THE IRISH RACING P BLOODSTOCKOST

THE IRISH RACING POST

BLOODSTOCK

WEEKLY

DOMINATION

Thursday, August 12, 2010

ISSUE 26

PATRICK McCANN/

Zoffany advances to 2,000 Guineas favouritism after supplying Aidan

O¡¯Brien with his 11th Phoenix Stakes jjPedigree analysis, pages 2-3

2

Thursday, August 12, 2010

BLOODSTOCK WEEKLY PEDIGREE ANALYSIS

Poet helps makes it fine

weekend for Pivotal

POET

Race analysis Rain showers

arrived in the north of England

just in time for soft-ground

specialist Poet¡¯s assault on the

Rose of Lancaster Stakes at

Haydock on Saturday.

With the going at the

Merseyside track having

deteriorated to soft, Poet

recorded his fifth career

success ¨C his second at Pattern

level, all on going ranging

from good to yielding to heavy

¨C with a brave, front-running,

one-and-three-quarter-length

win over last-time-out Listed

scorer Class Is Class.

The winner and runner-up

drew six lengths clear of the

third, smart handicapper and

Listed runner-up Distant

Memories, with another Listed

winner, Fallen Idol, a further

three and a quarter lengths

back in fourth.

Consistent and smart older

mare Les Fazzani, another who

thrives with give underfoot,

was well beaten in fifth, giving

the form a solid look.

Five-year-old Rio De La

Plata, winner of the Prix

Jean-Luc Lagardere at two

and on the comeback trail

after winning a Listed event

on his latest appearance,

disappointed badly, but can be

excused on what was his first

start over as far as an

extended 1m2f since tackling

the Derby, and on similar

ground to that at Haydock last

year when he finished last as

favourite in the Listed Superior

Mile. He is evidently one who

prefers to hear his hooves

rattle.

Formerly trained at

Ballydoyle, five-year-old Poet

featured some way down the

list of Aidan O¡¯Brien¡¯s star

horses according to Racing

POET b h 2005

Nureyev

Polar Falcon

Pivotal

b 1993

Marie D¡¯Argonne

Cozzene

Fearless Revival

Shirley Heights

Hyabella

b 1988

Stufida

Mill Reef

Hardiemma

Bellypha

Bella Colora

Race Rose

of Lancaster Stakes

(Haydock, 1m21?2f,

Group 3, soft)

Owner

Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa

Al Nahyan

Breeder

Meon Valley Stud

Reprocolor

Post Ratings, but that may say

more about O¡¯Brien¡¯s

extraordinary firepower than

Poet himself. After a quiet

three-year-old season, when he

ran just three times, winning

once and twice placed in

Listed company, and then a

tentative start to his four-yearold campaign, he reeled off a

quickfire treble last season in

the Listed Ruby Stakes at

Killarney, the valuable Irish

Cambridgeshire Handicap and

the Group 3 Kilternan Stakes.

Subsequently sold privately

to race for Sheikh Sultan Bin

Khalifa Al Nahyan, Poet had

four starts at the Dubai

carnival this year and was

soundly beaten in all of them.

Maybe the new Tapeta track

at Meydan just doesn¡¯t suit

Poet¡¯s affinity for softer going,

as the loss of form proved

temporary. After joining Clive

Cox in Lambourn for a British

campaign, he was sixth in the

Gala Stakes and then third in

the Steventon Stakes before his

successful Haydock assignment.

Poet holds an entry for a

repeat bid in the Group 3

Kilternan Stakes at

Leopardstown next month

and another for the Irish

Champion Stakes on the

same card. The former race

looks the more realistic

option for a horse who could

take a lot of beating at around

that level on softer going.

Pedigree It is now ingrained

in racing folklore that in 1977

fledgling owner-breeder Egon

Weinfeld hired the services of

bloodstock agent Richard

Galpin to select three or four

mares to found his broodmare

band at Meon Valley Stud.

Galpin bought four mares,

two as yearlings, two as

broodmare prospects, for a

total of 81,500gns, and three of

them were so successful in the

breeding shed at Meon Valley

that the operation did not buy

another yearling for 30 years.

The two purchased as

yearlings were 1,000 Guineas

heroine One In A Million (dam

of Milligram and granddam of

One So Wonderful) and

Galtres Stakes winner Odeon

(ancestress of Lady Carla). But

it was one of the broodmare

purchases who trumped even

those lofty achievements at

Meon Valley Stud.

Reprocolor, a daughter of

Jimmy Reppin who had won

the Lingfield Oaks Trial and

cost Weinfeld 25,000gns,

counts among her

Group 1-winning descendants

Cezanne (her son), Kayf Tara,

Opera House and Zee Zee Top

(all out of Reprocolor¡¯s

daughter Colorspin), Necklace

(a granddaughter of

Colorspin) and Zafisio (her

great, great-grandson).

Along with Colorspin, it is

Reprocolor¡¯s 1982 daughter by

Bellypha, Bella Colora, who

has done most to extend the

blue hen¡¯s influence.

Bella Colora is dam of Prince

of Wales¡¯s Stakes winner and

Eclipse runner-up Stagecraft,

Strensall Stakes winner

Mullins Bay, Dahlia Stakes

winner Balalaika (dam of Jebel

Hatta scorer Alkaadhem) and

dual Listed winner Hyabella,

who is the dam of Poet and

granddam of Irish 2,000

Guineas runner-up France and

Lingfield Derby Trial scorer

Alessandro Volta.

Poet¡¯s sire Pivotal ¨C also on

the mark over the weekend

with Prix Maurice de Gheest

winner Regal Parade ¨C has

previously worked well with

the Reprocolor family when

mated with Reprocolor¡¯s

granddaughter Flashing Green

to produce German Listed

winner Flashing Colour, while

Zee Zee Top has an as-yet

unraced two-year-old daughter

and Cheveley Park Stakes

runner-up Suez (out of

Reprocolor¡¯s daughter Repeat

Warning) has a colt foal by the

Cheveley Park Stud flagship

stallion.

This is not the first time that

Pivotal has produced a tough

cookie when mated with a

mare by Shirley Heights or his

sons. River Falcon, who won

his seventh race on his 94th

start on Saturday, is by Pivotal

out of the Elegant Air mare

Pearly River, while Ratio, whose

eight career wins included the

Wokingham Handicap and a

Group 3 sprint, is out of the

High Estate mare Owdbetts.

Hyabella has a yearling colt

by Montjeu, a filly foal by

Medicean and visited New

Approach this year.

Martin Stevens

Poet: relished the underfoot conditions when landing Haydock¡¯s Rose of Lancaster Stakes on Saturday

Zoffany gets

up to beat

Glor Na

Mara

(nearest)

and Strong

Suit in the

Phoenix

Stakes

Another

ZOFFANY

Race analysis Even with the

absence of runaway Anglesey

Stakes winner Dunboyne

Express, Sunday¡¯s Phoenix

Stakes looked a thrilling

showdown between two of the

season¡¯s most promising

juvenile talents.

In the red corner (almost

literally, as he was bearing the

red and green silks of Julie

Wood) was Strong Suit, the

impressive winner of the

Coventry Stakes and

representing the red-hot

Richard Hannon team, while in

the blue (and orange, running

as he does in the ownership of

Michael Tabor) corner was

Zoffany, who had been beaten

into sixth in the Coventry but

had won all his other four

starts, most recently the Group

3 Tyros Stakes.

Adding further intrigue to

proceedings was the Jim

Bolger-trained Glor Na Mara,

who had finished last of four

to Dunboyne Express in the

Anglesey on his career debut

and sole start but came into

the race with a massive

reputation.

Zoffany¡¯s trainer Aidan

O¡¯Brien went into the Group 1

typically mob-handed (he had

supplied the first three home,

along with two also-rans, in

last year¡¯s Phoenix) and it was

his Snow Mountain who cut

out the early pace, tracked by

stablemates Emperor Hadrian

and Samuel Morse, with ¨C

perhaps surprisingly for a colt

who had finished with a

flourish from the rear in the

Coventry ¨C Strong Suit racing

prominently, along with Glor

Na Mara.

Zoffany was settled at the

rear of the field by Johnny

Murtagh, travelling ominously

well.

Strong Suit was pushed up

to lead over two furlongs from

home, but the explosive turn

of foot he showed at Royal

Ascot deserted him and,

despite leading briefly at the

furlong pole, he was soon

joined by Glor Na Mara.

But the pair had to give best

to Zoffany, who ran on well

from the back of the field to

swoop past Glor Na Mara and

Strong Suit in the closing

stages. He passed the post half

a length in front of Glor Na

Mara, with Strong Suit a short

head back in third.

Zoffany, subsequently

promoted to ante-post

favourite for the 2,000 Guineas

by bookmakers, will most likely

be aimed at a Group 1 double

in the National Stakes at the

Curragh in September.

This year¡¯s Phoenix Stakes

underlined two significant

trends: first, that the race is a

graveyard for Coventry

Stakes winners. Strong Suit

joins Art Connoisseur,

Henrythenavigator, Red Clubs

and Three Valleys as Coventry

winners subsequently beaten

in the Phoenix ¨C not bad

company to keep, considering

those four went on to claim

Group 1 glory (although Three

Valleys was later disqualified

after landing the Middle Park

Stakes).

The second trend is

Ballydoyle¡¯s domination of the

race. O¡¯Brien has trained 11

winners ¨C including luminaries

such as George Washington,

Johannesburg and

Mastercraftsman ¨C since 1998.

Pedigree It is no surprise to

see another Ballydoyle-trained

Phoenix Stakes winner hail

from the Danehill sire line. It

3

Irish Racing Post Thursday, August 12, 2010

Champagne further

example of sire¡¯s

sparkling potential

CHAMPAGNE D¡¯ORO

Dansili star

is, after all, an abundant

source of talent that Coolmore

has mined intensively in its

breeding programme.

But whereas O¡¯Brien¡¯s last

two Phoenix winners, Alfred

Nobel and Mastercraftsman,

were by Coolmore sire Danehill

Dancer, and the two before

that, George Washington and

Holy Roman Emperor, were by

Danehill Dancer¡¯s late sire

Danehill, Zoffany is by Dansili,

a Danehill stallion who does

not stand at Coolmore but at

Juddmonte¡¯s Banstead Manor

Stud in Newmarket, and

whose immense talent the

operation has recognised and

tapped into.

Coolmore¡¯s support of

Dansili is evident in last year¡¯s

Weatherbys Return of Mares,

where his stellar book bred at

a fee of ?65,000 include

Ballydoyle Group 1 winners or

placed horses Alexandrova

(has produced this year a bay

filly foal by the sire), All Too

Beautiful (a bay colt), Listen (a

bay filly) and Moonstone (bay

colt).

It was also seen at the sales,

with John Magnier buying

Zoffany for 220,000gns at

Book 1 of the Tattersalls

October yearling sale, and

his son MV signing for the

Dansili colt who topped

the DBS St Leger yearling

sale, now called Tom Sawyer.

Dansili has provided ample

justification for the support ¨C

and a timely boost for his 2010

batch of sales yearlings, who

were bred at a career-high fee

of ?75,000 ¨C with a spectacular

run of form this summer.

Breathtaking King George

winner Harbinger and Zoffany

became his sixth and seventh

individual Group/Grade 1

winners (and the first two bred

outside of his owner Khalid

Abdullah¡¯s Juddmonte

breeding operation), and one

of those Juddmonte-bred

Grade 1 winners, Proviso,

added the Just A Game Stakes

and Diana Stakes to her tally

of elite-level victories.

Furthermore, his progeny

Aviate, Famous Name, Ice

Blue, Illustrious Blue and

Strawberrydaiquiri have

notched Group successes and

daughter Bewitched won a

brace of Listed sprints.

Those standard-bearers this

season demonstrate the sire¡¯s

versatility; their victories have

come over distances ranging

from 6f (Bewitched and

Zoffany) to 2m (Illustrious

Blue in the Goodwood

Cup).

Zoffany was bred in Ireland

by Epona Bloodstock out of the

Machiavellian mare Tyranny,

who had been bought aged

ZOFFANY b c 2008

Danzig

Danehill

Dansili

b 1996

Hasili

Machiavellian

Tyranny

b 2000

Razyana

Kahyasi

Kerali

Mr Prospector

Coup De Folie

Suave Dancer

Dust Dancer

Galaxie Dust

Race Keeneland Phoenix

Stakes (Curragh, 6f,

Group 1, yielding)

Owner Michael Tabor

Breeder

Epona Bloodstock Ltd

seven carrying Zoffany for

230,000gns at the 2007

Tattersalls December sale.

It was the second six-figure

sale of Tyranny¡¯s life, as she

had been purchased as a

yearling in Newmarket for

270,000gns out of the

consignment of her breeder,

Hesmonds Stud. Racing in the

colours of Nicholas Cooper, she

won her maiden at three on

her fifth career start ¨C an

overdue success considering

she had run subsequent Royal

Lodge Stakes winner Al Jadeed

to two and a half lengths on

her debut.

Tyranny went on to win a

class 4 handicap off a mark of

78 before finding stakes

company beyond her on three

starts in Listed races.

From the start of her

retirement, Tyranny was sent

to blue-chip stallions by

Normandie Stud, as befits a

winning half-sister to Grade 2

heroine Spotlight and Listed

runner-up Dusty Answer,

out of Group 3 winner

Dust Dancer and from the

family of high-class fillies

Bulaxie, Claxon and

Cassydora.

Her first two matings, with

Cape Cross and Rock Of

Gibraltar, produced fillies who

failed to win from seven starts

combined, so early indications

suggest that the Dansili mating

that produced Zoffany, her

fourth foal, would be worth

repeating.

It will be fascinating to

see how her third foal, the

Pivotal filly Queen Of Mean,

develops. She made a winning

debut for owner-breeders

Normandie Stud and trainer

John Gosden at Yarmouth

yesterday.

Martin Stevens

Race analysis Champagne

D¡¯Oro was winless from six

starts at two last year, but that

record doesn¡¯t tell the whole

story of her talent. She was

disqualified after winning her

maiden following the

discovery of a banned

substance in her sample and

she went on to finish less than

seven lengths behind Lookin At

Lucky in the Grade 1 Del Mar

Futurity.

It looked as though her luck

was still out this season after

finishing a never-dangerous,

well-beaten 11th in the

Kentucky Oaks, but this

summer she has finally lived

up to her trainer Eric Guillot¡¯s

high regard. She pulled off a

shock win in the Grade 1

Acorn Stakes in June, ran

second to Fanny Freud in the

Grade 1 Prioress Stakes last

month and doubled her Grade

1 tally in Saturday¡¯s Test Stakes.

Champagne D¡¯Oro raced

prominently throughout the

Test, battling with race

favourite Pica Slew, winner of

last month¡¯s Grade 3 Azalea

Stakes. Despite having set fast

fractions in the early stages of

the race, she impressed

onlookers with the way in

which she still had enough in

reserve to sprint clear in the

home straight to put four and

a half lengths between her and

runner-up Bonnie Blue Flag on

the line.

CHAMPAGNE D¡¯ORO b f 2007

Sadler¡¯s Wells

El Prado

Medaglia D¡¯Oro

b 1999

Lady Capulet

Race Test Stakes

(Saratoga, 7f, Grade 1,

fast)

Bailjumper

Cappucino Bay

Saratoga Six

Champagne Glow

b 1998

Dubbed In

Alydar

Priceless Fame

Breeder

Liberation Farm

L¡¯Enjoleur

Champagne Ginny

Owner Southern Equine

Stable & Mike Smith

Seminole Girl

Guillot told American

reporters afterwards: ¡°If

everybody paid attention, she

was dragging two guys to the

post. Dragging them. This

filly¡¯s been training great since

we came up here. It¡¯s not often

you see 44.4secs go up there,

and to kick away from them.

And that was a nice field.¡±

Champagne D¡¯Oro looks a

natural for the Breeders¡¯ Cup

Filly & Mare Sprint at Churchill

Downs in November, but a

more immediate assignment is

likely to be the Grade 1

Ballerina Stakes over 7f at

Saratoga ¨C the Test Stakes

course and distance ¨C on

August 28.

Pedigree Champagne D¡¯Oro

is further evidence that

American breeders have at

their disposal a stallion of

enormous potential in

Medaglia D¡¯Oro. She joins the

outstanding Rachel Alexandra,

Gabby¡¯s Golden Gal, Passion

For Gold and Warrior¡¯s Reward

on the sire¡¯s list of

Group/Grade 1 winners.

The filly was bred by

Liberation Farm out of the

Saratoga Six mare Champagne

Glow, a runner-up in the Grade

1 Frizette Stakes.

Champagne Glow¡¯s progeny

evidently have the will to win,

with Glowing Tru, her son by

Capote, winning 14 races,

Phoneforchampagne, her son

by Phone Trick, winning six

and By Bye Crafty, her son by

Crafty Prospector, notching

four.

The habit of prolific success

spreads further back in the

family: Champagne Glow¡¯s

dam, Champagne Ginny, won

eight races, including the Grade

3 Boiling Springs Stakes; her

half-brother Jurado won 13,

including the Premio Vittorio di

Capua at Milan (and unusually

for a sprinter¡¯s pedigree is

responsible for tough staying

chasers Hello Bud and Swansea

Bay); and another, Grand

Canyon, won the Grade 1

Hollywood Futurity and

Norfolk Stakes at two.

Martin Stevens

JESSIE HOLMES/EQUISPORTPHOTOS

Champagne D¡¯Oro: the latest in a string of Group/Grade 1 winners for his sire

4

Thursday, August 12, 2010

BLOODSTOCK WEEKLY

RACING NOTEBOOK

CAROLINE NORRIS

Light to have won in Britain or

Ireland, and the first juvenile

to do so.

jjMonday, August 2

W Hold That Tiger¡¯s

three-year-old son Smiling

Tiger becomes a Grade 1

winner at Del Mar in the Bing

Crosby Stakes over 6f on

Polytrack. Smiling Tiger was

led out unsold at $32,000 as a

yearling at Keeneland¡¯s

January sale.

jjSunday, August 8

The Dansili colt Zoffany is

victorious in the Group 1

Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at

the Curragh, becoming the

first juvenile colt by his sire to

score at the top level. Zoffany¡¯s

only defeat in six starts came

in the Coventry Stakes at Royal

Ascot behind Strong Suit, who

finishes third here. A third

runner, and first winner, out of

his dam Tyranny, by

Machiavellian, his granddam is

the Group 3 winner Dust

Dancer.

W The Mick Easterby-trained

Thirteen Shivers takes the

Carlisle Living Maiden Auction

Stakes at Carlisle. The colt,

picked up for a mere 800gns at

Tattersalls October Book 3, has

improved with each of his

three starts. By Iceman,

Thirteen Shivers shares his

third dam, Long Legend, with

Street Sense, and Long Legend

is also the dam of Mr Greeley.

W Montjeu¡¯s four-time Group

W Native Picture, a Kodiac

half-sister to Kingsgate Native,

wins the European Breeders¡¯

Fund Maiden Fillies¡¯ Stakes at

Windsor over 6f. The filly was

sold by Bansha House Stables

at Newmarket¡¯s Craven

Breeze-Up sale for

70,000gns.

Alexander Pope

off the mark

jjTuesday, August 3

W Campos is sent over from

Tommy Stack¡¯s stable in

County Tipperary to land the

7f European Breeders¡¯ Fund

Maiden Stakes at Catterick

after two starts in Ireland. The

son of Oratorio is out of an

unraced half-sister to Pawn

Broker and was bred by Fozzy

Stack and Jamie Spencer.

Saoire. Take Flight sold for

€210,000 at Goffs¡¯ Orby sale.

jjThursday, August 5

jjFriday, August 6

closely related to Kayf Tara

and Opera House. He was

bought for 40,000gns from

Tattersalls October Book 1.

W Alexander Pope, a

W Godolphin juvenile

W A son of High Chaparral,

100,000gns foal, wins the 7f

Irish Stallion Farms European

Breeders Fund Maiden at

Leopardstown. The colt is by

Danehill Dancer and is the

first foal of triple winner

Starship, from a family his

trainer Aidan O¡¯Brien knows

well. Starship¡¯s granddam is

also that of Mahler and

Footstepsinthesand. The

short-head second, A Word

Apart, is a Desert Style

half-brother to Casual

Conquest.

W Take Flight scores in a 5f

maiden at Sandown. By

Pivotal, the Jeremy Nosedatrained juvenile filly is a sister

to Irish 1,000 Guineas winner

Alexander Pope (Johnny Murtagh) is led in after breaking his duck at the third attempt at Leopardstown

Biondetti makes a winning

debut on Newmarket¡¯s July

course in the Talk Night Club

Maiden Stakes over 7f. A

$350,000 yearling from

Fasig-Tipton¡¯s Kentucky July

sale, Biondetti is from the first

crop of Bernardini and a

half-brother to Indy Five

Hundred, who won a Grade 1

handicap on turf in the US

over 1m1f.

Wigmore Hall, denies

Chabal in the 1m2f

Newmarket Nights

Conditions Stakes.

His dam, Love And

Laughter, is a

winning

half-sister to useful

performer Kissing

The Camera, a

1m Listed winner

in France.

W At Deauville, Havane

jjSaturday,

Smoker completes a hat-trick

from as many starts in the Prix

des Roches Noires over 71?2f.

The son of Dubawi traces to

Reprocolor ¨C Havane Smoker¡¯s

fourth dam ¨C and his

granddam Bella Ballerina is

lands the Group 3

Rose of

Lancaster Stakes over 1m21?2f

at Haydock. His dam, dual

Listed winner Hyabella, is a

granddaughter of Reprocolor.

A son of Pivotal,

Poet was

winning for

the second

time at

Group 3 level, having won the

Kilternan Stakes over this trip

at Leopardstown last year.

W Trained by Alan

Swinbank, the Motivator

two-year-old Dominator

makes a winning debut at Ayr.

The gelding cost 34,000gns

from Book 2 of Tattersalls¡¯

October sale and is out of the

triple Listed winner Subya, a

daughter of Night Shift who

also produced Battle Of

Hastings, a dual Grade 2

winner in the US.

W Morning Charm (left), a

North Light half-sister to

Lucarno, takes the Home of

Racing Maiden Fillies¡¯ Stakes

at Newmarket. Like Lucarno,

Morning Charm is owned and

bred by George Strawbridge.

She is the second produce of

2004 Derby winner North

August 7

W The

Reprocolor line is

again

successful

when Poet

1 winner Fame And Glory

notches a comfortable success

in the Group 2 Keeneland

Royal Whip Stakes. His dam,

Gryada, is by Shirley Heights

out of the German 1,000

Guineas winner Grimpola.

Fame And Glory was sold at

Tattersalls¡¯ December sale as a

foal for 190,000gns to Tim

Hyde.

W The Mr Greeley filly

Laughing Lashes, trained by

Jessica Harrington, loses her

maiden tag in the Group 2

Keeneland Debutante Stakes.

Her dam Adventure, a winner

in the US, is a half-sister to

Racing Post Trophy winner

Palace Episode.

W Regal Parade, a

six-year-old son of Pivotal and

winner of last year¡¯s Betfred

Sprint Cup at Haydock, lands a

second Group 1 in the Prix

Maurice de Gheest at

Deauville. Having cost Sheikh

Mohammed 430,000gns as a

yearling from Tattersalls

October Book 1, he was sold as

a three-year-old to David

Nicholls at the Autumn

Horses In Training Sale for

16,000gns.

W Winter Dream earns a

first black-type win over 1m4f

at Deauville. The six-year-old

is a member of the recently

deceased Act One¡¯s first crop.

Out of the Darshaan mare

Settler, Winter Dream is a

half-brother to another

Listed winner in Great

Pretender.

George Kimberley

INTERNATIONAL ROUND-UP

Second Australian sires title for Redoute¡¯s Choice

jjAustralia

REDOUTE¡¯S CHOICE has been

crowned champion Australian

sire by earnings for the second

time. This season yielded three

Group 1 winners, which took him

back to the head of the table and

saw him foil Encosta De Lago¡¯s

attempt at a third consecutive

championship.

Redoute¡¯s Choice finished the

season with nearly A$9 million in

earnings (excluding trophies and

bonuses), thereby handing him the

title he also won in the 2005-

2006 season. He was also the

season¡¯s joint leading sire of stakes

winners alongside Zabeel, with a

total of 14.

jjUSA

LAST year¡¯s UAE Derby runnerup Desert Party has been retired

to stud after sustaining a softtissue injury. The four-year-old

son of Street Cry, winner of the

Grade 2 Sanford Stakes at Saratoga

for Eoin Harty as a juvenile, will

join Darley ¡¯s Jonabell Farm

operation in Lexington, Kentucky.

Winner of the UAE 2,000

Guineas in 2009, Desert Party

was quietly fancied for that year¡¯s

Kentucky Derby, in which he

suffered a bone chip in his nearfore ankle. After surgery, he won

in Group 3 company at Meydan

this year before finishing out of

the frame in the Godolphin Mile.

Desert Party will be the third son

of Street Cry to stand at Jonabell

Farm alongside his sire, following

Kentucky Derby winner Street

Sense and Grade 1-winning

sprinter Street Boss.

A $2.1m sale-topping two-yearold when purchased by John

Ferguson at the 2008 Fasig-Tipton

Calder Sale, Desert Party is out of

the Tabasco Cat mare Sage Cat.

jjNew Zealand

AUSTRALASIAN champion sire

Zabeel has been announced as

the winner of the Centaine Award

for the 2009-10 season.

The Centaine Award goes to

the sire whose New Zealandconceived progeny accumulate

the highest stakes earnings

worldwide in a season. Progeny

of Zabeel earned NZ$10,161,878

(?4,652,283/€5,602,349) in

stakes earnings during the

past season, placing the

Cambridge Stud stalwart

NZ$76,337 ahead of last year¡¯s

winner O¡¯Reilly.

Zabeel, a 24-year-old son of

Sir Tristram, has sired 41 Group

1 winners worldwide during his

stud career, including former

European shuttlers Octagonal

and Reset.

Not only has he been champion

sire in Australia twice and four

times in New Zealand, he has

also won the Dewar Award

(combined Australian/New

Zealand earnings) a record 14

times. He will stand the

2010-11 season for NZ$100,000

(?45,787/ €55,117).

Irish shuttler High Chaparral

finished fifth on the list with

NZ$7,124,129 (?3,260,591/

€3,924,065), while his Coolmore

studmate Montjeu wound up in

eighth on NZ$5,468,687

(?2,502,924/€3,012,225).

5

Racing Post Thursday, August 12, 2010

BLOODSTOCK WEEKLY PEOPLE, EVENTS, NEWS AND VIEWS

HOME PAGE

Snaefell another smart performer

for Lady Clague¡¯s Newberry Stud

By Cathal Beale

POPULAR grey Snaefell secured

his fifth stakes victory at the

Curragh on Sunday, winning the

Group 3 Phoenix Sprint Stakes for

the second time.

The six-year-old gelding was

racing over his optimum ground

(yielding) and trip (6f), and with

the aid of reapplied blinkers he

stayed on well under Shane Foley

to score by three-quarters of a

length.

Bred by Lady Clague¡¯s Newberry

Stud just outside Kilcullen in

County Kildare, Snaefell is by

Danehill Dancer out of the stakesplaced mare Sovereign Grace.

His sister Daganya was placed

in the Group 2 Flying Five and won

the Listed Sweet Mimosa Stakes.

Sovereign Grace has also

produced the Listed-placed Henry

Hall. She is now retired from stud

duties and her final produce, a

two-year-old Aussie Rules filly

called Mosaicist, is in training

with James Fanshawe.

Newberry Stud was purchased

by Lady Clague in 1975 and

houses the owner¡¯s select band of

ten broodmares.

¡°Lady Clague is very hands-on

and has a great knowledge of

pedigrees,¡± said stud manager

Pat Murtagh. ¡°She and her son

Jonathon have a major input,

especially into the selection of

mating plans. We are mainly a

breed-to-race operation, although

we do sell the odd one. The

yearlings are reared outside and

come in at the end of September

to be broken before being sent off

to the trainers.¡±

And so it was with Snaefell,

who was always a lovely looking

animal with a great temperament,

according to Murtagh.

¡°Snaefell was broken here and

sent to Michael Halford,¡± he said.

¡°He has been a fantastic servant,

winning five stakes races. He

enjoys number one status in the

yard and even Michael¡¯s kids sit

on his back. He is a gentleman of

a horse and as long as he is fit and

well we will continue with him.

He will then have a great retirement on the farm.¡±

With Snaefell¡¯s regular jockeys

Fran Berry, Pat Smullen and

Johnny Murtagh all unavailable,

Foley was given the chance to

secure his first stakes winner.

Pat Murtagh explained: ¡°We

had to make the decision on

Friday and we thought, why not

give ¡®Dusty¡¯ a try. I think he is as

good as anyone and he gave the

horse an excellent ride.¡±

Snaefell will have to improve

to win a Group 1, but Newberry

Stud has produced some fine toplevel winners over the years.

¡°Namid is the best we have had.

He won the Prix de l¡¯Abbaye and

was a fraction of a second outside

the track record,¡± said Murtagh.

There was also Key Change, who

raced for Lady Clague and won

the Yorkshire Oaks, and Irish

Oaks winner Winona, who was

bred at Newberry.

¡°Key Change foaled late last

year, so she does not have a foal

at foot, but she is in foal to Sea

The Stars, so we are all excited

about that,¡± added Murtagh. ¡°She

has a cracking yearling filly by

Dansili who will be retained to

race. Winona is in foal to Azamour

and we also have Daganya, who

is in foal to Excellent Art.¡±

Quick questions

Nicola Kent, Ireland

representative,

Arqana sales

jjHow strong is the Irish

presence at Deauville? The

sale¡¯s success has made it

increasingly popular with

vendors from outside France

and there are a dozen

consignors from Ireland this

year, accounting for over 40

yearlings. Many of the most

successful Irish consignors are

represented, including the

world-famous Moyglare Stud,

which will take part in the

August sale for the first time.

jjThe Arqana sale has

bucked the trend in recent

years, posting gains across

the board. Would a repeat of

last year¡¯s returns be a

success? The sale has gone

from strength to strength in

the past few years, but it would

be wrong to make any wild

predictions in the current

economic climate. What we do

know is that this year¡¯s

catalogue is as strong as it has

ever been and, with a wide

variety of international buyers

expected to attend, the

ingredients are in place for a

solid market.

jjWhy buy a horse at

Deauville? Not only is the

purchase of the horse a

hugely pleasurable experience,

but you have the opportunity

to buy into some of the best

families in Europe. Graduates

have an excellent track record

and the Arqana and FRBC

teams will do their utmost to

make it a rewarding and

enjoyable time both before and

after your purchase.

Newberry Stud, in Kilcullen, County Kildare, which houses Lady Clague¡¯s select band of ten broodmares and bred Phoenix Sprint winner Snaefell

Well-attended Smart Approach seminar Applications invited for new equine

of ¡®great benefit¡¯ to breeding community business course at Maynooth

THE second in a series of Smart

Approach seminars, hosted by

the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders¡¯

Association in conjunction with

the National Development Plan

¨C a government-backed industries

investment scheme ¨C drew a large

crowd of breeders last Thursday,

writes Cathal Beale.

The seminar highlighted yearling

preparation and comprised a panel

discussion in the morning and a

practical visit in the afternoon.

The first session took place at

ITBA headquarters, where a broad-ranging panel addressed

the importance of a good

preparation programme to ensure

yearlings reach their full potential

in time for the sales season.

The panel included vet Don

Collins of the Phoenix Equine

G r o u p , G a i n H o r s e Fe e d s

nutritional expert Joanne Hurley

and Bill Dwan of the Castlebridge

Consignment.

The second session took place

at Pier House Stud on the Curragh.

Brothers Brendan and Ger Morrin

gave a hands-on demonstration

of showing horses and spoke

about the practicalities of yearling

preparation. They also addressed

issues raised by fellow breeders.

During the visit the attendees

were treated to a viewing of a

Raven¡¯s Pass three-parts sister to

Elusive Wave. The Classic-winning

filly was bred at Pier House.

ITBA manager Shane O¡¯Dwyer,

who chaired the panel, said the

seminar was of ¡°great benefit¡±

to breeders. He also thanked all

speakers for their contributions.

The third Smart Approach

seminar takes place at the ITBA

headquarters on Thursday,

September 2 and will cover all

aspects of foal preparation. Places

will be limited and members can

book by contacting the ITBA.

THE National University of

Ireland, in Maynooth, County

Kildare, is accepting applications

for a new part-time Certificate

in Equine Business. The course

has been designed for anyone

who would like to pursue a

career in the equine industry.

Course director Niamh

O¡¯Sullivan said: ¡°The certificate

offers students an insight into

key areas of the equine industry,

including racecourse and equine

event management, stud farm

business management and the

equine leisure and tourism

sector.

¡°The equine aspects of the

course are applied in nature

and modules have been

developed in conjunction with

equine industry experts.¡±

Students will also develop a

firm grounding in enterprise

and management skills,

exploring core business

disciplines such as marketing,

human resources, accounting,

and finance and business

law.

Industry involvement with

the course is continued through

the guest speaker series, which

runs through the majority of

the equine modules and brings

students face to face with

executives from all aspects of

the racing and horse industries.

The Certificate in Equine

Business is open to all interested

individuals, who must complete

an application form, attach

references and write a short

essay outlining previous or

current experience and interest

in the equine industry.

The programme is taught

throughout the academic year

in the autumn and spring

semesters.

For more information visit

nuim.ie/courses or contact

Niamh O¡¯Sullivan.

Cathal Beale

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