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Blue Rose Cen Switched from Head to Guarnieri

Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}), the joint-top-rated 3-year-old filly in Europe last year and a Group 1 winner in both of her seasons to race, has been moved from the stable of Christopher Head to that of his fellow Chantilly trainer Maurizio Guarnieri. The news was first reported by Jour de Galop.

Blue Rose Cen races in the colours of her breeder Leopoldo Fernandez Pujals of Yeguada Centurion, who, along with Head, also had the second-top-rated horse in Europe last year in Big Rock (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}). The G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. winner was given a mark of 127, just a pound below Ace Impact (Ire) and Mostahdaf (Ire), in the official Longines and IFHA World rankings, which were announced on Tuesday in London. Furthermore, Yeguada Centurion also bred France's top-rated juvenile, Ramatuelle (Justify), who is trained by Head for Tony Parker's Infinity Nine Horses.

“Yeguada Centurion has expressed the desire to entrust some horses to a new trainer,” Head told Jour de Galop. “This is why Blue Rose Cen joined Maurizio Guarnieri's stable. It was a real pleasure to train Blue Rose Cen for two years. She gave my team and me incredible emotions, and I hope she will do the same for her new trainer.”

The Italian-born Guarnieri, trainer of G2 Prix du Calvados winner Wed (Fr) (Profitable {Ire}) prior to her departure to the States, has taken charge of 10 horses for Yeguada Centurion, including seven juveniles. This brings his number of horses in training to 48.

Head, who finished fourth in the French trainers' championship for 2023, is listed as having 22 horses in training for Yeguada Centurion, half of which are two-year-olds, among the 103 horses registered to his stable with France Galop.

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Royal Jumpers Being Primed for the Festival

It was the late Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother who was the major supporter of National Hunt racing within Britain's Royal Family, but King Charles III and Queen Camilla could be represented at the Cheltenham Festival with both Reach For The Moon (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and Steal A March (GB) (Mount Nelson {GB}) under consideration for the March showcase.

Reach For The Moon, now five, won the G3 Solario S. at two as well as finishing runner-up in the G2 Champagne S., and was at one stage considered a potential Derby candidate. Last September, he moved from the stable of John and Thady Gosden to join National Hunt trainer Jamie Snowden. Though yet to race over hurdles, the gelding has been given an entry for the G1 Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle on March 12 and will be campaigned in partnership by HM The Queen and Sir Chips Keswick. He is now registered in the colours of the latter, the former chairman of Arsenal FC.

Snowden said of the 105-rated performer on the Flat, “He was obviously a very good horse for John and Thady Gosden and he was a leading contender at one stage for the 2022 Derby.

“He had a few little issues on the Flat hence the reason why he has ended up jumping with us as opposed to doing anything else. With a horse that has that kind of rating on the Flat, we have to give him an entry in the Supreme, but we will see how he takes to everything over the next month to six weeks.

“Racing is steeped in the tradition of the royal family. The Queen Mother loved it, and the late Queen was a big supporter of the sport. It is wonderful that the King and the Queen are supporting racing as much as ever before.”

He added, “We have got some nice horses for them and hopefully Reach For The Moon can fly the flag high. We are lucky to have a horse of his talent and hopefully we can do him justice.”

Reach For The Moon was bred by Queen Elizabeth II, as was Steal A March, who runs in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle series qualifier at Huntingdon on Thursday.

Trained by Nicky Henderson for the King and Queen, the 9-year-old missed last year's Festival with a setback. He recently returned at Newbury after a year off the track.

Henderson said, “Steal A March was going to the Cheltenham Festival last year, and he was all ready for it, but he had a little issue three weeks before which was real bad luck.

“He has got a run under his belt, which is a help, as he needs a huge amount of work. He is a horse that takes plenty of getting ready. The step back up in trip to three miles one (furlong) will suit him as well.

“That was the plan to have Steal A March run at the Cheltenham Festival last year so let's hope we can do it this year.”

The King's niece, Zara Tindall, shares her great-grandmother's love of jump racing and is on the committee of Cheltenham Racecourse as well as being patron of the Retraining of Racehorses charity.

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ITBA Mourns Una Tormey as National Awards Postponed

The Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (ITBA) has postponed its annual National Awards as a mark of respect following the death of ITBA chief executive Una Tormey on Tuesday.

The awards dinner had been set to take place this coming Saturday, January 27, at the Heritage in Killenard. A rearranged date will be announced in due course.

A statement released through the ITBA from chairman Cathy Grassick on Wednesday morning read, “It is with great sadness that I advise you that our esteemed friend and colleague Una Tormey passed away yesterday after a short illness. She was a beautiful person and left a lasting impression on everyone that met her. We in the ITBA are deeply saddened by her loss. Our thoughts are with Una's family who have asked for privacy at this very difficult time.”

Tormey, 41, was appointed chief executive of the ITBA in December 2022 following a two-year stint with the association as membership coordinator.

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Pinatubo And Sergei Prokofiev Head First-Season Sires’ Betting

Paddy Power have had their say on the first-season sires' championship and the betting giants are unable to separate Pinatubo (Ire) and Sergei Prokofiev at the head of the market at odds of 6-4.

It was Blue Point (Ire) who dominated the first-season sires' championship last year in recording 50 individual winners in Europe including two Group 1 scorers. According to Paddy Power, Darley are in a strong position to scoop the prize for the second successive year as, not only can the powerful operation call on joint-favourite Pinatubo, but Earthlight (Ire) is also prominent in the betting at 2-1.

Whitsbury Manor Stud, where Sergei Prokfiev is based, has a good reputation for getting young sires up and running with their first crop and famously landed this prize in 2022 with sire sensation Havana Grey (GB).

The Starfield Stud-based Far Above (Ire) is another stallion that the betting firm seemingly gives a chance to while Mohaather (GB) is frictionally bigger at odds of 10-1. Ballyhane Stud resident Sands Of Mali (Fr), whose stock has caught the attention of trainers Richard Fahey, Johnny Murtagh, Michael Dods and more, is one of the more interesting outsiders at odds of 33-1.

Paddy Power's Paul Binfield commented, “We are unable to separate Pinatubo and Sergei Prokofiev at the front of the market. The former was a revelation as a two-year-old with his National Stakes victory a joy to behold and while he didn't quite live up to expectations during his Classic season, he still won a Group 1 and was placed in three others.”

He added, “While he was never beaten over seven furlongs and was a very decent miler, Sergei Prokofiev brings electrifying speed to the table-he won three times as a juvenile, including a comfortable success in the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes, and was a gallant third in the Coventry Stakes over six furlongs.”

Pinatubo won three times at the highest level. His brilliant juvenile campaign culminated with a spellbinding performance in the Goffs Vincent O'Brien S. at the Curragh followed by the Dewhurst at Newmarket while he won the Prix Jean Prat at Deauville as a three-year-old.

He stands at Dalham Hall Stud for £35,000 and, of 49 yearlings sold in Britain and Ireland in 2023, they averaged £146,488 and included a £380,000 colt and a £500,000 filly.

Meanwhile, Sergei Prokofiev stands for just £6,000 and, of the 97 yearlings of his to sell at public auction last year, they averaged £37,203.

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