamardal).

Coolmore's No Nay Never has sired 38 winners from 74 runners Stateside (51%). A total of nine of those (12%) are stakes winners, with GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf heroine Meditate (Ire) the best of the bunch to date.

Honourable Mentions

Tracy Farmer's Fev Rover (Ire) (Gutaifan {Ire}) earned a new career best with a 3 1/2-length victory in Saturday's GI Beverly D. S. at Colonial Downs (video). The Mark Casse trainee is the first top-level winner for her sire.

 

Another horse already featured in Making Waves is Juddmonte homebred Set Piece (GB) (Dansili {GB}). One race after Fev Rover starred at Colonial, it was time for the 7-year-old to earn his first Grade I rosette in the Arlington Million for trainer Brad Cox (video).

 

The post Making Waves: Active Members Only appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Full Programme For The 2023-2024 Dubai Racing Season Unveiled

The full 2023-2024 programme for the Dubai racing season at Meydan Racecourse has been released.

Running from Nov. 10 until Mar. 8, the season includes 14 meetings and precedes the $30.5-million Dubai World Cup meeting on Mar. 30. In addition, the prize-money has been increased by 27%, with the minimum per race now AED165,000. The Festive Friday card will contain six stakes races, among them the G2 Al Maktoum Mile at Meydan on Dec. 22. There is also Fashion Friday on Jan. 26, with nine black-type races on tap led by the G1 Maktoum Challenge and the G1 Jebel Hatta. Super Saturday remains in its usual slot, and features the G2 Al Maktoum Classic, upgraded G3 Ras Al Khor, and the Listed Jumeirah Guineas. It is Mar. 2, 2024.

Major General Dr. Mohammed Essa Al Adhab, Executive Director of Dubai Racing Club, said “We are delighted to unveil the full programme for our exciting new-look season here in Dubai. The programme is diverse and caters for a wide range of horses, both Purebred Arabian and Thoroughbred. We hope that our excellent prize-money and world class facilities will continue to attract the best in the sport to race here in Dubai.”

For the full schedule and more information, please go to the Dubai Racing Club website.

The post Full Programme For The 2023-2024 Dubai Racing Season Unveiled appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

‘It Shows How Much French Breeders Have Been Investing’: Powell Relishing Return of the August Sale

DEAUVILLE, France–Over the next three evenings, around 280 youngsters considered to be the cream of the French yearling crop will pass through the sale ring in Deauville, where this time last year the collective bidding stopped just north of €50 million to bring record returns at Arqana.

The term 'record-breaking trade' has appeared countless times in this and other publications, and frequent rejigging of sales formats allows that to be claimed perhaps more often than it genuinely should be, but the 2022 August Sale really was quite the blockbuster by all measures.

A tightened catalogue helped, because as the numbers were trimmed and 40 fewer horses were offered, the clearance rate improved to its highest mark of 82.5%. Furthermore, the average exceeded the €200,000 mark for the first time to settle at €209,972, and the median shot up to €140,000 from a previous high of €125,000. All things considered, it was indeed pretty good.

Several graduates from that sale have already impressed on the track, and Ramatuelle (Justify) could yet add a Group 1 title to her impressive season when challenging for the Sumbe Prix Morny on Sunday. Arabian Crown (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}) chipped in with a Listed win at Salisbury on Wednesday for Godolphin, boosting the appeal of his three-parts-brother by Night Of Thunder (Ire), who sells on Saturday. They have been backed up by the Class of '21, which includes Little Big Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never), Meditate (Ire) (No Nay Never), and the colt who has folk in a froth in France and beyond, Ace Impact (Fr) (Cracksman {GB}).

The fact that it has been a strong year on the track for French-trained runners matters immensely. Of course not all horses bought at this sale will remain in France. Last year's top lot, the brother to Arc winner Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) bought for €2.1 million, is currently in pre-training in Japan. Named Shin Emperor (Fr), he will soon head to the Ritto training centre to continue his tutelage under the eye of Yoshito Yahagi, who is back in France to peruse the best of this year's sale.

But French racing prides itself on its lucrative owners' and breeders' premiums, not to mention the allure of its picturesque training environment in Chantilly and beyond. The horses have to perform here to encourage owners to want to have them in training in France, and this year they have stepped up to the mark with gusto, headed by the likes of Blue Rose Cen (Ire), Jannah Rose (Ire), Marhaba Ya Sanafi (Fr) and Mqse De Sevigne (Fr), as well as the aforementioned Prix du Jockey Club winner Ace Impact. The fact that he already has a stallion deal in place could prove to be something of a double-edged sword: on the one hand, it is fantastic that he will be staying in France to stand at the Chehboub family's Haras de Beaumont, but on the other, the current dearth of exciting stallion prospects in the country may well hasten his retirement at the end of this season. We'll see.

Reflecting on this banner year on the track for the home runners, Arqana's executive director Freddy Powell said on Thursday, “The timing is pretty good, and thanks to Mr [Charlie] Appleby yesterday as well, who won the Listed race, because we have some from the family here in the sale.”

He continued, “It just shows how much French breeders have been investing in good mares and nominations. There's a great diversity of stallions and pedigrees, so we are blessed really.”

As has become tradition, Arqana laid on a plane from America, bringing in around 50 potential transatlantic buyers.

“There are plenty of international people here already and still more coming,” Powell said, and added of last year's leading buyer, Yoshito Yahagi, “We are always happy to see his hat.”

The trainer of this year's Saudi Cup winner Panthalassa (Jpn) and the Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Marche Loraine (Jpn) is noted as much for his love of foreign travel as he is for his snazzy headwear, and a colourful Panama was indeed being sported in Deauville on Thursday as the temperature started to soar and the sales ground became ever busier. 

Powell added, “It's nice to feel that most people have been around once already and they are all talking quite positively about the stock. It's important not to get too excited about things but the signs are all good and it looks like it's all falling into place.”

The post ‘It Shows How Much French Breeders Have Been Investing’: Powell Relishing Return of the August Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Kentucky Derby-Winning Owner and Agent Ramiro Restrepo Excited For Arqana

DEAUVILLE, France–Ramiro Restrepo has arrived. Fresh off the plane, the first port of call is to pay a visit to Etreham's base in Barn C, where his Hello Youmzain (Fr) colt (lot 38) is based.

The Kentucky Derby-winning owner and bloodstock agent has not seen the colt since he purchased him as a foal here at Arqana in December but it doesn't take long to gauge his approval.

“Man I am pumped,” a larger-than-life Restrepo effuses as the colt exits his stable. There is a certain amount of showmanship to Restrepo, as anyone on the other side of the Atlantic will confirm, but his appreciation of what a good horse looks like is genuine.

His arrival on the international scene as a bloodstock agent and owner was fast-tracked by Mage (Good Magic), the brilliant winner of this year's Kentucky Derby, who has left Restrepo sitting high amongst his peers–a place where he is more than comfortable.

“Winning the Kentucky Derby is the realisation of a dream on so many levels,” he says. “There have only been 149 Kentucky Derby winners and for us to be the 149th is amazing. To think that from now until the end of time, your name is going to be up there with the luminaries of the sport and that Mage's name will be up there with some of the most successful racehorses we have seen, it's just a dream.”

He added, “It's opened up a few doors and it's just been an amazing amount of attention and love sent your way, which is just indescribable. I pinhooked a Breeders' Cup winner [Structor] in 2019 and that gave me the confidence. But when you achieve a Grade I Kentucky Derby win, it's like a holy grail, you know.

“So many famous and important people in our industry have been chasing that and haven't been able to achieve it. And to say that you're able to do that, you look around and are so grateful for the team because it takes a village to get something like this accomplished. It's been a life changer for all of us.”

If Restrepo once walked this sale ground as a little-known American-based bloodstock agent, Mage has changed that. He has been coming to Arqana since 2018 but this week marks his first trip to the August Yearling Sale and he plans to make it a memorable one.

“I came here for the first time with a group of Americans in 2018 and we walked around the sales grounds and I got, you know, full fever. I ended up buying a No Nay Never colt who we sold for a tidy profit as a two-year-old in training. That was right at the time when No Nay Never was really taking off.

“So, in my career, first-crop stallions have always been something that I've been drawn to. If you were to look at a highlight of the horses who I have bought that went on to either sell well or perform well on the racetrack, they've all been sons or daughters of first-crop sires.”

Arqana lot 38, a Hello Youmzain (Fr) colt owned by Ramiro Restrepo and Haras d'Etreham | Etreham photo

In many ways, lot 38 is a Restrepo special. Bought in partnership with Nicolas de Chambure of Haras d'Etreham for €67,000 with the help of Hubie de Burgh and Martin Buick at the December Breeding Stock Sale, the Hello Youmzain colt fits Restrepo's tried-and-trusted model.

By an unproven sire who was a deadly fast racehorse, winning twice at the highest level, including the Diamond Jubilee S. at Royal Ascot, there is scope for the share price in the progeny of Hello Youmzain to rise this week. That's the hope at least.

“I was here last winter with Hubie de Burgh and Martin Buick, who are two amazing people. Obviously Hubie is an amazing judge of equine talent and Martin has been a good pal and we were walking the sales ground together.

“They were shopping for some racehorses but at the same time there were some foals that I kept seeing. This Hello Youmzain colt caught my eye. I've been a big fan of Hello Youmzain, being a son of Kodiac (GB), and you saw him do some nice things as a two-year-old before he beat Calyx (GB) in a Group 2 at three, which really caught my attention. Then at four, he obviously won the Diamond Jubilee and became one of the best sprinters in Europe.”

He added, “I know Nico [de Chambure], who obviously stands the stallion, and I asked him if I bought the colt would he be interested in partnering up. Nico had seen the colt and liked him a tonne so we went ahead and got in there and threw some punches. So here we are. He's grown up here [in France] and we're ready to rock. He was accepted to this sale and now hopefully he can do well.”

Lot 38 is just what you'd expect from a son of a top-class sprinter. A fast-looking colt, he has been described as “a baby version” of his sire by Restrepo, who is cautiously optimistic about how he gets on in the ring on Friday.

“I hope everyone here sees what we saw in him way back in December and that he is accepted positively by the marketplace. Hopefully he is purchased by some pretty successful connections and he goes on and has a great career. That's all you can ask for, is to have tempered expectations and then, you know, be very happy if things work out.”

Restrepo added, “As for myself, I'm just really enjoying the sale. I'm also going to be shopping it for the first time. I've been here in the winter, but it's my first summer sale. I just came here on a plane of 50 Americans. Most of them have come here for the first time so there's a lot of excitement to come over here and participate in the sale.

“We've heard about it and read about its success for so long, and it's a blessing to be able to come over here and be a part of it.”

The post Kentucky Derby-Winning Owner and Agent Ramiro Restrepo Excited For Arqana appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights