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Mating Plans: Heider Family Stables’ Irish-Based Mares

With the 2022 breeding season right around the corner, we will feature a series of breeders' mating plans over the coming weeks. Breeder Scott Heider of Heider Family Stables shares with us the mating plans for his Irish-based mares at Norelands Stud.

PISTA (m, 5, American Pharoah–Mohini {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) to be bred to Dubawi (Ire)
Winner of the 2020 G2 Park Hill S. and second in the G1 Prix de Royallieu, this Joseph O'Brien-trained daughter of American Pharoah is currently in foal to Ballylinch Stud's Lope de Vega (Ire). This mating gives us a desirable 5×5 cross to influential mare Coup de Folie (Halo). Pista's second and third dams, Denebola (Storm Cat) and Coup de Genie (Mr. Prospector), were both champions. Pista is booked this year to Dubawi (Ire). Pista excelled at staying distances, so we like the versatility of both Dubawi and Lope de Vega as we introduce some speed. We are very excited about this talented young mare from a deeply productive Niarchos family.

AMSER (GB) (m, 8, Frankel {GB}–Clepsydra {GB}, by Sadler's Wells) to be bred to Siyouni (Fr)
Amser was acquired in 2020 from Juddmonte Farms. This young Frankel mare is a half-sister to Group I winners Timepiece (GB) (Zamindar) and Passage of Time (GB) (Dansili {GB}), the latter the dam of new sire Time Test (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). Clepsydra's half-sister Double Crossed (GB) (Caerleon) is the dam of champion Twice Over (GB) (Observatory) and her half-sister Sacred Shield (GB) (Beat Hollow {GB}) is the dam of 2020 GI Matriarch S, winner Viadera (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}). Amser travels to France this year and will be covered by French champion sire Siyouni (Fr) who is an amazing stallion. Amser is Sadlers Wells 3×2. This mating with Siyouni brings in an additional strain of Northern Dancer through the influential Danehill.

A NEW DAWN (IRE) (Zoffany {Ire}–Simply A Star {Ire}, by Giant's Causeway) to be bred to Wootton Bassett (GB)
Multiple group placed A New Dawn was trained for us by young Joseph O'Brien. Acquired privately from our friends at Coolmore, we are thankful to have a granddaughter of Cherry Hinton (GB) (Green Desert) in our broodmare band. A New Dawn had her first foal in January, a beautiful daughter by Kingman (GB). The Urban Sea line tends to not be overly large in size, so we are thoughtful on proper matings. A New Dawn is booked this season to Wootton Bassett (GB), a stud we believe will be one of the pre-eminent stallions in all of Europe for a long time coming. He reminds us of Into Mischief here in the States.

MY GENERATION (f, 4, Speightstown–Louvakhova, by Maria's Mon) to be bred to Wootton Bassett (GB)
An Irish stakes winner last year at age three for Joseph, My Generation is a half-sister to our Group III-winning colt Crossfirehurricane (Kitten's Joy) and a half-sister to the dam of recent New York multiple stakes winner Jack and Noah (Fr) (Bated Breath {GB}). A deep European family, Louvakhova is a half-sister to French champion and Breeders' Cup-winning mare Flotilla (Mizzen Mast). My Generation is one of the prettiest and most well-balanced fillies we've bred. She is booked this season to budding superstar Wootton Bassett (GB), giving us Gone West 4×3. It's a terrific physical match, as well.

Let us know who you're breeding your mares to in 2022, and why. We will print a selection of your responses in TDN over the coming weeks. Please send details to: garyking@thetdn.com.

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Norelands Gets Back Into Historic Family With Gaelic Tales

When the McCalmont family's Norelands Stud purchased the 5-year-old mare Gaelic Tales (Giant's Causeway) for $120,000 through BBA Ireland last week at Keeneland January, it was getting back into a Group 1 family that it had played a hand in developing.

Harry McCalmont currently runs Norelands, which is adjacent to Ballylinch Stud and was established in 1912 largely as a base for mares visiting Ballylinch's famed sire The Tetrarch. Harry McCalmont's father Major Victor McCalmont purchased Gaelic Tales's seventh dam, Agars Plough (Ire) (Combat {GB}), as a foal in 1952.

“Agars Plough won the Irish Oaks about a week after I was born, so a very long time ago in 1955,” McCalmont said. “One of her daughters was Mesopotamia (Ire) (Zarathustra {GB}), who was champion 2-year-old filly in England and Ireland and won the Chesham by about 12 lengths. She is the sixth dam of Gaelic Tales.”

Mesopotamia would go on to be a highly influential producer, and among her descendants foaled at Norelands was Danish (Ire), a great-granddaughter of Mesopotamia. Danish was retained by the McCalmont family and broke her maiden and was listed-placed at Leopardstown at two for trainer Michael Kauntze shortly after Victor McCalmont's death in 1993. Danish joined John Hammond in France for a 4-year-old campaign in which she won at listed level and was third in the G3 Prix de la Nonette before shipping to the U.S. to take the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Keeneland. Danish was bought by Sheikh Mohammed for $1.55-million at Keeneland November in 1996 in foal to Gone West.

The best horse produced by Danish for Sheikh Mohammed was the Listed Flame Of Tara S. third Blixen (Gone West), who would later become the dam of Godolphin's G1 Dubai World Cup winner African Story (GB) (Pivotal {GB}). Blixen also foaled the winning Storybook (UAE), whose sire Halling is, incidentally, a great-great grandson of Mesopotamia. By the time Storybook retired to the paddocks she had been sold to War Front's owner Joe Allen. Storybook is the dam of three stakes horses as well as Gaelic Tales, who was sold to Phoenix Thoroughbreds for $100,000 at Keeneland September in 2018. Gaelic Tales failed to find the winner's enclosure in 10 starts, but was placed six times. She was retired in early March of 2021 and covered by Coolmore's Classic-winning first-season sire Tiz The Law (Constitution).

In the meantime, the McCalmont family had been on a hunt to restore Mesopotamia's line to their paddocks. They had even succeeded once, finding a mare at Arqana a few years ago, but she died in a paddock accident shortly after coming home.

“My father had had a lot of the family,” McCalmont said. “After he died, we had a few from the family and for one reason or another we had lost them-they'd died off or been sold. I'd been trying to buy back into that family for several years and hadn't really been able to.”

Hope was sparked again when McCalmont's son Hamish was flipping through the Keeneland January catalogue and landed on Gaelic Tales.

“Neither of us were at Keeneland, so I got Michael Donohoe of BBA Ireland to look at her,” McCalmont said. “He really liked her, said she was a beautiful mare, so we bought her. So let's hope it all works out for the best.”

McCalmont said Gaelic Tales will likely foal in Kentucky and be bred back there before returning to Ireland.

“She's in foal to Tiz The Law, who really probably is an out-and-out American sire,” he said. “So we'll probably foal her down in Kentucky and then cover her with something that will fit better into the European plan, because it's a very European family. We'll probably then bring her back to Ireland at the end of this year when she's back in foal.”

As she embarks on her broodmare career, Gaelic Tales certainly has excellent precedent in her pedigree. The legacy of the Norelands-bred Mesopotamia is still growing today, and features Group 1 winners and champions in England, Ireland, France, New Zealand and the U.S., including 1973 Irish champion 2-year-old filly Welsh Garden (Ire); 1990 G1 Middle Park S. winner Balla Cove (Ire); 1995 G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest and G1 Sprint Cup winner Cherokee Rose (Ire); the aforementioned Juddmonte International and Coral-Eclipse winner Halling and Dubai World Cup winner African Story; G1 Irish 1000 Guineas winner Just The Judge; 2020 G1 2000 Guineas winner Kameko, and many more.

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Classic Winner St Mark’s Basilica Retired to Coolmore

Five-time Group 1 winner St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}–Cabaret {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) has been retired from racing and will stand at Coolmore Stud in Ireland in 2022. A fee will be announced later.

Bred by Bob Scarborough in France, the Norelands Stud-consigned bay brought 1.3 million guineas from MV Magnier during Book 1 of the 2019 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. Trained by Aidan O'Brien for Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier and Michael Tabor, the half-brother to two-time Group 1 winner, G1 2000 Guineas hero and young Coolmore sire Magna Grecia (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) won the G1 Dewhurst S. and was third in the G1 National S. as a juvenile.

Undefeated in a four-start 3-year-old campaign, St Mark's Basilica won the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas) at ParisLongchamp in May, before a score in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club in June. In the G1 Eclipse S. at Sandown, the colt defeated his elders in multiple Group 1 winners Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) and Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) in July. Making his final racecourse appearance in Leopardstown's Sept. 11 G1 Irish Champion S., St Mark's Basilica bested Breeders' Cup winner Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal), as well as G1 2000 Guineas hero Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}). He retires with a mark of 9-6-1-1 and $2,965,423 in earnings.

“He's the most exciting prospect we've retired from Ballydoyle since his late grandfather Galileo,” said Coolmore's David O'Loughlin of the son of G3 Silver Flash S. heroine Cabaret. “European Champion 2-Year-old, the highest-rated 3-year-old in the world, a 1,300,000-guineas yearling by a top sire in Siyouni, a half-brother to another brilliant horse in Magna Grecia, both out of Galileo's group-winning 2-year-old Cabaret. He has everything and he'll get terrific support from his owners' broodmare band too.”

“St Mark's Basilica is possibly the best horse we have ever had in Ballydoyle,” added trainer Aidan O'Brien. “He relaxes and quickens and has all the determination from Galileo and all the speed from Siyouni.”

Cabaret is a half-sister to Group 3 winner Drumfire (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) and stakes winner and group placed Ho Choi (GB) (Pivotal {GB}). Farther back in the female family is GI Hollywood Turf Cup S. winner Frenchpark (GB) (Fools Holme) and G1 Prix Vermeille victress Pearly Shells (GB) (Efisio {GB}).

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Siyouni’s St Mark’s Basilica Electrifying In The Eclipse

There were only four runners, but what Saturday's G1 Coral-Eclipse lacked in numbers it more than made up for in sheer buzz as the 3-year-old St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) was in scintillating form in Sandown's prestige contest. Heavily-backed into even-money favouritism beforehand, Ballydoyle's G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains and G1 Prix du Jockey Club hero tracked Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) and Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) throughout and when launched by Ryan Moore passing the two-furlong pole quickly subdued his elders en route to an emphatic 3 1/2-length triumph. The long-time leader Addeybb, who had looked held by Mishriff for second for most of the closing stages, came back late to grab the silver medal by a neck but the private battle between two such high-class older runners served merely as a footnote to the real story. Ryan Moore was back where it counts, steering just a second top-level winner in Britain and Ireland for the stable since last August, having seen so many pass him by of late. “I was hugely impressed–he's run against two horses who have proven to be as good as there is anywhere around the world and when I asked him to do his job he picked up and put the race away very quickly,” he said. “He's very exiting. He's a straightforward horse and he's got a very good turn of foot.”

In what will always be remembered as a muddled year due to the knock-on effects of the delay to European racing, 2020 had looked so far as if it would fail to be recalled as anything like a vintage season as far as the juveniles are concerned. One after another of the leading members of that crop had come up short in the prestige races so far this term, with two notable exceptions in St Mark's Basilica and Coolcullen's Mac Swiney (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}). Early indications from the meetings between some smart 3-year-olds and their elders had hinted that the latter category could be in for a dominant year, but St Mark's Basilica ripped up the script here in the biggest test that any 3-year-old had faced so far this year.

Campaigned over six furlongs at The Curragh on his first three starts in the space of four weeks from late July to late August, St Mark's Basilica followed a maiden second with a respectable fifth as the gambled-on 7-2 favourite for the G1 Phoenix S. before getting off the mark back in maiden company. Tackling the quickest ground so far when third to Thunder Moon (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) and Wembley (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in that venue's G1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National S. on going officially described as “good” over an extra furlong in September, the bay was denied a chance to contest the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere due to the much-publicized feed contamination. Rerouted to the G1 Dewhurst S. and back on soft ground at Newmarket in mid-October, he reversed the National form with Wembley and Thunder Moon before returning to scoop both French Classics under Ioritz Mendizabal.

In the May 16 ParisLongchamp and June 6 Chantilly Classics, St Mark's Basilica had given the impression that he was toying with the cream of the French crop but there was a tail swish at the close in the Jockey Club where he also appeared to be either idling or tying up. Any chinks in his armour would be ruthlessly exposed by two such accomplished older rivals here and despite the weight-for-age advantage, the feeling was that he was up against it but the flow of money coming for him on Saturday morning told an entirely different tale. What the bods at Ballydoyle had seen in the build-up to this clash had excited enough expectation to force him into even-money and as soon as Moore angled him around Mishriff halfway up the straight the writing was on the wall. Tom Marquand had done everything in his power to hand Addeybb a tactical advantage from the front, while David Egan looked notably confident soon after straightening for home but Mishriff had no answer to the surging force that subdued him surprisingly quickly.

Aidan O'Brien is set on the major 10-furlong tests for now with his sixth Eclipse winner, who brings him level with Alec Taylor Jr and Sir Michael Stoute. “He's a lovely horse, everything is very relaxed and he's a good mover,” he said. “He quickens and has a great mind–he does everything you want. We felt he had stepped up since the last day and Ryan gave him a beautiful ride. The lads will decide what they want to do, obviously he'd have options of maybe going to York [for the Aug. 18 G1 Juddmonte International] or Leopardstown [for the Sept. 11 G1 Irish Champion S.]”

John Gosden revealed that the Saudi Cup and G1 Dubai Sheema Classic winner Mishriff would re-oppose at York. “He was just a bit keen early, it was his first run for a while and the ground is soft enough for him,” he said. “I expect him to come on a good deal for that. We will head to the Juddmonte at York next, but the winner was very impressive.”

St Mark's Basilica is a son of this stable's G3 Silver Flash S. winner Cabaret (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who was purchased by BBA Ireland for 600,000gns at the 2011 Tattersalls December Mares Sale and who had already provided the G1 2000 Guineas hero Magna Grecia (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). Cabaret is a half to the G3 Solario S. winner Drumfire (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) and the Hong Kong stakes scorer Ho Choi (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) who was also runner-up in the G2 Gimcrack S. The third dam Fife (Ire) (Lomond), who was third in the Listed Lupe S., is also the second dam of the G3 Park S. winner and G1 Moyglare S. runner-up Ugo Fire (Ire) (Bluebird) and is a half-sister to Piffle (GB) (Shirley Heights {GB}). She in turn is the dam of the GI Hollywood Turf Cup hero Frenchpark (GB) (Foolshome) and the G1 Prix Vermeille heroine Pearly Shells (GB) (Efisio {GB}), Haras de Saint Pair's all-important foundation mare who died last month. Cabaret's unraced 2-year-old full-brother to St Mark's Basilica is named Paris Lights (Ire) and will race in the colours of the breeder Robert Scarborough for the Jessie Harrington stable, while she also has a colt foal by Kingman (GB).

Saturday, Sandown, Britain
CORAL-ECLIPSE-G1, £600,000, Sandown, 7-3, 3yo/up, 9f 209yT, 2:10.87, g/s.
1–ST MARK'S BASILICA (FR), 123, c, 3, by Siyouni (Fr)
1st Dam: Cabaret (Ire) (GSW-Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Witch of Fife, by Lear Fan
3rd Dam: Fife (Ire), by Lomond
(1,300,000gns Ylg '19 TATOCT). O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Robert Scarborough (FR); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. £340,260. Lifetime Record: Hwt. 2yo Colt-Eur, MG1SW-Fr & G1SP-Ire, 8-5-1-1, $2,292,218. *1/2 to Magna Grecia (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), Hwt. 3yo-Ire at 7-9.5f & MG1SW-Eng, $597,769. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Addeybb (Ire), 133, g, 7, Pivotal (GB)–Bush Cat, by Kingmambo. (200,000gns Ylg '15 TAOCT). O-Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum; B-Rabbah Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-William Haggas. £129,000.
3–Mishriff (Ire), 133, c, 4, Make Believe (GB)–Contradict (GB), by Raven's Pass. O-Prince A A Faisal; B-Nawara Stud Ltd (IRE); T-John & Thady Gosden. £64,560.
Margins: 3HF, NK, 2 3/4. Odds: 1.00, 3.50, 2.25.
Also Ran: El Drama (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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