Tag: Horse racing news

Shamardal’s Tarnawa Reigns Supreme In the Opera

Having won the G1 Prix Vermeille on a quick surface over ParisLongchamp’s 12 furlongs last time Sept. 13, The Aga Khan’s Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal) had to deal with the other extreme and a drop back to 10 furlongs on Sunday but proved up to the task in the G1 Prix de l’Opera Longines. Held up towards the rear early by a confident Christophe Soumillon, the 3-1 shot was brought with her customary withering run down the outer to deny Alpine Star (Ire) (Sea the Moon {Ger}) in the final strides and win by a short neck, with the G1 Prix Jean Romanet winner Audarya (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) 3/4 of a length back in third. “That was a very special performance, it’s very hard to win here in France,” Dermot’s son Mark Weld commented. “She won the Vermeille and to come back just three weeks later, she’s a really tough, courageous mare. This is always one of the best races–sometimes the best race of Arc weekend, so we knew it was going to be tough and we knew the Niarchos filly had plenty of group one form and was always going to be the one to beat. We got there–it was a fantastic performance.”

Successful in the G3 Blue Wind S., G3 Give Thanks S. and G2 Blandford S. last term, Tarnawa had failed to shine on two overseas forays when 11th in the G1 Epsom Oaks and ninth in the G1 Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares S. at Ascot in October. Returning to defy a penalty in the latest renewal of the Give Thanks at Cork Aug. 8, the chestnut had put Cayenne Pepper (Ire) (Australia {GB}) to the sword there to suggest she had improved and confirmed that impression with a three-length defeat of Raabihah (Sea the Stars {Ire}) in the Vermeille. With the latter beaten only marginally further in the Arc earlier on the card, there is a suggestion that Tarnawa could have been a major force in the main event and the way she quickened by genuine top-level fillies in the straight here backs up that feeling.

The Aga Khan’s Studs’ Manager Georges Rimaud said, “At one stage, we had talks very briefly about the Arc but really the idea has always been to keep her at a mile and a quarter as we feel she is more effective over this trip even though she won the Vermeille. Christophe found a good position and she finished very strongly. She is really a top-class filly and we’ll see how she does after this and talk to Dermot, but the idea is if she is in good form to go for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf.”

Jessie Harrington was not too downcast over another tight reversal for Alpine Star and told the Racing Post, “She ran a cracker, she’s some filly. If the other horse had come to her earlier, she’d have battled back because that’s the kind of horse she is. If you told me at the beginning of the year she’d be second in three group 1s and win one, I’d have taken it. She’s finished for the year now, but she’ll stay in training next year, which is brilliant.”

Tarnawa is the first foal out of the Listed Oyster S. and Listed Martin Malony S. winner Tarana (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) who was also third in the G3 Curragh Cup and is a daughter of the Listed Galtres S. winner and G3 Noblesse S. third Tarakala (Ire) (Dr. Fong). This is also the family of the G3 Princess Royal S. winner Tashtiya (Ire) (Shergar {GB}), the G3 Prix Messidor scorer Tassmoun (Kalamoun {GB}) and the G1 Prix Royal-Oak hero and G1 Prix du Cadran runner-up Tiraaz (Lear Fan), as well as the precocious G1 Phoenix S. heroine Damson (Ire) (Entrepreneur {GB}). Tarana’s unraced 2-year-old gelding by Fastnet Rock (Aus) is named Tazaral (Ire), while she also has a filly foal by Siyouni (Fr).

Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France
PRIX DE L’OPERA LONGINES-G1, €300,000, ParisLongchamp, 10-4, 3yo/up, f/m, 10fT, 2:12.87, hy.
1–TARNAWA (IRE), 128, f, 4, by Shamardal
                1st Dam: Tarana (Ire) (MSW & GSP-Ire, $141,525), by Cape Cross (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Tarakala (Ire), by Dr Fong
                3rd Dam: Tarakana, by Shahrastani
O-H H The Aga Khan; B-H H The Aga Khan’s Studs SC (IRE); T-Dermot Weld; J-Christophe Soumillon. €171,420. Lifetime Record: MGSW-Ire, 13-7-2-2, €684,332. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Alpine Star (Ire), 123, f, 3, Sea The Moon (Ger)–Alpha Lupi (Ire), by Rahy. O/B-Niarchos Family (IRE); T-Jessica Harrington. €68,580.
3–Audarya (Fr), 128, f, 4, Wootton Bassett (GB)–Green Bananas (Fr), by Green Tune. (€125,000 Ylg ’17 AROCT). O-Mrs Alison Mary Swinburn; B-Haras d’Ecouves (FR); T-James Fanshawe. €34,290.
Margins: SNK, 3/4, 3/4. Odds: 3.60, 1.60, 15.00.
Also Ran: Tawkeel (GB), Ambition (GB), Tickle Me Green (Ger), Grand Glory (GB), Inter Royal Lady (Ire), All Rumours (Fr), Spirit of Nelson (Ire), Zariyannka (Ire), Durance (Ger). Scratched: Fancy Blue (Ire), Laburnum (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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The Next Generation with Corbin Blumberg

“It’s all I’ve thought about for forever,” said 25-year-old Corbin Blumberg.

And he’s not really exaggerating. The Potomac, Maryland native was just a toddler when one VHS tape sold him on horse racing for life. Blumberg learned to read by studying past performances, and has since traveled the world in pursuit of furthering his knowledge of the industry.

Less than a month before this year’s Kentucky Derby, the Godolphin Flying Start graduate signed on as the Racing Manager for Starlight Racing. It was an eventful start to the job when their talented Authentic (Into Mischief) sailed to victory in the GI Kentucky Derby and then ran a close runner-up effort in an epic edition of the Preakness S.

KR: How did you get started in racing?

CB: I fell in love with racing when I was two or three years old. My parents bought me a tape, The Best of the Breeders’ Cup from 1990 to 2000. I don’t know why they bought it for me, but that was it, I was obsessed. I went to my first Breeders’ Cup in 2000, which was Tiznow, and after that I was just hooked from there.

I was basically obsessed with racing from then on, and when I turned 16, I emailed Graham Motion. I went and lived with Graham and Anita during the summer. Animal Kingdom had just won the Derby so it was a great time to be there. They’re the best; I owe so much to Graham and Anita. I did four or five summers at Fair Hill with them, spent some time in Saratoga, and then went to the University of Kentucky for Equine Science and Management. Then I went and did a program in England called the British Horse Racing Graduate Development Programme, which was awesome. Then I did Godolphin Flying Start for the last two years.

 

KR: What drew you to the industry?

CB: I think mostly the excitement. I grew up doing Pony Club, foxhunting and eventing, so I was always involved with horses. But I think the excitement of racing and the competition really got me. From there I was hooked. It’s all I’ve thought about for forever.

 

KR: What was the most challenging part of being a total newcomer in the industry?

CB: I think for me it was when I got to Kentucky and I didn’t know anyone. That was definitely a little challenging. Being with Graham and Anita in Maryland was so great because I learned a ton, but Maryland is still a little removed from the epicenter of the industry, which is Lexington. But overall, the industry is so welcoming and inclusive and I got a lot of opportunities just from being lucky and being in the right place at the right time.

There’s definitely a barrier there in terms of knowledge at first, but I was so obsessed that I’ve been reading a Racing Form since I was five, so that helped.

 

KR: What’s your favorite part about the business?

CB: I think the transition from being a fan to actually working in it has been really great. I guess I’ve always worked in it, but it was always summers, programs and school. Now to be actually working full time, being involved in making decisions and seeing where horses go is really cool. I also love being able to follow some of the horses we worked with through Flying Start.

 

KR: Tell us about your job now as Racing Manager for Starlight Racing.

CB: Starlight is amazing. Jack and Laurie Wolf started it in 2002, and they’ve had Harlan’s Holiday (Harlan), Hall of Famer Ashado (Saint Ballado), Octave (Unbridled’s Song) and Shanghai Bobby (Harlan’s Holiday). There was a really amazing history of horses there, and since they’ve partnered up with SF Racing and Tom Ryan, and with Madaket, this whole partnership has been amazing with Eight Rings (Empire Maker), Charlatan (Speightstown) and obviously Authentic (Into Mischief).

It’s been amazing to meet all of our different partners and the people within Starlight, to get to know them and our horses. I really love it, and we’ll hopefully get StarLadies some big wins coming up too. I think we just had a really great [Keeneland September Yearling Sale], so hopefully there will be some really exciting horses for the future.

 

KR: Can you tell us your experience when Authentic won the Kentucky Derby?

CB: I was in Saratoga because we had a few horses running there that weekend. Jack Wolf was in Louisville, but Laurie, who is the managing partner of StarLadies, was actually in Saratoga. I get a bit funny about watching racing with other people, so I went and watched it alone and they were all two houses down. I went nuts when he crossed the finish line and sprinted down to their house. They were actually watching it on the internet so the race was still finishing. There were like 10 people there going nuts, so we went crazy and then had a pretty good night in Saratoga. I couldn’t believe it.

 

KR: If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be?

CB: The racing side of the industry has always been my passion, so in terms of racing, I think probably the reliance on casino wagering makes me nervous going forward. I love our industry and I love racing, so I think trying to make it as self-sustainable going forward as possible would make me feel a lot more comfortable about the future.

 

KR: Who is your favorite horse of all time?

CB: So I have two. First is Cigar because that’s probably the horse that got me into racing, and then Animal Kingdom, because he was right there when I started at Graham’s and was pretty influential. When I started with Graham, there were probably 125 horses, and then the next summer there were 200. Then more recently, Authentic is on top of the list because that was a pretty good start to working at Starlight.

 

KR: What are your career goals going forward?

CB: Right now, I have the dream job off of Flying Start. I’m so happy, so I’m just trying to make Starlight operate on a day-to-day basis as well as it possibly can-working with Jack and Laurie to make that happen, and with our partners.

Then in the long term, I think for now I just want to stay with Starlight and try and work with Jack there, but definitely being involved with the horses and probably buying some at some point is at the top of the list.

 

 The TDN has partnered with Amplify Horse Racing to present “The Next Generation,” an ongoing video series featuring young people who were not born into the Thoroughbred business, but are now excelling within the industry

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Siyouni’s Sottsass Prevails In the Arc

It was a home success in Sunday’s G1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe as Peter Brant’s Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) realised his owner’s longtime dream when providing him and Jean-Claude Rouget with a first renewal of the showpiece as Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) failed to fire in sixth. Third in 2019, last year’s G1 Prix du Jockey Club hero had stayed slightly under the radar as he was geared towards his second attempt but there were signs that he was nearing a peak when fourth in the G1 Irish Champion S. at Leopardstown Sept. 12. In an ideal spot throughout racing in a close-up third on the rail as Persian King (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) held the lead setting a moderate gallop, the 7-1 shot was delivered by Cristian Demuro to take control with a furlong remaining. Staying on strongly as In Swoop (Ire) (Adlerflug {Ger}) emerged on his inner, the chestnut held on by a neck as Persian King ended up 1 3/4 lengths away in third. “Just after the race last year, I stated that this was his race,” Rouget commented. “I’ve been waiting to win this for such a long time. I always thought he was a horse made for this and it was his only target. The result is there today.”

Only 1 1/4 lengths behind Enable in this last year, Sottsass had started his 4-year-old campaign with an uninspiring fourth in the G2 Prix d’Harcourt over a mile and a quarter May 11 before narrowly denying Way To Paris (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) in the 10 1/2-furlong G1 Prix Ganay at Chantilly June 14. Failing by a neck to give six pounds to the high-class Skalleti (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) in Deauville’s G2 Prix Gontaut-Biron back over 10 furlongs on heavy ground Aug. 15, he was shaping like a true mile-and-a-half performer when closing steadily on Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and the surprise package Armory (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Irish Champion.

With the expected pace having disappeared with the absent Ballydoyle contingent, it was left to PC to make the running on the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp winner Persian King but he was never going to over-do things on a proven mile star. With Olivier Peslier opting to ride a race on Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) and slot back alongside Frankie on Enable, there was a real possibility that this Arc would favour those closest to the pace and so Demuro deserved credit for keeping Sottsass so prominent. Little changed until the two-furlong pole, when the previous dual winner and 9-10 favourite looked to be going well enough as Frankie started to move.

Instead of spurting forward, Enable laboured and there was a melee involving her and Stradivarius soon after with neither able to take the gap as the 33-1 shot Gold Trip (Fr) (Outstrip {GB}) loomed on the outside and Sottsass switched to the left of Persian King. Leading the sprint for home, the White Birch Farm colour-bearer had slipped out of reach of the G1 Deutsches Derby hero In Swoop, whose forward momentum ultimately made it a closer call than it looked destined to be moments earlier. An inquiry was called into the scrimmaging, which in the older days of French stewarding may have seen a change in the outcome but which resulted in no altering to the placings.

“With the pandemic, his preparation had been far from ideal and the race in Ireland did him a lot of good,” Rouget added. “When we ran in Deauville he was a bit fat and Skalleti is a very good horse. He is a group one horse on soft ground, but we had to run in that race instead of going to York [for the Juddmonte International]. The choice to go to Leopardstown was tough, too, but we chose to run him over a shorter distance to give him speed. I think that was a good choice. He had given us the right signs lately that he was back to his best and at least at the same level as last season. He’s fulfilled those expectations and was a very nice winner. Sottsass is owned in association with Coolmore. I do not know if he will run again, but it is not the question for today. Whether the horse retires is not my decision.” Peter Brant’s racing manager Michel Zerolo said, “We’re all very proud and hopefully he’ll come out of this well and got to the [GI] Breeders’ Cup Turf. Whether he’ll stay in training is a question I can’t answer now.”

In Swoop’s trainer Francis-Henri Graffard said, “Nobody ever remembers the second, but he’s run a very good race. The pace was not very strong and it didn’t suit, as he travelled really nicely compared to usual but like he did in the Grand Prix de Paris he finished strongly in the last 200 metres. He is an improving horse and is proving one of the best 3-year-olds in Europe, so he’s had a good season and we look forward to next year. He has a lot of class.” Fabrice Chappet said of Gold Trip, “He has run a great race, but I feel that on this heavy ground a mile and a half is a shade too far. He made a big move and hung at the end, but it was a great performance.”

Teddy Grimthorpe said of Enable, “Frankie said the ground was too deep. Anyway, she’s given so much to the sport and to Juddmonte and who could have any complaints? We’ll see how she comes out of this and discuss with Prince Khalid whether she can run one more time in the Breeders’ Cup Turf.” John Gosden added, “It turned out be a French-style dash in the straight and it didn’t work out for us and neither horse liked the deep, holding ground. They didn’t have a hard race and they weren’t blowing, so it was like an elaborate journey to go for a nice piece of work up the Longchamp straight! Mr Nielsen is keen to go for a fourth Gold Cup and Prince Khalid will make the decision on Enable. Frankie never touched her with the stick and both were looked after in that ground, so they are looking bright after the race which is extremely good news. Enable’s been amazingly consistent and has been extraordinary in her mental lstrength, so it’s a pity it wasn’t good-to-soft ground and an even gallop today. We were lucky to have that in the other Arcs we ran in and today’s race didn’t play to her strengths at all.”

Sottsass is one of three group winners from as many foals for Starlet’s Sister (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and one of two at the highest level after the four-times grade I-winning Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf heroine Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}). The second dam is the G3 Prix Chloe runner-up Premiere Creation (Fr) (Green Tune), who also produced the G3 Prix Cleopatre winner Leo’s Starlet (Ire) and the Listed Prix Isonomy winner and GI Clement L. Hirsch S. runner-up Anabaa’s Creation (Ire) (Anabaa). She is in turn the dam of the stakes winner Create a Dream (Oasis Dream {GB}), while the third dam Allwaki (Miswaki) is also the ancestress of the G3 Prix de Lieurey scorer Sandy’s Charm (Fr) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) from the family of the G1 Sussex S.-winning champion miler and sire Noalcoholic (Fr) (Nonoalco). Starlet’s Sister’s as-yet unraced 3-year-old colt by Charm Spirit (Ire) is named Radiant Child (Ire), while she also has an unraced 2-year-old colt by Fastnet Rock (Aus) named Parliament (GB). Her yearling filly by Dubawi (Ire) topped the Arqana Deauville September Yearling Sale when selling to Oliver St Lawrence for €2.5million.

Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France
QATAR PRIX DE L’ARC DE TRIOMPHE-G1, €3,000,000, ParisLongchamp, 10-4, 3yo/up, c/f, 12fT, 2:39.30, hy.
1–SOTTSASS (FR), 131, c, 4, by Siyouni (Fr)
1st Dam: Starlet’s Sister (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Premiere Creation (Fr), by Green Tune
3rd Dam: Allwaki, by Miswaki
(€340,000 Ylg ’17 ARAUG). O-White Birch Farm; B-Ecurie des Monceaux (FR); T-Jean-Claude Rouget; J-Cristian Demuro. €1,714,200. Lifetime Record: 13-7-1-1, €3,422,452. *1/2 to Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}), Ch. Turf Female-US, MGISW-US, GSW & G1SP-Fr, $3,746,003; and My Sister Nat (Fr) (Acclamation {GB}), GSW-Fr & US, $381,672. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–In Swoop (Ire), 125, c, 3, Adlerflug (Ger)–Iota (Ger), by Tiger Hill (Ire). O-Gestut Schlenderhan; B-Stall Ullmann (IRE); T-Francis-Henri Graffard. €685,800.
3–Persian King (Ire), 131, c, 4, Kingman (GB)–Pretty Please (Ire), by Dylan Thomas (Ire). O-Ballymore Thoroughbred Ltd & Godolphin; B-Dayton Investments (Breeding) Ltd (IRE); T-Andre Fabre. €342,900.
Margins: NK, 1 3/4, HD. Odds: 7.30, 10.00, 6.30.
Also Ran: Gold Trip (Fr), Raabihah, Enable (GB), Stradivarius (Ire), Deirdre (Jpn), Way To Paris (GB), Royal Julius (Ire), Chachnak (Fr). Scratched: Japan (GB), Sovereign (Ire), Mogul (GB), Serpentine (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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