Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) first came to wider prominence when cruising home to an easy victory in the Lincoln on the first weekend of the British turf season in 2018. Behind him that day in second was Lord Glitters (Fr) (Whipper), and the two of them were reunited on Saturday to finish in the same positions in a strong field for the listed Doonside Cup at Ayr.
In the two and a half years between these two races, both horses have won at Group 1 level, with Addeybb lighting up the gloom of early lockdown for William Haggas’s stable by snaring the G1 Ranvet S. and G1 Longines Queen Elizabeth S. in a fruitful sojourn in Sydney earlier this year. Since then he had been seen just once in Britain before Saturday’s victory when finishing second to Lord North (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the Prince of Wales’s S. on ground probably a tad faster than ideal. He may well have his favoured soft ground come British Champions Day back at Ascot, where he is likely to meet fellow mudlover Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) in the Champion S.
Of course, if Addeybb wasn’t missing two vital parts of his anatomy he may not still be racing at the age of six but, having been gelded even before he made his debut, there were no potential stud decisions to distract his owner Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum. Addeybb is now the winner of 10 of his 19 starts and is very much the star of Haggas’s Somerville Lodge.
He’ll have some competition for that title in the stable in the coming months, however. The trainer has sent out 13 winners in the last fortnight, with five of those coming on Saturday. Addeybb spearheaded a treble at Ayr, with rising sprint star Nahaarr (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) pouncing late in the Ayr Gold Cup to give Sheikh Ahmed a big-race double, and Johan (GB) (Zoffany {Ire}) sticking his nose in front where it mattered most when winning the mile handicap by a short-head.
Over in France, Sea Of Faith (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), the sister to G1 Sydney Cup winner Shraaoh (Ire), landed her first stakes win in the listed Prix des Tourelles, and at Newbury Ilaraab (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) added to both his trainer’s and Sheikh Ahmed’s good day when winning his fourth race on the bounce from only five lifetime starts. Stakes company surely beckons for him.
For Haggas’s Ayr hat-trick the man in the saddle was Tom Marquand, whose prolific winter in Australia was greatly enhanced by his association with Addeybb and whose rising stardom in the riding ranks is rivaled only by his own girlfriend, Hollie Doyle. At the time of writing Marquand was in joint-second with William Buick in the jockeys’ championship on 86 wins behind reigning champion Oisin Murphy. Doyle, who continued her excellent run as retained jockey to Imad Al Sagar with victory in the listed John Musker Fillies’ S. aboard the John Gosden-trained Majestic Noor (GB) (Frankel {GB}), is in fourth place.
Like Haggas, Marquand has also notched 13 winners in the last fortnight and, though Addeybb may well be his favourite, he doubtless enjoyed riding an even older warrior, Caspian Prince (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}) to his 21st win at Yarmouth last Wednesday. The 11-year-old has now run 105 times, and his two victories this season have both come in the hands of Marquand. Moreover, Caspian Prince, who recorded his latest success off a mark of 100, set a new five-furlong track record. If you blinked and missed that, you can catch him again in action on Tuesday in the 2.40 at Beverley.
Victory Chant
With the yearling sales now in full swing, there will undoubtedly be concerns over how well the middle to lower tiers of the market will hold up in the coming weeks. The last week on the racecourse has again delivered reminders that good horses can come from anywhere and that all level of sales are worth perusing by agents doing their jobs properly.
One man who has a proven track record of buying stakes performers for very reasonable sums is Federico Barberini, the British-based Italian agent who, with Roger O’Callaghan, unearthed Dream Ahead at Keeneland’s September Sale for $11,000. His latest success story is the G3 Prix Eclipse winner Plainchant (Fr) (Gregorian {Ire}), who has been highly progressive in her five starts to date for Maurizio Guarnieri.
Also an Italian native, Guarnieri is based near Bordeaux at La Teste de Buch, where Plainchant recorded her first two victories, the second of those coming in the listed Criterium de Bequet. She then ventured north to Deauville to take second in the G2 Shadwell Prix du Calvados before last Friday’s group victory at Chantilly.
Plainchant failed to sell in the ring at last year’s Arqana October Sale but a private sale was agreed immediately afterwards and Barberini bought the filly from her breeder Haras des Loges for just €4,000. Her earnings to date, including French premiums, stand just shy of €120,000.
The filly became the second group winner for her Rathasker Stud sire Gregorian, and Barberini is the man who signed the ticket for both of them, the first being the G3 Summer S. winner Queen Jo Jo (GB).
Gregorian’s sire Clodovil (Ire), who stands alongside him at Rathasker, had only 14 named foals in 2018 but he too has been represented by a smart juvenile in France this season in the G3 Prix Francois Boutin winner Tiger Tanaka (Ire). He also featured in the list of sires with stakes winners over the weekend thanks to his 5-year-old son Duca Di Como (Ire), who won his second listed race of the season at Bro Park in Sweden.
A Spanish Queen For Kingman
At the other end of the sales figures, the filly who topped the Goffs November Foal Sale of 2018, made a winning debut in Madrid on Sunday for trainer Alvaro Soto. Now named Reina Madre (Ire), the daughter of Kingman (GB) races in the name of Centurion, the racing and breeding operation of Leopoldo Fernandez Pujals.
The owner has amassed his fortune through telecommunications companies and pizza restaurants in his native Spain and has been notably active at the sales in Europe and America over the last few years, buying both young stock and broodmares.
Reina Madre, a €350,000 foal, was the sole weanling purchase at Goffs that year by agent Francisco Bernal of Outsider Bloodstock, who was acting on behalf of Fernandez Pujsl. He also bought Simawa (Ire) (Anabaa), a half-sister to Sinndar (Ire) from the mares’ sale that year for €210,000. A fortnight later, he signed for six mares at the Tattersalls December Sale for 1,145,000 guineas.
The spending of Fernandez Pujals was increased further still with an outlay of $3.3 million for broodmares at Keeneland’s November Sale of 2019, at which he indicated his intention to amass a band of 100 broodmares.
Reina Madre was bred in Ireland by Paddy Burns and is one of three fillies listed in training in Spain for Centurion. Her taking debut over 1,400 metres in the Premio Carlos Sobrino at Hipodromo La Zarzuela gave the impression there is plenty more to come.
Time To Say Goodbye
There has been an abundance of tributes to Pat Smullen since his sad passing last Tuesday. All have pointed to the thoroughly decent man he was out of the saddle, as well as the unstinting professionalism he exhibited in his riding days.
This element of his character continued after his enforced retirement 17 months ago on health grounds. At that time, he had recently started a weekly column in TDN Europe and we were proud to have him as a much-respected member of our editorial team. Though being a columnist would have come a very distant third at best on his career wishlist behind being a jockey and an advisor to Moyglare Stud, it was a role he took very seriously. The diligent planning and forethought which had gone into his riding days continued in his preparation for his weekly bulletins, which were delivered to deadline and in one take without fail.
In common with so many of Pat Smullen’s family members, friends, colleagues and fans, we will miss him terribly.
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