Lope de Vega (Ire) | Horse Racing Free Tips

Bold Pinhook Paces Book 1 Opener

By Emma Berry and Kelsey Riley

NEWMARKET, UK–Philipp Stauffenberg is well known for being a pretty fearless pinhooker but he surpassed even his own decent results of the recent past when selling a full-sister to Arizona (Ire) (No Nay Never) to Cheveley Park Stud for 825,000gns. A further compliment to the filly's family was paid by having the team from Juddmonte as underbidders, and this type of scenario was in Stauffenberg's mind when he paid €260,000 for lot 110 at Goffs last December.

“She was a very good physical but on top of that she is an outcross for most of the big owner/breeders, and that is what we saw with Cheveley Park Stud taking on Juddmonte,” he said. “This is just one step though, the racecourse is the primary goal. It is wonderful to see Mrs Thompson investing in the future in a filly like this. She is not a horse in training, Mrs Thompson will have to wait for her until at least next year, but it is very encouraging for the industry.”

As well as having the G2 Coventry S. winner and G1 Dewhurst S. runner-up as a brother, the filly's other full-sibling is the GII Mrs Revere S. winner Nay Lady Nay, while the further family also includes Group 1 winners Dabirsim (Fr) and Sea Of Class (Ire). The filly's dam Ederle (English Channel) is herself a daughter of G1 Oaks d'Italia victrix Bright Generation (Ire) (Rainbow Quest).

Patricia Thompson, who outbid Simon Mockridge of Juddmonte, admitted that she has bought the Stephen Sullivan-bred filly as an early Christmas present to herself, but it is a gift with plenty of upside for her Newmarket stud.

“She's a lovely filly and she's a nice outcross,” said the Cheveley Park Stud owner. “She should be a very good purchase for the stud, and hopefully on the racecourse as well. We've always strived to have quality, so we're just trying to prune and buy a bit of quality. It's the only way to go.”

No Nay Never, whose leading winners this year include the classy fillies Alcohol Free (Ire) and Zain Claudette (Ire), was quickly back in the spotlight when Mick Kinane went to €475,000 for lot 114, a colt out of the G1 Premio Lydia Tesio winner Laganore (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). Sold by The Castlebridge Consigment for breeder Newtown Anner Stud, the colt's half-brother Real Dream (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) was sold for 430,000gns at this sale last year.

Maurice Regan's Newtown Anner Stud also sold lot 141, a Dubawi (Ire) colt out of a Galileo (Ire) half-sister to dual Group 1 winner Simply Perfect (Ire) (Danehill) for 600,000gns to Godolphin.

Despite there being no millionaire lots, the opening day of Book 1 had a solid feel, with a notable 27% rise in median to 152,500gns. The average dropped slightly by 6% to 210,008gns, with a total of 25,201,000gns being raised from the sale of 120 of the 134 lots offered for an unchanged clearance rate of 78%.

A Trio For Juddmonte

In a sad year for the bloodstock industry with the loss of major owner/breeders Prince Khalid Abdullah, Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum and David Thompson, further encouragement can be drawn from Juddmonte's selective investment in the yearling market. Having been outbid by Patricia Thompson for the No Nay Never filly, Simon Mockridge held sway when in pursuit of the Dubawi filly out of German Group 2 winner Longina (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}). Offered as lot 127 by Newsells Park Stud, the filly from Gestut Ittlingen's top-class family of Lauro (Ger) and Lando (Ger) brought the hammer down at 800,000gns.

“The No Nay Never was a beautiful filly. We were strong on her but not strong enough, but it is nice to see Mrs Thompson here. This is also a very nice filly by Dubawi, who for us is a great outcross for stallions like Kingman and Frankel,” said Mockridge.

“The positive news is that Prince Khalid's family want to continue to develop Juddmonte and we need to buy some outcross fillies, and that is the reason why we are here. The No Nay Never and this Dubawi filly fitted the bill perfectly.”

He continued, “It has been a tough year losing Prince Khalid, but the family is committed to the future. The prince left us with a great legacy and it is there for us to drive forward. Fortunately we have a strong stallion base, we are very fortunate to have Frankel and Kingman, that is number one, it keeps us going, we just need to refresh a little bit.”

Bred on the same cross as Godolphin's G1 Prix de l'Opera winner Wild Illusion (GB), the April-foaled filly was bred by Al Shahania Stud, whose interests in Europe are managed by Arnault Leraitre and Bertrand Le Metayer.

“They deserve all the credit,” said Newsells Park Stud's Julian Dollar. “We have five yearlings in the draft for Al Shahania and they arrived with us looking fantastic. They have been with us for 10 weeks and we've just put a bit of polish on them.”

In addition to the Dubawi filly, Juddmonte also bought two fillies by their freshman sire Expert Eye (GB), including lot 113, a half-sister to the Group 3 winners Brown Sugar (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}) and Burnt Sugar (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}). Bought as a foal from breeder Ballylinch Stud for €180,000 by Yeomanstown Stud, she was resold at 290,000gns.

“We bought two very nice Expert Eye fillies,” said Mockridge. “The one from Barouche Stud is a very nice filly–well made, very strong and active. And the other from Yeomanstown we were underbidders on as a foal.”

Given A Great Start

Many of the yearlings at Book 1 represent generations of careful nurturing by their breeders, and this was certainly the case for lot 49, the first foal of G1 Premio Lydia Tesio winner God Given (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), who won four group races for her breeder Andrew Stone of St Albans Bloodstock before returning to her birthplace of Whatton Manor Stud. Those same Nottinghamshire paddocks have also been home to her grandam, the former Irish champion 2-year-old and Group 1 winner Bianca Nera (GB), and dam Ever Rigg (GB) (Dubai Destination), whose other offspring include four-time Group 1 winner and sire Postponed (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}).

God Given's initial mating with Lope De Vega (Ire) produced a colt who was one of the standouts of the day and will eventually race in the Godolphin blue, having been bought by Anthony Stroud at 725,000gns.

“We have always aspired to have horses nice enough to bring to Book 1,” said Ed Player of Whatton Manor Stud. “Andrew Stone has entrusted us with God Given–we had Bianca Nera here years ago so it has come full circle to get God Given back again.”

He added, “That's the highest price we've had for a yearling and we're delighted with that. He is such a good-moving horse, he walks for fun and hasn't put a foot wrong since he arrived here.”

Five lots later Whatton Manor Stud also sold Rabbah Bloodstock's son of Sea The Stars (Ire) out of a winning Shamardal half-sister to 1000 Guineas winner Legatissimo (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}). Offered as lot 54, he was bought for 260,000gns by Roger Varian.

“It's always great when a horse goes to a good trainer,” Player continued. “That's what it's all about, what they do on the racecourse, so it's very important. The colts were two very good first foals and the team at home have done such a good job preparing them for the sale.”

Ballylinch Stud's Lope De Vega is well represented in Book 1 with 44 yearlings catalogued. Fifteen sold during the first session for an average of 264,000gns and included a filly from Longview Stud, who was also bought by Godolphin for 475,000gns. Lot 64 is out of How (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a full-sister to a pair of Classic winners in Minding (Ire) and Empress Josephine (Ire).

Dubawi Colt To Propel MyRacehorse Europe

MyRacehorse.com was launched into the racing elite in the U.S. when Authentic (Into Mischief) won the 2020 GI Kentucky Derby, providing the more than 5,300 investors who owned a 12.5% share in the colt the ultimate ownership experience. The microshare syndicate has since soared in popularity in the U.S.; it expanded to Australia earlier this year, and the next frontier is Europe. MyRacehorse purchased the third yearling for its European stable at Tattersalls on Tuesday, spending 450,000gns on Watership Down Stud's Dubawi (Ire) colt out of dual Group 3 winner J Wonder (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) (lot 81).

A $300,000 Keeneland November foal, J Wonder was raced by Andrew Rosen and won the G3 Fred Darling S. and G3 Oak Tree S. at three for trainer Brian Meehan before joining Shug McGaughey for a short stint in the U.S. Returning to Britain for her broodmare career, J Wonder produced for Rosen a Dubawi colt that fetched 850,000gns at this sale in 2018 and, named Boccaccio (Ire), was listed-placed for Godolphin. The mare's second foal, Gal Wonder (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), has won this year, and she had a Kingman filly in 2021 before being covered by Wootton Bassett (GB). J Wonder is a full-sister to the G1 Matron S. winner Chachamaidee (Ire), and their second dam is Legend Maker (Ire), the dam of G1 1000 Guineas victress Virginia Waters.

MyRacehorse Managing Partner Jules Pittam and Director of Operations Kate Hardy were at Park Paddocks on Tuesday, and Hardy said, “we loved this horse as soon as we saw him. He has a real presence about him. Dubawis are really classy horses and he's a nice type. He is quite strong with a nice topline and looks like he'll be sharp.”

“Dubawi is one of the best sires in the world and J Wonder has already produced a full-brother who is listed-placed,” she added. “What MyRacehorse is trying to do is provide elite bloodstock at an accessible level to our owners, so he really fit the bill.”

While plans are not yet set in stone for the bay, the MyRacehorse team is hoping he could be bound for Kingsclere.

“At this stage, Andrew Balding makes a lot of sense,” Hardy said. “That isn't confirmed but that's the direction we're looking in right now. He's going to be our first colt in training here in the UK, so we would be pretty excited to have a trainer like Andrew on board.”

MyRacehorse signed for a daughter of Zoffany (Ire) for €170,000 at Goffs Orby for its European stable who is bound for Joseph O'Brien, and a Mendelssohn filly bought at Keeneland September for $300,000 will also be crossing the Atlantic. Hardy said the first three yearlings purchased for the microshare syndicate to race in Europe will be available to investors by the end of 2021.

“By the end of the year we are hoping to launch MyRacehorse in Europe,” she said. “We will launch with the three yearlings we've purchased this year that have been chosen by our head of bloodstock and racing Roderick Wachman, so the bill is filled. The plan is to syndicate these horses on our microshare platform. We average about 1,200 owners per horse in the United States, and that's probably what we'll aim for here as well.

“We're really excited to launch here in Europe. The MyRacehorse story started in the U.S. where we had Authentic win the 2020 Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic. We now have over 60 horses in training, and we launched in Australia in April, so Europe seemed like the next most appropriate market.”

Hardy said the deep-seated connection of Europeans with horses made it an obvious next frontier for MyRacehorse.

“It's a model that works in America so well; it's great to be able to bring people from all over such a large country in on one horse that they can cheer for together,” she said. “We really thought the European market would be a good market to come into because there is already such a huge demographic that loves racing. The horse here is such a part of the history and the culture so we felt that if we could offer a way for fans to get involved at an ownership level, it could really take off. Growing the number of people who get to experience the thrill of ownership is our main objective and we think there is quite a fan base here that would really enjoy MyRacehorse.”

The post Bold Pinhook Paces Book 1 Opener appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

They Might Be Giants

It's as though we have walked out to the very last among the thousands of volcanic rock columns that comprise the Giant's Causeway, and the sea is now lapping round our ankles. But though we probably shouldn't place undue pressure on the stone beneath our feet, it might just support a final expansion of perspective on a horse that truly measured up to his naming for a geological phenomenon.

For the scintillating debut of Classic Causeway on the main track at Saratoga a couple of weeks ago permits us to hope that a finishing flourish might yet be added to the legacy of one of the most influential stallions of the modern era.

This is one of just three named colts eked from a handful of last coverings by Giant's Causeway, who died in April 2018. (There was apparently one live daughter, too, but she does not appear to have been registered.) And his trainer Brian Lynch is optimistic that he may have the potential to bring his sire to a posthumous milestone by inching him up from his present aggregate of 99 graded stakes winners.

One step at a time: but Classic Causeway certainly dominated some fancied rivals, representing powerful operations, before cutting loose by six and a half lengths in the stretch. Lynch is proposing to test the water for the Breeders' Cup in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland Oct. 9.

Classic Causeway was homebred by Patrick O'Keefe (of Kentucky West Racing) and Clarke M. Cooper from the Thunder Gulch mare Private World, herself a smart juvenile back in 2005.

“Old friends of mine from California bred him,” Lynch explains. “And they asked me to go and have a look at him as a yearling: if I liked him, I could go ahead and put him into training. And I did, he had some sort of presence about him: strong, lot of bone, just a real well-made colt.”

So the youngster was sent to Margaux Farm to be prepared for his track career.

“As they started on him, he was still a plain brown paper bag,” Lynch recalls. “He didn't really impress them too much, early–but as they started to do more with him, they started to like him more. And when we got him into training, about the beginning of June, it was the same thing: the more we did with him, the more we began to see the talent. And once we started breezing, it was very obvious he could run.”

In those first, tentative works at Churchill, Classic Causeway volunteered himself for service at Saratoga, where Lynch was delighted to be taking a barn again after sitting out the pandemic meet last year.

“As we got some more serious work into him, he definitely stood out as a Saratoga 2-year-old,” Lynch says. “He was one of those that just never missed a beat: never had a pimple, never left an oat. Every work you gave him, he came out a better horse than went into it. He loved going to the gate, loved breaking from the gate. He's just been a very easy, precocious horse who loves to train.

“You send him to the top of the mountain, he looks down and says: 'What's next, boss?' Where some of these 2-year-olds won't be halfway up before they're saying, 'Oh, my toe's sore,' or 'I got a kink in my tail.' He's just always been a tough, hardy horse. I always say we're not hard on them, but if they do have some run to them, we'll ask them for a bit of it along the way. And every time we've asked him, he's just taken that step up.”

The Australian-born conditioner remains mystified that so many rivals here confine their young horses to half-mile works, maybe five-eighths at a push. But as a son of such a venerable two-turn influence, and moreover out of a mare by a Belmont winner, Classic Causeway was given the chance to bed down his speed and precocity in a deeper foundation.

“I always had it mind to run him seven-eighths at Saratoga, so I got some good 1200-meter drills into him,” Lynch explains. “And you know, for a 2-year-old to be able to work in 1:12 and change, it's like when you watch the kids play footy that just have all the mechanics: they know how to kick the ball, how to pass, how to tackle. He just knew how to do everything.”

Sure enough, Classic Causeway proved far too natural a runner for his pursuers on debut.

“I was absolutely thrilled,” Lynch admits. “Those are expensive horses, at Saratoga, but he just broke and took it to them. The farther they went, the farther he was going to win by. He's come out of his race like the ultimate professional, too. So if he can run well at Keeneland next month, he'd have the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile as a target to head for.”

Lynch is humbly aware of this colt's status as a “collector's item” and would be honored if he could carve a fresh memorial to Giant's Causeway.

“I followed his career in Europe with Aidan [O'Brien] and then to run a race like that, first time on the dirt [in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic in 2000], showed what an incredible racehorse he was,” he remarks. “That stretch duel with Tiznow have to go down there as one of the great Breeders' Cup Classics, it ranks up there with Blame and Zenyatta.”

Giant's Causeway left a number of potential heirs at stud but none, so far, can challenge Shamardal, actually a member of his very first crop. Though he, too, has departed since the loss of the patriarch, Shamardal gave the male line a robust presence in Europe, notably through the rise of Lope De Vega (Ire) at Ballylinch in Ireland.

True to his own versatility, however, Giant's Causeway was also a historic achiever in North America, only overtaken this summer by Tapit for the all-time progeny earnings record. He is, moreover, proving as important a broodmare sire as always seemed likely in a son of Storm Cat and a Rahy mare, with freshman sensation Gun Runner already promising dramatic enhancement to this dimension of “the Iron Horse”.

That soubriquet reminds us how very wholesome an influence we're celebrating here. Hopefully, then, Giant's Causeway will draw out some similarly ferrous elements in the pedigree of Classic Causeway, which combines some considerable contrasts in terms of soundness.

His dam Private World won her first three (including two stakes) before tailing off in the GI Starlet S. and then managing only a couple of sophomore starts. Kentucky West had bred her from an Arkansas-bred mare named Rita Rucker, by a forgotten son of Danzig, Dmitri, who himself made only one start. Rita Rucker, in contrast, won no fewer than 21 of 72, albeit at a very modest level. Mated with Point Given–a son, of course, of Private World's sire Thunder Gulch–Rita Rucker produced a colt named Point Encounter, whose solitary start at Santa Anita was so impressive that he, like Dmitri, was given a chance at stud. (Private World, incidentally, has remained a regular client at Ashford since the loss of Giant's Causeway, resulting in a yearling filly by Lookin At Lucky and a weanling colt by Justify.)

As for Giant's Causeway, his two other parting shots both have auspicious antecedents. Giant Game, bred by H. Allen Poindexter out of graded-stakes producer Game For More (More Than Ready), realized $500,000 from a very shrewd partnership, between Albaugh Family Stables and West Point Thoroughbreds, at Fasig-Tipton last year. His debut for Dale Romans at Churchill last Saturday had been preceded by some very brisk works and he shaped extremely well in rallying for third after a green break.

The other Giant's Causeway colt, Shadwell homebred Monaadah, is in training with Saeed bin Suroor in England. But the one who's up and running is Classic Causeway. Morale is high in the Lynch barn, following three wins at the lucrative Kentucky Downs meet, and $17,000 weanling Red Danger (Orb) will also be given a chance to target the Breeders' Cup after following up his own Saratoga maiden success in the $500,000 Global Tote Juvenile Sprint S. And, having launched multiple graded stakes winner Giant Gizmo while working for the Stronach family's Woodbine division, Lynch certainly valued the compliment when someone remarked how much of their sire could be seen in Classic Causeway.

“And he does possess a lot of his father in him,” he agrees. “When I think of how gutsy Giant's Causeway was, coming down the lane with Tiznow, I just hope we can keep this one healthy and sound. Because he's potentially a very nice horse in the making.”

The post They Might Be Giants appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Half to Just Wonderful Set For Punchestown Debut

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Wednesday's Observations features a half-sister to GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S. placegetter Just Wonderful (Dansili {GB}).

13.30 Punchestown, Mdn, €14,000, 2yo, f, 7fT
Coolmore and Westerberg's WEST COAST (IRE) (Dark Angel {Ire}) is a daughter of G2 Rockfel S. victrix Wading (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) and thus kin to two black-type performers headed by G2 Rockfel S. winner and GI Belmont Oaks Invitational and G1 Matron S. placegetter Just Wonderful (Dansili {GB}). Opposition to the Aidan O'Brien trainee includes the twice-raced Radiyka (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), who is a daughter of G2 Debutante S. winner and G1 Matron S. fourth Raydara (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}), from the Dermot Weld stable.

The post Half to Just Wonderful Set For Punchestown Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Keeneland Colt A First For Wootton Bassett

Since Wootton Bassett's sale to Coolmore was announced just over a year ago, the son of Iffraaj has continued to go from strength to strength. This Wednesday will mark another milestone for the former French champion 2-year-old when his first yearling at a North American sale goes through the ring at Keeneland September.

Conceived in France and shipped in utero to Kentucky by breeder Bonne Chance Farm, hip 688 was foaled last February at his owner's farm in Versailles. He is the third foal out of Eldacar (Ire) (Verglas {Ire}), twice a winner for trainer Mikel Delzangles and a full-sister to the G2 Prix de Pomone and G2 Prix Royallieu runner-up Miss Crissy (Ire) from the family of the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud victor Shaka (GB) and G3 Prix de Psyche scorer Serisia (Fr) and her Australian Group 1-winning son Contributer (Ire).

The transatlantic intentions of Brazilian billionaire Gilberto Sayao Da Silva were rather plainly spelled out when Da Silva purchased the former Regis Farm in Versailles in 2015 and re-named it “Bonne Chance”-good luck in French. Da Silva had established Stud Rio Dois Irmaos (Stud RDI) in 2008 to race horses in Brazil and Argentina, and had begun to collect a few horses in France with the intention to establish a stud there. When the opportunity to purchase Regis Farm came along, however, the focus was turned in that direction and much of the stock acquired in France-including Eldacar–was rerouted to Kentucky, with a few fillies and mares remaining in France.

In the meantime, the folks at Bonne Chance had made a very shrewd decision when taking a share in a Group 1-winning 2-year-old called Wootton Bassett when he was syndicated at Haras d'Etreham.

“When they bought Wootton Bassett they asked us to be part of the syndicate and we were glad to do it,” explained Bonne Chance Chief Executive Officer Alberto Figueiredo. “You have to take a shot and when you jump on a horse you have to support him and keep your fingers crossed because no one knows who will be the next superstar. So we kept sending him mares and supporting him and hoped for the best.”

Among those mares was Eldacar, who produced as her first foal the current 3-year-old filly Sunny Morning (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) who was sold for €190,000 at Arqana August and placed in June for Ecurie Jean-Louis Bouchard and trainer Jean-Claude Rouget. Eldacar's second foal, the 2-year-old filly Macadamia (Fr) (Wootton Bassett), was retained by Bonne Chance and was exported to the U.S. to race after Eldacar sadly died last year. Macadamia made her first start at Kentucky Downs on Saturday for trainer Paulo Lobo and finished eighth after racing in contention on the rail.

Despite following the sire's results closely, Bonne Chance's Bloodstock and Office Manager Leah Alessandroni said she had never seen a Wootton Bassett in the flesh until Eldacar's colt came along, but she said he gave her a very favourable first impression of what the sire throws.

“I'd seen pictures of the stallion and I'd talked to Alberto about him and some other people that were familiar with the stallion,” she said. “But I didn't know what to expect until this horse was born. He's a big, strong horse. Looking at him and looking at the stallion I think there are a lot of similarities there. We imported his full-sister and she's also a quality horse but a lot smaller and more feminine. But we like her a lot and she's training well. I think anyone who is looking for a big, strong, quality horse is going to have to like this colt. I really can't pick him apart. He's a solid individual, big and strong and he's done everything right since day one.”

While Wootton Bassett has had just 11 runners in the U.S., they have proven adept to the American turf; Audayra is his headline act this side of the Atlantic, having won last year's GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. Tamahere (Fr) won the GII Sands Point S. at Belmont Park last fall after being imported by Madaket Stables and partners, and Qatar Racing's Guildsman (Fr) took the GIII Franklin-Simpson S. at Kentucky Downs last summer, the same race that operation won this past Saturday with The Lir Jet (Ire) (Prince Of Lir {Ire}). Three-year-old colt Wootton Asset (Fr) was the latest to advertise his sire locally when winning the GIII Virginia Derby on Aug. 31 for Madaket and trainer Graham Motion.

“I'm just excited for people to see him,” said Alessandroni of Bonne Chance's colt. “In following the sire because of our share in him, we've all become such huge fans of him and we're so excited to be able to offer the first North American-bred and sale yearling by him. I think he's a really great representation and I'm really excited for people to see him.”

Bonne Chance's Wootton Bassett colt will be offered on Wednesday during the first session of Book 2 from the Gainesway consignment.

Bonne Chance has 10 homebreds in Keeneland September, and also among those is a Lope De Vega (Ire) colt (hip 337) selling as part of the Hidden Brook consignment during the second session of Book 1 on Tuesday. His dam Diavola (Ire) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}) was bought as a yearling by Stud RDI for 65,000gns at Tattersalls October Book 1, and won over a mile and a half on the turf for Mikel Delzangles. After producing the unraced Intello (Ger) filly Jessamine (Fr) as her first foal, Diavola was sent to Wootton Bassett in 2017 and produced the filly Rapid Achiever (Fr). Bought by John Foote for €130,000 at Arqana's October yearling sale in 2019, Rapid Achiever has won her first two starts Down Under for trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace since the Keeneland catalogue was published. Rapid Achiever was just the second runner in Australasia for Wootton Bassett after Richard Hannon's Beat Le Bon (Fr), who was sent down for the 2019 Golden Eagle, and an unbeaten debut winner will be welcome news to the breeders signed on to use the sire during his first season at Coolmore Australia.

Bonne Chance's Lope De Vega colt is from the excellent Aga Khan family of Darshaan (GB), Dar Re Mi (GB), etc., and Alessandroni said, “this guy is a really quality horse. He has the plain Lope De Vega head, but that's the only plain thing about him. He has a lot of presence and he's a really great mover. All around he's one of my top choices this year of our group. I can't pick him apart. He's really one of my favourites and has been ever since he was a foal. It's been great to see him continue to improve and step up and he looks like he's showing himself off here.”

From 42 runners in America, Lope De Vega has supplied three stakes winners including Newspaperofrecord (Ire) and Aunt Pearl (Ire), back to back winners of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies' Turf, and Grade III winner Capla Temptress (Ire). In addition to being one of Europe's elite sires, Lope De Vega has also been very successful in Australia, where his 15 stakes winners include Group 1-winning sprinters Santa Ana Lane (Aus), Vega Magic (Aus), Gytrash (Aus) and Vega One (Aus). Bonne Chance's colt is one of three by Lope De Vega at Keeneland; Bedouin Bloodstock offers a half-sister to Breeders' Cup winner and sire Bobby's Kitten as hip 303 on Tuesday, and a half-sister to triple Grade I winner Miss Temple City (Temple City) as hip 717 on Wednesday. Both were bred by SF Bloodstock.

“Lope De Vega has done a lot in this country and has been represented by some really nice horses,” Alessandroni said. “There are a handful of them every year that you see in the sale and they sell fine, but I think he's a horse people should feel comfortable with. He's proven himself on an international level as well as a domestic level, so I think he's a horse that anybody that wants to win big races is going to at least want to look at.”

Bonne Chance is certainly riding momentum into Keeneland September, having won stakes races with imported homebreds In Love (Brz) (Agnes Gold {Jpn}) and Imperador (Arg) (Treasure Beach {GB}) over the past week. Those horses alone show that Bonne Chance is not afraid to roll the dice on international horses in America, and indeed its Keeneland offerings also include a Medaglia d'Oro son of an Argentine Group 1 winner and an Into Mischief colt out of a Galileo (Ire) mare. These are members of Bonne Chance's biggest crop to date of 18 foals.

“We actually celebrate our six year anniversary on Sept. 15,” Alessandroni said. “We had three mares when the owner bought the farm and through a combination of buying horses and bringing horses from his other operations we've built ourselves up to between 20 and 30 broodmares, and that's probably where we're always going to stay. We're selling 10 here at Keeneland, we'll have a few selling in October and we'll keep some nice fillies to race.

“We're really excited about this year's group; we think it's a really great representation of our programme. We have a colt in Book 1 by Medaglia d'Oro and the mare was bred in Argentina. She's by Harlan's Holiday but she also raced in France and South America and the U.S., and now she's here breeding for us. This group of yearlings is a really great representation of our entire programme and the international appeal we have really worked hard to bring together.”

The post Keeneland Colt A First For Wootton Bassett appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post