Group 1-winning trainer Michael Halford has revealed that he is set to join forces with Tracey Collins and take out a joint-licence ahead of the new Flat season in March.
Halford, whose Group 1 win was achieved with Casamento (Ire) in the Racing Post Trophy in 2010, has also enjoyed international success in Dubai as well as Royal Ascot glory in recent years from his Copper Beech Stables.
However, he is set to relocate from that purpose-built facility to Collins' Conyngham Lodge yard on the Curragh, where the pair will become just the second joint-licence holders in Ireland.
Speaking about the move, Halford, who sent out 24 Flat winners last term, said, “The association between the Collins family and Irish racing goes back close to a century and is one of the proudest in our sport. I'm grateful, humbled and excited by the chance to train alongside Tracey at one of the most famous yards on the Curragh and look forward to starting this new chapter next month.”
Halford is one of the few trainers in Ireland to have sent out more than 1,000 winners. He has trained for some of the biggest owners in racing, including Godolphin and the Aga Khan, and his seasonal tally of winners has hit double figures every year since 1998.
Tracey Collins | Racingfotos.com
Collins has enjoyed notable success in her own right, notably with stable star Captain Joy (Ire), and hails from a family steeped in Irish racing history. Her grandfather, M.C. Collins, sent out Windsor Slipper to win the Irish Triple Crown in 1942 and trained five Classic winners from Conyngham Lodge. Her father, Con, will forever be associated with Sandy Creek, the Classic-winning Princess Pati and the Moyglare S. heroine Chelsea Rose.
Collins, who sent out two winners last term, commented, “There is a long and proud tradition here at Conyngham Lodge and I'm greatly looking forward to the next chapter in the yard's history by teaming up with Michael from the start of March. It's an exciting venture and one full of potential and I hope we have much to look forward to over the coming months and years.”
Father-and-son team Eddie and Patrick Harty are the only other joint-licence holders in Ireland but Danny Murphy is understood to be in the process of joining Kieran Cotter on the licence.
Stepping up to the top level for the first time in what has already been a productive career, Godolphin's Lemon Pop (Lemon Drop Kid) ran a strong 1600 metres and comfortably held a final-furlong rally from the classy Red le Zele (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) to land Sunday's February S. at Tokyo Racecourse. A fourth consecutive American-bred winner of the 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, Lemon Pop will remain over shorter trips and holds an invitation to the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen in five weeks' time. Despite the obvious appeal of such a journey, connections were playing it close to the vest post-race.
“Lemon Pop has been invited to Dubai, but we won't be making a decision on this for some time yet,” said Godolphin Japan President Harry Sweeney, who purchased the chestnut in the name of Paca Paca Farm for $70,000 as a weanling at the 2018 Keeneland November Sale. “Thrilled that Lemon Pop has won a Group 1 race at his first attempt and won in good style. We are relieved that he now has a JRA Group 1 on his curriculum vitae which will be very important for his next career whenever he finishes racing.”
Handed a good draw in gate seven, Lemon Pop was in the vanguard early, but was content to drift back a few spots as the mare Shonan Nadeshiko (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) took the 16-strong field through an opening half-mile in a solid :46.60. Tipped out into the four path with about 600 metres to travel, Lemon Pop traveled strongly into the race and was under a long hold–having yet to be asked for his best–as the field hit the quarter pole. Finally given a dig by Ryusei Sakai approaching the final furlong, Lemon Pop pinched a break as Red le Zele flashed and loomed a momentary danger, but the favourite had the race well and truly in safe keeping and proved a clear-cut winner. Meisho Hario (Jpn) (Pyro) nearly unseated jockey Suguru Hamanaka at the break and was a long last down the backstretch, but rallied strongly to finish third.
The other US-bred winners of the race include Mozu Ascot (Frankel {GB}) in 2020 and Cafe Pharoah (American Pharoah) the last two years.
The victory was the second at group level for Lemon Pop, who rebounded from a tough loss in the G3 Musashino S. over course and distance Nov. 12 to reverse form with Gilded Mirror (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) in the G3 Negishi S. over seven panels Jan. 29. Jockey Keita Tosaki had ridden Lemon Pop to each of his seven previous wins, but opted for fourth-placed Dry Stout (Jpn) (Sinister Minister) Sunday, much to Sweeney's surprise.
“[We] were shocked to read in the sports papers just two weeks ago that Keita Tosaki had decided to get off Lemon Pop to ride another horse,” said Sweeney. “We then had to scramble to find a replacement and we are delighted with Sakai-san's performance today. It was a pressure ride for him too as he was riding Lemon Pop, the favourite, for the first time and in a Group 1 race.”
Added the winning jockey: “I am grateful to be given the chance to ride such a strong and favored horse and am happy we won. He responded well and pulled away strongly all the way to the wire.”
'TDN Rising Star'Shirl's Speight (Speightstown) sat an inside trip from a disadvantageous low draw and was beaten about 10 lengths into ninth.
“From what the jockey was telling me, he wasn't enjoying the kickback that much, but I think he ran an OK race,” said trainer Roger Attfield. “I just think he's a superiour turf horse, but we gave it a try.”
Pedigree Notes:
On behalf of former Darley executive Olly Tait and his wife, Blandford Bloodstock went to 165,000gns for Unreachable from the Juddmonte draft at the 2012 Tattersalls December Mares Sale. Unreachable is a daughter of Harpia, a full-sister to the highly influential Danehill as well as Eagle Eyed and Shibboleth, etc., and is a half-sister to the stakes-placed First Word (Chester House) and the young American regional stallion Redesdale (Speightstown). This is also the family of Dundonnell (First Defence), a Group 3 winner in England, a listed winner in Hong Kong and Group 3-placed in Dubai.
Unreachable was offered in foal to Good Magic at the 2020 Keeneland January Sale but was led out unsold on a bid of $55,000. The mare was privately acquired by Jay and Christine Hayden's Saintsbury Farms and the colt the mare was carrying at the time–an Ontario-bred now named Equivoque–would go on to fetch $325,000 from China Horse Club/Gandharvi at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale. Unreachable is also the dam of a 2-year-old colt by Good Magic and a yearling colt by Maclean's Music. A Maximum Security colt out of Lemon Pop's half-sister Regal Rags (Union Rags) was sold for $110,000 at Keeneland November last fall. Unreachable, now 14 years of age, was entered for, but was unsurprisingly withdrawn from this year's Keeneland January Sale when again in foal to Maclean's Music.
Lemon Pop is the 10th worldwide Grade I/Group 1 winner for his sire, who was pensioned from stud duties at Lane's End in 2021 and is his second top-level winner out of a Giant's Causeway dam. The late 'Iron Horse' is now the broodmare sire of 32 G1SW/GISW.
Sunday, Tokyo, Japan FEBRUARY S.-G1, ¥232,860,000, Tokyo, 2-19, 4yo/up, 1600m, 1:35.60, gd.
1–LEMON POP, 128, h, 5, by Lemon Drop Kid 1st Dam: Unreachable, by Giant's Causeway 2nd Dam: Harpia, by Danzig 3rd Dam: Razyana, by His Majesty 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. ($70,000 Wlg '18 KEENOV). O-Godolphin; B-Mr & Mrs Oliver S Tait (KY); T-Hiroyasu Tanaka; J-Ryusei Sakai; ¥123,403,000. Lifetime Record: 11-8-3-0, ¥288,439,000. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Red le Zele (Jpn), 128, h, 7, Lord Kanaloa (Jpn)–French Noir (Jpn), by French Deputy. O-Tokyo Horse Racing; B-Shadai Farm; ¥48,972,000.
3–Meisho Hario (Jpn), 128, h, 6, Pyro–Meisho Ohi (Jpn), by Manhattan Cafe (Jpn). O-Yoshio Matsumoto; B-Mishima Bokujo; ¥30,486,000.
Margins: 1HF, 2HF, 1. Odds: 1.20, 8.00, 9.70.
Also Ran: Dry Stout (Jpn), Admire Lupus (Jpn), Speedy Kick (Jpn), Helios (Jpn), Soliste Thunder (Jpn), Shirl's Speight, Kenshinko (Jpn), Sekifu (Jpn), Auvergne (Jpn), Keiai Turquoise (Jpn), T M South Dan (Jpn), Shonan Nadeshiko (Jpn), Jasper Prince. Click for the JRA chart.
Dubawi (Ire), the world's most successful active stallion, achieved another major milestone on Saturday by siring his 250th individual stakes winner.
Away from all the bright lights and razzmatazz of a big festival, Godolphin homebred Lake Lucerne, who began his career with John Gosden, achieved that landmark success when running out a cosy winner of the Albert M Stall Memorial S. at Fair Grounds for Brendan Walsh and Tyler Gaffalione.
That victory means that Dubawi has now achieved 599 stakes wins in total. A whopping 53 horses by him have scored at the highest level, with many serving to harden Dubawi's reputation as a sire of sires, which leading bloodstock agent Anthony Stroud has explained is one of the most pleasing aspects of the evergreen 21-year-old's influence.
He said, “Dubawi is just an unbelievable stallion. To be a sire of sires, which he is, it's unprecedented really. Dubai Millennium (GB) was a very special horse for everyone at Godolphin and it's wonderful that the line is continuing. We have Dubawi and his sons who will continue.
“You've got New Bay (GB), Zarak (Fr), Night Of Thunder (Ire) and lots of other young sires coming through like Ghaiyyath (Ire) and Space Blues (Ire) who are all by him. There's a lot to look forward to.”
Stroud added, “I don't think you could ever get tired of speaking about a stallion who is so on top of his game like Dubawi is. He has been a consistent sire at the highest level. We are just very privileged to have had stallions like Galileo (Ire), and now Sea The Stars (Ire), Frankel (GB) and Dubawi in Europe.”
Stroud has bought a large portion of Godolphin's yearlings at public auction in recent years and, alongside Sheikh Mohammed, returned to the market at Book 1 at Tattersalls last year to snap up 14 yearlings to the tune of just over 13,000,000gns by the dominant stallion. Put simply, there are few people better qualified to comment on the success Dubawi is having than he is.
However, while Stroud admits that what Dubawi has achieved already is astounding, he said that he firmly believes that the ink is still wet on his story.
He explained, “It's a great landmark for him to have achieved but, in racing, you never look backwards and always push forward. Yes, 250 is great, but there is still more to come from him. I firmly believe that the trajectory that he is on, it will continue to go upwards.
“The great thing about Dubawi is his versatility. He can get top-class horses over six furlongs, a mile or any distance. It's remarkable really. Another thing, they all seem to have very good minds. They have wonderful temperaments.”
Of the 250 individual stakes winners sired by Dubawi, 133 were colts or geldings and, in terms of Group or Graded winners, 98 have been achieved by colts or geldings and 65 by fillies or mares.
Stroud also acknowledged the huge significance surrounding the fact that milestone winner Lake Lucerne was bred by Godolphin and carried the famous royal blue silks to victory on Saturday.
He said, “Yes, it's quite fitting as the homebreds are the backbone to the Godolphin operation. They are key to any successful racing operation. The homebreds are the spine.”
Providing an update on Dubawi, who is set to stand for a whopping £350,000 this year, Stroud added, “He is really good, really well, and understandably has a fantastic book of mares to look forward to this year.”
Coolangatta (Aus) (Written Tycoon {Aus}), who won the G1 Black Caviar Lightning S. at Flemington on Saturday, will be pointed toward a start at Royal Ascot, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, the 3-year-old filly has won five of her eight starts, and started this campaign with a third in the G2 Mitty's McEwen S. at Moonee Valley in September. She claimed a first Group 1 crown in the Moir S. there on Sept. 23, but could only manage fifth in the G1 Coolmore Stud S. at Flemington on Oct. 29. Given a rest, the Lightning was her first start back.
“From here the dream would be Royal Ascot for everyone involved,” co-trainer Eustace told the paper. “She's shown she likes the straight and I think everyone in the group would be keen to go there.
“Where she goes next, I'm not sure, but ultimately, we'd love to give that a crack.”
Added jockey Jamie Kah, “I thought she would run second today honestly, I didn't think she would be able to beat Nature Strip (Aus) (Nicconi {Aus}).
“The race did shape out for her, there was pressure early, but she is half the size of him, and she just does things she shouldn't do, she is just an amazing horse.”
Last year's Royal Ascot sprint darling Nature Strip did not deliver his customary burst of finishing power and finished sixth. It was his third straight start without a win since he captured the G1 T J Smith S., G1 King's Stand S., and G2 Bowermans Shorts in succession in April, June and September.
His jockey, James McDonald, did not offer an excuse and said, “He tried hard.”
