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Murphy’s Law At Newmarket On Friday

Newmarket’s Friday fixture is replete with black-type events and it is Oisin Murphy who holds the key to the featured G2 Shadwell Joel S. Having partnered the impressive 2019 winner Benbatl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), he hands that ride to Frankie Dettori this time as he helps prepare Qatar Racing’s G1 2000 Guineas winner Kameko (Kitten’s Joy) for the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. Kameko has by dint of fate and circumstance failed to make the places in three starts after his finest hour when taking that mile Classic on June 6 and he is back over the same course and distance here in a no-excuse exercise. “Benbatl is one of the highest-rated horses in the world and Kameko is a Classic winner who ran the fastest-ever Guineas, so it’s a mouthwatering prospect,” Murphy said. “It will be hard for Kameko with the penalty–we have to give Benbatl a pound–but there were limited options and he’s in super form and ready to run. I obviously love Benbatl. I only raced against him once and that was in the Juddmonte International when I won on Roaring Lion. I’ve ridden Benbatl in work recently as well and he’s also in super form.”

With two of Kameko’s subsequent defeats coming over further than 10 furlongs and his only other outing at this trip resulting in a luckless fourth in the G1 Sussex S. at Goodwood on July 29, his rider is happy that he is at the right distance. “He travelled very well in the Sussex and got into second place in the Juddmonte, having sat last, and then his run petered out at the line,” he explained. “Hopefully the ground continues to dry today–both he and Benbatl want top of the ground.”

Last year, Benbatl was winning this off a 10-month gap before finishing a tailed-off last in the QEII at Ascot but he proved in the spring that he retains all his ability and was last seen finishing third in the inaugural Saudi Cup on dirt at Riyadh on Feb. 29. Saeed bin Suroor said he wants the rain to stay away. “He did his last piece of work on the Watered Gallop here in Newmarket and he is doing really well,” he commented. “It is his first run in Europe since he went to Dubai and Saudi Arabia. We are looking for a good result from him. It’s a tough race, but he won it last year and it’s the right race for him. We don’t want the ground to be too soft–good ground would be good for him.”

This is no two-horse race, with Cheveley Park Stud’s talented but mercurial Regal Reality (GB) (Intello {Ger}), Saeed Manana’s Sept. 5 G3 Superior Mile winner Top Rank (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Khalid Abdullah’s July 31 G3 Thoroughbred S. scorer Tilsit (First Defence) also in contention.

Also on the card is the G2 Shadwell Rockfel S., where Ballydoyle’s Sept. 12 Listed Ingabelle S. winner Monday (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and Paul and Clare Rooney’s seven-length Aug. 29 G3 Prestige S. scorer Isabella Giles (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}) appear to be the main protagonists.

The G3 Princess Royal Muhaarar S. sees Kirsten Rausing’s Aug. 20 G1 Yorkshire Oaks runner-up Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}) set the standard, but she faces some up-and-comers including Qatar Racing’s impressive Aug. 1 Listed Chalice S. winner Katara (Fr) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).

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TDN Q&A With Ciaran ‘Flash’ Conroy

Minzaal (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), purchased by Shadwell for 140,000gns from Glenvale Stud at Tattersalls Book 2, is set to run in the G1 Juddmonte Middle Park S. at Newmarket on Saturday. TDN‘s Gary King chatted with Glenvale’s ‘Flash’ Conroy to hear more about the horse, and his thoughts on some wider industry issues.

GK: You’ve had plenty of top horses through the gates of Glenvale over the years. Who, in your opinion, was the best?

FC: I’ve been fortunate to have consigned Royal Ascot winners like The Wow Signal (Ire), Waterloo Bridge (Ire), Telescope (Ire) and Thomas Chippendale (Ire), but Alice Springs (Ire) and Leading Light (Ire) were multiple Group 1 winners so they would have to be the best.

GK: 2020 has been another banner year with the likes of Minzaal and Pretty Gorgeous (Fr) (Lawman {Fr}). They must have been a welcome distraction in what has been a challenging period for everyone?

FC: It’s been a very tough year on everybody involved in the business so it was great to see John Oxley have his success with Pretty Gorgeous. He’s a big owner in America but is relatively new to Europe and we always need new owners coming into the game.

On the other hand, Minzaal has helped Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum have another brilliant year and that’s just as important as he’s been a marvellous supporter of the business for so long.

GK: As you said, the Joseph O’Brien-trained Pretty Gorgeous has been a real flagbearer, especially her tussles with Donnacha’s Shale (Ire). What were your impressions of her as a younger horse, as she developed from a €55,000 Arqana December foal, purchased by Mags O’Toole, to a 525,000gns yearling at Tattersalls Book 1?

FC: Well it’s this simple, she’s very well named! She was always gorgeous. She was a big, strong filly with great limbs and extra action.

GK: Without giving away too many secrets, what do you typically look for when pinhooking a foal to a yearling?

FC: For me it’s about getting the right mix of physical and pedigree. I look for a foal with quality and scope. It needs to have a good walk and temperament, and ideally will be by a sire that’ll be hot the following year.

GK: You’ve been fortunate to work with some legends of the Thoroughbred industry over the years. If you had to pick one person who you learned the most from, who would that be?

FC: I got a great education with Tim Hyde of Camas Park Stud; he’s a gentleman and a wonderful judge of both horses and pedigrees. Paul Shanahan is a great friend and must be one of the most knowledgeable men in the business.

GK: It’s been a tricky year so far but the European yearling sales have held up pretty well. What’s your overall opinion of the market?

FC: Yes, they have held up well, considering we are in the middle of a global pandemic, and hopefully things will be much better by this time next year. Great credit must be given to everyone who has worked so hard to make sure that the racing and sales are continuing.

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‘Footsteps’ Colt Leads Sportsman’s Opener

The Goffs Sportsman’s Yearling Sale got underway in its temporary new guise in Doncaster on Thursday, with a colt by Footstepsinthesand (GB) (lot 647) from Rockfield Farm topping trade with a bid of £50,000 from Kevin Ryan. He is the second foal out of the winning Danehill Dancer (Ire) mare Harpist (Ire) and his year-older full-brother Star Of Orion (Ire) won on debut at Newmarket in June for Ralph Beckett.

As was the case with the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale earlier this week and as will be the case with Goffs Orby next week, the Sportsman’s sale, typically staged in Kildare, was moved to Britain to maximize buyer attendance. A significant number of Irish-based vendors opted to withdraw their yearlings and instead offer them in the Goffs Autumn Yearling Sale in November, and as such just 70% of the yearlings catalogued on Thursday (144) visited the ring, with 99 sold at the close of trade for a clearance rate of 69%. The aggregate was £1,369,000, the average £13,828 and the median £10,000.

There were a handful of notable buybacks during the session, headed by a Lope De Vega (Ire) filly (lot 596) who was led out unsold at £64,000. A Dark Angel (Ire) filly (lot 543) was bought back at £48,000, and the Divine Prophet (Aus) half-sister to Grade I winner River Boyne (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) (lot 560) was taken home at £50,000.

Leading first-crop sire Mehmas (Ire) was predictably popular, and he had a colt and a filly sell for £47,000 and £44,000, respectively. The colt (lot 570) was from Kilmoney Cottage Stud and is a half-sister to the French listed winner Just Sherry (Ire) (Intense Focus), their dam being a half-sister to the G1 2000 Guineas and G1 St James’s Palace S. winner Cockney Rebel (Ire) (Val Royal {Fr}). He was bought by BBA Ireland.

The Mehmas filly (lot 609) was from Grange Hill Stud and was scooped up by trainer Eddie Lynam. She is the third foal out of her dam Faddwa (Ire) (Arcano {Ire}), who is a half-sister to the listed-winning Heart Of Fire (Ire) (Mujadil). Her year-older full-brother Fools Rush In (Ire) is one of 32 winners for Mehmas thus far.

The Goffs Sportsman’s Sale continues with its second and final session from 10 a.m. on Friday.

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Donjah Skips Arc For Breeders’ Cup

The G1 Preis von Europa winner Donjah (Ger) (Teofilo {Ire}) will miss the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and will be aimed instead towards the Breeders’ Cup meeting at Keeneland.

The 4-year-old, who races for Dr Stefan Oschmann’s Darius Racing, made her most recent start in the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden, in which she was fourth, finishing less than two lengths behind the winner Barney Roy (Ire) (Excelebration {Ire}).

“We had a discussion today and Dr. Oschmann decided that Donjah shouldn’t run in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Instead we are now planning for her to start in the Breeders’ Cup, either in the Filly & Mare Turf or the Turf,” said Darius Racing’s manager Holger Faust.

He added that a contingency plan based on potential COVID-19 travel restrictions could see Donjah remain at home in Germany to make her final start of the year in the Grosser Preis von Bayern in Munich on Nov. 8.

Should Donjah make the trip to America she will become the first Breeders’ Cup contender for 38-year-old Henk Grewe, the reigning champion trainer in Germany. Darius Racing was represented at last year’s meeting at Santa Anita by Alounak (Fr) (Camelot {GB}), who finished fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf.

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