Tag: Shared News Europe

“Her Top Drawer Form Is Over Five Furlongs” – Highfield Princess Sets King George Standard

Last terms's sprinting revelation Highfield Princess (Fr) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) may have missed the target on her three outing so far in 2023, but a pure speed test on soft ground in Goodwood's G2 King George Qatar S. provides the ideal scenario for John Quinn's indomitable 6-year-old to get back on track on Friday. This was the time of the season that she grew wings last summer, rattling off a trio of Group 1 victories in the Prix Maurice de Gheest, Nunthorpe and Flying Five within the space of five weeks and her trainer is hoping she is blooming again despite the contrasting weather to last year.

Second in the G1 King's Stand S. and third in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee S. on ground that was probably a touch too lively at the Royal meeting, she is at or very near the same level as 12 months ago. “She ran mighty races and we were thrilled with her to be placed in two Group 1s in five days,” Quinn said. “Last year we gave her a mid-season break, which she did seem to enjoy, and we have done the same this year but instead of going to Deauville we decided to go to Goodwood. There are no easy group races over any distance, but we thought possibly that the Goodwood race might be slightly easier than the Prix Maurice de Gheest.”

“Another factor is that the Prix Maurice de Gheest is six and a half furlongs. She is very versatile, but her top drawer form is over five furlongs so we thought we'd go to Goodwood and then all being well roll onto York,” he added. “All being well after Goodwood, we go to York for the Nunthorpe and then we would hope to go back to Ireland for the Flying Five. We had possibly thought about going to Australia for the Everest, but we don't know. I wouldn't rule out the Breeders' Cup again and, after the Breeders' Cup, there is the big Hong Kong Sprint in December.”

Perhaps the biggest danger to an on-song Highfield Princess is last year's G2 Sapphire S. winner Ladies Church (GB) (Churchill {Ire}), whose last two efforts resulted in an authoritative win in the Listed Sole Power Sprint S. and a fourth in the latest edition of the Sapphire. Beaten all ends up there by Art Power (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), that is no disgrace as that Easterby marauder is seemingly unstoppable on his Irish raids and Mark Dobbin's filly probably still has upside.

 

Thoroughbred Stepping Stone For Nostrum

While there was talk of the G1 Sussex S. and G1 Prix Jacques le Marois after the smooth return win of TDN Rising Star Nostrum (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in Newmarket's Listed Sir Henry Cecil S. at the July Festival, it is to the G3 Thoroughbred S. that Juddmonte's exciting homebred goes on Friday. This soft ground is not his bag, but there is potentially a class gulf to the likes of fellow TDN Rising Stars Epictetus (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) and Knight (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) and OTI Racing's Britannia H. winner Docklands (GB) (Massaat {Ire}).

“Of course we gave the Sussex S. consideration, but Sir Michael rightly pointed out and the owners agreed, why go from second gear to fifth? Let's go through the gears, we're looking at longevity and we don't want to kill the horse off with one run,” Juddmonte's European racing manager Barry Mahon said. “We're all thinking about stallions and commerciality, but it didn't do Baaeed any harm. He got to where he needed to get and if we can get there, we'll be happy. Ground-wise I don't think we're too concerned–a bit of cut in the ground will be fine for him.”

Later on the card, the Haggas's veteran Hamish (GB) (Motivator {GB}) has perfect conditions for a sixth Group 3 success in the Glorious S., while the easy ground will probably also help George Strawbridge's filly Mimikyu (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) as she bids to revive the form of her G2 Park Hill S. in September.

 

Little Big Bear Added To Maurice de Gheest

TDN Rising Star Little Big Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never) has been supplemented for Sunday's G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville. Last seen finishing down the field in the G1 July Cup, he was one of 13 still in the mix for the 6 1/2-furlong contest. “We'll decide finally a little bit closer to the weekend, but the plan at the moment is to run,” Aidan O'Brien said. “The ground is testing over there at the moment, but it can dry up. He'd had the problem before Newmarket but since then he has been fine, no problems.”

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Paddington Exits Sussex In “Fine” Condition With Juddmonte International A Possibility

Fresh off a win in the G1 Sussex S. on Wednesday, Paddington (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) has emerged from that effort “absolutely fine” and the G1 Juddmonte International S. later this month is under consideration by his connections, according to trainer Aidan O'Brien.

The Coolmore partners-owned 'TDN Rising Star' was winning his fourth Group 1 race after taking the Irish 2000 Guineas, St James's Palace S., and the Eclipse S. in succession prior to his score during the Qatar Goodwood Festival. The York showpiece will see the son of Modern Eagle (Ger) (Montjeu {Ire}) stretch back out in distance to 10 1/2 furlongs from a mile.

“Everything seems fine with him after the race, absolutely fine,” said O'Brien. “We're going to decide over the next week to 10 days where next, but York has to be a possibility.

“He just seems to be thriving for his racing.”

The colt is following a similar career path to fellow Ballydoyle luminary Giant's Causeway, who won the St James's Palace, Eclipse, Sussex and International before the Irish Champion S.

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French Stallion Trail Dates Set For January

The Route des Etalons will be held in Normandy from Jan. 20-21, 2024. Featuring many of the best French stud farms, La Route des Etalons will allow breeders and racing fans to view some of the best stallions in France. For more information, please visit the La Route des Etalons website.

The post French Stallion Trail Dates Set For January appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Dubawi’s Al Husn Upsets Nashwa And Blue Rose Cen In The Nassau

Shadwell's Al Husn (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}–Hadaatha {Ire}, by Sea The Stars {Ire}) caused an upset when usurping Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the dying strides of Newcastle's G3 Hoppings S. when last seen and repeated the dose with a game performance for a career high in a stellar renewal of Thursday's G1 Qatar Nassau S. at Goodwood.

This year's G2 Dahlia S. runner-up and Listed Rothesay S. victrix was let go at generous odds of 9-1 and broke smartly from the outside stall to find a smooth rhythm in a close-up second for the most part. Shaken up to gain a narrow advantage from the pacesetting Above The Curve (American Pharoah) passing the quarter-mile marker, she refused to yield thereafter and was driven out inside the final furlong to withstand the rallying effort of that rival by a half-length. Last year's winner Nashwa posed an ominous threat on the outside throughout the final quarter-mile, but was unable to find the necessary kick when it mattered most and was the same margin further adrift in third. Christopher Head trainee and dual Classic heroine Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) fell foul to Goodwood's notorious traffic problems and was unable to produce her usual flourish along the far-side rail, finishing a neck away in fourth.

“Al Husn is a remarkable filly and she has won seven of her last eight now,” said Roger Varian after his charge joined the who's-who of elite-level distaffers and became his breakthrough in the 183-year-old contest. “The truth is none of us really knew how good she was, because she is one of those who just beats what is in front of her and is never particularly flashy. She has such an admirable attitude. We thought we would come here and run very well, but I am obviously delighted, and delighted Sheihka Hissa is here. To have a Group 1 for her and with a homebred filly like this, it's fantastic. The Nassau is a fantastic race, steeped in prestige and history. It is one of the magical races for fillies to win. It will be forever in her stud book and hopefully when she's done racing, she can go to the farm and be a great mare for them. It is very special for us, we went very close a couple of years ago in the same colours with Zeyaadah, so it's nice to go one better today. She is not the biggest filly, but she is very well made. We trained her mum, Hadaatha, who was third in the [G1] Prix de l'Opera, so we always had faith that Hadaatha would breed a very good one.”

Looking ahead to Group 1 options down the line, Varian added, “Let's enjoy today and see how she is tomorrow. She is in the [G1] Prix Jean Romanet [at Deauville] in two-and-a-half weeks' and the [G1] Yorkshire Oaks, if we fancy going up to a mile and a half, although I'm not sure about that. Later in the year, races like the [G1] Prix de l'Opera I'm sure will be considered and who knows, perhaps something at Santa Anita for her.”

Crowley Back Where He Belongs
Rider Jim Crowley's fortunes took an upward turn and his winning percentage was a small measure of compensation to offset an excessive sanction imposed earlier in the week for his ride aboard Hukum in the G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S. at Ascot. “Al Husn was so tough there,” he said. “She is not a big filly, but she is a little terrier who tries and is so tough. She has improved with every run and it's just great to nick a race like that with her. She is a very good filly and we were in the right place at the right time. It is the nature of the track and, when I saw the French filly get that [inside] draw, I thought they were going to need a bit of luck. I had to commit on her a long way out and we had the luck today. It was a steady, tactical affair and she was in the right place, but she still had to kick on two out and fend them off, which she did. It was a great performance, Roger's done a fantastic job with her and she's just kept on improving all season. Coming here today, she still had to step up, and she did. She might possibly get further, but we have never really thought about it. It is something we can talk about.”

No Repeat For Nashwa
Nashwa's rider Hollie Doyle felt the tactical nature of the contest contributed to defeat of the reigning champion, as did a fast-emptying tank in the conditions, and explained, “There was no pace early on and they got racing early coming down the hill. Nashwa relaxed beautifully, I tried to hold on to her for as long as I could and I went there with a double handful at the two-furlong pole. One-and-a-half furlongs out I went to win my race, pushed the button and she quickened. I just think, in the final furlong, I lacked a bit of stamina. It has happened a few times now and it confirmed what we might have thought. Take nothing away from the winner, who is very good.”

Thady Gosden was in agreement with Doyle's musings and said, “She has run a very good race, but they went a slow pace and it's very difficult to pick up in this ground. She travelled into the race well, but you can't quicken on ground like this and that has sucked the class out of her. She won last time over a mile and showed a brilliant turn-of-foot in ground that was not as soft and easier to quicken through. Today she has run a very good race, but couldn't quite show that brilliance we have seen before.”

Head Positive Despite Blue Rose Cen Reversal
Fourth-place finisher Blue Rose Cen was experiencing defeat for just the second time in her nine latest starts and Christophe Head uplifted spirits with a positive attitude in the aftermath. “She ran a nice race, she did her race, and for sure would have been closer in a different position,” he said of the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and G1 Prix de Diane heroine. “It was a very tactical race so, of course, it was a possibility that kind of thing could happen. It's different here, so we need to accept that, even with a strong possibility of winning, there is still a possibility to fail. I think Blue Rose Cen ran a very nice race and she will now get into the rest of her programme. We will have to discuss with Leopoldo to see what the team want to do with her. This was a nice opportunity because we need to exist at this level. It hasn't been won by France since the beginning, so it was a challenge.”

Pedigree Notes

Al Husn is the fourth of seven foals and one of two scorers produced by stakes-winning G1 Prix de l'Opera third Hadaatha (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), herself a daughter of stakes-winning G1 1000 Guineas third Hathrah (Ire) (Linamix {Fr}). Hathrah is one of seven black-type performers out of the multiple stakes-placed Zivania (Ire) (Shernazar {Ire}), headed by MG1SP sire Ivan Luis (Fr) (Lycius) and G3 UAE 2000 Guineas-winning sire Stagelight (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}). The April-foaled homebred bay is kin to a yearling filly by Siyouni (Fr) and a weanling filly by No Nay Never.

 

Thursday, Goodwood, Britain
QATAR NASSAU S.-G1, £600,000, Goodwood, 8-3, 3yo/up, f/m, 9f 197yT, 2:13.37, sf.
1–AL HUSN (IRE), 135, f, 4, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Hadaatha (Ire) (SW-Eng & G1SP-Fr, $109,194), by Sea The Stars (Ire)
2nd Dam: Hathrah (Ire), by Linamix (Fr)
3rd Dam: Zivania (Ire), by Shernazar (Ire)
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O/B-Shadwell Estate Company Ltd (IRE); T-Roger Varian; J-Jim Crowley. £340,260. Lifetime Record: 10-7-1-0, $603,021. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Above The Curve, 135, f, 4, American Pharoah–Fabulous (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). O-Mrs J Magnier, M Tabor, D Smith & Westerberg; B-Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt (KY); T-Joseph O'Brien. £129,000.
3–Nashwa (GB), 135, f, 4, Frankel (GB)–Princess Loulou (Ire), by Pivotal (GB). O-Imad Al Sagar; B-Blue Diamond Stud Farm (UK) Ltd (GB); T-John & Thady Gosden. £64,560.
Margins: HF, HF, NK. Odds: 9.00, 7.00, 2.75.
Also Ran: Blue Rose Cen (Ire), Caernarfon (GB), Never Ending Story (Ire).

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