Rockemperor Leads Home Longshot Chad-zacta in Joe Hirsch

Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) led home one  of the better-paying Chad Brown-trained exactas in recent memory in Saturday's GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic S. The French Group 3-placed runner was fifth as the favorite in this race last year after a close second in the GI Manhattan S. to stablemate Instilled Regard (Arch) in July and a third to fellow Brown pupil Digital Age (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) in the GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic S. at Churchill that September.

He kicked off this season with a third in the GII Fort Marcy S. May 1 behind yet another stablemate, and was fifth to Brown's highly regarded Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in the local GI Resorts World Casino Manhattan S. June 5. The bay got a chance to build some confidence with an easy optional claiming tally here June 26, and was second to re-opposing Cross Border (English Channel) in the GII Bowling Green S. at the Spa July 31 before settling for fourth behind race favorite Gufo (Declaration of War) in the GI Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer S. upstate Aug. 28.

Dismissed at 15-1 while shedding blinkers for the first time since the Fort Marcy, Rockemperor had only race favorite Gufo beaten as they raced under the line for the first time. He was still patiently ridden after a mile in 1:38.62 and as Gufo went for what would prove a premature run. Rockemperor swept past foes widest leaving the home bend, put away the leg-weary Gufo and the rest of his rivals in upper stretch and poured it on from there to score by two lengths. Lightly raced Serve the King (GB) (Kingman {GB}) rallied into second over Gufo. The all-Brown exacta paid $178.50 for $2.

“I think he's the type of horse that's always keen going a long distance and is always pulling right away. I think the key is [Brown] told me he wanted to take off the blinkers,” winning pilot Javier Castellano said. “He's a funny horse because if you leave him too far back, he doesn't come. I think he was in the right place at the right time today. I think he was behind and it felt they went pretty quick, and he relaxed so well. When Gufo moved it gave me the opportunity to get to following. It was a key decision to get to win the race.”

This was the third Joe Hirsch win for Brown, who noted that Rockemperor was a supplemental entry into Saturday's event.

“Serve the King was always running here and Rockemperor was entered in an allowance race the other day and the race didn't go. I have to give credit to [co-owner] Sol Kumin, he was the first one to text me and say, 'Shouldn't we think about the Joe Hirsch?' Why not? He was doing really good and I've been really impressed with the horse in the morning. He's always a good work horse.”

Brown continued, “We put a different bit in his mouth for a little more control. He got a little rank on us lately. For a horse that was always lazy the first half of his career, I couldn't really get him to kick like he showed in his works. He was one paced. I put blinkers on him to get him motivated and warm him up in the post parade–everything you do to try and put a horse more in the game. It came to a boiling point in the last race because he overcompensated and was way out of control with [jockey] Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] and bothered [stablemate] Tribhuvan (Fr) (Toronado {Ire}) in the race.”

As for a potential start, or two, in the GI Breeders ' Cup Turf next month, Brown said, “Both horses–you'd have to look at it. We'll see how the figures come back, but I'm not going to make any decisions right now. Serve the King ran second and to be fair he had a lot of trouble in the stretch. He looked like he would've had a chance to win as well. They would have been very close at the wire if he'd had a better trip.”

Brown-trained mares would run 1-2 in Keeneland's GI First Lady S. about an hour after the Joe Hirsch.

Saturday, Belmont Park
JOE HIRSCH TURF CLASSIC S.-GI, $500,000, Belmont, 10-9, 3yo/up, 1 1/2mT, 2:25.61, fm.
1–ROCKEMPEROR (IRE), 126, h, 5, by Holy Roman Emperor (Ire)
                1st Dam: Motivation (Fr) (SP-Fr), by Muhtathir (GB)
                2nd Dam: Jade Island, by Jade Hunter
                3rd Dam: Nijinsky's Best, by Nijinsky II
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I
   WIN. (€50,000 Ylg '17 ARAUG; €12,000 2yo '18 ARQMAY).
O-Madaket Stables LLC, Michael Dubb, Wonder Stables,
Michael E. Kisber & Michael J. Caruso; B-Haras du Mezeray
(IRE); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Javier Castellano. $275,000. Lifetime
Record: GSP-Fr, 20-4-5-6, $914,404. Werk Nick Rating: B+. 
   Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Serve the King (GB), 126, h, 5, Kingman (GB)–Fallen In Love
(GB), by Galileo (Ire). (260,000gns Ylg '17 TATOCT). O-Peter M.
Brant; B-Normandie Stud Ltd (GB); T-Chad C. Brown. $100,000.
3–Gufo, 126, c, 4, Declaration of War–Floy, by Petionville.
O-Otter Bend Stables, LLC; B-John Little & Stephen Cainelli
(KY); T-Christophe Clement. $60,000.
Margins: 2, 1HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 15.60, 14.80, 1.85.
Also Ran: Channel Maker, Arklow, Japan (GB), Cross Border.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
Pedigree Notes:
Rockemperor becomes the 14th highest-level winner, 49th graded/group winner and 90th black-type winner for Coolmore veteran Holy Roman Emperor (Ire). He is the 13th stakes winner (nine group or graded) for broodmare sire Muhthathir (GB). He hails from the extended female family of MGISW and GI Breeders' Cup Turf runner-up Yagli and important female influences Blush With Pride and her daughter Better Than Honour. The winner's dam Motivation has an unraced 2-year-old by Almanzor (Fr). She sold for €160,000 to Michel Zerolo's Oceanic Bloodstock while in foal to Wootton Bassett (GB) at the 2019 Arqana December breeding stock sale.

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Newspaperofrecord’s Dam to Sell at The Tattersalls December Mares Sale

Group 3 winner Sunday Times (GB) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}–Forever Times {GB}, by So Factual), the dam of GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf heroine Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), will be offered at the upcoming Tattersalls December Mares Sale from Nov. 29-Dec. 2. Carrying a full-sibling to the GI Just a Game heroine, Sunday Times will be consigned by Richard and Sally Aston's Goldford Stud on behalf of Allan Belshaw.

A winner of the G3 Sceptre S. and second in the G1 Cheveley Park S., Sunday Times will be joined by her fourth foal in the Goldford Stud consignment at Tattersalls, the winning Daily Times (GB) (Gleneagles {Ire}), who is also in foal to Lope de Vega (Ire).

“Sunday Times is a truly outstanding broodmare with a great future,” said Richard Aston. “She was a very smart race filly, she has produced a champion 2-year-old, she has a current Classic pedigree which will appeal to breeders from all over the world and she is gorgeous. It is a rare combination and Mr. Belshaw will be racing Newspaperofrecord's yearling own sister and this year's Kingman (GB) filly foal which is why he has decided to sell both Sunday Times and Daily Times.”

A half-sister to the dam of Group 1 winner Latrobe (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), stakes winner and multiple Group 1-placed Pink Dogwood (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and group winner Diamond Fields (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), Sunday Times's first foal was the listed winner Classical Times (GB) (Lawman {Fr}), who was also third in the G3 Chipchase S., while Newspaperofrecord was her third. The latter, who sold for 200,000gns out of Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, also won the GII Miss Grillo S., GIII Intercontinental S., and was third in the GI First Lady S. for owner Klaravich Stables and trainer Chad Brown. The latest produce for Sunday Times is a yearling full-sister to Newspaperofrecord and a weanling filly foal by Kingman (GB).

After Newspaperofrecord's Breeders' Cup victory, Brown said, “Today she showed how good she really is and for her to win as easy as she did is remarkable.”

TDN columnist Bill Finley wrote that, “her performance might well be regarded as one of the best in the history of the series.”

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Romanised Camp Still Considering Hong Kong

G1 Irish 2000 Guineas hero Romanised (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) is still a potential candidate for the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile at the Longines Hong Kong International Races in mid-December at Sha Tin. Although third when favoured after a slow beginning at Dundalk on Monday, the 5-year-old won the G2 Minstrel S. earlier this year and was sixth in the G1 Prix du Moulin in September. Also a winner of the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois, the Ken Condon trainee’s performance has not discouraged his connections.

“I think it served its purpose–it was a prep run and he blew the start,” said Condon of the Robert Ng colourbearer. “Billy [Lee, jockey] had to get him into the race, then he was in his hands a bit. He travelled really well through the race, like we know he can, and went to win his race and just took a blow and got a bit tired. If you take him in isolation, it was an interesting exercise as he’s run his race faster than anything else, if that makes sense.

“If he’d jumped away with them, it would have been a different story. Billy was particularly happy and he’s the one that is the most relevant in this jigsaw.”

He added, “We’ll see how he is in the next week–we don’t have to commit to Hong Kong immediately. But I still think we’re on course and he’ll get something from the race [at Dundalk], as he’d been off the track a while.

“All things considered, it was a solid run. It’s important now to see how he trains in the next week as it’s a long way to go and we want to be going there with a horse in top condition. I was initially disappointed that he got beaten, but after I analysed it closely and watched the race several times and listened to everybody, I think he’s run well.”

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Back-To-Back Minstrels For Holy Roman Emperor’s Romanised

Enjoying the perfect warm-up for a repeat bid in the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois, Robert Ng’s Romanised (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) was at or very near his best to register back-to-back wins in Saturday’s G2 Paddy Power Minstrel S. at The Curragh. Tracking the 10-11 market-leader Lancaster House (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in third against the rail, the 9-4 second favourite was angled out of a pocket by Billy Lee to swamp that rival at the furlong pole. Asserting on the run to the line, the 2018 G1 Irish 2000 Guineas hero who was last seen finishing runner-up in the G1 Prix du Moulin had 1 3/4 lengths to spare over the Ballydoyle runner there, with Surrounding (Ire) (Lilbourne Lad {Ire}) 2 1/4 lengths behind in third.

“We were keen to start his season locally at a track he’s won at before and I’m delighted with that,” trainer Ken Condon commented. “He’s a little bit heavier and a year older and he’d been working nicely without any fireworks–all the signs were very good, but bearing in mind he has needed his comeback runs over the last two seasons I’m very pleased with that. He was not too fresh and real professional and his work had been like that, nice and relaxed. It’s lovely that he showed that on ground as dead and slow as he’d want it and the Jacques le Marois is the primary target. We had a super day there last year and it’s his big aim. Hopefully, he takes this race well and I’m sure he’ll get something from it as he would have been ring-rusty. Deauville’s straight track suits his way of running best and we’ll discuss the rest of his campaign with his owner Robert and racing manager Rupert [Pritchard-Gordon]. He might go to Longchamp again for the Moulin and might end up in Hong Kong later after three runs. He’d still be a fresh horse then, hopefully.”

Romanised, whose Curragh efforts now read three wins from four starts, is a half to the dual listed scorer Fictional Account (Ire) (Stravinsky) and the G3 St Leger Italiano winner Rock of Romance (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}). The dam Romantic Venture (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}) hails from a Moyglare Stud family and is a full-sister to the G3 Brigadier Gerard S. and G3 Arc Trial S. scorer Sights On Gold (Ire) and a half to the four-times group 1-wining Hong Kong Horse of the Year Designs On Rome (Ire) by Romanised’s sire Holy Roman Emperor, as well as to the GII American Derby winner Simple Exchange (Ire) (Danehill). The third dam Seasonal Pickup (The Minstrel), a full-sister to the dam of the G1 Irish Derby hero Grey Swallow (Ire) (Daylami {Ire}), is the second dam of the G2 Feehan S. winner and G1 George Ryder S. runner-up Rekindled Interest (Aus) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}).

Saturday, Curragh, Ireland
PADDY POWER MINSTREL S.-G2, €80,000, Curragh, 7-18, 3yo/up, 7fT, 1:25.88, yl.
1–ROMANISED (IRE), 136, h, 5, by Holy Roman Emperor (Ire)
1st Dam: Romantic Venture (Ire), by Indian Ridge (Ire)
2nd Dam: Summer Trysting, by Alleged
3rd Dam: Seasonal Pickup, by The Minstrel
O-Robert Ng; B-Mrs Monica Aherne (IRE); T-Ken Condon; J-Billy Lee. €48,000. Lifetime Record: Hwt. Older Horse-Ire at 7.5-9f, G1SW-Fr & Ire, GSP-Eng, 16-5-2-0, $1,284,357. *1/2 to Rock of Romance (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}), GSW-Ity, SW & MGSP-Ger, $125,944; and Fictional Account (IRE) (Stravinsky), Hwt. Older Mare-Ire at 14f+, SW-Eng & Ire, SP-Aus, $178,094. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Lancaster House (Ire), 136, c, 4, Galileo (Ire)–Quiet Oasis (Ire), by Oasis Dream (GB). O-Michael Tabor Derrick Smith & Susan Magnier; B-Barronstown Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O’Brien. €16,000.
3–Surrounding (Ire), 133, m, 7, Lilbourne Lad (Ire)–Roundabout Girl (Ire), by Doubletour. O/B-P E I Newell (IRE); T-Michael Halford. €8,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, 2 1/4, 1 3/4. Odds: 2.25, 0.91, 10.00.
Also Ran: Love Locket (Ire), Buffer Zone (GB), Precious Moments (Ire). Scratched: Gustavus Weston (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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