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Hukum Strikes Gold On Way To Sheema Classic

The class act of the field, Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), gave Shadwell Stable a dream start to Super Saturday and booked his ticket for Dubai World Cup night when landing the G2 Dubai City Of Gold in a tight finish with Without A Fight (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}).

Drawn widest of all in stall 14, the Owen Burrows-trained Hukum jumped well and gradually manoeuvred to a handy spot tucked away behind the leading pack which was headed by Amhran Na Bhfiann (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who set a steady pace just ahead of Island Brave (Ire) (Zebedee {GB}). As the tightly bunched field approached the turn for home, Crowley had Hukum travelling easily and stalking the front-runners as Global Storm (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) took up the running. The Godolphin leader was soon picked up in the straight as Hukum and Without A Fight tussled for the top spot. The latter lived to his name, battling all the way to the line but eventually having to settle for second best, just a head behind the winner. Global Storm stayed on to take third.

“We were using it as a prep run for World Cup night and I thought we got into a raceable position from where we were drawn,” said Crowley. “But the pace wasn't very strong so I had to make a move a little sooner on him but he stick on well. He's a high-class horse who has been winning Group 2s and Group 3s, and he deserves to take his place in another Group 1. I expect him to come forward for that.”

That next Group 1 challenge will be the Dubai Sheema Classic in three weeks' time for the consistent 5-year-old who has now eight of his 13 starts, including three Group 3 contests last season at Ascot, Newbury and York. His sole try to date at the top level was when finishing fifth, just over four lengths behind Galileo Chrome (Ire) in the G1 St Leger.

Pedigree notes

A Shadwell homebred, Hukum is a full-brother to the unbeaten dual Group 1 winner Baaeed (Ire) and a half to the treble winner Kasbaan (GB) (Dansili {GB}). Their dam Aghareed (Kingmambo) was a Listed winner at Longchamp when trained for Sheikh Hamdan by John Hammond and was herself the first foal of the GI Breeders' Cup Fill & Mare Turf winner Lahudood (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}), a great grand-daughter of the celebrated Shadwell foundation mare Height Of Fashion (Fr) (Bustino {GB}).

After the 4-year-old Baaeed, Aghareed has the unraced 3-year-old filly Zaghaareed (GB) (Intello {Ger}), a Nathaniel (Ire) juvenile colt named Naqeeb (Ire), and a yearling colt by Night Of Thunder (Ire). She was barren last year to New Bay (GB).

Saturday, Meydan, Middle East
DUBAI CITY OF GOLD (SPONSORED BY EMIRATES SKYWARDS)-G2, $250,000, Meydan, 3-5, NH4yo/up & SH3yo/up, 2410mT, 2:28.56, gd.
1–HUKUM (IRE), 126, h, 5, by Sea the Stars (Ire)
1st Dam: Aghareed (SW-Fr), by Kingmambo
2nd Dam: Lahudood (GB), by Singspiel (Ire)
3rd Dam: Rahayeb (GB), by Arazi
O-Shadwell; B-Shadwell Estate Company Ltd (IRE); T-Owen
Burrows; J-Jim Crowley. $150,000. Lifetime Record: 13-8-1-2,
$515,286. *1/2 to Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), G1SW-Eng
& Fr, $991,173. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for
the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Without A Fight (Ire), 126, g, 5, Teofilo (Ire)–Khor Sheed (GB),
by Dubawi (Ire). O/B-Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum
(IRE); T-Simon & Ed Crisford. $50,000.
3–Global Storm (Ire), 126, g, 5, Night of Thunder (Ire)–Travel,
by Street Cry (Ire). (200,000gns wnl '17 TATDEC; 260,000gns
HRA '19 TATAPR) O-Godolphin; B-Grenane House Stud (IRE);
T-Charlie Appleby. $25,000.
Margins: HD, 2 1/4, 1 1/4. Also Ran: Al Madhar (Fr), Global Heat (Ire), Alignak (GB), Island Brave (Ire), Court Poet (GB), Light of Darkness, Iron Butterfly (Swe), Square de Luynes (Fr), Amhran Na Bhfiann (Ire), Mekong (GB), Valyrian Steel (Ire).
Click for the Racing Post result. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO.

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Bradley Buys Majority Of La Parisienne

Promising filly La Parisienne (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) will be taking some new owners along for the ride during her 3-year-old campaign, with the Kentucky-based Peter Bradley having purchased 70% of the Yann and Carlos Lerner-trained filly on behalf of a racing partnership. The news was first reported by Jour De Galop. The remainder of the filly, who won her lone start at Deauville on Dec. 10 by five lengths, is owned by Marc Leonetti, JML Racing and Meridian International.

“La Parisienne broke her maiden exceptionally well, so we think she has potential,” said Bradley. “The next couple of races will tell us how much potential she has. She's running in a conditions race on Apr. 5 at Saint-Cloud over 2100 metres, and we'll look at the [G3] Prix Cleopatre if she runs well there and the [G1] Saint-Alary and [G1] Prix de Diane if she is that calibre. She's by a hot freshman sire in Zarak and she looks to have quite a bit of quality. Her time in her maiden race [1:57.55 for 1900 metres] was exceptional and we're cautiously optimistic that she might have a lot of quality.”

Bradley said that the current plan is for La Parisienne, who cost the Lerners €65,000 at Arqana's Deauville Select Yearling Sale in 2020, to join Chad Brown in the U.S. later this year. If she proves to be among the best of her generation, however, those plans may have to be reconsidered.

“Our group would like to run her over here [in the U.S.] through the remainder of the year,” he said. “If you happened to be the best filly in France, which is somewhat delusional at this point, you'd have to look at your options over there. She's bred to go 10 to 12 furlongs and we all know the weight allowances those fillies get in races like the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe are exceptional. But I'd hate to even dream like that right now.”

Bradley is no stranger to trading in European bloodstock, but he said La Parisienne is currently the only horse he has in training in France.

“We're branching out,” he said. “We have a great group of people and it was an opportunity to have a horse over there and maybe have a trip or two to France if it all comes together. Racing is about having fun and she's one that could give us that opportunity.”

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Respected Horseman Penfold Dies

Anthony Penfold, the longtime racing and bloodstock manager for Prince Fahd Salman who also operated his own Bugley Stud and worked as a independent bloodstock agent, has died age 74.

Penfold's early ventures in the bloodstock industry included forming Goodwood Bloodstock Agency with former jump jockey John Woodman in 1972. Penfold began working for Prince Fahd in 1983 and was retained on a full-time basis in 1985, a role that he held until after Prince Fahd died in 2001. Prince Fahd was a son-in-law of Prince Khalid Abdullah of Juddmonte Farm, who introduced him to racing, and Prince Fahd, with Penfold as an advisor, set up studs in Dorset and Lexington. Prince Fahd's best horse was Generous (Ire) (Caerleon), purchased for him by Penfold as a yearling and trained by Paul Cole to win the G1 Dewhurst S., the G1 Derby and G1 Irish Derby and the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. During Penfold's tenure with Prince Fahd, the Prince raced eight European Classic winners and his horses won over 90 group and graded races in Europe and the U.S. In addition to Generous, those also included the Oaks, Irish Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks victress Ramruma (Diesis {GB}), Irish Oaks winner Knight's Baroness (GB) (Rainbow Quest) and American champion turf mare Fiji (GB) (Rainbow Quest), who was sold to Brushwood Stable at Keeneland November after Prince Fahd's death in 2002 for $3.1-million in foal to Danehill. Ramruma was also sold after Prince Fahd's death for 2.1-million gns, which in 2003 set a record for a broodmare at a European auction. She was bought by John Magnier in foal to Machiavellian.

Penfold was in 2003 appointed as stud manager and bloodstock and racing adviser for Britton House Stud in Somerset, England, a role that he took on alongside running Bugley Stud in Dorset with his wife Mary-Ann. One of Bugley Stud's top graduates was Strategic Prince (GB) (Dansili {GB}), who was sold by Bugley for 150,000gns at Tattersalls October in 2005 and went on to win the G2 July S. and G2 Vintage S. and finish third in the G1 Dewhurst S. The Penfolds also bred last year's G2 Airlie Stud S. winner Velocidad (GB) (Gleneagles {Ire}), who is trained by Joseph O'Brien for the Coolmore partners and Westerberg. Penfold's daughter, Sophie, is married to Tom Magnier.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

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Le Havre Dies Weeks After Being Pensioned

The Prix du Jockey Club winner and Classic sire Le Havre (Ire) has died at the age of 16. The son of Noverre was euthanised at Sumbe's Haras de Montfort et Preaux in Normandy just three weeks after his retirement from stud duties had been announced.

Le Havre's owner Gerard Augustin-Normand told TDN at that time, “He has been the most important horse of my life. He was the beginning and it's very emotional for me. I wouldn't have been in the breeding business if he had not been there. Everything began with Le Havre and I wouldn't have started breeding horses without him.

“It has not been easy but it is the right thing to do. We love him so much and he has given us the biggest emotions. I hope he will stay with us as long as possible.”

Sadly, Le Havre was not granted a long retirement but in his 12 full seasons at stud he has to date been represented by 20 group winners and 30 listed winners. They are headed by two dual Classic-winning daughters. Avenir Certain (Fr), a member of his first crop bred by Elisabeth Vidal, became Le Havre's first Classic winner in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and swiftly followed up in the Prix de Diane. Two years later the Augustin-Normand-bred La Cressonniere (Fr) completed the same Classic double. Both fillies were campaigned in partnership by Augustin-Normand and Antonio Caro and trained by Le Havre's former trainer Jean-Claude Rouget.

Augustin-Normand said last month, “When Le Havre went to stud I wanted to give him the best chances, everything he needed to succeed. I was so grateful to him for what he had given me, and that has not stopped. To have won two Poules and the Prix de Diane twice [with his daughters] is incredible.”

Le Havre was bred by Jan, Maja and Anna Sundstrom under their Team Hogdala banner and was the first foal of his dam Marie Rheinberg (Ger) (Surako {Ger}), a half-sister to the Group 1-winning sprinter Polar Falcon (Nureyev). Bought by Rouget for €100,000 at Arqana's August Sale, he became the first major winner in Thoroughbred racing for his prolific owner Gerard Augustin-Normand, who had previously been involved with racing trotters.

A dual winner at two, Le Havre won the Listed Prix Djebel on his 3-year-old debut, beating the previous season's G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner Naaqoos (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) into second. He was then runner-up to Silver Frost (Ire) (Verglas {Ire}) in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains before his dominant victory in the Prix du Jockey Club on what would transpire to be Le Havre's final start.

His retirement to what was then known as Haras de la Cauviniere in 2009 sparked a significant venture into the Thoroughbred breeding world by Augustin-Normand, who invested heavily but shrewdly in broodmares to support his young stallion.

The owner was soon rewarded with the aforementioned Avenir Certain, and Suedois (Fr) later became the second Group/Grade 1 winner from Le Havre's first crop when landing the GI Shadwell Turf Mile. La Cressonniere, Villa Marina (Fr), winner of the G1 Prix de l'Opera, and Wonderful Tonight (Fr), victrix of the G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares S. and the G1 Prix de Royallieu, followed on the roll call of top-level winners.

In a role in which we are likely to see him become more prominent in the years to come, Le Havre is the broodmare sire of G1 Coronation Cup winner Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}). A number of his daughters have been exported to Japan, including both his French Classic winners. Avenir Certain, who died after producing just two foals, is the dam of Des Ailes (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), the winner of last year's G2 Hanshin Himba S. as well as the G3 Aichi Hai in February. Le Havre's daughter Sea Front (Fr) is the dam of the Grade 2-winning juvenile Serifos (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}).

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