Undefeated Feed the Flame (GB) (Kingman {GB}) will be supplemented to the June 4 G1 Prix du Jockey Club, confirmed racing manager Gerard Larrieu, who purchased the colt for €270,000 at Arqana August on behalf of Jean-Louis Bouchard.
Named a TDN Rising Star following an eye-catching 5 1/2-length victory going 10 1/2 furlongs at ParisLongchamp on Apr. 9, the Pascal Bary trainee returned to make it two straight with a victory at that same venue on Apr. 27.
Christophe Soumillon, who was aboard for both of the colt's prior wins, is slated to ride in the French Classic.
“The foal turned out to be very late [Apr. 4] but Pascal Bary has always loved him,” Larrieu told Jour de Galop. “He thought he would run as [a] 2-year-old, then he grew a lot and we gave him time. We didn't consider him for the Classics because we thought, at the time of registration, that it would happen too quickly. But he has developed very well in a short time. It's rare to see a foal able to change so quickly. Feed the Flame is still very immature and he will face the Jockey Club with several questions. We don't know what he has beaten. But the visual impressions [of his prior races] were magnificent. They can be subjective but his [limited body of] work has been excellent. We don't know what it's worth, so his limits are unknown.”
Hoping that history will repeat itself, Larrieu recalled another late foal that took the G1 Prix de Diane in June following only two prior starts.
“And if the Jockey Club becomes a kind of preparatory to the [G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe] as was the case for Treve (Fr) [Motivator (GB)], that's fine with me!”
The thoroughbred aftercare charities in Ireland, France and Britain-Treo Eile, Au-Delà Des Pistes and Retraining of Racehorses-met earlier this month in Newmarket with the aim of bolstering the care racehorses receive upon retirement.
RoR managing director David Catlow, Au-Delà des Pistes executives Carole Desmetz and Mégane Martins and Vice President Alix Choppin, and Treo Eile executive Anne Connor and co-founder and director Caoimhe Doherty met with Godolphin's charities manager Penny Taylor and IFAR steering group member and Treo Eile co-director Diana Cooper, for the brainstorming session.
All three charities have proved efficient at establishing connections between racing and equestrian disciplines in order to provide increasingly diverse and secure outcomes for thoroughbreds as they embark on their second career following retirement from racing.
Their respective brands have become household names in the industry and actively contribute to raising awareness about retrained racehorses' versatility and outstanding athletic qualities for all equestrian sports.
The gathering was intended to set up a collaborative base for best practice exchange and a lobbying force to push for transnational topics of welfare and aftercare to be addressed by the respective racing authorities.
All three charities specifically agreed to combine forces on four issues that were identified as obstacles to aftercare becoming increasingly embedded within racing's objectives and commitments.
Caoimhe Doherty, co-founder and Director of Treo Eile commented, “With tripartite agreements in place for racing and breeding, it is a natural next step for England, France and Ireland to team up in their support for the aftercare of racehorses.
“We are very grateful for Godolphin's drive and commitment to the support of racehorses after racing, which encapsulates their vision and hosting of the inaugural meeting of representatives from Retraining of Racehorses, Au-Delà Des Pistes and Treo Eile. The sharing of our journeys to-date highlighted common areas of progress and concern. Open conversations addressing the present issue of the 'social licence' relating to our sport, the participation and responsibility of our stakeholders were mutually beneficial, given the varying years our organisations have been in existence.”
She added, “We were very fortunate to avail of Roly Owers, CEO of World Equine Welfare, expertise when discussing the subject of euthanasia. The passion for the welfare of racehorses within each organisation was very evident, as was the positivity to work.”
Aptly-named, Laurence Holder's 2-year-old Royal Ascot-bound debutante Born To Rock (Ire) (Soldier's Call {GB}–Love To Rock {Ire}, by Fastnet Rock {Aus}) burned up Yarmouth's ever-drying turf on Wednesday to become the latest TDN Rising Star. Prepared for the five-furlong British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Fillies' S. by Jane Chapple-Hyam having been purchased for 110,000gns at the Tatts Guineas Breeze Up Sale, the bay fitted with the stable's white bridle and reins showed key early pace under Robert Tart racing away from the main pack towards the far side. Always in command on the front end, the 7-2 second favourite opened up passing two out and was being eased late as she registered a 4 1/4-length defeat of the Gosdens' newcomer Jiwin (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), with 3/4 of a length back to the Michael Bell-trained Mirroring (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}).
Ballyhane Stud-based Soldier's Call's first TDN Rising Star from his first crop, the winner is on target for the G2 Queen Mary S. according to Chapple-Hyam. “She's worked with the horse in the previous race and with the colt that won last week and they've all been thereabouts in the gallops, but she's turned it on this afternoon,” she said. “We have to go for the Queen Mary, definitely.”
“She was a gorgeous physical as a yearling,” Derryconnor Stud's Katie Mcgivern told TDN Europe. “She had a huge walk, great use of herself with strength and size.”
Mcgivern purchased the filly for €17,000 at the Goffs Sportsman's Sale and subsequently sold her for 110,000gns to Amanda Skiffington (agent for Laurence Holder) at the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up Sale.
“She toed out a little which reflected her €17,000 price tag but my husband Tom and I couldn't leave her behind. She was always such an athlete,” she said.
“She was easy to break and prep for the breeze-up sales throughout the winter. We knew we had something special as she not only had the pace but she had this huge stride to go with it and loved her work.”
“We were very excited about her heading to the Guineas Sale but Soldier's Call only had one winner at that stage so knew there was going to be a limit to what she was worth.”
The Ballyhane stallion has since had a flurry of winners taking his total to nine.
“She's a filly with a very exciting future as she's not just a sharp 2-year-old type. She has size and scope and more developing still to do so we look forward to how she progresses throughout the season. We very much look forward to her lining up in the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot with a fighting chance.”
One of nine winners from the first crop of the speedy and accomplished son of Showcasing (GB), Born To Rock is a grandson of the GIII Athenia H. runner-up I'm In Love (Zafonic) who produced the G3 Stockholms Stora Pris scorer Match Maker (Ire) (Declaration Of War) and the GIII Miesque S. winner More Than Love (More Than Ready). A distant relative of the sire Weldnaas, the moderate performer Love To Rock has just the sole progeny to date.
4th-Great Yarmouth, £30,000, Mdn, 5-24, 2yo, f, 5f 42yT, 1:00.57, g/f. BORN TO ROCK (IRE), f, 2, by Soldier's Call (GB) 1st Dam: Love To Rock (Ire), by Fastnet Rock (Aus) 2nd Dam: I'm in Love, by Zafonic 3rd Dam: Bank On Her, by Rahy
(€17,000 Ylg '22 GOFSPT; 110,000gns 2yo '23 TATBRG). Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $19,196. O-Mr Laurence Holder; B-Equos Ltd & Troy Cullen (IRE); T-Jane Chapple-Hyam. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
Aughamore Stud's Michael Gleeson has said that producing Asadna (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), arguably the most impressive two-year-old winner there has been so far this season and a genuine Royal Ascot contender, eclipses anything the family-run farm has achieved in the sales ring.
Gleeson runs one of the shrewdest breeding and pinhooking operations in Ireland along with his brother Laurence. The Westmeath men have made a habit of producing a number of big results at the sales in recent years and are now savouring what looks a real Coventry S. contender in TDN Rising Star Asadna.
He said, “This is massive for us. The sales ring is brilliant but it's the winner's enclosure where you really want to be. We were fortunate enough to have sold a Group 1 winner [Champers Elysees (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus})] who won the Matron S. during lockdown so we couldn't be there for that. That's always going to stick in the back of your mind so we're going to make sure we're at Royal Ascot to see Asadna run.”
That might be a good idea. The ratings suggest that what Asadna did on debut at Ripon was something out of the ordinary. In actual fact, no two-year-old has posted a bigger Timeform rating than Asadna did when pulling a massive 12 lengths clear of his rivals to win over six furlongs on debut at Ripon for George Boughey.
For Asadna to win on debut didn't come as a surprise to anyone close to him. But for him to go and post one of the most impressive speed figures in recent times for a debutant, just over a month after selling from Church Farm and Horse Park Stud to owner Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah for 160,000gns, could not have been predicted by anybody.
Gleeson said, “We spoke to John Cullinan and Roger Marley, who breezed him, and they were very keen on the horse. But then again, he didn't blow the lights out at the Craven but still managed to sell well.
“Obviously, they got him sold on their reputation because it was probably the soft ground that killed him in the breeze. We heard he was going well with George and everyone liked him but you never want to get too far ahead of yourself.
“You hear so many stories about horses who are going to be the next big thing and it normally doesn't work out so you have to try and keep your feet on the ground.”
He added, “When you first saw him win by that distance, you were in shock. And then the more information that came out in the following hours and days made you wonder if it actually happened. At the same time, it was still only a maiden, but he looks very exciting.”
Asadna is a best-priced 4-1 for the Coventry but most firms are quoting just 5-2 about him winning one of the most prestigious two-year-old races in the calender. His success is a triumph for the Gleeson brothers' patience and once again highlights their ability to sniff out a bargain given the dam Looks Great (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) was picked up for just 10,000gns through Hamish Macauley at the Tattersalls July Sale seven years ago.
Gleeson said, “We've seven broodmares on the farm now but a lot of those have only been purchased in the past couple of years. Asadna is out of one of the original mares that we bought when we moved back home to the farm to try and give it a go so it has taken time. It's a long time since she was bought from the sales as a three-year-old.
“As her name suggests, she was an outstanding individual and we knew that her dam [Danehill Dreamer (Danehill)] produced lovely-looking stock. There was a Nathaniel (Ire) colt [Ecole d'Art (Ire)] out of the mare that made 675,000gns as a yearling.
“You need to find an angle and have to forgive something somewhere when you are shopping at that level. So we forgave her page because she had a strong backpage and felt that New Approach (Ire) would be a very good broodmare sire, which he now looks to be. He looks to be the next big thing as a broodmare sire.”
He added, “We were actually debating whether or not to put her in training after we bought her off Godolphin but we just didn't have the finances to test the waters.”
The Gleesons kept it local by travelling just 20 minutes from their base in Streamstown, County Westmeath, to their near neighbours in Tally-Ho Stud to visit Mehmas just before his first runners hit the track. It turned out to be an inspired decision given the heights Mehmas has scaled in the interim and Gleeson is hoping that Asadna can be the latest star for the popular sire.
He said, “We went to him during his first season and it just made sense to go back. He is local to us there in Tally-Ho Stud and they have always been very good to us. It was an easy decision. When we used him the second time with the mare, with the resulting progeny now being Asadna, there was actually a lot of word about his first runners so we decided to send two mares to him before anything hit the track. It proved to be the last chance saloon when you consider what his stud fee is now.
“But with the way the market is gone now, there has to be an element of risk because sire power is everything, especially with the mares who don't have the big pages. You need to land on the right sire to potentially upgrade your mare.”
Gleeson added, “Looks Great now has a Belardo (Ire) yearling filly who I imagine we will bring to the Tattersalls Ireland September Sale. She's also in foal to Nando Parado (GB, who we have a share in, so we were keen to support him this year with something decent.”
“Even though The Fugue (GB) (Dansili {GB}) is in the pedigree, you also have Limato (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}), while Fille De Reve (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}) and Sulaalaat (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) were other highly-rated performers in the pedigree as well. Sulaalaat actually won over six furlongs so we just said that we'd embrace the speed element of the pedigree. From a commercial point of view, it made sense to go that way with that level of a stallion.”
