King Gold Reigns Supreme In Deauville’s Maurice de Gheest

Nicolas Caullery trainee King Gold (Fr) (Anodin {Ire}–Miss Gandelia {Fr}, by Kingsalsa) made a breakthrough at black-type level with a first such victory in June's G3 Prix de la Porte Maillot at ParisLongchamp when last seen and made the leap forward to prevail in a thrilling renewal of Sunday's G1 Arc Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville. The 39-5 chance was alert from the gates before settling under cover off the pace with just one rival behind through halfway. Inching closer when nudged along passing the quarter-mile marker, he was ridden to engage British raider Spycatcher (Ire) (Vadamos {Fr}) soon after passing the furlong pole and kept on strongly under a late drive to deny that rival by a short-head after a pulsating nip-and-tuck tussle. The Hollie Doyle-ridden Saint Lawrence (Ire) (Al Kazeem {GB}) closed fast and late to finish a neck adrift in third.

“What a day and what a race,” beamed trainer Nicolas Caullery after collecting a first prize at the highest level. “I have so many people to thank, especially owners and breeders Raymonde and Christian Wingtans. It has been so much work for them, for so many years, to finally win a Group 1 race with a horse they bred. They are my friends and they have always supported me. I must also thank my wife Marine, my son Charles and others who are not us with us anymore. And, of course, King Gold who made all this possible. He has always showed great potential since he was a 2-year-old, but he has had his share of problems. We had to go slowly with him as he wasn't really that precocious and needed time to mature. He ran this winter in Dubai, where he was twice unlucky, but that set him up perfectly for the European season and he has been almost perfect since. He has always been a warrior and he had to be one today. This is history now and the present is the moment to savour. All being well, he will return over his favorite course and distance [seven furlongs at ParisLongchamp] in the [G1] Prix de la Foret.”

 

Winning rider Stephane Pasquier added, “The whole Nicolas Caullery team deserves a huge pat on the back for the work they have done to make the horse what he is today. There's a lot of emotion involved. I had a perfect race, and the horse showed his fighting qualities to the bitter end. He gave of himself particularly generously and was incredible today.”

Reflecting on the effort of the runner-up, Highclere's Harry Herbert commented, “Spycatcher put in a great performance. We almost retired him last year, but our vet treated him and he was able to resume his racing career. All credit to trainer Karl Burke and his team for getting him back to this level. Winning a Group 3, and coming so close to winning a Group 1, couldn't have been envisaged a year ago. We'll certainly consider running him in the [G1] Sprint Cup at Haydock.”

Pedigree Notes
King Gold, who becomes the first Group 1 winner for his sire, is the second foal produced by the unraced Miss Gandelia (Fr) (Kingsalsa), who is a full-sister to MGSP G2 Prix Robert Papin runner-up Queensalsa (Fr). Miss Gandelia is also a half-sister to Listed Prix des Jouvenceaux et des Jouvencelles victrix and G3 Prix du Calvados third Queen America (Fr) (American Post {GB}). Queensalsa, in turn, is the dam of Listed Prix Isonomy victrix Whip And Win (Fr) (Whipper), herself the dam of Listed Prix de Saint-Cyr victrix and GIII Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf S. third Pas De Soucis (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}). King Gold's third dam Nadelia (Fr) (Nadjar {Fr}), who hails from the family of MG1SW sires Sulamani (Ire) (Hernando {Fr}) and Dream Well (Fr) (Sadler's Wells), is kin to the Listed Derby de l'Ouest third King's Winner (Fr) (Legend Of France). Miss Gandelia has the unraced 2-year-old filly Nadelia (Fr) (Spanish Moon) to come.

Sunday, Deauville, France
ARC PRIX MAURICE DE GHEEST-G1, €380,000, Deauville, 8-6, 3yo/up, 6 1/2fT, 1:19.71, vsf.
1–KING GOLD (FR), 130, h, 6, by Anodin (Ire)
1st Dam: Miss Gandelia (Fr), by Kingsalsa
2nd Dam: Gandelia (Fr), by Ganges
3rd Dam: Nadelia (Fr), by Nadjar (Fr)
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Mme Christian Wingtans & Nicolas Caullery; B-Mme Christian Wingtans (FR); T-Nicolas Caullery; J-Stephane Pasquier. €217,132. Lifetime Record: GSP-Ger, 35-8-3-7, €425,987. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Spycatcher (Ire), 130, g, 5, Vadamos (Fr)–Damask (Ire), by Red Clubs (Ire). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. (90,000gns 2yo '20 TATBRE). O-Highclere Thoroughbred Racing (Adriana Zaefferer); B-Tally-Ho Stud (IRE); T-Karl Burke. €86,868.
3–Saint Lawrence (Ire), 130, g, 5, Al Kazeem (GB)–Affluent (GB), by Oasis Dream (GB). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. O-D J Deer; B-D J & Mrs Deer (IRE); T-Archie Watson. €43,434.
Margins: SHD, NK, 2. Odds: 7.80, 1.60, 12.00.
Also Ran: Cold Case (GB), Art Power (Ire), Sandrine (GB), Rohaan (Ire), Brad The Brief (GB), Egot (Ire), Fort Payne (Fr). Video, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

The post King Gold Reigns Supreme In Deauville’s Maurice de Gheest appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Ghislaine Head Dies at 95

Ghislaine Head, owner-breeder and matriarch of France's famous training dynasty, died on Thursday, June 1 at the age of 95. The news was first reported by Jour de Galop. 

The wife of Alec Head, who died a year ago, Ghislaine was represented on the racecourse by, among others, the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Three Troikas (Fr) (Lyphard), who was trained by her daughter Christiane (Criquette) and ridden to victory by her son Freddy, who was later a successful trainer in his own right.

Alec and Ghislaine Head bought Haras du Quesnay just outside Deauville in 1958 and set about making it into one the country's most famous breeding and stallion operations, with its resident sires over the decades including Le Fabuleux (Fr), Anabaa, Highest Honor (Fr), and the homebred Bering (GB), who was another to race in Head's colours to win the 1986 Prix du Jockey Club.

Paying tribute to her mother in JDG, Criquette Head said, “Mum and Dad were an incredible pair. If Dad took care of the horses, Mum managed all the administrative aspects, in Chantilly as in Quesnay, which was not an easy task, and relations with customers.

“She was a woman of character, very active, undoubtedly ahead of her time. She was also the real pillar of the family…She has always supported us, her children. She has done more than raise us, I would say that she has elevated us.”

Christopher Head, grandson of Alec and Ghislaine, is the trainer of the favourite for Sunday's Prix du Jockey Club, Big Rock (Fr).

Ghislaine Head is survived by her children Freddy, Criquette, Martine, and Patricia, as well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

The post Ghislaine Head Dies at 95 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Laffon Working To Build On ‘Head’ Start

It has been a poignant year for his mother's family, who last summer grieved not only their own venerable patriarch but the founder of many parallel equine dynasties. Within months of Alec Head's death, their Haras du Quesnay was being dismantled and, as a reflective young man, Fernando Laffon could not fail to sense the end of a cycle as his grandmother Criquette Head-Maarek was joined in retirement by her brother Freddy. But just as Freddy's children Christopher and Victoria meanwhile continue in training careers of their own, so Laffon is assisting the next turn of the wheel.

Though only 23, he is already a familiar sight on the bloodstock circuit either side of the ocean. He was born to the game, as son of trainer Carlos Laffon-Parias and Criquette's daughter Patricia. And his nascent agency, Fernando's Horses, already features Real Madrid full-back Alvaro Odriozola among its clients. Lately, moreover, he has been shadowing a paragon of his chosen profession, David Ingordo, round the American sales in completing his education with a stint at Lane's End.

Except, of course, with such a background Laffon understands perfectly well that one's education with Thoroughbreds is never “complete”. Though he will always stand out from a crowd, elevated by those long limbs, Laffon scrupulously renounces any entitlement through pedigree or upbringing. If anything, in fact, that's where he does have a “Head” start: in grasping that horses are ever here to keep us humble.

“I really have no expectations whatsoever,” he insists. “Because I've been taught not to have any; that any good surprise is a good surprise. I'm the last of my siblings, so have always been among older people. But in no way, shape or form am I any wiser than anyone else my age. I just try to keep quiet, be observant, and be respectful to everyone I work with. And, if I can, to make my way through the industry qualitatively and maturely.”

That said, the industry in question is entirely predicated on the principle that breeding and upbringing will show in performance-and sometimes that can apply on two legs, no less than on four. Laffon was only 12 when his father saddled Solemia (Ire) (Poliglote {GB}) to win the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, compounding the extraordinary race record of his maternal family. Criquette won the next two runnings with Treve (Fr) (Motivator {GB}); and had earlier won with Three Troikas (Fr) (Lyphard), one of four Arc winners ridden by her brother. Freddy duly matched the quartet saddled by their father, whose own father William had in turn trained two.

“I feel very lucky to have been raised in the centre of racing: Chantilly,” Laffon acknowledges. “Growing up, I never really grasped the importance of my great-grandfather's name. His daughter became my mentor, but first and foremost she was my grandmother. But by the time I got out of college, and knew what area of the industry I wanted to be involved in, I started to realize how critical he had been, and who he was, and the love for the animal that he had. And as the years goes by, I'm sure I'll also find myself looking back on things that my dad has said or done, things I heard or saw as a kid falling into place with my own experiences. I'm going to have to make my name for myself, as obvious as that is. But those memories are always going to be there, in the back of your mind, giving you an edge.”

That kind of heritage, admittedly, can sometimes prove a double-edged sword. In this business you often see successor generations losing their way because they never sampled different ways of doing things elsewhere. So it feels very wholesome that Laffon has broadened his horizons, not just at Reading University/Henley Business School (plus a desk job in Geneva), but in taking the Irish National Stud course and learning the agency ropes under Tom Goff. He feels a huge debt to both; and now here he is in Kentucky.

“It's definitely something you have to do: experience different schools, understand the different ways that horses are managed, land is managed,” Laffon says. “From the very early morning training routines I once knew, growing up, it's so different over here. And I really acknowledge the privileged situation I'm in here, with the Farish family, it's an absolutely fantastic organisation.”

And the timing could not have been better, allowing such a young man already to have been on neck-slapping terms not with just Treve but now also with Flightline (Tapit).

“Oh, everything that's happened since I got here is a blessing, really,” Laffon enthuses. “Joining at such an important time in the farm's history, in any horseman's career really, was really something special. Being able to witness greatness, and the upcoming path for him, is so exciting.”

Given Alec Head's example, it would be fitting if Laffon could build on this transatlantic foundation to renew the kind of genetic transfusion so culpably neglected in recent times.

“Yes, my great-grandfather brought a lot of pedigrees over here and, most importantly, brought them back to Europe as well,” he agrees. “When he was surrounded with stallions such as Riverman and Lyphard and Anabaa and Mr. Sidney, it was all about exposing them to different markets, different methods of racing. And that's kind of been lost. People now want certainty, whereas before it was a gamble that either paid off or didn't.

“But now that we're seeing such improvement in the way Americans look at turf racing, I think there are definitely opportunities for working both continents at once; in fact, I intend to do so. And also for reconciling the racing, acknowledging that horses here are definitely different, they're bigger, and speed out of the gate is crucial. And the nutrition program is completely different. However I was shocked by the amount of European pedigree I have found, both on the farms and at the sales. So these horses can be super versatile, and exposing myself to both is a necessity.”

But you certainly learn fast in the Bluegrass. Laffon equates trying to keep up with Ingordo, round a single September Sale, with three full years on the European circuit. Again, it's about keeping humble–and keeping eyes and ears open.

“I've been raised in a very traditional manner,” Laffon emphasizes. “I just want to do right by me, and my clients, and the people I work with. Because in the end it's a game of honesty and trust. My end goal has always been to breed, which is something I've undertaken already back in Europe, with fillies in training and newly purchased mares.”

The commercial yearling represents a valuable new dimension for Laffon, the clienteles of father and grandmother alike having largely been owner-breeders.

“It's helped to evolve the way I see things,” he says. “You're not looking at the perfect horse, only at a certain stage of maturity, and asking yourself what improvement you can get from them. And I think that comes down to just understanding that every individual in your barn has different qualities. Spotting those is what sets apart trainers like my father and grandmother from others.”

With that old school background, it feels positive that Laffon should have joined forces with another young man from a very different world. For Odriozola, equally, it must have been refreshing to encounter someone who knew so much about racing, and plenty about rugby, but very little about soccer. They met when Odriozola, attending the Arc, was invited (as a fellow Spaniard) to visit his father's yard.

“Alvaro has sure made an impression, since the beginning,” Laffon says. “He's so eager towards the game we all love, passionate and knowledgeable. He and I are just on the same wavelength, we're friends before anything else, and both happen to share this unconditional love of the horse in its entirety. Spain is a small country, racing-wise, but any horseman or racing fan must experience Madrid La Zarzuela racetrack, architecturally it's one of the most beautiful in Europe. The quality of racing is without a doubt picking up. And that's one of the beautiful things I admire about Alvaro, that he's willing just to give back to the industry he so loves, in his country. He wants to breed, so has bought a few young fillies for racing: with Ramon Avial in San Sebastian, in Chantilly with Dad, but also at Joseph O'Brien's in Co. Kilkenny.”

Since establishing that link with Odriozola, a couple of years ago, Laffon has also assisted his grandmother in matings and stud management, and meanwhile built a few partnerships among friends and clients.

“I want a very close relationship with anyone I work with,” he stresses. “To me, it's not about putting yourself out there and buying the most horses you can, but about building trust with those you want to buy for.”

We're plainly talking to a pretty cosmopolitan young man here. Laffon went to school in England, his genes are French and Spanish, and he has embraced a career where his surname resonates internationally at Hall of Fame level. Yet he knows that he has barely scratched the surface; that even in our narrow walk of life, there's a whole world out there waiting to be discovered.

“I think the world is both a big place and a small place,” he suggests. “I want to go to many different places, discover many different cultures. It's such a short time that we have to experience everything. And that's what this industry gives us. One day you're in Keeneland, the next you're at the Magic Millions. It's a beautiful thing. We're so lucky to do what we love. There's no words to describe it: how this job that takes every single day of every week, every single hour of every day, but makes us proud just to be waking up and working hard.”

And perhaps it is that precocious insight–as much as any connections, any inherited lore–that represents Laffon's most precious family legacy.

“Yes, of course, having an 'in' is a positive,” he accepts. “In terms of the way I can look at and understand the animal, it's been great to have been brought up with a 'second nature' type of outlook. But one of the things I love about this industry is that it's really open to any hardworking person. If you have the drive, you can go anywhere: people will never overlook you. And that's why I wanted to come here. In America people are very outgoing: starting out in business, they get themselves heard. Obviously my great-grandfather did a lot here, and his name is very well regarded. But I really wanted to make my own way, a fresh start.

“In breeding, there's always progression. Change will always occur: not only in the way I do things, but in the way everyone does. So it's about adapting. A breeder has to be a seller, has to understand how the market works and how it may change. That's why coming here, and being exposed to all this, it's really the best thing I could do.”

The post Laffon Working To Build On ‘Head’ Start appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Quesnay Dispersal Features Trevise’s Last Foal And More

by Sue Finley & Katie Petrunyak

Since 1958, the Head family has been raising champion Thoroughbreds at Haras du Quesnay, just a few kilometers from the Arqana sales ring. But now, with the passing of the family patriarch, Alec Head, and the sale of the historic nursery, the family's colors will fly for the last time at the December Breeding Stock sale, with the complete dispersal of the Heads' bloodstock interests.

Le Quesnay will offer 48 broodmares, fillies and foals during the sale.

“It's a big bunch of horses, and it's sad to see them going,” said Vincent Rimaud, Quesnay's Stud Manager. “On the other hand, it's nice to look after them. A decision was taken to sell them in Arqana because we're here, we're in France. We're 10 miles away from the site, and we've always sold there. And while a lot of these horses will stay in France, a few of these mares will attract international clients.”

 

 

In fact, the first through the ring, lot 31, Perle d'Auge (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), figures to be one of the stars of the dispersal. She is a half-sister to the 2022 G3 Prix Minerve winner Eternal Pearl (GB) (Frankel {GB}). Her third dam Pearly Shells (GB) was the G1 Prix Vermeille winner, who produced the dam of G1 Matron S. Winner Pearls Galore (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). Her 2022 filly by Intello (Ger) is also being offered as lot 329.

“Three years ago, we bought Perle d'Auge as a maiden in Arqana and we got her in foal to Intello (Ger) and she gave us a beautiful filly that we would sell. And the pedigree has moved a lot since we bought this mare with Eternal Pearl and with Pearls Galore.”

An emotional sale figures to come with the last foal from Trevise (Fr), the dam of two-time G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Treve (Fr), who died during this foaling. The filly by the late Le Havre sells as lot 166 on Saturday.

“Of course, we have Treve's family,” said Rimaud. “We have the sister to Treve by Le Havre and she's a very nice filly. She's a good mix of Le Havre and her dam. The mare died this year, giving birth to this filly, so she was raised under a nurse mare, and of course, Le Havre died also. So, it's a bit of a sad story, but there's also very beautiful potential there as a broodmare and hopefully a nice race mare before that.”

Treve's half-sister Toride (Fr), who has already produced the black-type runners Lady Day (Fr) and Maximus (Fr), is offered on Saturday as lot 197 in foal to Zarak (Fr), Europe's leading second-crop sire, who stood this year at Haras de Bonneval for €60,000.

“We have Toride, which is a sister that has already produced two black-type horses and she's in foal to Zarak, and it is the right time to be in foal to that stallion to go to the sales. She's a nice mare. And we are also taking down her fifth foal, which is a Persian King (Ire) colt, a very nice colt, and we've been very fortunate with this family.”

The exact future of Quesnay remains unclear; part of the land has been sold off to create the new Haras de Beaumont across the road from the main section of Quesnay, and Rimaud says that there will still be Thoroughbreds raised on the remaining land. But after 20 years of working for the Head family, he admits there will be more than a bit of sadness when the hammer falls on the final lot through the ring on Tuesday.

“There are plenty of people working here and some of them have been working here for a very long time,” he said. “And I think that we will have two different feelings. If they sell well, if they go with nice breeders into good hands, we will be happy about the job done. And I guess at the end of Tuesday night, when we sell the last number, we will feel a bit sad, of course. That will happen. All of these horses that are going to the sales, they were born here in those foaling stables over there,” he says, waving his hand across the iconic Quesnay yard. “And I was there for most of them.”

The post Quesnay Dispersal Features Trevise’s Last Foal And More appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights