Tag: Jason Hart

A Fourth Group 1 For Night Of Thunder’s Highfield Princess In The Abbaye

   There were some who were preparing to write off John Fairley's mare of steel Highfield Princess (Fr) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}–Pure Illusion {Ire}, by Danehill) following her uncharacteristically disappointing effort in the G1 Flying Five at The Curragh last month, but the 6-year-old answered the doubters by simply placing another of the world's big sprints onto her impressive resume as she conquered Sunday's G1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp Longines.

While she may not quite be the same supercharged dragster who went through an unprecedented treble at this level in the space of just over a month last summer, the Queen of England's North proved here that when ability drops courage can still elevate.

Working hard from some way out having been cast an unfavourable wide draw, the 2-1 favourite gave her all for Jason Hart to eventually claw back her three-years-younger front-running compatriot Perdika (GB) (Unfortunately {Ire}) inside the last 50 metres and forge a length victory in this “Win and You're In” race for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. Ballydoyle's revived G2 Futurity S.-winning TDN Rising Star Aesop's Fables (Ire) (No Nay Never) managed to force his way into the frame, a short head back as the habitual blanket finish occurred again in behind.

“She won that through pure guts,” Hart said of John Quinn's long-overdue first winner at this prestigious meeting. “She was flat out the whole way–the ground is a bit quick, but she has the heart of lion. It was only in the last 50 yards when the leader tied up that I knew we were going to win. I knew she was back to herself when I worked her a week ago and credit to connections for keeping her in training, as she's got another Group 1. What a mare, she's so tough.”

Although Highfield Princess had done nothing wrong in her Group 1s so far this term, with perhaps valid excuses for her Flying Five no-show last time, it was only in Goodwood's G2 King George S. that she had really shone and that aura of invincibility she had taken into the Breeders' Cup in November was gone by the time she lined up for this. For Quinn, the result was a personal triumph after some near-misses on this fixture in previous years.

“We have had plenty of horses run really well at this wonderful meeting–in the Abbaye, El Astronaute was third, Liberty Beach was beaten two heads and Safe Voyage was beaten two heads in the Foret,” he said. “It is one of the greatest meetings in the world and I hoped I would one day train a winner here and it is wonderful.”

“She tries hard and you could say from where she was drawn she was inconvenienced,” he added. “She toughed it into the race and toughed it out of the race, because two furlongs out she was flat out so fair dues to her. It was a very brave decision to keep her in training, considering she had won three Group 1s in Europe and was probably one of the best fillies around. I'm so pleased they have been totally vindicated. She's shown she's as good as any sprinting mare in the world.”

Quinn is looking for a second try at the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint following her fourth placing at Keeneland last year. “Why not? I will need to speak to my owner, but I would be strongly suggesting it,” he said. “We needed to see how today went and today went very well. I wouldn't rule out the Breeders' Cup or the big sprint at Hong Kong in December. It's John and his family's decision whether she'll race on next year, but as long as she's okay she could go to Santa Anita or Sha Tin.”

Sally Nicholls, owner-breeder of Perdika, was understandably delighted with the game performance of the rapid runner-up. “Her performance took my breath away. She ran so well,” she said. “Her future certainly lies at stud in 2024. A Group 1 placing changes everything regarding her broodmare profile. She loves France and so do we. Now we're going to crack open our piggy bank and send her to a good stallion.”

Aidan O'Brien was looking ahead with Aesop's Fables, who had spent so long in the wilderness but is back where he was last summer. “He ran really well against horses who had already proved themselves at this level,” he said. “He's blossoming as a sprinter right now. I haven't yet decided where we will be going with him next. One thing's for sure, though and that's that we'll be seeing a lot more of him over five furlongs in the future.”

 

Pedigree Notes

Highfield Princess, who was bred in the Calvados region at the Haras du Camp Benard run by Fabienne Simoes De Almeida and her mother Martine Van De Kerchove, was led out unsold at only 29,000gns when offered at the 2018 Tattersalls December Yearling Sale. Fairley had paid just 18,000gns for the dam Pure Illusion from the Godolphin draft two years earlier at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale and in the meantime, her son Cardsharp (GB) (Lonhro {Aus}) had captured the G2 July S. and had placed in the G1 Middle Park S., G2 Gimcrack S., G2 Richmond S. and G2 Norfolk S.

Pure Illusion is a daughter of the G3 Princess Margaret S. winner Saintly Speech (Southern Halo), who is also the second dam of the G3 Park Express S. and G3 C. L. Weld Park S. winner Chrysanthemum (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) who in turn produced the G3 Sandown Classic Trial scorer Cunco (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and his G3 Denny Cordell Lavarack & Lanwades Stud Fillies S.-winning full-sister Maxux (Ire). The family also includes the G3 Prix du Calvados winner Woodland Melody (Woodman), whose listed-winning daughter Shady Reflection (Sultry Song) produced the GII Las Vegas Marathon S. and GIII Greenwood Cup scorer Cary Street (Smarty Jones).

 

 

Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France
PRIX DE L'ABBAYE DE LONGCHAMP LONGINES-G1, €350,000, ParisLongchamp, 10-1, 2yo/up, 5fT, :55.07, g/s.
1–HIGHFIELD PRINCESS (FR), 133, m, 6, by Night Of Thunder (Ire)
1st Dam: Pure Illusion (Ire), by Danehill
2nd Dam: Saintly Speech, by Southern Halo
3rd Dam: Eloquent Minister, by Deputy Minister
(29,000gns RNA Ylg '18 TATDEY). O/B-Trainers House Enterprises Ltd (FR); T-John Quinn; J-Jason Hart. €199,990. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Eng & Ire, 38-14-8-6, €2,090,889. *1/2 to Cardsharp (GB) (Lonhro {Aus}), GSW & G1SP-Eng, $355,619. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Perdika (GB), 133, f, 3, Unfortunately (Ire)–Golden Dirham (GB), by Kheleyf. 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. O-Mrs Sally Nicholls; B-Bumble Bloodstock & Mrs Sally Nicholls (GB); T-George Boughey. €80,010.
3–Aesop's Fables (Ire), 137, c, 3, No Nay Never–How's She Cuttin' (Ire), by Shinko Forest (Ire). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. O-M Tabor, D Smith, Mrs J Magnier & Westerberg; B-Barronstown Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €40,005.
Margins: 1, SHD, NO. Odds: 2.10, 32.00, 43.00.
Also Ran: Get Ahead (GB), Rogue Lightning (Ire), Makarova (GB), White Lavender (Ire), Kerdos (Ire), Batwan (Fr), Ponntos (Ire), Moss Tucker (Ire), Bouttemont (Ire), Equality (GB), Dramatised (Ire), Tudo Bem (Fr), Equilateral (GB), Art Power (Ire), Asymmetric (Ire). Scratched: Coeur De Pierre (Fr). Video, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Big Evs Supplemented to Nunthorpe Challenge

Big Evs (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), winner of the Windsor Castle S. and later the G3 Jaeger Lecoultre Molecomb S., has been supplemented to the G1 Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe S. at York on Friday with Andrea Atzeni set to ride. Jason Hart, who was onboard for those two victories, maintains his partnership with three-time Group 1 winner Highfield Princess (Fr) (Night of Thunder {Ire}). Big Evs will be the only 2-year-old in contention.

“It's [been] a long time since a two-year-old has won the Nunthorpe [Kingsgate Native, 2007]. So, yes, it's a big ask for him, but hopefully he's going there with a very good chance at the weights. Jason doesn't ride as he is on Highfield Princess. Andrea Atzeni rides,” said conditioner Mick Appleby. “He's in good order. He did a good piece of work this morning and he'll probably have one more piece of work on Wednesday. I'm delighted with him.”

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Night Of Thunder’s Highfield Princess Outclasses King George Rivals

John Quinn's stable star Highfield Princess (Fr) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}–Pure Illusion {Ire}, by Danehill) took four starts to get rolling last year and provided symmetry to her profile with another post-Summer Solstice springboard in Friday's G2 King George Qatar S. at Goodwood.

Last term's G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest, G1 Nunthorpe and G1 Flying Five heroine broke sharply from the traps and was under a firm grip in second as habitual pacesetter Ponntos (Ire) (Power {GB}) led the way at a healthy clip. Cruising to the front on the bridle passing the quarter-mile marker, the 4-9 favourite was not for catching thereafter and powered clear under mild coaxing inside the final furlong to easily outclass White Lavender (Ire) (Heeraat {Ire}) by three lengths. Fellow outsider Raasel (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) lost out by a neck in a bobbing finish for the minor placings.

“Highfield Princess ran really well in the [G2] Duke Of York and maybe got a bit tired,” Quinn said. “At Royal Ascot, she was beaten just a length in the [G1] King's Stand and then, four days later in the [G1] Jubilee, she ran another fantastic race. We decided to give her a break, which we did last summer, and we were pleased with her at home. She is a 6-year-old mare and, fair dues to her, she has bounced back well. She is a top-class filly and we are delighted to have her. All she has done is improve for racing and gone from being a top-class handicapper to being the best sprinting filly in Europe, if not the world. I was very keen for her to get her head in front for herself and today will have done her a lot of good. Group 2 races are so hard to win as well, but she had run here two years ago in the [G3] Oak Tree and handled the track lovely, so we thought she'd handle the track. We thought maybe, just maybe, this might be easier than, for instance, the [G1] Maurice de Gheest which we decided to miss.”

Highfield Princess will now prepare for a defence of her Nunthorpe and Flying Five titles, according to Quinn. “The plan is to go back for the Nunthorpe in our back yard and she really loves The Curragh, so it'll be the Nunthorpe and then back to Ireland and we will see after that,” he revealed. “I had thought about going to Australia, but I am a little bit cooler on that now. We will stay in Europe and then possibly go to the Breeders' Cup. She is a very good filly to travel and the lads always say you wouldn't know she was in the horse box, which is very good.”

It was business as usual for rider Jason Hart, who added, “Highfield Princess was her usual self. She jumped well, travelled great, and was much the best. The Czech horse [Ponntos] gave me a lead and I was kind of hoping he would give me a lead for a bit further. I had to commit a furlong-and-a-half down and, on that dead ground, I thought it might blunt her turn of foot, but she has won well. I was keen to give her a race without really getting stuck in. She absolutely ran her heart out in those two races at Royal Ascot and it was nice to see her bounce back and get her head back in front and win by a bit of distance. She has always improved throughout the years and has got better with her racing.”

White Lavender's rider Clifford Lee was satisfied with the performance of the runner-up and envisages another crack at ParisLongchamp's G1 Prix de l'Abbaye later in the year. “I am delighted with the run and she travelled really well throughout the race. She picked up nicely going for the two-furlong pole and we were beaten by a very good horse. She was second in the Abbaye last year, giving a lot of weight away, and she would definitely go close in that sort of race. She's very consistent and tries very hard.”

Raasel's trainer Mick Appleby was delighted with his charge's effort, who finished unplaced over the same strip in Tuesday's Coral H., and reflected, “Raasel has run a blinder. I think, in a way, we probably wish we didn't run on Tuesday, but we still wouldn't have beaten the winner. We might have got second, possibly, and he has shown that he has still got it. The draw made a big difference, he was drawn in the middle and needs loads of cover. The other day he was drawn on the wing and he just does too much when he's got daylight. I am not sure yet where we are going to go next and we will probably give him a bit of a break now. He's had a hard week this week, so we will give him a few weeks and then look to see where we go from there.”

Pedigree Notes
Highfield Princess is the ninth of 10 foals and one of six scorers thrown by a multiple-winning daughter of G3 Princess Margaret S. victrix Saintly Speech (Southern Halo), herself a half-sister to G3 Prix du Calvados winner Woodland Melody (Woodman) and Listed Naruo Kinen-winning sire Maruka Diesis (Diesis {GB}). Saintly Speech is the second dam of G3 Park Express S. winner Chrysanthemum (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), herself the dam of G3 Sandown Classic Trial-winning sire Cunco (Ire) (Frankel {GB}). Descendants of Woodland Melody include GII Las Vegas Marathon and GIII Greenwood Cup victor Cary Street (Smarty Jones). The May-foaled homebred bay is a half-sister to G2 July S. winner and G1 Middle Park S. third Cardsharp (GB) (Lonhro {Aus}).

Friday, Goodwood, Britain
KING GEORGE QATAR S.-G2, £300,000, Goodwood, 8-4, 3yo/up, 5fT, :58.92, g/s.
1–HIGHFIELD PRINCESS (FR), 127, m, 6, by Night Of Thunder (Ire)
1st Dam: Pure Illusion (Ire), by Danehill
2nd Dam: Saintly Speech, by Southern Halo
3rd Dam: Eloquent Minister, by Deputy Minister
(29,000gns RNA Ylg '18 TATDEY). O/B-Trainers House Enterprises Ltd (FR); T-John Quinn; J-Jason Hart. £170,130. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Eng, Fr & Ire, 35-13-7-6, $1,875,821. *1/2 to Cardsharp (GB) (Lonhro {Aus}), GSW & G1SP-Eng, $355,619. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–White Lavender (Ire), 127, m, 5, Heeraat (Ire)–Goodnight And Joy (Ire), by Rip Van Winkle (Ire). O-Mrs Barbara M Keller; B-Paul McCartan (IRE); T-Karl Burke. £64,500.
3–Raasel (GB), 130, g, 6, Showcasing (GB)–Dubai Affair (GB), by Dubawi (Ire). (80,000gns Ylg '18 TAOCT; 10,000gns 3yo '20 TATHRA). O-The Horse Watchers; B-Bearstone Stud (GB); T-Michael Appleby. £32,280.
Margins: 3, NK, 1 1/4. Odds: 0.44, 28.00, 22.00.
Also Ran: Makarova (GB), Kerdos (Ire), Ponntos (Ire), Equality (GB), Nymphadora (GB), Silky Wilkie (Ire), Ladies Church (GB), Equilateral (GB).

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Dark Angel’s Sacred Angel Dominates The Princess Margaret

Purchased privately by Nurlan Bizakov following her success in the Newmarket July Festival's six-furlong fillies' maiden, the Charlie Johnston-trained Sacred Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) provided instant justification for the acquisition by making all in Ascot's G3 Bateaux London Princess Margaret S. on Saturday.

Electric from her outside stall under Jason Hart, the 16-1 shot who was a £52,000 purchase for original owners the Titanium Racing Club at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale, had pressure throughout but shook it off to go clear inside the final furlong. Veering left in the run to the line, the grey daughter of the Listed Tipperary S. winner Sacred Aspect (Ire) (Haatef) had three lengths to spare over Pretty Crystal (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) at the line.

This was a first group win for Charlie Johnston since taking up the licence in his own name at the famed Middleham stable and he said, “She is improving dramatically–very much so. On her first run at Pontefract I thought she was the best horse on the day, but she was quite green and got beat by two horses who'd had experience. If you had told me then that within two starts we'd be at this level, I'd have thought 'I'm not so sure about that' but she took a nice step forward at Newmarket and a step forward again.

“The owners obviously sponsor quite a high-profile race in France [the G1 Prix Morny] and on the back of that I would suspect they will want her to go there next. Possibly the [G1] Cheveley Park at the end of the year will be the obvious real highlight target.”

Richard Fahey said of the runner-up, “I thought it was a good run, but it just didn't work out again for her. She's been a bit unlucky. But she is quite a nice filly and she'll definitely go for the [G2] Lowther at York.”

Pedigree Notes

The aforementioned dam, whose yearling full-sister to the winner is catalogued in this year's Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale in a month's time, hails from the family of last year's G1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp heroine The Platinum Queen (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}), the G3 Greenlands S. winner Tiger Royal (Ire) (Royal Academy) and the listed winner and G2 Mill Reef S. runner-up Sir Xaar (Ire) (Xaar {GB}).

 

Saturday, Ascot, Britain
BATEAUX LONDON PRINCESS MARGARET S.-G3, £60,000, Ascot, 7-29, 2yo, f, 6fT, 1:16.53, gd.
1–SACRED ANGEL (IRE), 128, f, 2, by Dark Angel (Ire)
                1st Dam: Sacred Aspect (Ire) (SW-Ire), by Haatef
                2nd Dam: Again Royale (Ire), by Royal Academy
                3rd Dam: Lady Redford (Ire), by Bold Lad (Ire)
   1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GROUP WIN. (£52,000 Ylg '22
GOFFUK). O-Titanium Racing Club; B-Yeomanstown Stud (IRE);
T-Charlie Johnston; J-Jason Hart. £34,026. Lifetime Record:
3-2-0-1, $66,226. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks
   report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com
   catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Pretty Crystal (Ire), 128, f, 2, Dubawi (Ire)–Pretty Baby (Ire),
by Orpen. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O-Sheikh
Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum; B-Rabbah Bloodstock Limited
(IRE); T-Richard Fahey. £12,900.
3–Symbology (GB), 128, f, 2, Havana Grey (GB)–Showstoppa
(GB), by Showcasing (GB). 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GROUP BLACK
   TYPE. (£230,000 Ylg '22 GOFFUK). O-Isa Salman Al Khalifa;
B-Whitsbury Manor Stud (GB); T-Clive Cox. £6,456.
Margins: 3, 1 1/4, 1. Odds: 16.00, 4.50, 3.50.
Also Ran: Dazzling Star (GB), Komat (GB), Cry Fiction (Ire), Gladly Ever After (Ire), Lunar Shine (Ire), La Guarida (Ire), Elinor Dashwood (Ire). Scratched: Soprano (Ire). VIDEO.

 

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