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Isle of Jura Miles Best In Crown Prince’s Cup

Already a winner of one of the valuable handicaps that make up the Bahrain Turf Series back on Dec. 8, Victorious Racing's Isle of Jura (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) negotiated the hike into black-type company with aplomb, winning Friday's $150,000 Listed Crown Prince's Cup with a fair bit of authority.

Immediately dropped out to the tail, Isle of Jura was given a quiet ride by Callum Shepherd, as the commonly owned Rollajam (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}) galloped them along in advance of American Flag (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). The pacemaker had run his race fully 600 metres from home, as American Flag inherited the lead under a full head of steam entering the straight. But Isle of Jura worked his way into the clear and found plenty inside the final furlong before stretching away to win for the first time at stakes level. Lucander (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), who defeated Isle of Jura by a nose in another Bahrain Turf Series race over course and distance Dec. 29, finished third. The Godolphin team of Local Dynasty (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}, Charlie Appleby) and local King's Cup hero Passion And Glory (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}, Saeed bin Suroor) were never dangerous, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively.

“I just love the way he has grown up since he's been here, he now relaxes very well and he'll give himself every chance of getting further,” the winning jockey commented. “Being over here, it's really made a man of him.

“This horse means a great deal to George and I. We have always taken this horse very seriously and for him to do that in front of his owners on home soil is really special, we're delighted.”

Added Scott: “He's a lovely horse and he's clearly improving. He's bred to be a good horse and the sky is the limit with him, although we will just enjoy today first. It's well documented that [Victorious principle] His Highness Shaikh Nasser has been a huge supporter of mine and to repay him in this way is so exciting.”

Isle of Jura began his career for his breeder and Appleby, finishing unplaced in a Wolverhampton novice in November 2022 before changing hands for 150,000gns at last year's Tattersalls Ascot March Sale. For this trainer, the bay was victorious in handicap company at Newbury July 21 and eight days later at Newmarket.

The well-related Isle of Jura, a 62nd worldwide black-type winner for his sire, is out of a daughter of French listed-winning 2002 G1 Pouliches runner-up Firth of Lorne (Ire) (Danehill), whose son Master of the Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) led home a Godolphin 1-2 in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Mile. She is also the dam of the stakes-winning and G1 St James's Palace S. second Latharnach (Iffraaj {GB}) and Etive (Elusive Quality), a listed winner in Germany. This is also the family of Just Fine (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), popular winner of the G1 Metropolitan H. at Randwick last September. Falls of Lora is also represented by a 2-year-old Night of Thunder (Ire) colt and a yearling colt by Dubawi.

International raiders stole the show in the 1200-metre The Hawar Cup, as the Michael Owen co-owned and Hugo Palmer-trained Roman Dragon (GB) (Heeraat {Ire}) beat out Brazen Bolt (GB) (Brazen Beau {Aus}) from the barn of John and Sean Quinn by a half-length.

“We're absolutely delighted,” said the former England striker, who campaigns the 5-year-old with Nick Hughes. “He has got speed to burn, but we often think he's better round a turning track than a straight track, so today is a lovely surprise. We thought beforehand Box To Box (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) would be in the first three and this horse would be in the last three, but it happened the other way round!”

Box To Box was down the field in the Anchorman Cup, the afternoon's other BTS event over 1800m, a race won by former local champion Ecosystem (Ire) (Al Rifai {Ire}).

Owen continued: “Me and Nick own the horse; I bred him and we've owned him all his life. It's my first time here and I am really enjoying it. My old boss, Sir Alex Ferguson, stood here not so long ago having won the big race, the Bahrain International Trophy [with Spirit Dancer {GB}], so it's clearly a lucky spot.”

CROWN PRINCE'S CUP SPONSORED BY CEBARCO-Listed, $150,000, Sakhir (Bahrain), 2-2, 3yo/up, 2000mT, 2:03.01, gd/fm.
1–ISLE OF JURA (GB), 126, g, 4, New Approach (Ire)–Falls of Lora (Ire) (GSW-UAE, SW-Eng, $246,417), by Street Cry (Ire). 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. (£150,000 HRA '23 TATMAR). O-Victorious; B-Godolphin; T-George Scott; J-Callum Shepherd; $90,000. Lifetime Record: 9-4-1-0, $167,164. *Full to Cascadian (GB), MG1SW-Aus, G1SP-Fr, $5,925,891; half to Albahr (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), GISW-Can, SW-Eng, $236,981.
2–American Flag (Ire), 126, g, 5, Sea The Stars (Ire)–Sequester (GB), by Selkirk. 1ST BLACK-TYPE. (125,000gns HRA '22 TATAUT). O-Al Adiyat Racing; B-Bjorn Nielsen; T-Allan Smith; J-Gerald Mosse. $30,000.
3–Lucander (Ire), 126, g, 7, Footstepsinthesand (GB)–Lady Sefton (Ire), by Oratorio (Ire). 1ST BLACK-TYPE. (€26,000 Wlg '17 GOFNOV; 28,000gns Ylg '18 TATOCT). O-Nigel Jones & Paul Bowden; B-Mr John Connolly; T-George Baker; J-Pat Cosgrave. $18,000.
Margins: 3 3/4, HF, 1.
Also Ran: Zagato (GB), Local Dynasty (Ire), Passion And Glory (Ire), Sovereign Spirit (GB), Duc de Kent (Fr), Rollajam (Ire). Click for the Bahrain Turf Club result.

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Clearpoint to Stay in UK After Heading Final Day at Tattersalls 

NEWMARKET, UK — The 91-rated Clearpoint (GB) (Ardad {GB}) bucked the trend of a number of the more expensive lots sold on Friday at Tattersalls and is to remain in the UK to continue his racing career.

The four-year-old will switch stables from Charlie Fellowes to Simon Hodgson, who bid 75,000gns on behalf of PCF Racing for the four-time winner. The sprinter (lot 338) is entered for Sunday's Listed Kachy S. at Lingfield. 

Hodgson said, “He has been bought for John Whelan of PCF Racing. I don't know if we will run on Sunday, we will need to chat about it. John is a big supporter of his trainers and he has lost some good sprint handicappers so has been looking to replace them. This was the only horse we had on the list today that we felt was worth having a look at. John is in his 80s and he loves going racing.”

If Hodgson does decide to send his new charge to Lingfield on Sunday, Clearpoint would be a fitting winner of the race named in memory of Kachy (GB), who, like Clearpoint himself, was bred by Fiona Denniff, who was seen chatting with the Hampshire-based Hodgson after he had signed for the horse.

It was a relatively quiet final day of the February Sale. The promising wildcard Billy Webster (Ire) didn't meet his reserve, and a handful of horses behind Clearpoint exceeded the 50,000gns mark, with several of them off to race in the Middle East. Of those, First Encore (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), offered as lot 280 from Ed Walker's stable, was bought by agent JD Moore for 62,000gns.

“He is for trainer Hamad Al Jehani in Qatar,” said Moore of the 81-rated three-year-old. “He has the recent Qatar Derby winner Jeff Koons in his stable and he has been very lucky at Tattersalls. [The horse's] form is rock solid, he looks progressive with a lovely profile and he has been very well produced by Ed Walker and his team.”

The biggest change in this sale from last year's edition was the fall in clearance rate. In recent years the trade for horses in training even at the lower end of the market had picked up notably but this trend did not continue over the last two days. The second-day clearance rate of 77% was an improvement on the opening session, and overall it settled at 73%, down from 84% in 2023. The average and median were both up slightly on last year, at 14,315gns (+3%) and 7,250gns (+4%) respectively.

From a smaller catalogue, there were 98 fewer lots sold than in 2023 which naturally led to a downturn in the aggregate, which was 2,863,000gns (-31%). 

“The sale-topping 200,000 guineas Shadwell broodmare Taqaareed and the 125,000 guineas Juddmonte colt Retort were the obvious highlights of the 2024 Tattersalls February Sale. Taqaareed is the second-highest price at this fixture since 2018 and Retort is the third-highest-priced colt in training ever sold at the Tattersalls February Sale, with both of them demonstrating the sustained domestic and international demand for quality breeding stock and horses in training,” said Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony at the close of trade.

“As ever the overseas contribution has been notable. Buyers from throughout Europe and the Gulf region have been out in force, the 125,000 guineas colt Retort is heading to Australia and North African buyers have again been conspicuous. Domestic British and Irish buyers, both Flat and National Hunt, have been the mainstay of the sale, but the smallest February catalogue since 2014 has unsurprisingly produced turnover some way short of last year's impressive figure and the clearance rate, while eminently respectable, has not matched the customary market-leading levels that we would aspire to at sales of this nature.  Nevertheless, the average and median have both held up well with small increases in both categories, and the National Hunt fraternity has a rare and immediate opportunity to look forward to, with the outstanding Andy and Gemma Brown Dispersal taking place this coming Monday, 5th February at Tattersalls Ireland.”

 

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Gold Cup Winner and Godolphin Ambassador Papineau Dies at 24

Papineau (GB) (Singspiel {GB}), the winner of the 2004 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot for Godolphin and Saeed Bin Suroor, has died at the age of 24.

The half-brother to Derby runner-up Silver Patriarch (GB) was bred by the late Peter Winfield and bought at the Tattersalls December Sale as a foal in 2000. An accomplished stayer and winner of five of his nine races, Papineau's work in his long retirement was arguably even more important.

A Godolphin Lifetime Care Ambassador, he was initially rehomed and retrained as a dressage horse, competing in both affiliated dressage and Racehorse to Riding Horse show classes. In 2016, Papineau joined Godolphin's pre-training facility at Hamilton Hill as a hack and was exemplary in his behaviour when leading out the yearlings each morning.

He won the Newmarket Hacks' Class during the Sir Henry Cecil Open Weekend and twice travelled to Deauville for the Au-Dela des Pistes G1 Champions' Parade.

He also supported the launch of the Godolphin Beacon Project, a joint venture between Godolphin, Newmarket Academy and the education charity Racing to School, meeting many of the school's pupils.

In his full retirement from hack duties he retired to Woodditton Stud, just outside Newmarket, where he was looked after by stud groom Geraldine Jones and her daughter Megan. In his later role in equine-assisted therapy he visited Newmarket Hospital and East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH) several times.

Saeed bin Suroor said, “Papineau was a pleasure to train, and his Gold Cup win at Ascot was a very special day indeed. His achievements after his racing career are something that the whole team should be incredibly proud of.”

Liam O'Rourke, Director of Stud, Stallions and Breeding added, “Papineau was a horse who did even more for others, both within and outside of our industry, in his retirement as he did throughout his career. He was much loved and will be much missed.”

 

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Fairytale Continues For Shamardal’s Undefeated Cinderella’s Dream In Jumeirah Fillies’ Classic

3rd-Meydan, AED500,000, Cond., 2-2, NH & SH 3yo, f, 1400mT, 1:23.27, gd.
Godolphin's CINDERELLA'S DREAM (GB) (f, 3, Shamardal–Espadrille {GB}, by Dubawi {Ire}) made it three on the bounce with a fine closing effort in the Jumeirah Fillies' Classic Presented By Lincoln Aviator. She defeated stablemate Beautiful Love (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) by 2 3/4 lengths and won without being extended. The final time for the 1400m over the good turf was 1:23.27. Rated near the rear of the field for much of the race, the filly was wound up by William Buick and steered farther out into the course for the stretch drive. Once a gap appearance, she glided right by her rivals, including the stretch leader Frost At Dawn (Frosted). Beautiful Love also found more to take second, but was never catching the winner. Frost At Dawn was another 1 3/4 lengths back in third. “She was there for me the whole way,” said Buick. “She's still learning on the job as she'd only had two previous starts. It was a good performance from a filly who I think is progressive. Mawj (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) won this last year and went on to win the [G1 QIPCO 1000] Guineas, so she's in good company and I wouldn't want to rule anything out.” A winner of her maiden on debut at Lingfield last May, the bay triumphed at Thirsk over 1500 metres in September. The second foal for her two-time winning dam, Cinderella's Dream's latest half-sibling is a 2-year-old filly by Farhh (GB). Picked up by Godolphin for 800,000gns as a weanling during the 2015 Tattersalls December Foal Sale, Espadrille Is a daughter of High Heeled (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}), who won the G3 St. Simon S. and placed third in both the G1 Oaks and G1 Coronation Cup. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, AED339,166. Click for the ERA chart and video.
O/B-Godolphin (GB). T-Charlie Appleby.

 

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