Tag: Juddmonte

Frankel’s Task Force Goes Two for Two in Ripon Listed

Earning TDN Rising Star status on debut at Salisbury last month, Juddmonte's Task Force (GB) (Frankel {GB}–Special Duty {GB}, by Hennessy) passed his second career test in Monday's Listed British Stallion Studs EBF Ripon Champion Two Yrs Old Trophy to suggest he can take higher rank among the season's juveniles. Settled behind the leaders by Rossa Ryan early, the Ralph Beckett-trained 11-8 favourite made his move wide to tackle his rail-running stablemate Matters Most (GB) (Advertise {GB}) inside the final furlong before asserting for a 1 1/4-length success.

 

“The idea of going to Ripon was to teach him a bit, as he didn't learn much the first day–he hit the gates well and sat handy and was left in front a furlong and a half down, so he probably didn't learn a lot about racing,” Juddmonte's racing manager Barry Mahon said. “He'll have learned plenty there today. You saw how green he was in the early part there and when Rossa asked him to go he was green, but when the penny dropped away he went. It was a nice performance and he could a nice horse.”

Mahon floated the idea of Task Force moving up in trip. “I haven't spoken to Ralph yet and we need to let the dust settle, but I've no doubt seven is going to be right up his street,” he added. “He's bred to be a miler in time, so seven furlongs won't be a problem but whether Ralph decides to go that way now or later on we'll wait and see. Part of the reason we went back over six furlongs today was because when you look up his mother's record she never raced beyond six at two and ended up being a dual Guineas winner at three, so there's no shortage of speed in the pedigree and he showed that today against some hardened two-year-olds.”

As Mahon stated, Task Force's dam Special Duty captured the six-furlong G1 Cheveley Park S. and 5 1/2-furlong G2 Prix Robert Papin at two and was second in the G1 Prix Morny before her extraordinary Classic campaign which saw her twice promoted from second to first after inquiries in the G1 1000 Guineas and G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches. Her finest performer to date is the listed scorer Elegant Verse (GB) by Frankel's sire Galileo (Ire), while she also produced the Listed Prix Yacowlef runner-up South Bank (Tapit).

A daughter of Quest To Peak (Distant View), who is also the second dam of the operation's GI Breeders' Cup Mile and G2 Vintage S.-winning sire Expert Eye (GB) (Acclamation {GB}), Special Duty hails from the the family of Quest To Peak's seven-times grade I-winning full-sister Sightseek (Distant View), the GI Yellow Ribbon S. winner Tates Creek (Rahy) and the champion sire Chief's Crown. She also has a yearling filly by Sea The Stars (Ire) and a foal full-brother to Task Force.

BRITISH STALLION STUDS EBF RIPON CHAMPION TWO YRS OLD TROPHY S.-Listed, £40,000, Ripon, 8-28, 2yo, 6fT, 1:12.53, gd.
1–TASK FORCE (GB), 131, c, 2, by Frankel (GB)
     1st Dam: Special Duty (GB) (Champion 2-year-old Filly-Eur, MG1SW-Eng, G1SW-Fr, $1,070,938), by Hennessy
     2nd Dam: Quest To Peak, by Distant View
     3rd Dam: Viviana, by Nureyev
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. TDN Rising Star. O-Juddmonte; B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd (GB); T-Ralph Beckett; J-Rossa Ryan. £22,408. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $35,131.
2–Matters Most (GB), 131, c, 2, Advertise (GB)–Squash (GB), by Pastoral Pursuits (GB).
1ST BLACK TYPE. (135,000gns Wlg '21 TADEWE; 500,000gns Ylg '22 TATOCT). O-Mr Robert Ng; B-Kirtlington Stud & Mrs Mary Taylor (GB); T-Ralph Beckett. £8,532.
3–Seven Questions (Ire), 131, g, 2, Kodiac (GB)–Get Up And Dance (GB), by Makfi (GB).
1ST BLACK TYPE. (£58,000 Ylg '22 GOFFUK). O-Victorious Racing & Fawzi Nass; B-Tally Ho Stud (IRE); T-George Scott. £4,272.
Margins: 1 1/4, NK, 1HF. Odds: 1.38, 8.00, 5.00.
Also Ran: Bombay Bazaar (GB), Shagraan (Ire), Asadna (Ire).

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The ‘Other’ Curlin, Idiomatic, Plunders the Personal Ensign

With the 76th renewal of Friday's GI Personal Ensign S. at Saratoga billed as a clash between division heavyweights Nest (Curlin) and Clairiere (Curlin), it was the other daughter in the field by Hill 'n' Dale's super sire Curlin who would prevail in a pillar-to-post mild upset. IDIOMATIC (f, 4, Curlin–Lockdown, by First Defence), a Juddmonte homebred trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Florent Geroux, threw her name into the figurative hat, winning her third consecutive graded race and first Grade I. Last year's GI Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Oath (Arrogate) outbattled Nest for second, while Clairiere never got involved over the sloppy track and finished fifth.

Idiomatic broke from the rail and quickly skipped to the lead, ears pricked while under a hold as 45-1 longshot and Midwest shipper Malloy (Outwork) tracked her through a :24.53 first quarter and a :48.84 half. Nest was third early while Secret Oath followed and the pair of Sixtythreecaliber (Gun Runner), a July 19 Spa allowance winner, and Clairiere trailed. The tempo quickened with a half-mile to go; Idiomatic still traveled easily. Approaching the eighth pole, Geroux started riding as Nest attacked from Idiomatic's outside and Secret Oath countered from the inside. Despite drifting late, Idiomatic put both away to win by a healthy four-length margin as runner-up Secret Oath outpunched Nest by just a neck. Final time for the nine furlongs was 1:49.12.

Eclipse champion Nest suffered her first defeat at the Spa, while four-time GISW Clairiere was off the board for the first time since an uncharacteristic poor effort in last year's Personal Ensign.

“Based off the paper, I felt pretty confident [my filly] could establish a pretty solid lead,” said Cox. “I liked her [on a wet track], just the way she's made, she's big but she's not real heavy. I thought she could bounce through it, I really did.”

Cox continued when asked about his thoughts on defeating Nest and Clairiere: “It's huge. They're champions. They've accomplished so much and they're still in good form. I'm very proud of her to win by a few lengths there. Big race and I'm very proud of her.”

Fresh off back-to-back wins in the July 8 GII Delaware H., despite an ugly stumble at the break, and the June 3 GIII Shawnee S. with corresponding dual triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures, Idiomatic has done her best running when loose on the lead. She's taken an interesting path to this level, debuting with a win in April of her sophomore year at Turfway Park. Five of her first six starts–sandwiched around a seven-month, mid-year break–were on the all-weather surface at Turfway. After posting three consecutive wins there to kick off her 4-year-old campaign, which included a first stakes try in the Latonia S. Mar. 25, Cox shipped her to Belmont, where she made her graded debut May 6 with a distant second behind Pass the Champagne (Flatter) in the GII Ruffian S. Idiomatic hasn't lost since.

“I want to congratulate Juddmonte, Prince Khalid, and his family for keeping the legacy going,” said Cox. “They have a tremendous operation worldwide and this is a huge update for the farm and their operation. This filly is a homebred, so it means a lot.

“The week before I ran her in the Ruffian, I told [Juddmonte's] Garrett [O'Rourke] this filly will run on the dirt. It was an unbelievable breeze. She was second that day to Pass the Champagne, but her works on the dirt have been great all spring and into the summer. She gave us a lot of confidence this spring and summer. I've been confident in her for a while.”

 

Pedigree Notes:

Not too many significant racing weekends in recent memory don't involve a son or daughter of Curlin as a major player. It's impossible to overstate the chestnut's prowess as a sire of racehorses. The Hill 'n' Dale stallion is indisputably one of the best stallions of this generation and, with the Personal Ensign result, currently ranks second on the leading sire list behind only Into Mischief. Those two, along with Tapit, harken back to the days of Mr. Prospector, Danzig, and Seattle Slew, a trio who also interchangeably dominated just a few decades ago. Idiomatic is one of 54 graded winners and 96 black-type winners for Curlin, and his 21st at the Grade I level.

Idiomatic is a fourth-generation Juddmonte-bred and hails from the direct female line of Broodmare of the Year Best in Show (Traffic Judge), whose daughters have been brilliant producers and are responsible for a plethora of top horses over the last 50 or so years. One of those top horses was Juddmonte homebred, 'TDN Rising Star', and champion Close Hatches (First Defence), a full-sister to Idiomatic's stakes-winning and multiple Grade I-placed dam, Lockdown. Close Hatches is the dam of Tacitus (Tapit), whose big wins included the 2019 GII Wood Memorial S. and whose placings included the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont S.

Broodmare sire First Defence, another Juddmonte homebred descending from the operation's wonderful Broodmare of the Year Toussuad (El Gran Senor), has 14 stakes winners out of his daughters. He now stands in Saudi Arabia.

Lockdown died in 2022 after producing just three foals. She has an unraced 3-year-old filly named Abditory (Medaglia d'Oro) and a yearling filly by Into Mischief.

Friday, Saratoga
PERSONAL ENSIGN S.-GI, $500,000, Saratoga, 8-25, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 1/8m, 1:49.12, sy.
1–IDIOMATIC, 120, f, 4, by Curlin
          1st Dam: Lockdown (SW & MGISP, $445,900), by First Defence
          2nd Dam: Rising Tornado, by Storm Cat
          3rd Dam: Silver Star (GB), by Zafonic
1ST GRADE I WIN. O-Juddmonte; B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Florent Geroux. $275,000. Lifetime Record: 10-7-1-2, $1,049,490. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Secret Oath, 122, f, 4, by Arrogate
          1st Dam: Absinthe Minded (MSW & MGISP, $607,747), by Quiet American
          2nd Dam: Rockford Peach, by Great Above
          3rd Dam: Strawberry Skyline, by Hatchet Man
O-Briland Farm; B-Briland Farm, Robert & Stacy Mitchell (KY); T-D. Wayne Lukas. $100,000.
3–Nest, 124, f, 4, by Curlin
          1st Dam: Marion Ravenwood (SW, $112,598), by A.P. Indy
          2nd Dam: Andujar, by Quiet American
          3rd Dam: Nureyev's Best, by Nureyev
($350,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House; B-Ashview Farm & Colts Neck Stables (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $60,000.
Margins: 4, NK, 12. Odds: 4.00, 7.20, 0.75.
Also Ran: Malloy, Clairiere, Sixtythreecaliber.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Frankel’s Mostahdaf Makes All For International Glory And A Record Sixth Success For Dettori

Just 35 minutes after Ryan Moore had given a copybook off-the-pace ride in the G2 Great Voltigeur, Frankie Dettori provided a masterclass of his own with a pillar-to-post exhibition aboard Shadwell's Mostahdaf (GB) (Frankel {GB}–Handassa {GB}, by Dubawi {Ire}) in a stellar renewal of York's G1 Juddmonte International as the Knavesmire crowd was treated to high-end examples of elite horsemanship on the opening day of the Ebor Festival.

The G1 Prince Of Wales's S. victor was sharply into stride and soon held a three-length buffer, with Paddington (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) his closest pursuer through halfway. Dettori offered his rivals an opportunity to close when checking on their proximity and allowing his mount to fill his lungs approaching the half-mile pole. Shaken up in front with a quarter-mile remaining, the 3-1 second favourite was not for catching when push came to shove and he kept on strongly under a late urging to provide the rider with an outright record sixth triumph in the extended 10-furlong contest. Mostahdaf hit the line with one-length advantage as stablemate Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) rallied late and usurped the valiant Paddington for second in the dying strides.

Last term's G3 Gordon Richards S. and G3 September S. victor was undone by ground conditions when last of 20 in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and embellished his earnings column with a wide-margin tally in Riyadh's G3 Neom Turf Cup on seasonal return. Mostahdaf was no match for Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}), finishing fourth in Meydan's Mar. 25 G1 Dubai Sheema Classic, before bouncing back in style with a four-length triumph at Royal Ascot last time. His winning time of 2:06.40 here was the quickest since Sea The Stars (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) outgunned three rivals in 2009.

“I've always thought he was a very good horse and he was electric when he won the Neom Cup,” said John Gosden of his charge, who punched his ticket for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic in November. “We then stupidly tried him over a mile-and-a-half again, against the Japanese world champion [Equinox], and got put in our box. I think it will be 10 furlongs all the way now. You could probably get away with a mile-and-a-half at the Breeders' Cup, round a few bends and down a hill, but I don't think we'll see that. I'll see what the owner wants to do. She's done wonderfully well and her father would be so proud of her. The Irish Champion has to be a possibility, but I always like to get home and make a decision after 10 days. Some are trying to persuade me to run him in the Breeders' Cup Classic on the dirt, but I don't know about that. I don't think he has to have a big gap between his races, it was just that he'd raced in the winter and then took on the great Equinox over a mile-and-a-half. You then need a holiday and he did well for it.”

Analysing Dettori's pitch-perfect ride and the effort of runner-up Nashwa, the trainer continued, “I think Frankie is like many of us, he's getting better with age. It was the plan to make it a real test today as there was no point letting Ryan [Moore] do his own thing. It was like Roberto and Brigadier Gerard all over again, but the filly finished second and the other boy [Paddington] has been very busy. Nashwa showed her class today, having got stuck in the mud in the Nassau, and it was brave of the owner to run her.”

Shadwell's racing manager Angus Gold added: “To win the races we've done this year has been incredible; the Prince of Wales's, the King George, the Nassau and now this. It's been an amazing year. We have to enjoy it and be grateful. This was a proper race, but I was sad for York and the crowd there were only four runners. It was a quality race on paper and it lived up to its billing. We knew if we stood any chance of beating Paddington, we had to do something different rather than let him have his own way out in front again. Frankie proved a good substitute [for the suspended Jim Crowley] to have on the day. We weren't too worried changing tack as long as Frankie got the pace right.”

Aidan O'Brien admitted it may have been too much of a stretch to bring 'TDN Rising Star' Paddington back so soon after Goodwood's G1 Sussex S. and explained, “He ran a great race, but maybe I just pulled the elastic band too long and that's the reality. He had a tough race in Goodwood on soft ground and it just told today. He was just a little bit down in himself and maybe I should have waited and gone to Leopardstown [for the G1 Irish Champion] to give him a bit more time. He's only a baby 3-year-old and Ryan felt he was just a little bit flat. He was in good form and obviously we were happy to come here, but you don't really know until the speedometer goes to red. Frankie went evenly strong all the way and Ryan said he didn't travel with his usual fluency, but he still ran very well.” Looking to the future, O'Brien added, “We'll see how he is and everything's a possibility, but he definitely won't go to the Irish Champion. It will depend on what the lads want to do. We have fairly given it to him, we backed him up fairly tough and he did have a tough one the last day. I would have to say maybe I shouldn't have ran him, but that's the way it is.”

Pedigree Notes

Mostahdaf, the fifth of nine foals, is one of four scorers out of Listed Garnet S. victrix Handassa (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), herself kin to GII San Gabriel S.-winning GI Frank E Kilroe Mile placegetter Desert Stone (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and G3 Earl of Sefton S. third Euginio (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). The March-foaled homebred is full to the unraced 2-year-old colt Mutaawid (GB) and a weanling filly. He is also a half-brother to G1 Falmouth S. and G1 Sun Chariot S. heroine Nazeef (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and a yearling colt by Kingman (GB). His second dam Starstone (GB) (Diktat {GB}) is an unraced half-sister to Group 1-winning sires Pastoral Pursuits (GB) (Bahamian Bounty {GB}) and Goodricke (GB) (Bahamian Bounty {GB}).

Wednesday, York, Britain
JUDDMONTE INTERNATIONAL S.-G1, £1,000,000, York, 8-23, 3yo/up, 10f 56yT, 2:06.40, g/f.
1–MOSTAHDAF (IRE), 134, h, 5, by Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Handassa (GB) (SW-Ire), by Dubawi (Ire)
2nd Dam: Starstone (GB), by Diktat (GB)
3rd Dam: Star (GB), by Most Welcome (GB)
O/B-Shadwell Estate Company Ltd (IRE); T-John & Thady Gosden; J-Lanfranco Dettori. £567,100. Lifetime Record: GSW-KSA, 16-10-2-0, $3,000,193. *1/2 to Nazeef (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), MG1SW-Eng, $409,959. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Nashwa (GB), 131, f, 4, Frankel (GB)–Princess Loulou (Ire), by Pivotal (GB). O-Imad Al Sagar; B-Blue Diamond Stud Farm (UK) Ltd (GB); T-John & Thady Gosden. £215,000.
3–Paddington (GB), 127, c, 3, Siyouni (Fr)–Modern Eagle (Ger), by Montjeu (Ire). (€420,000 Ylg '21 ARQDOY). O-Tabor, Smith, Magnier, Westerberg & Brant; B-Dayton Investments Ltd (GB); T-Aidan O'Brien. £107,600.
Margins: 1, NK, 6. Odds: 3.00, 6.50, 0.67.
Also Ran: The Foxes (Ire).

 

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Prince Khalid bin Abdullah Inducted Into QIPCO British Champions Hall of Fame

The late Prince Khalid Bin Abdullah has been posthumously inducted into the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame, and is just the second person to be recognised within the Special Contributor category. He follows in the footsteps of 2021 inductee Queen Elizabeth II. Chosen by an independent panel of experts, in recognition of his contribution to the sport, his achievements through the breeding and racing operation Juddmonte leave a lasting legacy. The Prince's induction will be officially marked through a special presentation at York Racecourse on Wednesday, Aug. 23, the same day as the G1 Juddmonte International S., a race that Juddmonte has supported since 1989.

Crowning his achievements and influence on the racing landscape is the venerable Frankel (GB), flawless in his career and crowned Champion sire in 2021, as well as globetrotting wondermare, Enable (GB). Juddmonte-owned horses have won 76 races thus far in 2023 with Group or Grade I wins from Elite Power, Whitebeam (GB), Westover (GB), Chaldean (GB), and Set Piece (GB).

“Prince Khalid was an owner-breeder like no other, with his numerous cherished champions, including perhaps the greatest thoroughbred of them all in Frankel. Through his racing and breeding operation, Juddmonte, the Prince has left a legacy which, now under the direction of his sons, Prince Fahad, Prince Saud and Prince Ahmed, continues to have a massive influence on the sport globally, at the same time as giving great pleasure and entertainment to his family,” said Douglas Erskine Crum, Chief Executive of Juddmonte.

“Prince Khalid would have been very pleased to be recognised by the British horse racing industry in this way and, on behalf of his whole family, I thank British racing and the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame for this exceptional accolade.”

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