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Group 1 Glory At Last For Australia’s Broome

Coming closest in five attempts at group 1 success on his latest in the May 23 G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup, Ballydoyle's Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) finally made it count on Sunday leading with every step under Colin Keane in the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. Sporting the silks of Masaaki Matsushima, the 5-year-old who had been second to Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) in the June 19 G2 Hardwicke S. at Royal Ascot since that narrow Curragh reversal was unperturbed by being asked to take up front-running duties. Stretching his rivals from the top of the straight, the 39-10 shot was typically game as he held Ebaiyra (Distorted Humor) by a length, with Gold Trip (Fr) (Outstrip {GB}) a nose away in third. “Speaking to Aidan beforehand, he said to keep it pretty simple and if nothing was happy to go, to make my own way,” the winning rider commented. “He's a very uncomplicated horse, very genuine and stays well. He pricked his ears and was taking me the whole way and galloped right to the line. He deserved that, as he's been very consistent this year.”

It was in this country that Broome first tried this level when runner-up in the 2018 G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and after impressive wins in the G3 Ballysax S. and G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial the following Spring was fourth and beaten only around half a length in the G1 Epsom Derby. Missing in action after finishing sixth in the G1 Irish Derby, the bay was out twice last term when fourth in the G1 Coronation Cup staged at Newmarket in June and when last of 13 in Ascot's two-mile G2 Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup in October. Kept in training despite those disappointments, he took the Listed Devoy S. at Naas Mar. 28, the Apr. 17 G3 Alleged S. and May 3 G2 Mooresbridge S. at The Curragh before succumbing to Helvic Dream (Ire) (Power {GB}) in a photo in the Tattersalls Gold Cup and finding a real ace in his way in the Hardwicke.

This was due reward for Broome's efforts at a lower level this term and general level of consistency and also a breakthrough for Masaaki Matsushima, whose representative Yasufumi Sawada said, “This is Mr Matsushima's first group 1 win–I just spoke to him on the phone and he is very happy. He is such a brave horse, last year he had problems but he's been in very good form this season and the plan is to go for the [Oct. 3 G1] Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe [at ParisLongchamp] if Aidan is happy.”

Alain de Royer-Dupre is looking at sending the G3 Prix Allez France and G2 Prix Corrida-winning Ebaiyra back down in trip again. “She has run her race and it was very satisfactory, but she does have a tendency to do too much early in her races over a mile and a quarter and a mile and a half so I'd like to see her run in a truly-run mile-and-a-quarter race,” he said. “There are plenty of options, such as the [G1] Nassau [at Goodwood July 29] or the [G1 Prix Jean] Romanet [at Deauville Aug. 22].”

Broome's breakthrough success was coming two weeks on from the Listed Chesham S. win of his highly promising 2-year-old full-brother Point Lonsdale (Ire) and it is not a longshot that the dam's tally of group 1 winners will be increased by this time next year. The mare in question is the Listed National S.-winning Sweepstake (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), who was also placed in the G3 Princess Margaret S. and GIII Appalachian S. and is a granddaughter of the Hesmonds Stud matriarch Galaxie Dust (Blushing Groom {Fr}).

Among her many descendants to make an impact are the G3 Prix de la Nonette winner Dust Dancer (GB), who in turn produced the GII Lake Placid H. scorer Spotlight (GB) (Dr Fong) herself responsible for the G3 Bengough S. winner Projection (GB) (Acclamation {GB}) and the dam of last year's G1 St Leger runner-up Berkshire Rocco (Fr) (Sir Percy {GB}). Dust Dancer is also the second dam of the G1 Phoenix S.-winning sire Zoffany (Ire) and his G2 Futurity S.-winning and G1 Irish Derby-placed half-brother Rostropovich (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), while also included in the dynasty is the G3 Fred Darling S. scorer Bulaxie (GB) (Bustino {GB}), dam of the G2 Premio Lydia Tesio winner Claxon (GB) (Caerleon) who in turn produced the GIII Hillsborough S. winner and G1 Nassau S. runner-up Cassydora (GB) (Darshaan {GB}). Sweepstake's yearling filly is by Lope de Vega (Ire).

Sunday, Saint-Cloud, France
GRAND PRIX DE SAINT-CLOUD-G1, €400,000, Saint-Cloud, 7-4, 4yo/up, 12fT, 2:29.11, sf.
1–BROOME (IRE), 128, h, 5, by Australia (GB)
1st Dam: Sweepstake (Ire) (SW & GSP-Eng & US, $114,162), by Acclamation (GB)
2nd Dam: Dust Flicker (GB), by Suave Dancer
3rd Dam: Galaxie Dust, by Blushing Groom (Fr)
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (€120,000 RNA Ylg '17 GOFOR; 150,000gns Ylg '17 TATDEY). O-Masaaki Matsushima, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Epona Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Colin Keane. €228,560. Lifetime Record: MGSW & G1SP-Ire, GSP-Eng, 17-7-4-0, €783,943. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Ebaiyra, 125, f, 4, Distorted Humor–Ebiyza (Ire), by Rock of Gibraltar (Ire). O-H H The Aga Khan; B-H H The Aga Khan's Studs SC (KY); T-Alain de Royer-Dupre. €91,440.
3–Gold Trip (Fr), 128, c, 4, Outstrip (GB)–Sarvana (Fr), by Dubai Destination. (€60,000 Ylg '18 ARAUG). O-Ecurie Jean-Louis Bouchard; B-Michel Monfort (FR); T-Fabrice Chappet. €45,720.
Margins: 1, NO, 1 1/4. Odds: 3.90, 4.40, 6.40.
Also Ran: In Swoop (Ire), Baron Samedi (GB), Ambition (GB), Nagano Gold (GB), Kaspar (Ger). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by TVG.

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Kentucky To European Horsemen: We Want You

It's easy to see why so many top American stables have made a point of circling the Kentucky Downs meet on their calendars. It mainly comes down to the money. During the unique European-style six-day meet, $10 million alone will be paid out in stakes purses, there are three $1 million races, maiden races go for $125,000 and the purses for allowance races range from $135,000 to $145,000. This year, Chad Brown will be there and so will Wesley Ward, Brad Cox, Bill Mott, Steve Asmussen and many other top stables.

Yet, the story of Kentucky Downs and its purses, among the best in the world, has apparently not traveled across the Atlantic Ocean. From Europe, there has been little to no participation at the annual meet that runs through the early part of September.

“We're the track they've never heard of,” said Kentucky Downs Director of Racing Rick Hammerle.

It's something Kentucky Downs management is hoping to change.

The Kentucky Downs team has decided to make a concerted effort to attract European horsemen, which includes a post COVID-19 trip in 2022 to meet top trainers in person. In the meantime, they're doing everything they can to get their story out, and they have a long list of talking points. It starts with the purses.

A new record will be set this year with $14,903,000 in purse money, which averages out to $2,483,833 a day. It must be noted that, due to funds provided by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF), only Kentucky-breds run for the full listed purse. But even absent that contribution to the purse, the pots are still huge. Generally, about 50 to 60% of the total purse is available to all horses.

“It's kind of surprising that more European horses haven't come over for the Kentucky Downs meet,” said Fergus Galvin, the U.S. racing advisor for Qatar racing, which has been a big supporter of Kentucky Downs. “Quite a bit of the money is tied in with the KTDF money that is built into the purses, but, leave that aside, and the purses are still tremendous, especially when you compare them to what these horse might be running for in Europe. They have races for every category and at every distance, for sprinters, for milers, for route horses. There are a lot of opportunities.”

Hammerle hopes European stables will focus in not on a single race or two but the entire meet. It would make perfect sense for a stable to bring over six or seven horses.

“There are a lot of reasons why people put horses on a plane,” he said. “It's not always for the Breeders' Cup or for a certain race for a certain caliber of horse. It would be great to have Breeders' Cup horses, but there is a whole caliber underneath. You can think of this as something like the Dubai Carnival. Those horses run for a lot of money and not all of them are horses you'll see back on the World Cup card. Historically, people in Europe don't think of a race meet as something to point towards. We'd like to change that.”

There have been a number of horses to win at Kentucky Downs that have started their careers in Europe before moving into U.S. stables. Many of them would not have been considered top-tier horses overseas, but, like many Europeans horse before them, have found that the competition in U.S. grass races is not as strong as it is in England, Ireland and France. Kentucky Downs has also been held back by the graded stakes committee's slow response to its ascendancy. Even with those purses, there are no Grade I races at the meet and only six of the 16 stakes are graded.

Galvin said you wouldn't necessarily need to bring a star over to come away with a lucrative stakes win.

“You wouldn't have to bring over the cream of the crop to be very competitive down there,” he said. “Obviously, the best turf horses in the world are normally based in Europe. So there is a great opportunity for maybe a second-tier type horse to be competitive in any type of race.”

For those who have the ability to perform in the Breeders' Cup, Kentucky Downs also make sense. They can make just one trip to the U.S., run at Kentucky Downs, maybe at Keeneland in the following weeks, and then go to the Breeders' Cup. That will be a particularly attractive option in 2022 when the Breeders' Cup will be just up the road at Keeneland.

It's usually fairly warm and dry in southern Kentucky in September, so Kentucky Downs may also present an opportunity for European horses that like the firm going, something that is often not available overseas at that time of the year. The layout of the track is another factor that should help European shippers. With its undulations, sweeping turns and long stretch, Kentucky Downs is the closest thing the U.S. has to a typical European race course.

Hammerle understands that there won't be an influx of horses overnight, but he's confident that once a handful come over the word will start to get out and others will follow.

“If we start with one or two coming over and a few people experiencing it, they are going to go back and share their experience with people,” he said. “That can only help us. Maybe in five years or so we can be lucky enough to have, say,10 shippers on a card. If they come over, I can't imagine they'll regret it. Not with the money we have for our purses.”

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Group 1 Action In France, Germany On Sunday

France and Germany share the limelight on Sunday, with the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and G1 Deutsches Derby over a mile and a half the twin focus. In the cast assembled for the former event, Gestut Schlenderhan's In Swoop (Ire) (Adlerflug {Ger}) takes prominence a year on from his victory in the latter. After his success in the Hamburg Classic, the Francis-Henri Graffard trainee proved himself on the international stage by finishing runner-up in the G1 Grand Prix de Paris and G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Returning to ParisLongchamp this term, he took the May 13 G3 Prix d'Hedouville before adding the June 6 G2 Grand Prix de Chantilly to his tally and will be a tough nut to crack.

Ireland hold a strong hand, with Ballydoyle's Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) and the Joseph O'Brien-trained Baron Samedi (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) worthy challengers to the home brigade. The former met his match in the filly Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) in the June 19 G2 Hardwicke S. at Royal Ascot and continues to knock on the Group 1 door, while Baron Samedi gives the impression he is ready to burst it open at the first attempt. Unbeaten in his last seven starts, he denied the subsequent G1 Prix Ganay hero Mare Australis (Ire) (Australia {GB}) in ParisLongchamp's G2 Prix du Conseil de Paris in October, defied a subsequent penalty to win the 14-furlong G3 Vintage Crop S. at Navan Apr. 25 and followed up in the two-mile GII Belmont Gold Cup June 4.

“Baron Samedi has been an absolute star for us. He surprised everyone when progressing from basement-level handicaps into a group 2 winner last season and he has improved again this season,” Joseph O'Brien said. “We took a chance in sending him to America for the Belmont Gold Cup last time, but he rewarded us by running out the easy winner. This race is a totally different test altogether, as it is back at a mile-and-a-half against world-class opposition. It is a big ask of him, but we want to find out whether he belongs in this sort of company or is best kept in staying races.”

The Aga Khan's filly Ebaiyra (Distorted Humor) has proven up to a tilt at this level this term when beating last year's Arc fifth Raabihah (Sea the Stars {Ire}) in both the G3 Prix Allez France at ParisLongchamp May 2 and G2 Prix Corrida here May 26 and returns to a more suitable distance given last year's evidence. Successful in the G3 Prix de Royaumont at this 12-furlong trip at Chantilly last June, the homebred also captured Deauville's G2 Prix de Pomone over another half a furlong in August before finding the 14 furlongs of the G1 Prix de Royallieu possibly beyond her when third to the aforementioned Wonderful Tonight at ParisLongchamp in October.

In the Deutsches Derby, 20 colts line up in a bid to become the next In Swoop with Gestut Hony-Hof's Sea of Sands (Ger) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) looking to confirm the form of his head defeat of Rennstall Gestut Hachtsee's Lord Charming (Ger) (Charm Spirit {Ire}) in the G3 Derby-Trial at Hoppegarten May 23. They set the form standard, but there could be a lurker in the mold of last year's winner in Stall Nizza's Alter Adler (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}). By the same sire as In Swoop, the chestnut has similarly raced solely in France so far and he looked well up to this standard when beating another Schlenderhan-Graffard project in the G2 Prix Greffulhe third Martial Eagle (Ire) (Adlerflug {Ger}) in a competitive conditions event over this trip at Saint-Cloud June 8.

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Dream Of Dreams To Miss July Cup

Dream Of Dreams (Ire) (Dream Ahead), the popular winner of the G1 Diamond Jubilee S. at Royal Ascot on June 19, will miss his next intended target in the July 10 G1 July Cup after re-aggravating an old ankle injury while training on Saturday morning, Bruce Raymond, racing manager to owner Saeed Suhail, told Racing Post.

“Unfortunately Dream Of Dreams aggravated a previous ankle injury, which will keep him out of the July Cup,” Raymond said. “He did a routine piece of work and pulled up a little bit sore, and as a precaution [trainer] Sir Michael [Stoute] is having him checked out. There are only a few races a horse like him can go for and thankfully he's won one of them at Royal Ascot. Beyond that there's the [G1] Sprint Cup at Haydock or the [G1] Champions Sprint at Ascot, but if he misses those then hopefully he'll be back next year.”

A 7-year-old gelding, Dream Of Dreams was winning a second Group 1 in the Diamond Jubilee, having taken last year's Sprint Cup. He had been second in the previous two renewals of the Diamond Jubilee.

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