Group 1 Winners Angel Bleu and Belbek to Join Sumbe Roster

Nurlan Bizakov's investment in French racing and breeding has been significant since 2019 when he bought Haras de Montfort et Preaux, followed later by the purchase of Haras du Mezeray. Branding his stallion and breeding operation as Sumbe, he added Golden Horde (Ire) to the roster for the 2021 season, and last year announced that Mishriff (Ire) would stand for Sumbe, with De Treville (GB) also on the roster. The line-up for 2024 has been enhanced again with the announcement that Bizakov's homebred Group 1 winner Belbek (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) has been retired, and that he has bought another Group 1 winner, Angel Bleu (Fr) (Dark Angel {GB}). The latter, now four, has been supplemented for Saturday's G1 Queen Elizabeth II S., and will race for his original owner Marc Chan in partnership with Bizakov.

A dual Group 1 winner at two, taking the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and Criterium International after also winning the G2 Vintage S. at Glorious Goodwood, Angel Bleu was named the French Champion juvenile and was the second-highest-rated two-year-old in Europe in 2021. His distinctive Group 1 double was previously achieved by Blushing Groom in 1976 and Irish River two years later.

“Not only is he a tough, sound horse, but he looks the part, and he's from a real stallion family,” says Sumbe's manager Tony Fry while taking a break from yearling inspections at Arqana. “The dam side is full of Group 1 performers. We followed him as a two-year-old and liked him, but the deal couldn't be done, and then two years later it has been done. Sometimes it's worth the wait.”

To date, Angel Bleu, who was Dark Angel's highest-rated juvenile, has won seven of his 17 starts, including the G2 Celebration Mile in August. His pedigree has plenty of depth, too, as his dam, Cercle De La Vie (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), is a full-sister to the Group 1 winners and stallions Highland Reel (Ire) and Idaho (Ire). His third dam is the Australian Oaks winner and champion broodmare Circles Of Gold (Aus), whose sons Elvstroem (Aus) (Danehill) and Haradasun (Aus) (Fusaichi Pegasus) were both globe-trotting Group 1 winners and stallions.

Reflecting on the career of Angel Bleu, his trainer Ralph Beckett said, “As well as being really talented, Angel Bleu is a very tough individual, whose race record shows he took his racing very well and kept coming back for more. To do it at two, three and four is a rare thing nowadays.” 

Belbek followed Angel Bleu on the list of winners of the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, and it is a roll of honour which includes the names Siyouni (Fr) and Wootton Bassett (GB), who have made such an impact on the French stallion ranks in recent years. A son of the Makfi (GB) mare Bee Queen (GB), who was purchased by Bizakov from Juddmonte, his third dam is the brilliant racemare and black-type producer Banks Hill (GB) (Danehill), sister of the stallions Dansili (GB), Champs Elysees (GB) and Cacique (GB), making his fourth dam none other than the blue hen Hasili (GB) (Kahyasi {Ire}).

“He'll always be very special, whatever he does,” says Fry of Belbek. “Again, as a son of Showcasing, he'll be popular. He's a Group 1-winning two-year-old. Things just didn't quite go his way this year through no fault of his own. But he's a beautiful-looking horse, and again it's a Juddmonte family through and through. I don't think you can ever really go wrong with those.”

Though Mishriff joined Sumbe last year, a foot injury sustained after retirement ruled him out of his first covering season, meaning that the farm is launching three new stallions. As a winner of the Prix du Jockey Club, followed by the Saudi Cup, Dubai Sheema Classic, and Juddmonte International for Prince Faisal, Mishriff needs little introduction, but the breeding fraternity will need a small reminder that he is essentially a new stallion in 2024.

“A lot of people were with us for the journey last year,” Fry says. “We had to disappoint them. I don't think anyone was more disappointed than us, the boss, and Prince Faisal, obviously.

“But he's back, he's healthy, he looks fantastic. He's let down, and you have to remember what a good racehorse he was. And I think anybody that saw him before the setback said what a beautiful-looking horse he was. He really fills the eye. People have just got to go back, look at his races and realise that it's just a wonderful opportunity to have a horse like that in France. And again, people are very quick to knock horses being retired, but he stood three years of training and racing.”

He adds, “Prince Faisal had eight mares for him last year. He was very patient. He bought a couple of expensive mares for him, including [dual Group 3 winner and Group 1-placed] Oscula. He's still keen and the horse is very dear to his heart. So he'll be sending a good batch of his broodmare band to Mishriff.”

That home support for the Sumbe stallions also holds true for the G1 Commonwealth Cup winner Golden Horde. With an average just above €43,000 for his eight yearlings sold at Arqana in August and the V.2 Sale, he has another nine members of his first crop to be sold this week.

“We've got 18 by Golden Horde at home and I could open the gate and show you those and there's nothing I'd be hiding because they are just solid, attractive horses,” says Fry.

“To send 18, 20 mares to Golden Horde, everybody knows the success rates of stallions. That's the big belief that we have in that horse.” 

He adds, “Our broodmare band now numbers 50 or 50-plus, and we'll be in the market to look at mares for our stallions. As I have said on a number of occasions, it's very easy to go out and sell the stallions; you can be a salesman and you can sell your nominations but we want to say 'We believe in this horse. We are backing him with our own mares. We're behind you. We want him to work for us and the breeders.' So we will be investing in mares for all of our new stallions and our existing stallions. That's important.”

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Dark Angel’s Sacred Angel Dominates The Princess Margaret

Purchased privately by Nurlan Bizakov following her success in the Newmarket July Festival's six-furlong fillies' maiden, the Charlie Johnston-trained Sacred Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) provided instant justification for the acquisition by making all in Ascot's G3 Bateaux London Princess Margaret S. on Saturday.

Electric from her outside stall under Jason Hart, the 16-1 shot who was a £52,000 purchase for original owners the Titanium Racing Club at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale, had pressure throughout but shook it off to go clear inside the final furlong. Veering left in the run to the line, the grey daughter of the Listed Tipperary S. winner Sacred Aspect (Ire) (Haatef) had three lengths to spare over Pretty Crystal (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) at the line.

This was a first group win for Charlie Johnston since taking up the licence in his own name at the famed Middleham stable and he said, “She is improving dramatically–very much so. On her first run at Pontefract I thought she was the best horse on the day, but she was quite green and got beat by two horses who'd had experience. If you had told me then that within two starts we'd be at this level, I'd have thought 'I'm not so sure about that' but she took a nice step forward at Newmarket and a step forward again.

“The owners obviously sponsor quite a high-profile race in France [the G1 Prix Morny] and on the back of that I would suspect they will want her to go there next. Possibly the [G1] Cheveley Park at the end of the year will be the obvious real highlight target.”

Richard Fahey said of the runner-up, “I thought it was a good run, but it just didn't work out again for her. She's been a bit unlucky. But she is quite a nice filly and she'll definitely go for the [G2] Lowther at York.”

Pedigree Notes

The aforementioned dam, whose yearling full-sister to the winner is catalogued in this year's Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale in a month's time, hails from the family of last year's G1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp heroine The Platinum Queen (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}), the G3 Greenlands S. winner Tiger Royal (Ire) (Royal Academy) and the listed winner and G2 Mill Reef S. runner-up Sir Xaar (Ire) (Xaar {GB}).

 

Saturday, Ascot, Britain
BATEAUX LONDON PRINCESS MARGARET S.-G3, £60,000, Ascot, 7-29, 2yo, f, 6fT, 1:16.53, gd.
1–SACRED ANGEL (IRE), 128, f, 2, by Dark Angel (Ire)
                1st Dam: Sacred Aspect (Ire) (SW-Ire), by Haatef
                2nd Dam: Again Royale (Ire), by Royal Academy
                3rd Dam: Lady Redford (Ire), by Bold Lad (Ire)
   1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GROUP WIN. (£52,000 Ylg '22
GOFFUK). O-Titanium Racing Club; B-Yeomanstown Stud (IRE);
T-Charlie Johnston; J-Jason Hart. £34,026. Lifetime Record:
3-2-0-1, $66,226. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks
   report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com
   catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Pretty Crystal (Ire), 128, f, 2, Dubawi (Ire)–Pretty Baby (Ire),
by Orpen. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O-Sheikh
Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum; B-Rabbah Bloodstock Limited
(IRE); T-Richard Fahey. £12,900.
3–Symbology (GB), 128, f, 2, Havana Grey (GB)–Showstoppa
(GB), by Showcasing (GB). 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GROUP BLACK
   TYPE. (£230,000 Ylg '22 GOFFUK). O-Isa Salman Al Khalifa;
B-Whitsbury Manor Stud (GB); T-Clive Cox. £6,456.
Margins: 3, 1 1/4, 1. Odds: 16.00, 4.50, 3.50.
Also Ran: Dazzling Star (GB), Komat (GB), Cry Fiction (Ire), Gladly Ever After (Ire), Lunar Shine (Ire), La Guarida (Ire), Elinor Dashwood (Ire). Scratched: Soprano (Ire). VIDEO.

 

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Sumbe to Sponsor Prix Morny

Sumbe will be the new sponsor of the Prix Morny meeting at Deauville as part of a five-year deal, it was announced on Tuesday. 

The G1 Sumbe Prix Morny is the highlight of the day's racing on Sunday, August 20, with the supporting races on the card all carrying sponsorship by Nurlan Bizakov's operation.

“It is a real pleasure to announce that Sumbe is to sponsor the Prix Morny for the next five years, marking our first partnership with France Galop,” said Bizakov, whose horses in training are led by his homebred Group 1 winner Belbek (Fr) (Showcasing {GB}). 

“It is my first venture into sponsorship, and I am delighted to start with a stallion-making race as important as the Prix Morny. It takes place during the Deauville Barriere meeting, which attracts plenty of international attention. That fits in perfectly with our projects at Sumbe and will give us an opportunity to bring together our clients, partners, and friends from all over the world.” 

The Sumbe group is comprised of Haras de Monfort & Préaux and Haras du Mézeray, based over 350 hectares between the French regions of Orne and Calvados, and Hesmonds Stud in England. The farms are home to 50 Sumbe broodmares and boarders. In France, Sumbe stands the stallions Mishriff (Ire), Golden Horde (Ire), De Treville (GB) and Recorder (GB).

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Sumbe Unleash Classic Prospects 

Nurlan Bizakov has made his presence felt in France in recent years, purchasing Haras de Montfort et Preaux and Haras du Mezeray to combine these two established studs under his Sumbe banner. Sumbe is now a name becoming increasingly familiar throughout Europe and the team behind it was rewarded with a Group 1 winner from the first crop of horses bred in France by Bizakov when Belbek (Fr) (Showcasing {GB}) landed the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere on Arc day.

The Andre Fabre-trained colt will take the next step forward in his career when he lines up for Thursday's G3 Prix Djebel en route to the Classics. Belbek is far from the only exciting prospect among Bizakov's three-year-old runners for the season, with Padishakh (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) entered for the G3 Prix La Force on Sunday for Jean-Claude Rouget and the Roger Varian-trained G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte winner Charyn (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) set to put his Classic credentials on the line in Britain in the G3 Greenham S.

“I think the ground will be perfect,” says Sumbe manager Tony Fry on the prospects of Belbek in the Djebel. “He's won on soft and he has won on good, and as Monsieur Fabre said the other day, the good ones tend to go on anything.

“He's a beautiful horse and it's a lovely pedigree. So whatever he does, you'd hope there's a bit more to come, but equally I would be happy to pull him out of the box next year.”

And that of course is now a major consideration for Sumbe, which has progressed from being a private breeding operation, initially based at Hesmonds Stud in England, to now standing four stallions, with room for more.

“That's the end game now,” Fry acknowledges. “Stallions are very expensive to buy, as we well know, and most don't come on the market because most are owned by a very small group of people who don't sell them. So it's probably most cost-effective to breed and race and make your own stallions.”

He adds, “And then it's in the lap of the gods. Everybody knows the success and failure rate of stallions, but we have a nice broodmare band. So of course we will support our own. It's exciting.”

While Belbek provided Sumbe with a major stroke of good fortune in becoming a Group 1-winning juvenile, the slings and arrows have been fired in recent years towards his dam Bee Queen (GB) (Makfi {GB}), a Juddmonte-bred grand-daughter of the great Banks Hill (GB) (Danehill) whose youngest offspring is the two-year-old Baysangur (Fr) (Gleneagles {Ire}).

“Unfortunately she's been empty for two years,” Fry says. “She's now at Coolmore and we hope she'll get in foal to Wootton Bassett.”

The team also still owns the mare's four-year-old daughter Berehynia (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), who was placed in one of her three starts and has recently been scanned in foal to Belbek's sire Showcasing. 

Fry notes, “She was the first foal and she was lovely. It is quite disappointing, again, because she didn't win at two or three and she should have. Bee Queen is one of my favourites anyway, and I just felt disappointed for Berehynia that she didn't win. There's so much effort that goes into buying them, getting them in foal, bringing up the foal, breaking, sending it to a trainer, and then just sometimes a silly little things don't work out on the day.”

With the stallion business in mind, it's not just females that have been bought by Bizakov in recent years. Belbek's fellow Classic hopes Charyn and Padishakh were both bought as yearlings.

The Greenham-bound Charyn was bred by Guy O'Callaghan's Grangemore Stud and bought for 250,000gns at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. In four juvenile starts, he won on debut at Haydock and was runner-up in a Newmarket novice before finishing third behind stable-mate Sakheer (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) in the G2 Mill Reef S. and then claiming his own Group 2 victory at Chantilly.

“We bought some yearlings to support Roger [Varian],” says Fry. “We were at his yard on Saturday morning and it was great to see how Charyn has developed. He's grown a little bit. He's a lovely horse, with a very good walk to him. Those were all the reasons we bought him, so he has not changed that much. He still looks the part and fortunately now we know that he can run fast as well as walk and look pretty.”

Padishakh, bought at Arqana from co-breeder Haras d'Etreham for €130,000, has looked the easy winner in his two starts to date for Rouget at Longchamp and Chantilly.

“The experts think he'll be a Prix du Jockey Club horse,” Fry notes.

Despite a raft of promising young prospects spread among a training roster which also includes Clive Cox, Stephane Wattel, Mikel Delzangles and Christopher Head, Fry has been around horses too long to let the potential excitement of the year ahead get to him, even while we remain in the safe zone of the early season where bubbles have yet to be burst.

“It is a big week, or a big fortnight really, because we've got Charyn in the Greenham, but horses have a way of keeping you pretty well planted on the ground,” he says, before adding with a laugh, “maybe I'm just a miserable sod, but you never get too carried away because you're always thinking 'I wonder what the next phone call is to the boss'. But, look, those days are wonderful and they don't come round often enough. Maybe I should celebrate more if they ever come round again.”

It's hard to imagine that he and the Sumbe team will have too long to wait before finding another cause for celebration.

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