Full Circle: First Yearlings for Arqana-Grad Sottsass Sell at Deauville

In the summer of 2017, Peter Brant was just at the beginning of his remarkable run with Sistercharlie (Ire) (My Boy Charlie {Ire}), who would go on to win seven Group 1 races for him, but he already knew how special she was.

“We were campaigning Sistercharlie at the time, and we knew how good she was because she had run second in the Prix Diane after getting into a lot of trouble. She almost got knocked down, and then looked like she would be absolutely nowhere. And then she came flying and made second. I knew then she just had to be a really good horse. We owned her going into the Prix Diane. And so we were very encouraged and then we brought her back to the United States and she ran in the Belmont Oaks. She lost by a nose. And she had just arrived and really never even had the chance to work or anything.”

Michel Zerolo had recommended Sistercharlie to Brant after her win in a conditions race at Saint-Cloud in April, and bought her for him after her win in the G3 Prix Penelope later than month. It was the first horse he had recommended to him.

Sistercharlie was the first foal out of Starlet's Sister, who has gone on to be a remarkable producer for Henri Bozo's Ecurie des Monceaux. Sistercharlie, the champion turf female in America, was followed by the multiple-group winner and $1 million-plus earner My Sister Nat (Fr) (Acclamation {GB}), and Sottsass (Fr), driving the prices for her subsequent foals into the stratosphere in the Arqana sales ring.

But that hadn't yet happened when Sottsass came up for sale that summer at Arqana, and Brant asked Zerolo to take a look. “Monceaux was selling him; they have the mare, Starlet's Sister, and so Michel Zerolo went to see him and he said he was really beautiful. He was a really big, strong, beautiful horse.”

Champion Sistercharlie wins the 2018 Breeders' Cup F/M Turf | Breeders' Cup/Eclipse Sportswire

Recalled Zerolo, “The obvious thing was that I was going to look at a brother of Sistercharlie, so it was a fairly easy pick. He was a very good-looking horse. He was very athletic. He was he was a good mover. The pedigree was a happening pedigree at the time. And Siyouni was a sire that I love.”

They purchased him for €340,000. Brant left him in France with trainer Jean-Claude Rouget.

Sottsass would go on to wins at two, and three, and four, including three Group 1s. He broke the track record in the Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) at a mile and a quarter, won the Prix Ganay, and then Prix de l'Arc Triomphe at four in his final career start. He won at distances from eight furlongs to a mile and a half.

This week, 11 of his first yearlings are expected to pass through the ring at the Arqana August sale. Six of them will be offered by Zerolo and Eric Puerari's Haras des Capucines.

“I've seen a reasonable number of his first yearlings,” said Zerolo. “I wouldn't say they're all of a type. He does get some bays, he gets some chestnuts. I've seen a few that are on the smaller side, more on the Polar Falcon side. Otherwise, they all seem to have a good disposition, good mind, easy horses to be around, good-looking, scopey, correct. Very correct, the way he was.”

Brant named the horse after his friend, Ettore Sottsass, a well-know Austrian-Italian architect, furniture, glass, and home-products designer, whose bright red Olivetti Valentine Portable Typewriter has earned a spot in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “He was one of the great people in design in the 20th century,” said Brant. “And I knew him very well. I collected his furniture and his glass. I like to try to name my horses after 20th and 21st century culture.”

And though Sottsass the horse remained in Europe for his racing career, Brant was on hand for some of his best moments.

“I was there at the French Derby and it was a very, very impressive race,” he recalled. “Jean-Claude Rouget thought he was going to run very well. There were some great horses in there. Persian King was the favourite and there were a number of really well-bred French horses from the big barns and families in France as well as from England. And he just ran a powerhouse.”

The Arc took place during the first fall of the Covid pandemic in 2020, forcing Brant and his wife, Stefanie Seymour, to miss the race.

“My wife and I watched it in Connecticut and we got all dressed up as if we were there,” he said. “But it was a great thrill. I mean, if there were any neighbors close by, they could hear us yelling, that's for sure.”

Sottsass winning the Arc | Scoop Dyga

 

Brant-currently in the midst of an epic season with another son of Siyouni, Paddington (GB), who he owns in partnership–has heavily supported his stallion with some top mares, including sending him to his Eclipse Award-winning mare Uni in his third year at stud. His pedigree deserves those mares, he said.

“Very few mares have thrown horses like Sistercharlie, Sottsass, My Sister Nat. My Sister Nat (whom Brant purchased privately in October, 2018) lost the Breeders' Cup by a neck and she lost the Flower Bowl by a nose. She was also very, very good. But I think that Sistercharlie could be the best horse that I ever owned. They were all really good-looking. So I'm very anxious to see his babies run next year. We bred 12 mares to him because we really believe in him.”

His offspring will go to Jean-Claude Rouget, Aidan O'Brien and Chad Brown in the U.S., Brant said.

“I'm getting very good reports from the French, English and Irish breeders,” he said. “They look a lot like him. They're scopey, the majority of them are chestnut, as he is. They're very handsome horses with a good head. He stamped that in them. And they look like horses that are going to be Classic kind of horses, seven-furlongs to a mile-and-a-quarter, maybe a mile-and-a-half horses.”

Brant is in Saratoga this week keeping an eye on his U.S. runners, but has an affinity for European racing, and keeps about half his mares in Europe, primarily at Coolmore Ireland.

“I like the racing in Europe very much,” he said, sitting outside Chad Brown's Saratoga barn. “I feel like the facilities where you're training are superb. And I like the way they train those babies going straight and not doing too many turns at the beginning. I believe that horses need to run when they're two years' old and you have less risk of hurting them if there are no turns at the very, very beginning as their bones are getting set. And so I do like it.

“But I come from America and I grew up in Queens, near Aqueduct, and we used to sometimes skip school and go there. I really learned a lot about American horse racing and watched horses like Kelso and Carry Back, the great Dr. Fager, all the great, great horses running against each other. And I really love dirt racing as well. And of course, winning the Kentucky Derby (in partnership) with Claiborne in 1984 with Swale was one of the great thrills of my life. It's hard to top that,” he says, and then laughs a wry laugh. “But the Arc de Triomphe was pretty close.”

And while Sottsass won at two, Zerolo isn't sure that his yearlings are going to be “super-precocious,” he said. “They're going to cater to a type of buyer, people who want Classic horses. But I think they should sell very well. I think they'll make us as proud, and I think they should make Peter and Coolmore proud.”

Additional reporting by Katie Petrunyak

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Half-Brother to Arc Winner, Eclipse Champion Thriving in Second Career

Nearly 200 Thoroughbreds competed in The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.) Championships held earlier this month in Aiken, South Carolina. There were classes covering seven disciplines and there were 26 divisions spanning hunters, jumpers, dressage, combined tests, Western dressage, English pleasure and Western pleasure. That meant a lot of variety among the competitors, all of them with a unique story. There was a 27-year-old horse and a 2-year-old horse. There were horses that didn't accomplish much of anything during their racing careers and then there was one, Two Notch Road (Partner's Hero), who made $536,139 on the track and had two stakes wins. It was a testament to the versatility of the Thoroughbred,

Then there was Radiant Child (Ire) (Charm Spirit {Ire}). He is as well-bred as a horse can be.

Radiant Child's story didn't start well as he never made it to the races. But it will end well. He was placed in a loving home and is now enjoying his second career as a show horse. It shows that any horse, even one who is a half-brother to the winner of the GI Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, as well as to an Eclipse Award winner, can be in need of a soft place to land once retired.

Out of the dam Starlet's Sister (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Radiant Child was purchased for €400,000 at the 2018 Arqana August Yearling Sale by Peter Brant's White Birch Farm and comes from a family that has been very good to the owner. Brant also owned his half-brother, 2020 Arc de Triomphe winner Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), and his half-sister, Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}), the 2018 champion turf female. There's also another talented half-sister that Brant owns, My Sister Nat (Fr) (Acclamation {GB}), the winner of this year's GIII Fasig-Tipton Waya S. for the second time. She has been pre-entered for the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf.

Even when a horse has a superstar pedigree, everything must go right for the horse to be a success on the racetrack. In this case, it didn't. It turned out that Radiant Child had a problem with a tendon in his left hind hock. The Brant team tried everything, including stem cell treatments and gelding the horse, to get him to the races, but, in the end, it was decided that it was in his best interests to retire him without his having had a start.

Brant is one of the most successful owners in the business, but even he will have horses that don't work out. Jean Bickley, Brant's racing manager, said he makes it a priority to find a good home for each and every one. In this case, Brant didn't have to look far. Bickley decided to adopt him.

“When the [2020] season at Payson was ending, the team didn't think he'd ever have the push behind to stay sound so the decision was made to rehome him,” Bickley said. “I'd always loved the horse since we got him, and always said if he ever needed a home I wanted  him. Mr. Brant offered Radiant Child to me because the family is very important to him and he knew the horse would have the best of everything. I've worked for him for 34 years and he's been aware of many of my horse pursuits over the years.”

Donuts are part of Radiant Child's daily menu | Courtesy Jean Bickley

Bickley was looking for a horse she could spend some time with and enjoy.

“My other Thoroughbreds are both older and I was looking for an all-around horse,” she said. “I bought a home in Aiken three years ago so that I could ride out, do a little bit of showing. At this point in my career, I just want to enjoy my horses and maybe show a little. I wanted to have an all-around horse and I thought he fit the bill.”

Radiant Child is now “Dudley,” the barn name given to him by Bickley.

“Dudley is the angel in the film “The Bishop's Wife,” which was my mother's favorite Christmas movie, and Dudley was played by Cary Grant,” Bickley explained. “He's handsome and funny, just like the horse, and charming and everyone liked him. It is the perfect name for him.”

It seems that Dudley has quite the personality. He loves donuts and gets glazed donuts from Dunkin' Donuts every day but Sunday. On Sundays, he feasts on donuts from Krispy Kreme. He's smart and friendly and likes people and other horses. Bickley says he's a dream to own.

“Dudley” loves his donuts | Courtesy Jean Bickley

“Everyone who had him said he was just the kindest, sweetest, smartest horse,” she said. “He's very unique because he's probably the most chill Thoroughbred you will ever see. He is beautiful and he comes from a really good family, so, because of that, he gets a lot of attention. He loves all horses. My other horses are quirky, but he doesn't have any quirks. He's just friendly and fun. He's a good ambassador because he's not at all like what some people think of when they think of the Thoroughbred. He has a laid-back personality and is kind. People have misconceived ideas that these horses come off the track and they are all crazy. He is a very good ambassador for Thoroughbreds and how versatile they are and the variety of things they can do if people just take the time to transition them into new careers.”

Radiant Child is a rookie when it comes to his new career, but he's showing promise. Bickley said she will only enter a few shows a year, ones like the T.I.P. Championships, where Radiant Child won the In-Hand Class for 2-year-old to 5-year-old geldings and colts  out of 20 horses and was third in the Championship In-Hand Class.

The Thoroughbred Incentive Program was launched by The Jockey Club in 2012 as a way to encourage people to adopt off-track Thoroughbreds. More than 58,850 eligible Thoroughbreds have taken part and there have been more than 6,500 horse shows and events that have included T.I.P. classes or awards. Any horse that has been registered with The Jockey Club  or a foreign Thoroughbred stud book recognized by The Jockey Club is eligible to take part. The 2021 T.I.P. Championships included $60,500 in prize money.

Radiant Child also competed in the New Vocations All-Thoroughbred Charity Horse Show in September.

Bickley would like to see Dudley excel in the show ring, but it's more important to her that he have a good home and a good life. So far, so good.

“He loves this,” she said. “He eats donuts and he hangs out with dogs. He's as happy as a clam.”

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Chad Brown’s Breeders’ Cup Hopefuls Work At Belmont Park

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown worked multiple Breeders' Cup contenders on a crisp and overcast Saturday morning at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Highly-regarded juvenile colt Jack Christopher breezed in preparation for the $2 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile on November 5 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

The talented Munnings chestnut covered five-eighths in 1:00.85 seconds in company with Grade 1 Frizette runner-up Gerrymander over a fast main track in his first major work since capturing the Grade 1 Champagne on October 9 at Belmont Park.

“He's trained brilliant since Day One and he continues to do so,” Brown said. “I'm very impressed with that horse every time he works.”

A victory in the Juvenile would provide Brown a second career win in the race after scoring in 2017 with maiden Good Magic, who finished second in that year's Champagne.

Klaravich Stables' Gerrymander, a 2-year-old daughter of Into Mischief, is possible for the one-mile $150,000 Tempted on November 5 at Belmont.

William S. Farish homebred Royal Flag, a 5-year-old Candy Ride mare, went a half-mile in :48.66 over Big Sandy in her first breeze since capturing the Grade 2 Beldame on October 10 at Belmont.

She will make her next start in the $2 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff on November 6.

Brown also sent a number of Breeders' Cup hopefuls to breeze over the firm inner turf Saturday, including Grade 1-winners Domestic Spending and Tribhuvan. Both horses are bound for the $4 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf and worked five furlongs in tandem in 1:01.55.

“They worked very well,” Brown said. “They were a good team together. I was very pleased with the work.”

Tribhuvan captured the Grade 1 United Nations at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., two starts back en route to a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer Invitational on August 28 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Domestic Spending will seek redemption following a second as the beaten favorite in the Grade 1 Mister D [formerly the Arlington Million] at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Ill. Owned by Klaravich Stables, the 4-year-old Kingman colt captured this year's Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., and Grade 1 Manhattan at Belmont Park, following in the footsteps of 2019 Breeders' Cup Turf winner and Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar, who also was trained by Brown and owned by Klaravich.

Newly minted Grade 1-winner Rockemperor registered his first move since taking the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on October 9 at Belmont. The 5-year-old son of Holy Roman Emperor recorded a solo half-mile in :50 flat and is on target for the Breeders' Cup Turf.

Peter Brant's graded stakes winner My Sister Nat breezed five furlongs in company with Juddmonte homebred Pocket Square in preparation for the 11-furlong $2 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

My Sister Nat, who defended her title in the Grade 3 Waya on October 3 at Belmont last out, is a half-sister to Sistercharlie who captured the 2018 Filly and Mare Turf at Churchill Downs. My Sister Nat was third in the Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational on September 4 at Saratoga en route to her Waya score.

Brown said he has been highly impressed with Pocket Square since her triumph in the Grade 3 Athenia on September 25 at Belmont last out. The daughter of Night of Thunder notched her first stateside graded stakes triumph in the nine-furlong test coming off a sharp 4 ¼-length score in an optional claiming tilt at Saratoga.

“For right now, she's doing everything I'm asking her to do,” Brown said. “I really liked her work today and her gallop out. I would like to try her going that far. I know it's a huge step up in class, but I'm very, very pleased with how she's doing and I think she can get a piece of it.”

Klaravich Stables' Consumer Spending worked five furlongs in 1:02.25 in company with graded-stakes placed maiden Kinchen.

Consumer Spending, a gray or roan daughter of More Than Ready, is pointed to the $1 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on November 5 following a victory in the Selima on October 2 at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

“She worked solid and galloped out strongly,” Brown said. “She's coming into the race that right way. It's a big step up but she's an improving horse.”

Peter Brant's Regal Glory [:51.11] and Juddmonte's Viadera [:51.10] breezed a half-mile in company. The pair of 5-year-old mares finished a respective second and sixth in the Grade 1 First Lady on October 9 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., last out and will target the $400,000 Grade 1 Matriarch on November 28 at Del Mar.

“They had their first work since the First Lady at Keeneland and it went well,” Brown said. “Both horses are targeting the Matriarch. That race will be the final career start for them both.”

Peter Brant's Blowout, who captured the Grade 1 First Lady last out, breezed a half-mile in :50.80 over the Keeneland turf Saturday morning and is “possible” for the $2 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile.

“She's possible for the Breeders' Cup. If not, she'll go to the Matriarch as well,” Brown said.

Blowout finished a close second to Viadera in last year's Matriarch. Never worse than fourth in 14 lifetime starts, the consistent daughter of Dansili captured her 2021 debut in the Grade 2 Churchill Downs Distaff Turf Mile on May 2.

Brown said Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup one-two finishers Shantisara and Technical Analysis will get turned out at Payson Park in South Florida for the winter.

“They'll head down to our Payson Park division shortly when we get that open and they'll get a much deserved turnout,” Brown said. “Both horses will get a break and then target spring stakes. Probably both will have the [Grade 1] Jenny Wiley [at Keeneland] on their radar next year.”

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Brown’s Bevy Of Breeders’ Cup Hopefuls Work At Belmont

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown breezed a number of his Breeders' Cup contenders Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., including Grade 1 Champagne-winner Jack Christopher, who worked a half-mile in :49.05 over Big Sandy.

Brown, a 15-time Breeders' Cup winner, said Jim Bakke, Gerald Isbister, Coolmore Stud, and Peter Brant's well-regarded Munnings chestnut is on target for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile on November 5 at Del Mar.

“He was great. He was in control the entire way and galloped out super. He came back good,” Brown said.

Brown said he's feeling good about his Breeders' Cup contingent, a number of which breezed over the inner turf Saturday at Belmont.

“A lot of them are coming into the race well,” Brown said. “These are tough races we're going in. The Breeders' Cup races are always that way but we have some shots in a number of races, so we'll see.”

Klaravich Stables' multiple Grade 1-winner Domestic Spending breezed five-eighths in 1:01.85 in company with Peter Brant's multiple Grade 1-winner Raging Bull.

“They went excellent this morning. Both horses are on target for the Breeders' Cup,” Brown said.

Domestic Spending, a 4-year-old Kingman gelding pointed to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf, completed his sophomore season with a win in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby in November at Del Mar in Del Mar, Calif.

He returned on May 1 to dead heat for victory with Colonel Liam in the Grade 1 Bourbon Turf Classic at Churchill Downs and completed a Grade 1 triple with a 2 3/4-length score over stablemate Tribhuvan in the Manhattan ahead of a closing second in the Grade 1 Mr. D on August 14 at Arlington Park.

“He breezed great today and galloped out strong. He's very fit,” Brown said.

Domestic Spending is one of three Breeders' Cup Turf contenders for Brown along with Tribhuvan and recent Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic-winner Rockemperor.

Brown said Tribhuvan [1:00.50] worked well this morning, traveling in company with Group 2-placed filly Nazuna [1:00.40].

Raging Bull, a 6-year-old son of Dark Angel, is pointed to the Breeders' Cup Mile following a closing third in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile on September 18 which was contested over good going.

“He's looking for really fast ground and I expect to get that at Del Mar,” Brown said.

Brown noted that he would pre-enter Blowout, recent winner of the Grade 1 First Lady at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., to the Mile.

Peter Brant's My Sister Nat [:49.23] and Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables, and Michael J. Caruso's Orglandes [:49.26] worked a half-mile in company over the inner turf.

My Sister Nat captured the 11-furlong Grade 3 Waya last out on October 3 at Belmont and will travel the same distance at Del Mar on November 6 in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

“The mile and three-eighths is a good trip for her,” Brown said.

Juddmonte's Pocket Square [1:02.02], also on target for the Filly and Mare Turf, worked five-eighths in company with Swift Thoroughbreds', Madaket Stables, and Wonder Stables Tamahere [1:02.11] over the inner turf.

Pocket Square, a winner of 5-of-9 starts, captured the Grade 3 Athenia at nine furlongs over good Belmont turf on September 25.

“The filly is training pretty good. I'm going to pre-enter her in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf and see what it looks like,” Brown said. “Her last race really changed my mind about her. I thought she ran good at that distance and the way she galloped out steady.

“If she's good enough or not, I'm not sure,” he added. “It's not a definite she's going but I want to take a look at it and see.”

Tamahere, last-out winner of the Violet over yielding Monmouth Park turf on September 25, is pointed to next Saturday's Grade 2 Noble Damsel.

Klaravich Stables' Portfolio Company, a 2-year-old Kitten's Joy bay, breezed a half-mile in :49.41 in company with General Ken, a recent private purchase for an ownership group led by Louis Lazzinnaro.

A maiden winner, Portfolio Company finished second in both the Grade 3 With Anticipation in September at Saratoga and the Grade 2 Pilgrim last out on October 3 at Belmont. He is targeting the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

General Ken, a Violence juvenile, earned a 74 Beyer for a front-running 7 1/4-length maiden score traveling a mile and seventy yards over good Delaware Park turf.

Brown said General Ken will target the $100,000 Awad, a 1 1/16-mile turf test on October 31 at Belmont.

“The horse has settled in nicely and is training along well,” Brown said. “His one win looked impressive. He came to us in good shape, so we'll see. I liked his breeze on the turf today.”

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf contender Consumer Spending, last-out winner of the Selima at Laurel Park, worked a half-mile in :50 flat over the Belmont main track.

Brown also confirmed that Royal Flag, last-out winner of the Grade 2 Beldame, will target the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff.

Brown will send out a trio of contenders for Sunday's Grade 1 E.P. Taylor at Woodbine, led by defending champ Etoile along with Kalifornia Queen and Great Island.

Last year, a prominent Etoile captured the 10-furlong test over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course by a neck. The 5-year-old Siyouni mare has made just two starts this season, finishing fourth in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley in April at Keeneland ahead of a closing second to returning rival Mutamakina in the Grade 2 Dance Smartly at Woodbine.

“She seems to like it up there and it made a lot of sense to let her defend her title there,” Brown said. “She made a nice run last time. She's training well and she's fresh. I expect her to run well.”

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will pilot Etoile from post 2.

Brown said that Kalifornia Queen, a closing third last out in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa at Saratoga, is training well ahead of her first Grade 1 appearance in North America.

“She certainly is [improving]. I think she's sitting on her best race,” Brown said.

Flavien Prat retains the mount from post 4.

Brown will also be represented by Great Island [post 8, Rafael Hernandez], who captured the Grade 3 Matchmaker two starts back over firm Monmouth turf.

The E.P. Taylor, slated as Race 8 at 4:37 p.m., also features a pair of starters for Belmont-based trainer Christophe Clement in Mutamakina [post 6, Dylan Davis] and La Dragontea [post 10, Joel Rosario].

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