Seven Days: Jumping Back to the Flat

Yes, I know. It's a bit early for this, isn't it? We usually have a strict No-Seven-Days rule until the week after the Brocklesby but this winter has dragged on and on and I just can't wait any longer.
We have the small matter of the Cheltenham Festival to get through this week, and we'll be giving it our full attention, but as we have counted down the days to the 'The Roar' it has been impossible to ignore the sneaky French getting their Turf season underway with a couple of Listed races at Saint-Cloud. And what better way to usher the Flat back in than with last season's Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Marhaba Ya Sanafi (Ire) exhibiting that he retains plenty of zest for racing with his victory in the Listed Prix Altipan? We may see him back in action as soon as the G3 Prix Edmond Blanc on Easter Monday as he gears up for a tilt at the G1 Prix d'Ispahan.
Marhaba Ya Sanafa's sire Muhaarar (GB) is now ensconced in his new home of Haras de Petit Tellier and has already been represented this year by the G2 1351 Turf Sprint winner Annaf (Ire) on Saudi Cup night.
On the subject of returning Classic winners, Serpentine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) won Saturday's Listed Randwick City S. for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott to claim his first stakes success since that extraordinary romp in the 'Covid' Derby at Epsom in 2020. It's almost unheard of for a Derby winner still to be in training at the age of seven, let alone to have been gelded.

Flags Flying High for Zoffany

Coolmore lost Zoffany (Ire) three years ago when he succumbed to liver failure at the age of just 13 ahead of the start of the 2021 covering season. Members of his final crop are now three, and they include the Jerome Reynier-trained Fun With Flags (Ire), who kept Classic hopes intact for her owner Erika Gilliar by claiming her third successive victory in the Listed Prix Rose de Mai.
Out of the Galileo (Ire) mare Marie Celeste (Ire), Fun With Flags was bred by Sonia Rogers from a family which has been at Airlie Stud for three generations and traces back to Rough Shod (GB) (Gold Bridge {Fr}) through her celebrated daughter Thong (Nantallah). The latter is in turn the dam of Special (Forli), whose offspring include Nureyev (Northern Dancer) and Sadler's Wells's dam Fairy Bridge (Bold Reason).
With entries in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and Prix de Diane, Fun With Flags is one to follow as she attempts to become a Classic winner from her sire's farewell crop. She would be the first for her prolific trainer Reynier, who is currently behind only reigning champion Jean-Claude Rouget in the French trainers' table.

Listed Double for Scott at Home and Away

On Thursday it was a Dandy Man (Ire) gelding out of a Dark Angel (Ire) mare out in front in the Listed Spring Cup at Lingfield and 24 hours later the reverse of that cross was seen to good effect at Chantilly in the Listed Prix Maurice Cauillault.
Watch My Tracer (Ire) was the Dandy Man three-year-old in question, and he set up a thrilling 24 hours for his trainer George Scott and owners Victorious Racing with his debut success of the year, which was followed the next day by the triumph of Isle Of Jura (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) in the King's Cup in Bahrain.
That second Listed win was hailed by Scott as “the highlight of my career to date, miles ahead of anything else”, and it is easy to see why he would be walking on air after the winter campaign his four-year-old has had in Bahrain. Having won twice at Newmarket and Newbury last summer in for his Bahraini owners, Isle Of Jura travelled to the Gulf to compete in Bahrain's lucrative turf series and he has been a near-unstoppable force there, winning four of his five starts, including two Listed races, and finishing second, beaten a short-head, on his only other run. Pattern company back in Europe now beckons for the Godolphin-bred gelding, who is a full-brother to the treble Australian Group 1 winner Cascadian (GB).
The aforementioned Prix Maurice Cauillault was yet another strike for Jerome Reynier, trainer of the easy winner Darlinghurst (Ire), who was bred by Yeomanstown Stud and, as noted, is by their kingpin Dark Angel. It was the second stakes winner of the day for the 19-year-old stallion after Godolphin's Real World (Ire) landed the Listed Al Methaq Mile in Bahrain.

Donworth Goes Dutch

There is nothing like seeing the Chateau de Chantilly in the backdrop of races to make one feel that life is again worth living and, though Friday's card was on the Polytrack, it provided plenty of interesting pointers for the season ahead.
There won't be many Dutch-bred stakes winners this year (or ever), but Tim Donworth, once of the parish of Roundhill but now a fully assimilated French dweller, saddled the Listed Prix Montenica Skylight Brochard (Hol) who may remain unique in that regard this year.
“I think he's probably the only Thoroughbred who's been bred in Holland in the last couple of years,” Donworth told TDN. “It's worked out great. His breeders happened upon the mare, they'd never had a horse before and they've now bred this horse.”
The son of Mehmas (Ire) was bred by his owner Jill Brochard and is a full-brother to eight-time winner The Covex Kid (Ire). Their dam is Fonseca (Ire), by the late Red Clubs (Ire) who has a notable record as a broodmare sire despite his having stood for only three seasons before dying at the age of seven. His daughters have produced the Group 1 winners Lucky Sweynesse (NZ), Snow Lantern (GB) and Lezoo (GB), as well as the useful sire and Group 2 winner Ardad (Ire), Group 3 winner Spycatcher (Ire), last season's Lincoln winner Migration (Ire) and the Listed-winning half-siblings Arthur Kitt (GB) and Eartha Kitt (GB).

Like Mother, Like Son

Perhaps the largest scribble in the notebook from Friday in Chantilly was the name Dolayli (Fr) after the running of the Prix Darshaan. The Aga Khan Studs-bred son of Siyouni (Fr) and Group 1 winner Dolniya (Fr) (Azamour {Ire}) has won six of his eight starts, including all three of his runs this year for Francis Graffard. It is a rare Aga Khan runner that remains in training at five, but Dolayli may well repay his owner further as he is aimed at classier assignments through the spring and summer. His trainer told the Jour de Galop that he is looking at the G2 Prix d'Harcourt and considering the Ganay and perhaps even the Ispahan as potential Group 1 targets. Dolayli had the G1 Hong Kong Vase winner Junko (GB) (Intello {Ger}) five lengths behind him in second as the latter winds up for a shot at the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic later this month.
It seems scarcely believable that it is nine years since Dolayli's dam Dolniya took the Sheema Classic herself after she too had won the Prix Darshaan, each time beating Flintshire (GB). She is now the dam of three black-type offspring, including Group 3 winner Dilawar (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Listed-placed Dolia (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). Her current two-year-old is an unnamed Frankel (GB) colt who is also assigned to Graffard.

Heating Up

Darley's second-season sire Too Darn Hot (GB) has four colts and two fillies entered for the 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas in May, and he may well have a Classic hope even farther afield following the victory on Sunday of Etes Vous Prets in the G2 Hochi Hai Fillies' Revue at Hanshin. The daughter of G1 Falmouth S. winner Nahoodh (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}) was bred by Godolphin and exported as a yearling to Japan, where she races in the colours of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum.
She is the fifth Group/Graded winner in a fourth different country for Too Darn Hot following Fallen Angel (GB), Darnation (GB), Alyanaabi (Ire) and Carolina Reaper (GB).

A Fitting 19th G1 Winner for Exceed And Excel

In the week in which the retirement was announced of successful shuttle sire Exceed And Excel (Ire) there could have been no more appropriate winner of the G1 Newmarket H. at Flemington than his son Cylinder (Aus). The Godolphin homebred became his sire's 19th Group/Grade 1 winner in the race won by Exceed And Excel 20 years ago. Following that victory he was bought by Sheikh Mohammed and became a valuable addition to the Darley stallion ranks on both sides of the globe.
We may yet see Cylinder racing in Europe, with Godolphin Australia's Nacim Dilmi suggesting after his victory that a trip to Royal Ascot in June could now be on the cards.

 

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In the Hot Seat: Tim Donworth

Chantilly trainer Tim Donworth is the latest to face the TDN question master.

What are your goals for 2024?

To train more winners than 2023. More winners each year while maintaining the strike-rate has to be the goal really.

Give us a horse to follow…

Fathom (Ire) (Almanzor {Fr}), a big, tall filly who got black type for me last year I think she will be nice three-year-old.

And a young person in the industry to keep an eye on…

Joe Callan of Whitsbury Manor Stud.

Who do you think will be champion first-season sire in 2024?

Earthlight (Ire).

And the best value stallion in Ireland, England, and France?

Sealiway (Fr) for me looks good value for his profile.

Your best buy of 2023?

I guess we won't know until I get them to the races. However, I got a lovely Galiway (GB) filly at Arqana October called Galway Bay (Fr) that seems nice.

The best yearling/weanling you saw at the 2023 sales (that someone else bought)?

The Sottsass (Fr) filly out of Up in Time (GB) was was a nice buy (bought by Howson & Houldsworth Bloodstock for Chris Stedman for 110,000gns). She had a lot of class.

Who is or was the perfect Thoroughbred?

Frankel (GB)

Your biggest professional regret?

Too young and not enough time for regrets yet. I just keep going forward and try to always take the positives.

If you could be someone else in the industry for a day who would it be, and why?

Ah, I'm not sure who but a day with a big breeze-up operation or a big stud would be interesting as something different, but I'm pretty happy being me.

 

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Saratoga’s Hall Of Fame S. Rescheduled Friday

After a deluge of rainfall this past week in the Saratoga Springs area, last Friday's $500,000 GII National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame S. for 3-year-old colts at a mile over the grass was postponed seven days, as an interesting mix of American and European invaders reconvene on the Inner Turf.

With conditions which could be soft to yielding, trainer Chad Brown saddles three entries with GISP Appraise (Ire) Kodiac {GB}), Mischievous Angel (Into Mischief) and Carl Spackler (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), while also present is the winner of GIII Manila S. July 7 in Elmont, More Than Looks (More Than Ready) from the stable of Cherie DeVaux, who was installed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite and cross-entered in the GII Secretariat S. at Colonial Downs on Saturday.

General Jim (Into Mischief) gets back to the turf, something he hasn't tried since he was a juvenile. The Shug McGaughey trainee won the GII Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs on the Derby undercard and then was a well-beaten sixth to Arabian Lion (Justify) in the GI Woody Stephens on Belmont S. Day.

As for the European contingent, who customarily relish a saturated course, Ocean Vision (Ire) (U S Navy Flag) ships over. The bay colt competed in Ireland, France and Qatar and is trained by Godolphin Flying Start program grad Tim Donworth and was last seen running fifth June 11 in the G3 Prix Paul de Moussac at ParisLongchamp. He will be joined by Mysterious Night (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) for Charlie Appleby, who will look to harness some of that late speed that he flashed the last time he was in North America when he won the GI Summer S. at Woodbine over Appraise as a juvenile.

 

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Godolphin Flying Start Celebrates 20th Anniversary

The Godolphin Flying Start programme celebrated its 20th anniversary with an alumni award ceremony and conference at the Legacy Suite at the K Club on June 29.

The conference, “Impact and Influence”, attracted over 100 graduates from around the world. During the prelude, the focus was on His Highness Sheikh Mohammed and Godolphin Charitable Initiatives led by Godolphin Flying Start Chair Joe Osborne. Diana Cooper, Godolphin's Strategic Adviser for Charities was also among the speakers, as was Lisa Jane Graffard (Class of 2005). Class of 2008 alum Gina Bryce hosted the conference.

Other speakers during the evening included GFS Executive Director Clodagh Kavanagh; CEO of CPL, Lorna Conn; entrepreneur Heinrich Anhold, founder of Stable Lab; Cathal Beale, CEO of the Irish National Stud (Class of 2010); Anna Jones, author of the book “Divide”; and Michael Hardy (2012).

The award winners of the night were:

  • Rising Star Leadership Award: Annise Montplaisir (2021), the Executive Director of Amplify Horseracing
  • Rising Star Business Award: Tim Donworth (2018), French trainer
  • Leadership Excellence Award: Craig Rounsefell (2007), CEO of Boomer Bloodstock and Chair of the Federation of Bloodstock Agents Australia
  • Business Excellence Award: Gary King (2010), Senior Vice-President, Thoroughbred Daily News & President of TDN AusNZ.

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