Logician Retired To Shade Oak Stud

Juddmonte's St Leger winner Logician (GB) (Frankel {GB}–Scuffle {GB}, by Daylami {Ire}) has been retired from racing and will take up stallion duties at Shade Oak Stud in Shropshire from 2022.

The 5-year-old has been bought by a partnership with includes Shade Oak's owner Peter Hockenhull, Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning breeder Bryan Mayoh and Grand National-winning trainer Dr Richard Newland. Juddmonte will also retain some breeding rights in the son of the Daylami (Ire) mare Scuffle (GB), a listed-placed treble winner who is a half-sister to the stallions Bated Breath (GB) and Cityscape (GB).

“The purchase of Logician is the culmination of a four-year search to bring another top-class stallion prospect to Shade Oak, one with all the qualities needed in a champion National Hunt sire. Logician ticks every box,” said Peter Hockenhull, who currently stands Dartmouth (GB), Telescope (Ire), Scorpion (Ire) and Recharge (Ire).

He added, “He is by Frankel, the best racehorse I have ever seen and now succeeding his own sire, Galileo, as the world's best stallion, from a black-type mare that has bred six winners from six runners, including four black-type horses, and is herself a half-sister to Cityscape and Bated Breath. He stands 16.2hh with great bone, plenty of strength and substance, a lovely walk and a fantastic temperament.”

Unraced at two, Logician was faultless in a five-start 3-year-old campaign, which saw him break his maiden at Newbury in May over 10 furlongs and culminated in back-to-back wins in the G2 Great Voltigeur S. and G1 St Leger, in which he beat future classy stayers Sir Ron Priestley (GB) and Nayef Road (Ire), as well as subsequent G1 Cox Plate winner Sir Dragonet (Ire). He returned to the track almost exactly a year later, having survived a life-threatening attack of peritonitis and pleurisy at the end of his 3-year-old season.

Despite Shade Oak Stud and the horse's new connections being predominantly active in the National Hunt sphere, Hockenhull said that he hopes to encourage Flat breeders to send mares to Logician.

He continued, “I am encouraged that Juddmonte were keen to retain breeding rights in the horse for use on their own mares, so I look forward to some high-class runners by him not only over jumps but also on the Flat. I am extremely grateful to the Abdullah family for supporting British breeding by selling Logician to a stud in this country, and to Grant Pritchard-Gordon of Badgers Bloodstock, whose long-term association with Juddmonte, Prince Khalid's family and this pedigree helped us greatly in this transaction.”

Hockenhull added, “The Great British Bonus and NH Elite Mares Schemes, championed by the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association and supported by the Levy Board, are transforming the prospects for British breeders, making it possible for studs here to purchase stallions of the quality of Logician.”

As a 3-year-old, Logician, who became Frankel's first Classic-winning son, earned a Timeform rating of 126p. He won on his comeback at four in a Doncaster conditions race, and has been placed in his only starts this season, in the G3 Al Rayyan S. and listed Fred Archer S.

His former trainer John Gosden said, “Logician was still improving when he won the St Leger, quickening in the style of his sire. We planned a major Group 1 campaign over 10 and 12 furlongs as a 4-year-old–he was that good——but unfortunately illness got in the way. As well as fantastic physique and tremendous stride, Logician has a great mind. Nothing fazes him and he puts everything into his racing. He has all the ingredients to be an outstanding dual-purpose sire.”

Juddmonte's racing manager Barry Mahon added, “From the start, Logician was a special horse, a standout yearling among the Juddmonte crop that year. His size, strength and beautiful action, combined with good conformation, had everyone excited from an early stage and he didn't disappoint. His unbeaten 3-year-old season ended with a dominant victory in the St Leger. 

“We have no doubt he was one of the very best middle-distance horses around. Being by Frankel, and given his exceptional physique and performance, Logician is a huge asset to British breeding. Shade Oak have guided many top-class stallions through their careers and I'm sure they have another top-class prospect on their hands.”

A fee for Logician will be announced at a later date.

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Enable “Happy And Well” In Arc Prep

Newmarket’s Henry Cecil Open Weekend could not take place in its traditional format this year, but a wide array of HQ trainers nonetheless participated in virtual format.

John Gosden was chief among them, and he gave an update on the town’s most popular equine resident, Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), as she gears up for an attempt at a third win in the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on Oct. 4.

“Enable is very happy and well,” Gosden said. “She has been fine since the race at Kempton [the Sept. 5 G3 September S). She enjoyed that outing. It’s a massive task [the Arc], a big mountain to climb again. If it had gone quite right last year, she obviously wouldn’t be trying to do it this year.

“It looks a fantastic race; Aidan O’Brien is fielding a wonderful filly in Love, who naturally being a 3-year-old gets all the weight, which Enable benefited from when she won as a 3-year-old, and there are some great older horses. It is very exciting–she is in great form to attempt the impossible. Frankie [Dettori] will hopefully be here next week to ride her in some work and help bring her up to the race.”

Enable will meet her illustrious staying stablemate Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) for the first time on a racecourse in the Arc. Stradivarius shortened up to 2400 metres when second in the G2 Prix Foy on Sept. 13.

“In the Prix Foy, Mickael Barzalona was riding [winner] Anthony Van Dyck and he went nice gentle fractions,” Gosden said. “In the French trials they do not like to overdo them, they come into the straight and then kick. I thought for a two-and-a-half-mile Ascot Gold Cup winner he showed great acceleration down the straight. The other horses behind never got to them. I thought both horses ran lovely races and he came up a neck short. I could not have been happier with him.”

Two of Gosden’s Group 1-winning 3-year-olds, Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}) and Mishriff (GB) (Make Believe {GB}), have dates on British Champions Day, in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. and G1 Qipco Champion S. respectively.

“We are very much looking at the QEII with Palace Pier,” Gosden said. “We were very happy with the [G1] Jacques le Marois–we wanted that straight mile for him. They did have an excessive amount of rain, so it was very soft, but he handled it well. There is a strong possibility that he stays in training as a 4-year-old, in which case it will probably be his last run of the season as we are getting deep into October. I didn’t really want to be whizzing him off to Hong Kong or America at this stage, maybe we will do that sort of thing next year. Hopefully he runs a big race in the QEII, and we will be waiting to run him again as a 4-year-old.”

Of the G1 Prix du Jockey Club victor Mishriff, Gosden added, “We thought about the Arc. We looked at the pedigree and to me, he is not fully furnished and strengthened yet. He is still improving and the Arc at this stage of his career could do more harm than good. We decided we will stay at a mile and a quarter and he will be going to the Champion S. I’d expect him to put up a pretty big show.”

Gosden said the G3 Cumberland Lodge S. could be on the agenda for last year’s G1 St Leger winner Logician (GB) (Frankel {GB}) following his recent winning return off an extended layoff due to peritonitis.

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