Group 1-Winning Stayer Scope Put Down After Gallops Accident

Ralph Beckett's Group 1-winning stayer Scope (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) has been put down after suffering a serious injury in a routine piece of work.

The 4-year-old enjoyed his finest hour when lifting the G1 Prix Royal-Oak at ParisLongchamp in October and connections had been looking forward to him making his presence felt this season.

However, Beckett reported in his website blog, “Scope was put down this (Tuesday) morning after fracturing his right-hind cannon bone and pastern, whilst at routine exercise.

“Having trained him, his entire family, and won a Group 1 with him last autumn, he meant a great deal to us and we will miss him sorely.”

The news illustrates the high and lows of racing, as it comes just days after the stable won the G1 Irish Derby in brilliant fashion with Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}).

Giving an update on the colt, Beckett said: “He has come out of it well, and is a possible for the G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth S. at the end of July.”

 

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“We Received An Offer That Was Very Hard To Refuse” – La Petite Coco’s Breeder

Bernd and Ute Schone may sound an unlikely couple to be putting County Offaly in lights. However, the husband-and-wife team, who hail from Germany but have based themselves in the village of Rhode for over a decade, boast the rare achievement of breeding a Group 1 winner after their graduate La Petite Coco (Ire) (Ruler Of The World {Ire}) stormed to Alwasmiyah Pretty Polly S. glory at the Curragh on Sunday. 

Ute Schone, who runs the farm alongside her husband Bernd, described La Petite Coco's Group 1 victory as “a dream” and revealed that she still hadn't come back down to earth after Sunday's race. 

Speaking on Monday, she said, “What can I say? Yesterday was so unreal. I am speechless. It is a dream, honestly. Watching her yesterday, that last furlong, I stood there in complete shock. I couldn't believe it. 

“Even last year when she won her Group 2 on Irish Champions Weekend. I mean, hello? You are standing there watching it and you can't believe that it's a horse that you bred.”

Schone added, “We had La Petite Coco for two years and yesterday we were watching her winning a Group 1. Wow. It's indescribable, honestly. 

“My husband [Bernd] and I, we are just small breeders, and something like this has never happened to us before.”

Bernd and Ute run a boarding facility in Rhode. They cater mostly for international clients and breed a handful of their own mares. La Petite Virginia (Ger) (Konigstiger {Ger}), the dam of La Petite Coco, was one of those mares.

“We refused a few offers [for La Petite Virginia] earlier on in La Petite Coco's career but, after she won the Blandford Stakes, we received an offer that was very hard to refuse,” – Ute Schone, breeder of La Petite Coco

That was until the Schones received an offer that they couldn't refuse for the mare after La Petite Coco won the G2 Blandford S. at the Curragh last term.

However, fortune had not always followed La Petite Virginia and, before La Petite Coco came onto the scene, the Schones endured their share of hard-luck stories. 

Shone explained, “La Petite Virginia was very weak when she came to us first. Her dam had to be put down when she was only two months old and she was raised by a foster mare. We got her as a weanling and, because she was pretty weak, it was quite obvious not to put her into training. 

“Because she was so well-bred, we decided to breed from her. We couldn't afford the big stallions but we went to what we thought would suit her, what was affordable and nice.”

She added, “Her first foal was a filly by Thewayyouare. She was sold abroad and won, which was great. We sent her to Power (GB) and we sold the foal to a man in Germany but unfortunately it died as a yearling. That was only the start of the bad luck with her. 

“We had a beautiful Excelebration (Ire) colt foal. Just gorgeous. We turned him out in the field and everything was great. The vet liked him as well. He was perfect. The following morning came and the foal was dead. 

“We skipped a year with her after that but then decided to try and do it again with her. We went to Ruler Of The World (Ire). We liked him as a racehorse. He's a Derby winner and is obviously by Galileo (Ire). We saw him in the flesh and we liked him a lot. The rest is history now. 

After that we sent her to Ivawood (Ire) because we thought it would be a good idea to try and get a bit more speed into her so we still have that 2-year-old. She is in training with Andrew Kinirons.”

La Petite Virginia is a half-sister to Lavirco (Ger) and Laveron (GB), both known for being proven National Hunt stallions, and is from a good Gestut Fahrhof family.

Despite this, Schone did not think that La Petite Coco would make much at the sales and elected to race her. After two solid runs in Irish maidens for Andrew Kinirons, La Petite Coco was sold privately to Team Valor and sent to Paddy Twomey, for whom her career has blossomed with. 

The one constant in the La Petite Coco story has been Billy Lee and Schone is under no doubt the role the rider has played.

She said, “We didn't send La Petite Coco to the auction because we didn't think she'd make any money. We decided to put her in training with Andrew Kinirons and he did a very good job with her. 

“Andrew has a very good connection with Billy Lee. He rode her in two races and he always liked her, which meant a lot. I think we were very lucky having Billy on board so early in her career.”

Schone's Ivawood half-sister to La Petite Coco has yet to grace the track but the reports are good. As for La Petite Virginia, she was sold back to Gestut Fahrhof for an eye-watering sum and is understood to have given birth to a colt foal by Gleneagles.

Schone said, “Once you produce a good horse, the sales call is never far away. We refused a few offers earlier on in La Petite Coco's career but, after she won the Blandford Stakes, we received an offer that was very hard to refuse. Luckily enough, she went back to her breeder [Gestut Fahrhof].”

She added, “You could say it was a life-changing amount of money and you don't have to worry about certain things anymore. On the other hand, we owned La Petite Virginia for nearly 13 years. She became a part of the family. We went through so many things with her. Ups and downs. You build up a relationship with a horse like that. 

“But she has gone back to one of the best stud farms in Germany and we know she will have a great life. There are no concerns there. We sold her in foal to Gleneagles (Ire) and she had a colt foal. The plan was to send her to Camelot (GB) after that.”

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Twomey “Disappointed And Upset” Over Rosscarbery Disqualification 

Paddy Twomey has admitted that the disqualification of Rosscarbery (Ger) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) from third spot in Sunday's Alwasmiyah Pretty Polly S. after her rider Wayne Lordan weighed in 5lbs light took the gloss off the fact that he recorded his first Group 1 success in the race with La Petite Coco (Ire) (Ruler Of The World {Ire}).

The trainer described himself as “disappointed and upset” that Rosscarbery, supplemented for the Curragh Group 1 at a cost of €30,000 to the filly's owner Robert Moran, missed out on prize-money and valuable black type due to what he described as an Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) error. 

Twomey believes that the finger of blame points to the clerk of the scales who, according to the trainer, told Lordan that he was 5lbs too heavy upon weighing out. 

As a result, 5lbs of weight was taken out of the saddle cloth and Twomey is convinced that the same saddle that Lordan weighed out in was the one that returned to the weigh room after Rosscarbery ran a career-best to finish third behind her stablemate. 

Twomey told TDN Europe on Monday, “I am very disappointed and upset over Rosscarbery being disqualified from finishing third in a Group 1. She is a filly on the up and what happened on the day was clearly an error on the part of the clerk of the scales. I am very upset by it. 

“I enjoyed winning my first Group 1 but all I could think about for three or four hours afterwards was losing third in a Group 1. It has been referred to the IHRB and that's the latest.”

He added, “Robert was very sporting in supplementing the filly and she justified that decision by finishing third. Through no fault of the filly's, the owner's, the trainer's or the jockey's, she didn't get the chance to collect the prize money or the Group 1 black type that she deserved. 

“He spent €30,000 to run this filly and never had the chance to earn that money back due to an error that was made by the clerk of the scales.”

It was just last month that Moran, speaking exclusively to TDN Europe, revealed that he contemplated wrapping up his ownership vehicle in Ireland after a number of bad experiences left him demoralised with racing

Although Moran couldn't be contacted on Monday, Twomey explained how the American-based owner never had a chance of recouping the €30,000 stumped up to run Rosscarbery on Sunday, which bears the brunt of the frustration within the camp. 

Twomey said, “We spoke at Limerick a couple of weeks ago and I told him [Moran] that I was thinking of supplementing. I changed my mind last Tuesday morning but, at two minutes to 12 [the latest supplementary stage], I put her in. 

“I rang Robert at a minute past 12 to tell him I had spent €30,000 supplementing the filly. He said, 'that's fine,' so for Robert to be sent out without a chance of recouping that money is something that really upset me.”

Had Rosscarbery not been disqualified, she would have covered the cost of running in the Pretty Polly, with €30,000 on offer for finishing third. Instead, the Ger Lyons-trained Thunder Kiss (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) picked up the third-place prize money and black type while Rosscarbery left empty-handed.

Niall Cronin, communications manager for the IHRB, would not offer further comment on Monday.

Speaking immediately after racing on Sunday, he said, “Wayne Lordan weighed out at 138.1lbs and weighed back in at 133.5lbs. 

“As a result there was an inquiry into the weighing-in procedures of the third-placed horse. As per rule 231, section 1, the horse had to be disqualified. The stewards have referred the matter on for further investigation. Mr Twomey is aware of that.”

Given the extensive ramifications the disqualification has to Rosscarbery's residual value as a broodmare, TDN Europe understands that Twomey and Moran are prepared to pursue legal options should their filly not be reinstated as the third home in Sunday's Group 1. 

Speaking about future plans for Rosscarbery, and what it meant to notch a breakthrough Group 1 with La Petite Coco, Twomey said, “We know that 1m2f is a little on the sharp side for Rosscarbery and she'll be even better over 1m4f and should even get 1m6f. 

“She proved she belongs at Group 1 level and we're going to have to map out a campaign for the second half of the season now. Hopefully we can win a Group 1 with her and, all of those races that Coco can run in, she could also. The likes of the G1 Champions Fillies & Mares S. at Ascot could also suit. She's very versatile.”

He added, “I couldn't see anything beating La Petite Coco yesterday to be honest. When you can't get it done [first Group 1] for a while, it seems far away, so it was nice to  get that under our belt.”

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‘I Had No Clue Who Adlerflug Was But I Just Loved Alenquer’ 

Few people will go through life fortunate enough to say they have had anything to do with a Group 1 winner–fewer still with one who cost just €18,000 as a foal.

But back in 2018, when not many were in a hurry to get behind the little-known Adlerflug (Fr) (In The Wings {GB}), one of the ill-fated sire's most talented sons went through the ring at Arqana for that paltry sum.

It was Gerry Burke's eye and pocket who saw something in Alenquer (Ger) long before the horse confirmed himself a colt of the highest standard in winning the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh on Sunday, not that the man behind Glidawn Stud will take much credit. 

“Normally, when these horses end up becoming Group 1 winners, it's because they have been fortunate enough to have been in good hands, particularly when it comes to the trainer,” said Burke, deflecting the praise towards William Haggas.

“It's lovely when something like this happens as it gives people hope that you don't have to spend hundreds of thousands to find a Group 1 winner. 

“He [Alenquer] was a relatively inexpensive foal and was lucky for everyone he was associated with. He left me a few quid and has done very well for his new connections.” – Gerry Burke

Torquator Tasso (Ger), last season's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner, and In Swoop (Ire), had yet to fly the flag for Adlerflug by the time Burke re-offered Alenquer as a yearling, not that it mattered much.

Such was the quality of animal Burke was dealing with, Alenquer was accepted into Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Sale, and despite admitting to knowing next to nothing about the colt's sire, popular bloodstock agent Armando Duarte went to 80,000gns to secure him.

Picking up the story, Duarte, who purchased Alenquer on behalf of MM Stables, recalled, “Within three strides of seeing Alenquer walking out of his box, I thought 'wow, he is absolutely unbelievable.' He'd a great walk, a great shoulder, a lovely head with good ears and good eyes. “I went and looked at every other horse in that sale but he was the one who kept coming back to my mind. I think I looked at him 13 times. I had no clue who Adlerflug was but I just loved Alenquer.”

He added, “Bill O'Gorman, who taught me everything I know, always said to me that horses don't know how much they cost and it's a fact. He was a great mentor to me and taught me to look for the triangular shape between the withers, shoulders and the hip. Alenquer had that triangular shape that I look for.”

The Tattersalls Gold Cup has at times been rendered a damp squib, a soft touch if you like, but not Sunday's edition. 

Alenquer beat globetrotting stars State Of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) and Lord North (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Mac Swiney (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) and Group 1 scorers Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) and Helvic Dream (Ire) (Power {GB}) in recording his finest hour on the racetrack and Duarte believes the 4-year-old has more to offer at the highest level.

“To be honest, sometimes I have to pinch myself. Things like this don't happen very often so you have to enjoy it,” he said.

“It was as good a Tattersalls Gold Cup as I can remember. We like to give him a little break between races so I think we will go to the Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown next. After that, we could look at the King George at Ascot, the Juddmonte, the Irish Champion Stakes or even the Arc. There are so many options. He's improving all the time and is exciting.” 

Alenquer was the only foal that Burke brought home from Arqana in 2018 and he counts himself “blessed” to have found him. Whether it was fate, or just sheer luck, Burke explained that Duarte was the first man to pull Alenquer out of his stable at Tattersalls and that Sunday's triumph marked the anniversary of another special day. 

The renowned pinhooker said, “I knew that Armando loved him. He was the first man to pull him out of the box. The horse was well liked by a lot of very good judges at the sales and it was nice to see the experts back up what we thought of him at home. 

“He was the only foal I bought at Arqana that year. I was blessed to find him. We sold Hula Angel (Woodman), who won the Irish 1,000 Guineas 23 years ago to the day of Alenquer's Gold Cup win, so that's how long it took me to find another one. We have been very blessed to have had him.”

Many good things come to those who deserve them least but in the case of Gwen Monneraye and Lucie Lamotte of La Motteraye, who consigned Alenquer at Arqana on behalf of Michael Andree, they have earned their place in the third and final chapter of the Alenquer story. 

Gwen and Lucie, who welcomed their first child Olivia into the world just three months ago, were zipping down to the south of France for a mini holiday when they pulled over to watch Alenquer storm to Curragh glory. 

Alenquer came from just the second crop of foals born at La Motteraye, the fast-developing stud in Normandy, with the broodmare band more than doubling since 2018 from 20 to 50 currently. 

Among them is Alenquer's dam Wild Blossom (Ger) (Areion {Ger}), happily in foal to Victor Ludorum (GB) (Shamardal), which provided the young family with extra reason to celebrate over the weekend. 

Monneraye said, “Alenquer was born and reared on our farm. Michael Andree, of Gestut Romerhof, is the Coolmore representative in Germany and is also a very good client of ours. He sent the mare [Wild Blossom] in foal to Adlerflug and she has remained on our farm ever since.”

He added, “I can remember asking Michael about the stallion as I didn't know a lot about Adlerflug. He was a nice horse to be bringing to the sales but people were not aware of Adlerflug and he made only €18,000. His statistics are looking very smart now.

“We work hard every day and to get a result like that was amazing. We were actually on the road to go on a little holiday when we pulled over to watch the race on our phone. It was the best start ever to a holiday and we drank a lot of champagne when we arrived.”

Rare are days where a horse like Alenquer comes along. They need to be celebrated and Burke, Duarte, Andree, Monneraye and Lamotte certainly have.

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