Tag: Top News Europe

TDN Rising Stars to Follow: Part II

In Europe, the TDN Rising Stars are awarded by Sean Cronin and Tom Frary, and no amount of begging, bleating or bribery from other members of the editorial team or external forces can persuade this duo to award one if they are not in agreement. Their decisions are based on performance, pedigree and, as the award title suggests, the likelihood of that individual becoming a stakes winner. Following the first five selections published yesterday, Tom Frary selects his five to keep an eye on in 2024.

This could prove a very big year for the TDN Rising Stars, with a headlining colt who could emerge as one of the very finest in more than two decades of its existence.

CITY OF TROY, c, 2, by Justify
1st Dam: Together Forever (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Green Room, by Theatrical (Ire)
3rd Dam: Chain Fern, by Blushing Groom (Fr)
Owner: Mrs John Magnier & Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith
Breeder: Orpendale/Chelston/Wynatt (KY)
Trainer: Aidan O'Brien

Introduced in the Curragh's seven-furlong Barronstown Stud Irish EBF Maiden in July which Aidan O'Brien used for the Galileo stars Rip Van Winkle (Ire), Gleneagles (Ire), Roderic O'Connor (Ire) and Australia (GB), as well as for Danehill's high-class Duke Of Marmalade (Ire) and Horatio Nelson (Ire), City Of Troy had immediate star appeal and one start later had already put himself in that bracket. With his highly advantageous stride and innate turbo, this is a colt with serious upside, and that is understating his potential. It will be disappointing if he doesn't win the Guineas and there is no reason he won't add a Derby to that. He's not far off Frankel already and he doesn't have the headstrong tendencies of that great at the same stage of their careers, so a mile and a half is easily within his range. Then we can dream of the St Leger! Early signs are that Justify could become very big news very soon, with his other TDN Rising Star last term being the high-class Ramatuelle.

HENRY LONGFELLOW (IRE), c, 2, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Minding (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Lillie Langtry (Ire), by Danehill Dancer (Ire)
3rd Dam: Hoity Toity (GB), by Darshaan (GB)
Owner: Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Mrs John Magnier
Breeder: Coolmore (IRE)
Trainer: Aidan O'Brien

There are no apologies for including another from the Aidan O'Brien squad here, such is the power of their 2023 juvenile crop, and this second foal out of the brilliant Minding, closely related to Galileo's Tuesday (Ire) and Empress Josephine (Ire), could be an able deputy for City Of Troy if the ground gets too soft. His G1 Vincent O'Brien National S. win was reminiscent of his sire's in 2004 and were it not for his stablemate the noise around him would be much louder.

AZADA, f, 2, by Siyouni (Fr)
1st Dam: Azmiyna, by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Asmara, by Lear Fan
3rd Dam: Anaza (Ire), by Darshaan (GB)
Owner: H H Aga Khan
Breeder: His Highness The Aga Khan's Studs SC (IRE)
Trainer: Dermot Weld

Siyouni's 10th TDN Rising Star was able to overcome deep ground on her Leopardstown debut in October and as a half-sister to The Autumn Sun (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}), the Dermot Weld project, who is from the same cross as Sottsass (Fr) and St Mark's Basilica (Fr), has plenty to come. The sire was responsible for the same connections' Tahiyra (Ire) and while this one hasn't the same level of precocity she has all the potential.

TASK FORCE (GB), c, 2, by Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Special Duty (GB), by Hennessy
2nd Dam: Quest to Peak, by Distant View
3rd Dam: Viviana, by Nureyev
Owner: Juddmonte
Breeder: Juddmonte Farms Ltd (GB)
Trainer: Ralph Beckett

At last, Special Duty seems to have a good one. Juddmonte's mare, who holds the rare distinction of having been promoted from second to first in two Classics, had so far failed to channel her precocity and star quality into her progeny but this exciting colt is a case of better late than never. Second in a high-class renewal of the Middle Park despite being the least experienced in the line-up, he should stay further than six furlongs given that his dam's previous best Elegant Verse (GB), by Frankel's sire Galileo (Ire), won over a mile and a half. As the family features Sightseek (Distant View) and Tates Creek (Rahy), it could be that Task Force is one who could shine in the States one day.

MATRIKA (IRE), f, 2, by No Nay Never
1st Dam: Muravka (Ire), by High Chaparral (Ire)
2nd Dam: Tabdea, by Topsider
3rd Dam: Madame Secretary, by Empire Maker
Owner: Mrs John Magnier/Michael Tabor/Derrick Smith/Westerberg
Breeder: Barronstown Stud
Trainer: Aidan O'Brien

Another Ballydoyle special, although Matrika wasn't seen after winning the Airlie Stud S. in July having been second in Royal Ascot's Albany days earlier. A full-sister to the dual Group 3-winning and G1 Takarazuka Kinen runner-up Unicorn Lion (Ire) and a half to The Wow Signal (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), the Barronstown-bred was described after her debut by Aidan O'Brien as being “totally asleep all the time” and that is always a good thing where this stable is concerned. Related to the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches heroine Ta Rib (Mr. Prospector), Matrika could be one for that Classic if her lengthy absence has nothing serious behind it.

 

The post TDN Rising Stars to Follow: Part II appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Here’s to the Horses

I wish I had met Paul Mellon. He does seem to have been a rather good egg.

Mill Reef was born the year before me and though I wasn't precocious enough to have enjoyed his racing career live, for some reason, since I started taking a serious interest in racing, he has long been one of my favourite horses. I think a lot of it has to do with Mellon himself. 

Can you imagine a modern-day Gimcrack-winning owner writing a poem about his horse, as Mellon did for Mill Reef in 1970? That year was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to the horse's success. Six Group 1 wins would follow at three and four, including victory in the two most important races of all: the Derby and the Arc. 

I was thinking of Mill Reef the other morning as I always do on visits to the National Stud. His name plaque is still visible, and the stallion yard is made extra special for having his statue there en route to the paddocks. Its plinth bears plenty of clues as to the kind of man Paul Mellon was. One side states the horse's breeding and achievements and, in a particularly nice touch, credits John Hallum, who looked after Mill Reef when the horse was in training with Ian Balding at Kingsclere, and George Roth, who did the same during his stallion career. Again, I wonder how many other owners would have thought to acknowledge the key people in the horse's life in so permanent a manner. On the other side of the plinth is Mellon's poem from his Gimcrack speech:

Swift as a bird I flew down many a course.
Princes, Lords, Commoners all sang my praise.
In victory or defeat I played my part.
Remember me, all men who love the Horse,
If hearts and spirits flag in after days;
Though small, I gave my all. I gave my heart.

Mellon's legacy to racing has more substance than this delightful whimsy. American by birth, the confirmed Anglophile was a significant benefactor to the British Racing School and Royal Veterinary College and, pleasingly, his English racing colours live on through the Kingsclere Racing Club thanks to him having bequeathed them to Ian Balding. So too does the story of Mill Reef through Lord Oaksey's wonderful book and the Albert Finney-narrated film Something to Brighten the Morning. 

Racing and breeding have changed, in some ways for the better, in some ways not. While interviewing Peter Kavanagh of Kildaragh Stud recently this was brought to mind again, as he rued the demise of the owner-breeder. 

Things are different now, and people breed horses differently, too, with much more of a commercial imperative. This is not a bad thing per se, but one can't help but wonder if we are losing some of that pure love for the horse – call it sentimentality if you like – as well as a proper understanding of the traits of families in the process. 

A treasured possession in our house is a collection of four leather-bound scrapbooks compiled by Sir Victor Sassoon and detailing every mention of his Guineas and Derby winner Crepello in newsprint. For obvious reasons, scrapbooking is a dying art, except at Heath House, where, during Christmas week, Sir Mark Prescott will have faithfully consigned his favourite clippings of the year to a new book.

So much is lost, too, in our digital life, as convenient and environmentally friendly though it undoubtedly is. Sure, we can look up most things online (and of course TDN has a handy daily archive stretching back years) to see the results and ratings, and watch the replays over and over. But there is something rather thrilling about being able to read in yellowing, faded newspaper clippings just what Peter Willett or Roger Mortimer or John Hislop or Dare Wigan thought of Crepello at the time, all adding their own informed takes on his pedigree. All that would have been lost to this reader without those scrapbooks.

Hislop, later the owner-breeder of Mill Reef's nemesis Brigadier Gerard, said in the Sporting Life of June 11, 1957, “At no time has our bloodstock been in greater need of a boost, and Crepello's pedigree holds out every hope of his proving a classic sire in the old tradition.” Maybe things haven't changed that much at all.

The two best horses we saw on the racecourse in 2023 are now both safely ensconced in stallion barns: Equinox (Jpn) at Shadai Stallion Station and Ace Impact (Ire) at Haras de Beaumont. We've heard plenty of late about how Japan is running rings around the rest of the breeding world when it comes to producing top horses, but another way in which the country is a global leader for the sport is in its fan engagement.

When speaking to Japanese journalist and broadcaster Naohiro Goda at Tattersalls just after Equinox's retirement from racing had been announced, he mentioned a JRA-planned retirement ceremony, which took place the week before Christmas at Nakayama. “The fans will expect to be able to say goodbye,” he said. Quite right too. 

Let's copy this idea. After all, we had one for Frankie Dettori on Champions' Day and he isn't even retiring. One or two such ceremonies for the truly special horses would be a great way to show our appreciation. Because really, all the sales, the politics, the raceday concerts are just sideshows. Horses in full flight are what draw us all in, whether we are punters, racegoers, breeders, owners, trainers or jockeys: they are the one thing we all have in common.

Though we have this unifying element, even better is that we all love different horses for different reasons, and it's not just the great ones. That, too, when we are breeding Thoroughbreds in their thousands, is an important message that should not go unheard.

Every Christmas we receive a card from a lady who owns one of the former residents of our yard. He's 22 now and he wasn't much cop as a racehorse but he has brought years of fun to his rider on the hunting field in Devon. He's one of many now well into their twenties and proving hugely useful in different spheres.

From a personal perspective, one of the only occasions to have brought proper joy following the death of my father in February was our horse Dereham winning at Newmarket for the second season in a row. It was an inconsequential race in the grand scheme, but to win at our home track with a homebred was special. I don't think the Jockey Club will be planning a retirement ceremony for him, but I might start to lobby for one if he wins that same race for a third time in 2024.

Dereham is plainly no Mill Reef, but he is small, he gives his all and, as horses do for so many of us who love this sport, he has kept me going when spirits have flagged. 

The cyclical nature of racing is such that, no sooner have we rued the retirements than we are looking forward to the next big thing. I am hoping that Big Rock and Auguste Rodin continue to be big things and, as every year, continue to hope for a Triple Crown winner. So come on City Of Troy, let's be having you.

Before that, however, I would like to thank you for reading TDN and wish you a happy, successful and peaceful new year.

 

The post Here’s to the Horses appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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TDN Rising Stars to Follow: Part I

In Europe, the TDN Rising Stars are awarded by Sean Cronin and Tom Frary, and no amount of begging, bleating or bribery from other members of the editorial team or external forces can persuade this duo to award one if they are not in agreement. Their decisions are based on performance, pedigree and, as the award title suggests, the likelihood of that individual becoming a stakes winner. Today and tomorrow, we bring you 10 TDN Rising Stars of 2023 to follow this year, with the first five having been selected by Sean Cronin.

Rising Stars accounted for a tally of 21 European Group 1 contests, and seven Classics, during the course of a banner season with four-time elite-level winners Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Paddington (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) the obvious highlights among the Class of 2023. TDN's signature tag was attained by 51 individuals in Europe last term, down eight on the previous year's total of 59, with subsequent G3 Prix Penelope victrix Pensee Du Jour (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) setting the ball in motion at Chantilly in February.

Dubawi (Ire) (Dubai Millennium {GB}) is the numerically dominant sire and responsible for five new graduates, headed by Godolphin's G1 Futurity Trophy hero Ancient Wisdom (Fr) and Coolmore's undefeated G1 Vincent O'Brien National S. victor Henry Longfellow (Ire). Frankel (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), sire of G1 Fillies' Mile heroine Ylang Ylang (GB), is one behind with a quartet of his own. Joint-third with three on this year's honour roll are Kingman (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), down five on last term's eight, Lope De Vega (Ire) (Shamardal), No Nay Never (Scat Daddy) and Siyouni First-crop sires Too Darn Hot (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Soldier's Call (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) snagged one inductee apiece, while Calyx (GB) (Kingman {GB}) became the season's lone freshman with more than one in the ranks. The Coolmore resident's brace is supplied by Amo Racing's G2 Duchess Of Cambridge S. victrix Persian Dreamer and G1 Dewhurst S. third Eben Shaddad. Justify (Scat Daddy), Sea The Stars (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), Starspangledbanner (Aus) (Choisir {Aus}) and Wootton Bassett (GB) (Iffraaj {GB} are the only other sires to register more than one new addition. Dubawi, Justify, Kingman, Lope De Vega, Sea The Stars, Siyouni, Calyx and Too Darn Hot were all 'TDN Rising Stars' in their own right.

For the first time in recent memory, Coolmore icon Galileo (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) went through the whole campaign without representation and failed to improve upon his impressive haul of 41. Delving deeper into the numbers by jurisdiction, 21 earned their stripes in Britain, 14 were elevated in both France and Ireland, and Germany was the scene of two new recruits. By trainer, Aidan O'Brien is comfortably clear of his peers with 10 new appointees and Ballydoyle's dominance is evident in this year's compilation of 10 Rising Stars to follow for 2024, with O'Brien accounting for half of those put forward. Dermot Weld is next best on two while Charlie Appleby, Ralph Beckett and Yann Barberot are represented by one each. Dubawi has the highest representation among sires, with three, while Frankel is the only other credited with more than one. The gender bias is six to four in favour of the colts.

ANCIENT WISDOM (FR), c, 2, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Golden Valentine (Fr), by Dalakhani (Ire)
2nd Dam: Gold Round (Ire), by Caerleon
3rd Dam: Born Gold, by Blushing Groom (Fr)
Owner: Godolphin
Breeder: Ecurie des Monceaux & LNJ Foxwoods
Trainer Charlie Appleby

Godolphin's Ancient Wisdom had already turned heads when selling for €2-million at Arqana's 2022 August sale and debuted with a highly polished five-length triumph over seven furlongs at Haydock in May. Successful in four of his five juvenile outings, he closed out his freshman season with victories in Newmarket's G3 Autumn S. and Doncaster's G1 Futurity Trophy. His lone defeat came in July, when finishing third behind subsequent G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere victor Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) in the seven-furlong Listed Pat Eddery S. at Ascot. Ancient Wisdom is a son G3 Prix Minerve winner Golden Valentine (Fr) (Dalakhani {Ire}) and hails from the family of storied multiple champion and three-time GI Breeders' Cup Mile heroine Goldikova (Ire) (Anabaa), G1 Prix Vermeille victrix Galikova (Fr) (Galileo {Ire}) and multiple Group 1-placed sire Anodin (Ire) (Anabaa). He does not possess any Classic entries for now, but is quoted at single-digit odds in ante-post lists for the G1 Derby.

BEAUVATIER (FR), c, 2, by Lope De Vega (Ire)
1st Dam: Enchanting Skies (Ire), by Sea The Stars (Ire)
2nd Dam: Estefania (Ger), by Acatenango (Ger)
3rd Dam: Eirehill (Ire), by Danehill
Owner: Philippe Allaire
Breeder: Ecurie des Monceaux, Qatar Bloodstock Ltd & Mme Barbara M Keller
Trainer: Yann Barberot

Beauvatier, a €160,000 Arqana August purchase, displayed an array of gears when posting a 5 1/2-length success in a newcomers' event over five furlongs at Chantilly in May to become the 12th Rising Star for his sire. He followed up with a narrow defeat of fellow Rising Star Ramatuelle (Justify) and added the Listed Prix Roland de Chambure and G3 Prix La Rochette before racing too freely and suffering his first reversal when third behind Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) and Unquestionable (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in October's G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere on Arc day. He is the first foal produced by Listed Prix de Thiberville runner-up Enchanting Skies (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), herself a half-sister to G1 Preis von Europa victor Empoli (Ger) (Halling) from the family of G2 Preis der Diana heroine Elle Danzig (Ger) (Roi Danzig). Beauvatier is one of the leading domestic hopes for next term's G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains.

ELIZABETH JANE (IRE), f, 2, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Sapphire (Ire), by Medicean (GB)
2nd Dam: Polished Gem (Ire), by Danehill
3rd Dam: Trusted Partner, by Affirmed
Owner: Moyglare Stud Farm Ltd
Breeder: Moyglare Stud Farm Ltd
Trainer: Dermot Weld

G1 Irish 1000 Guineas and G1 Irish Oaks entry Elizabeth Jane was let go at 16-1 and sported her owner's second silks in her debut over a mile at Leopardstown in October. She made a mockery of those odds when coming from off the pace to trounce her 11 rivals by 4 1/4 lengths and more in a contest annexed the year before by subsequent G1 Coronation S. third Sounds Of Heaven (GB) (Kingman {GB}). 

“She cut through them like a knife through butter and will be a lovely filly next year when she fills out into her frame,” reflected winning rider Donagh O'Connor at the time. The homebred chestnut is a daughter of G2 British Champions Fillies & Mares victrix and G1 Pretty Polly S. runner-up Sapphire (Ire) (Medicean {GB}), herself a half-sister to four-time Group 1 winner Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). She is a descendant of G1 Irish 1000 Guineas victrix Trusted Partner (Affirmed) and the family also features G1 Irish St Leger heroine Search For A Song (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and G1 Prince of Wales's S.-winning sire Free Eagle (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}). She will be in her element if there is juice in the ground come Irish Oaks day in July.

UNQUESTIONABLE (FR), c, 2, by Wootton Bassett (GB)
1st Dam: Strawberry Lace (GB), by Sea The Stars (Ire)
2nd Dam: Crying Lightening (Ire), by Holy Roman Emperor (Ire)
3rd Dam: Auction Room, by Chester House
Owner: Al Shaqab Racing, Coolmore & Westerberg
Breeder: Mme Camille Vitse, Mme Axelle Vitse, Mme Valentine Vitse & Guillaume Vitse
Trainer: Aidan O'Brien

Unquestionable was highly tried on debut, running third in May's Listed First Flier S., and became his sire's fifth Rising Star when making all to shed maiden status on the Irish 2,000 Guineas undercard, in a six-furlong contest won by the stable's Arizona (Ire) (No Nay Never) in 2019. He subsequently ran fourth in the G1 Phoenix S. and second in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere before setting the seal on his six-race juvenile campaign with victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. The €340,000 Arqana August yearling, who hails from the family of sires Cityscape (GB) (Selkirk) and Bated Breath (GB) (Dansili {GB}), retains entries in May's G1 Irish 2,000 Guineas and June's G1 Irish Derby.

YLANG YLANG (GB), f, 2, by Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Shambolic (Ire), by Shamardal
2nd Dam: Comic (Ire), by Be My Chief
3rd Dam: Circus Act (GB), by Shirley Heights (GB)
Owner: Magnier, Tabor, Smith, Brant & Westerberg
Breeder: Newsells Park Stud & Merry Fox Stud
Trainer: Aidan O'Brien

Ylang Ylang had already made her mark in the auction ring, selling for a cool 1.5-million gns at Tattersalls' October Book 1, and justified odds-on favouritism in a seven-furlong Curragh maiden won previously by subsequent Group 1 performers Never Ending Story (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Discoveries (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}). Doubling up in the G3 Silver Flash S. next time, she bounced back off a blip in the G1 Moyglare S. to run third in Newmarket's G2 Rockfel S. and closed out 2023 with a game victory in the G1 Fillies' Mile back at Headquarters. 

Ylang Ylang is out of a half-sister to dual G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup-winning multiple Hong Kong champion Comic Strip (GB) (Marju {Ire}) and GI Flower Bowl Invitational and GI Diana S. heroine Laughing (Ire) (Dansili {GB}). Frankel's 34th Rising Star remains engaged in both G1 Irish 1000 Guineas and G1 Irish Oaks, and the Classic route awaits.

 

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Making Waves: Dubawi Filly Sharp In Florida

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of Marksman Queen at Gulfstream Park.

 

Dubawi's Marksman Queen Triumphs At Gulfstream

Clayton Park Stud homebred Marksman Queen (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) won on her American debut at Gulfstream on Saturday (video). The Graham Motion trainee had won a pair of novices in the UK between 2022 and 2023 before switching jurisdictions.

Out of GII Lake Place S. and GIII Herecomesthebride S. heroine Sharp Susan (Touch Gold), the 3-year-old filly is a half-sister to three black-type horses led by South African Horse of the Year Oh Susanna (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}), who won four times at Grade 1 level there, as well as G3 Star Kingdom S. winner Signore Fox (Aus) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), who was third in the G1 Stradbroke H. and G1 Kingsford-Smith Cup. Her latest half-siblings are a 2-year-old filly named Susan The Gentle (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and a yearling colt by Kingman (GB) already christened King Of Narnia (GB). Sharp Susan is a half-sister to GI Donn H. hero and sire Spring At Last (Silver Deputy) and GI Las Virgenes S. victress Sharp Lisa (Dixieland Band). The latter has a pair of stakes winner to her name led by G1 The Metropolitan H. winner Foundry (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).

The 40th winner from 78 runners (51%) for her Darley sire in the U.S., Marksman Queen is one of three runners from her crop to compete in America. Her sire has 21 American stakes winners led by 10 Grade I winners, among them In Italian (GB).

 

 

Repeat Winners

Already a Grade I winner of the Del Mar Oaks, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Anisette (GB) (Awtaad {Ire}) doubled her tally at that level in the American Oaks on Boxing Day at Santa Anita (video) for trainer Leonard Powell.

Madaket Stables' Easter (Fr) (Exosphere {Aus}) was in a festive mood and duly added the GII San Gabriel S. to his resume near the end of the month for trainer Phil D'Amato (video).

Romagna Mia (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), a winner of the GIII Dowager S. at Keeneland in the autumn, won the Via Borghese S. at Gulfstream Park on Dec. 26 (video). The Team Valor runner is trained by Graham Motion.

Just A Care (Ire) (Australia {GB}), who races for Ashbrook Farm, Matthew O'Connor, Upland Flats Racing, and Amy Dunne, won for the second time in her career, taking a Gulfstream Park affair in mid-December (video). From the family of GIII Hollywood Juvenile Championship S. winner Necessary Evil (Harlan's Holiday), the filly won at Gulfstream in February.

 

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