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The Weekly Wrap: Coming Of Age

In February, the inevitable announcement came that Pivotal (GB) was to be pensioned at Cheveley Park Stud at the age of 28. David and Patricia Thompson's homebred son of Polar Falcon has been one of the great British breeding stories of the last few decades and the sturdy chestnut has been a great friend to small and major breeders alike through his magnificent stud innings.

As he continues his retirement, so does his legacy gain momentum. A few months before Pivotal was retired, his son Siyouni (Fr) had been crowned champion sire in his native France for the first time. The Aga Khan Studs stallion had only missed out on earning that title in the two previous seasons to Galileo (Ire) and Nathaniel (Ire), respectively the sires of the high-earning Arc winners Waldgeist (GB) and Enable (GB) in those two years. Then Siyouni got his own Arc winner, Sottsass (Fr), augmenting a profile which already had a properly classy look to it.

In each of the last four seasons, Siyouni has been responsible for a French Classic winner. His first-crop daughter Ervedya (Fr) had actually got the ball rolling in 2015, winning the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches for her and her sire's breeder the Aga Khan. A little gap ensued, but Le Brivido (Fr) was soon knocking on the door, and was only a short-head away from claiming the Poule d'Essai des Poulains two years later when being so narrowly beaten by Brametot (Ire).

Then came Laurens (Fr) to claim the Prix de Diane as one of her six Group 1 victories in France, Britain and Ireland, starting a Classic run which was continued by Sottsass in the Prix du Jockey Club of 2019, Dream And Do (Fr) in last year's Poule d'Essai des Pouliches before the 2020 European champion 2-year-old St Mark's Basilica (Fr) made good on his juvenile promise to land the Poulains for Aidan O'Brien and the Coolmore team.

Of course Siyouni can't take all the credit here, as St Mark's Basilica's Group 3-winning dam Cabaret (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) has already shown herself to be a producer par excellence for Australian breeder Bob Scarborough via her son Magna Grecia (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), winner of the 2000 Guineas in 2019. This repeats the cross seen to good effect in Sottsass, who is out of arguably the most celebrated active broodmare in France, Starlet's Sister (Ire).

Doubling up on Danzig has done no harm in the case of Laurens and Dream And Do, while Siyouni's other top-level winner, the GI EP Taylor S. victrix Etoile (Fr), is out of a mare by Authorized (Ire) and is, like Laurens, inbred 4×4 to Danzig. A similar cross to this is found in the Siyouni 2-year-old Kaltham (Fr), a daughter of dual Arc winner Treve (Fr), who is by another Derby-winning son of Montjeu (Ire) in Motivator (GB).

Like Pivotal before him, Siyouni started out at stud standing for a relatively small fee of €7,000, which has gradually climbed to €140,000, making him the most expensive stallion in France, just as his own sire was in Britain when Pivotal's covering price climbed to £85,000 in 2007 and 2008. In both cases, lofty reputations look to be well earned.

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For Basque-born jockey Ioritz Mendizabal, the Covid-19 pandemic has been both a blessing and a curse. Last July, when travel restrictions meant that neither David Egan nor Frankie Dettori could make the trip to Chantilly, he won his first Classic aboard Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club for Britain's champion trainer John Gosden.

Mendizabal's good season continued when he rode Audarya (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) to victory in the G1 Prix Jean Romanet for James Fanshawe, but he was then prevented from travelling to Keeneland to ride her in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf after testing positive for Covid. The now-suspended Pierre-Charles Boudot picked up the winning ride on Audarya in America, but fortune swung back in Mendizabal's favour when Ireland's champion Aidan O'Brien came calling on Friday for him to take the ride on St Mark's Basilica.

“Winning the Guineas is fantastic,” the jockey told Jour de Galop. “But you cannot know the emotion of even having your name in the same line in the race card as Aidan O'Brien. He is the best trainer in the world. I knew I was going to ride St Mark's Basilica on Friday at 2pm and it was extremely satisfying that Aidan O'Brien called on me.”

Wow Takes A Bow

In his short racing career, The Wow Signal (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), an early star of the now-defunct Ascot Breeze-up Sale, went from winning an Ayr maiden to success in the G2 Coventry S. and G1 Darley Prix Morny, to finishing last in the G1 Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and then out.

His stud career was similarly short-lived. From covering 40 mares at Haras de Bouquetot in 2017 and 12 the following season, The Wow Signal's poor fertility meant that he had only 15 registered foals in France before he died from laminitis in the spring of 2018.

From a family which includes Shadwell's Poule d'Essai des Pouliches winner Ta Rib (Mr Prospector), The Wow Signal now has his own posthumous winner of that same race despite his seriously limited opportunities. Coeursamba (Fr) was bred by three members of the Mestrallet family, including Julie Mestrallet, who consigns at the French sales under the name of her Haras de l'Aumonerie. She owns only two broodmares, with the Quesnay-bred Marechale (Fr) (Anabaa), the dam of Coeursamba, being the first bought by Mestrallet from a claiming race in the French provinces.

When The Wow Signal won the Coventry he was following something of a Royal Ascot tradition for his sireline. His sire Starspangledbanner won the G1 Golden Jubilee S. on his second start for Aidan O'Brien after moving from the Australian stable of Leon Corstens, and in turn his father Choisir (Aus) had been the poster boy that opened the floodgates for Australian sprinters heading to the Royal meeting, having won both the King's Stand and the Golden Jubilee back in 2003.

Starspangledbanner was also famously subfertile in his early years at stud but a combination of patience and good management has seen him continue his stallion career while remaining popular with commercial breeders.

He too was represented among the stakes winners over the weekend when the Fozzy Stack-trained juvenile Hermana Estrella (Ire) landed the G3 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Fillies' Sprint S. on debut, with the horses in behind her including favourite Contarelli Chapel (Ire) (Caravaggio), who had earned a TDN Rising Star for her own impressive debut success three weeks earlier.

Bred by Mark and Aisling Gittins at Castlefarm Stud from The Last Sister (Ire), a daughter of the Gittins family's G1 Prix Jean Prat winner Lord Shanakill, Hermana Estrella had been sold as a foal for just 2,500gns. She transpired to be a profitable pinhook for Timmy Hillman of Castledillon Stud, who resold her as a yearling for £42,000 to her trainer and Hubie de Burgh at last year's relocated Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale.

The family has worked well with that sireline in the past as The Last Sister's half-sister Lady Springbank (Ire) is a dual Group 3-winning daughter of Choisir. Hermana Estrella may now be given her own chance at Royal Ascot in the G3 Albany S.

Snowfall On The Knavesmire

We usually expect to see something special at York in the spring and indeed both formal Classic trials threw up decent winners. Galileo was the broodmare sire of yet another European Classic winner at ParisLongchamp on Sunday and he could yet chalk up further success in this realm in the coming weeks with Snowfall (Jpn), who was highly impressive in winning the G3 Tattersalls Musidora S. Like Saxon Warrior (Jpn) before her, she is bred on the Deep Impact (Jpn)-Galileo cross. Her mother fell somewhat short of her lofty name of Best In The World (Ire), and in fact she herself finished last in the Musidora in 2016. She did, however, later collect the G3 Give Thanks S. As a full-sister to Arc winner Found (Ire) and a daughter of Group 1 winner Red Evie (Ire) (Intikhab), Best In The World of course had plenty to recommend her, and her first foal is now second-favourite behind stablemate Santa Barbara (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) for the Cazoo Oaks.

The Dante meeting also proved to be a highly successful one for trainer Ed Walker, who has a crack sprinter on his hands in Starman (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}). The 4-year-old is still lightly raced and has been beaten just once in his five starts for owner/breeder David Ward, who bought his dam Northern Star (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) at the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale for €50,000 through Ed Sackville. She won just once but has already produced two stakes performers with her first two foals. Sadly, the mare died after producing a Kingman (GB) filly, named Lodestar (GB), in 2018.

Northern Star's first foal, Sunday Star (GB) (Kodiac {GB}), is a dual winner with multiple stakes placings, including finishing third in the G3 Summer Fillies' S. at York last season. Starman is smarter still and now has two Group 1 sprint entries at Royal Ascot.

Sackville also did Ward a favour when selecting Primo Bacio (Ire) at Tattersalls October Book 1 two years ago from her breeder Kildaragh Stud. A winner last December on her fourth start for Walker, the daughter of Awtaad (Ire) has taken major strides forward in her 3-year-old season and, following a first-up fourth in the G3 Fred Darling S., she now has bold black type thanks to her three-length win in the Oaks Farm Stables Fillies' S., which is run in memory of the late racing journalist Michael Seely.

Primo Bacio's victory not only completed a double for Walker and Ward, but also initiated a stakes double last week for her Derrinstown Stud-based sire Awtaad. Both she and the Sir Edmund Loder homebred Bellosa (Ire), who won the listed Betway King Charles S. at Newmarket on Saturday, are members of the Irish 2000 Guineas winner's first crop, as is last season's Leopardstown winner Ebeko (Ire). The latter was subsequently exported to California, where she won the listed Zuma Beach S. for trainer Peter Miller.

Rising Stars Of The Stud Ranks

There has been plenty of activity in the European first-season sires' table over the last week. Overbury Stud's Ardad (Ire) doubled his tally of winners to eight, with Beautiful Sunshine (GB) and Superior Force (GB) among those to have added to the impressive run for the partnership of trainer George Boughey with Amo Racing and breeze-up consignor/pre-trainer Robson Aguiar.

The National Stud duo of Aclaim (Ire) and Time Test (GB) both got off the mark on Saturday, with Aclaim's first winner, Cachet (Ire), another breeze-up graduate trained by Boughey, being awarded a TDN Rising Star for her Rowley Mile debut.

Galileo Gold's first winner, Ebro River (Ire), struck at Doncaster on Saturday and, appropriately, the colt is trained by Galileo Gold's former trainer Hugo Palmer in the colours of his former owner Al Shaqab Racing, and was bred by Tally-Ho Stud, where the 2000 Guineas winner now stands.

Ribchester (Ire) was another freshman to be represented by a TDN Rising Star in the last week in the form of Gisburn (Ire), the facile winner of a Newbury maiden on Friday for Richard Hannon and owners Michael Kerr-Dineen and Martin Hughes. He is likely to head next to the Coventry S.

Meanwhile at the head of the table presently on progeny earnings is Ribchester's fellow Darley sire Profitable (Ire). His four winners include the Gavin Cromwell-trained Quick Suzy (Ire), who was runner-up to the aforementioned Hermana Estrella in the Group 3 at Naas on Sunday. Events at Royal Ascot will surely bring further clues as to the prowess of the latest crop of young stallions.

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Joe Mercer Dies At 86

British racing has lost one of its greatest figures with the passing of former champion jockey Joe Mercer OBE at the age of 86.

Joseph Mercer was one of two brothers, born in Bradford in Yorkshire, who lit up Britain's apprentice ranks in the decade after the Second World War. The elder brother Emmanuel 'Manny' Mercer served his apprenticeship in Newmarket with George Colling and created such a good impression (most obviously by riding the 100/1 winner of the 1947 Lincolnshire Handicap, Jockey Treble, aged only 17) that Major Fred Sneyd, who trained at Wantage in Oxfordshire and who had already produced the great jockeys (and brothers) Eph and Doug Smith, wrote to Mercer's father to ask, “Are there any more like him at home?”. Mr Mercer jumped at the chance to send his younger son south to be indentured to Major Sneyd.

Apprenticeships were hard work in those days, particularly under the stewardship of a martinet such as Major Sneyd, and Joe Mercer's apprenticeship featured unrelenting hard work with very little money to show for it. He started, aged 13, on half-a-crown (12.5p) a week and was still earning that sum when he rode his first winner, Eldoret, three years later at Bath in September 1950. He actually sometimes did not even earn that much as he was fined sixpence (2.5p) every time he fell off.

Mercer's wages had risen to 10 shillings (50p) a week by the end of his seven-year apprenticeship. What was most relevant, though, was that by then he was well on the way to a career such as money couldn't buy. As an apprentice he had ridden nearly 200 winners, had been champion apprentice twice (in 1952 and '53, in the latter year setting a record total of 61 wins) and had become a rare example of an apprentice to win a Classic, courtesy of the victory of Ambiguity (GB) (Big Game {GB}), owned by Lord Astor and trained by Bob Colling, in the Oaks in 1953. It would be another 29 years until another apprentice (Billy Newnes) won a British Classic, taking the Oaks in 1982 for his boss Henry Candy on Time Charter (Ire) (Saritamer).

Tragically, Manny Mercer's career was a great one (he rode two Classic winners and finished in the upper reaches of the jockeys' table throughout the 1950s) but not a long one: he died instantly from head injuries when his mount slipped on her way to the start before the Red Deer S. at Ascot in September 1959. He was aged only 29. Happily, his younger brother was able to carry the family's baton with the greatest distinction, remaining among the very top tier of British jockeys for 30 years.

Ambiguity had been trained at West Ilsley in Berkshire, whither Bob Colling had moved from Newmarket in 1949 to train for Lord Astor. Joe Mercer, although still apprenticed to Major Sneyd, was appointed the stable's jockey in 1953, a position which he held until 1976. By this time, Major Dick Hern had taken over as trainer (following Colling's retirement at the end of the 1962 season) and the property was now owned by Sir Michael Sobell and his son-in-law Arnold (later Lord) Weinstock. To widespread consternation, Sobell and Weinstock decided in the autumn of 1976 that it was time to replace Mercer with a younger man, appointing Willie Carson to the position.

At this point, Mercer was aged 42 and was widely regarded as the greatest jockey then riding in Great Britain who had never been champion. He had enjoyed Classic success in the Oaks, the St Leger (twice), the 2000 Guineas, the 1000 Guineas, Irish 2000 Guineas, Irish Derby, Irish St Leger and, memorably, in the Prix de Diane in 1974 when he and HM The Queen's great filly Highclere (GB) (Queen's Hussar {GB}) had followed up their victory in the 1000 Guineas. Most notably, he had ridden the horse whom many regarded as the Horse of the Century: he had ridden the Dick Hern-trained 1971 2000 Guineas hero Brigadier Gerard (GB) (Queen's Hussar {GB}) in all his races.

Sobell and Weinstock may have felt at the time that Mercer's talents were past their best, but nobody else did. In particular, Henry Cecil clearly didn't, hiring Mercer as his stable jockey. Nor did former champion trainer Peter Walwyn, who signed up Mercer, by then in the second half of his 40s, during a remarkable jockeys' merry-go-round in the autumn of 1980, triggered by Lester Piggott's decision to sever his ties with Vincent O'Brien. Walwyn's jockey Pat Eddery went to O'Brien at Ballydoyle; Mercer (who had lost the support of some of Cecil's owners) went to Walwyn at Seven Barrows in Lambourn; and Piggott went to Cecil at Warren Place in Newmarket.

Mercer's relatively short period as stable jockey to Henry Cecil contained many of his finest hours. He was obviously never going to ride another horse as great as Brigadier Gerard, but for Cecil he rode one who could be mentioned in the same breath: the mighty Kris (GB) (Sharpen Up). He also enjoyed rode two more Classic triumphs, taking the 1000 Guineas in 1979 on One In A Million (Ire) (Rarity {GB}) and the St Leger in 1980 on Light Cavalry (GB), a son, fittingly, of Brigadier Gerard. He also rode such top older horses as the 1978 G1 Eclipse S. winner Gunner B (GB) (Royal Gunner) and the outstanding stayer Le Moss (Ire) (Le Levanstell {Ire}) on whom he won the G1 Gold Cup at Ascot in 1980. Mercer had previously won the Gold Cup in 1967 on the Derrick Candy-trained Parbury (GB) (Pardal {Fr}).

Even more notable than any individual winner whom Mercer rode for Cecil was the fact that he finally achieved the highest accolade of them all. In 1979 he enjoyed his greatest season, easily outstripping his previous best seasonal total (115 wins the previous year) when becoming champion jockey with 164 wins, 22 clear of runner-up Willie Carson. At 45, he was not the oldest champion jockey (both Sir Gordon Richards and Scobie Breasley had topped the table at a greater age) but was the oldest to secure the title for a first time. It was widely regarded as a fitting honour for a jockey viewed as the most technically perfect (more so than Piggott) of his generation, a master tactician and the ultimate professional. At the end of the year came the icing on the cake: he was awarded an OBE.

Although spending his final five seasons riding for Peter Walwyn, Joe Mercer's greatest triumphs in that period came on outside rides. He won the St Leger for his old boss Dick Hern and former patron Jakie Astor in 1980. Shergar (Ire) (Great Nephew {GB}) was the hot favourite but Hern, undaunted, saddled two runners. Willie Carson elected to ride Lady Beaverbrook's Bustomi (GB) so Mercer was booked for Cut Above (GB) (High Top {GB}) and the pair landed a shock victory at 28/1. Bustomi, incidentally, was a son of Bustino (GB) (Busted {GB}) on whom Mercer had won the St Leger for Major Hern and Lady Beaverbrook in 1974 before riding the gallant horse into second place behind Grundy (GB) (Great Nephew {GB}) in the 'Race of the Century', the 1975 G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Diamond S. at Ascot.

Mercer had previously won the 'King George', Britain's premier weight-for-age race, on Brigadier Gerard in 1972 and he won it again in 1983. Billy Newnes had been badly injured in a fall on Henry Candy's gallops near Wantage the previous week so the mount on the previous year's Oaks winner Time Charter became available. Mercer was booked by the trainer, for whose father he had ridden many winners during the 1960s, and the partnership landed a famous victory, beating a stellar field which included the recent Classic winners Sun Princess (Ire) (Sun Prince {Ire}) and Caerleon (Nijinsky {Can}).

Joe Mercer finally called time on his great career in the autumn of 1985 at the age of 51. Fittingly, he recorded his final big win on his final ride, guiding the John Dunlop-trained Bold Rex (Fr) (Rex Magna {Fr}) to victory in the November Handicap at Doncaster on the last day of the season. It was his 2,810^th British triumph. The November Handicap is not the race which it was, but it has been won by some great horses over the years and has seen some very popular winners. Arguably none, however, has returned to as heartfelt a round of applause as that which greeted the (presumably bemused) Bold Rex.

After his retirement from the saddle, Joe Mercer, a man who commanded the respect of the entire racing community, continued to put his great racing brain to good use in his role as racing manager for Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid al Maktoum, a role which he held for 19 years until the latter's death in January 2006.

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Albany Under Consideration For Hermana Estrella

Sunday's G3 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Fillies Sprint S. victress Hermana Estrella (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) is being aimed at a start in the G3 Albany S. at Royal Ascot on June 18. The filly, a 50-1 longshot at Naas, was making her first start and has come out of the race well.

“She'd been working well at home,” said trainer Fozzy Stack. “She hasn't been away to work or anything and hasn't even worked on grass, so it was actually a very good performance.

“She'd shown plenty of talent at home. If it hadn't worked out we'd have been left with egg on our face if she'd run very green, but it worked out well. She's a smart filly.”

“Royal Ascot would be a possibility, or maybe the race on Derby weekend here,” Stack added. “It will be the Albany or that race, I'd imagine. We'll take our time and talk to connections and see what everybody wants to do.

“She gets six furlongs well, so the soft ground in Naas might have helped on that front, but I don't think she needs it soft. I'd like to think she could step up in trip for something like the [G1] Moyglare [Stud S.] later in the season.”

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Night of Thunder’s Suesa Goes 4-For-4 At Chantilly

George Strawbridge's Suesa (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) had registered wins for the Georgina Cabrero-Carlos Laffon-Parias axis in an Oct. 13 debutantes' heat going six furlongs at Chantilly before doubling up over 5 1/2 furlongs back there in the Nov. 10 Listed Prix Yacowlef. She maintained her perfect record when snagging last month's G3 Prix Sigy for new connections, with subsequent G3 Prix de Saint-Georges victrix Ideal Beauty (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) in arrears, and continued the winning trend in taking fashion by turning Monday's G3 Prix Texanita, her fourth straight outing at the Parisian venue, into a procession. Settled 1 1/2 lengths behind last term's G3 Prix du Bois victrix Livachope (Fr) (Goken {Fr}) in second until beyond halfway, the 1-2 favourite tanked forward to lead with 350 metres remaining and kept on powerfully in the closing stages to score by three lengths from Louliana (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}).

“She takes everything in her stride and does everything right,” commented trainer Francois Rohaut. “Carlos [Laffon-Parias] did a great job with her and I am only continuing what he was doing. She loves training, she loves racing, she travels well and has something the others don't have. She is just very good and I get the impression, that with things being so easy for her, she now has a tendency to idle in front. She has earned a trip to Royal Ascot for the [June 18 G1] Commonwealth Cup and I think she will have a great chance. I toyed with the idea of running run her over a mile in the [G1] Poule [d'Essai des Pouliches], but we decided to be conservative and keep her over this trip. Stepping up in trip will come after Ascot, possibly at Deauville in August. For now, we shall take it one race at a time.”

Suesa, the fourth of six foals, is one of two scorers and the leading performer produced by an unraced half-sister to Listed Radley S. placegetter Sheboygan (Ire) (Grand Lodge). Her second dam, Listed Tyros S. third White Satin (Ire) (Fairy King), is kin to stakes-winning GII Honeymoon H. third Chenille (Ire) (Tenby {GB}) and the April-foaled bay hails from a family featuring MG1SW siblings Barathea (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) and Gossamer (GB) (Sadler's Wells). Suesa is a half-sister to Spanish champion juvenile colt Valle Inclan (Ire) (Elusive Pimpernel), a 2-year-old filly by Estidhkaar (Ire) and a yearling colt by The Last Lion (Ire).

Monday, Chantilly, France
PRIX TEXANITA-G3, €80,000, Chantilly, 5-17, 3yo, 6fT, 1:12.05, sf.
1–SUESA (IRE), 125, f, 3, by Night of Thunder (Ire)
1st Dam: Sally Is The Boss (Ire), by Orpen
2nd Dam: White Satin (Ire), by Fairy King
3rd Dam: Canton Lightning (Ire), by Rheingold (GB)
(€17,000 Wlg '18 GOFNOV). O-George Strawbridge; B-Thomastown Farm Ltd (IRE); T-Francois Rohaut; J-Olivier Peslier. €40,000. Lifetime Record: 4-4-0-0, €116,050. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Louliana (Ire), 122, f, 3, Acclamation (GB)–Rosie's Premiere (Ire), by Showcasing (GB). (€44,000 Ylg '19 AROCT; £80,000 2yo '20 GOFJUL). O-Mbaye Niang SNC & Scuderia Il Fino; B-Haras du Mezeray SA (IRE); T-Frederic Rossi. €16,000.
3–Bavaria Express (Fr), 122, f, 3, Dabirsim (Fr)–Baiadera (Ger), by Tertullian. O/B-Ecurie Normandie Pur Sang (FR); T-Fabrice Chappet. €12,000.
Margins: 3, 1, 1HF. Odds: 0.50, 13.00, 7.40.
Also Ran: Frontgate, Urgent Appeal (Ire), Galik (Fr), Livachope (Fr). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by TVG.

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