Signe of the Times as Carmers Breaks Track Record for Owner-Breeder Fiona Carmichael

[Wandering Eyes]

ASCOT, UK — From a maiden on May 9 to a Group 2 winner at Royal Ascot less than 40 days later is some going but, as ever with bloodstock, the story reaches back much further than these few glorious weeks. 

In the case of the Queen's Vase winner Carmers (Wootton Bassett), his owner-breeder Fiona Carmichael bought his dam Signe (Sea The Stars) as a yearling more than a decade ago and, as a half-sister to Group 1 winner Lord Shanakill, she carried the pretty hefty price tag of €1.1 million. But, just 16 days later another of her half-siblings, Together Forever, won the G1 Fillies' Mile, and would later become even more celebrated as the dam of City Of Troy, while four years on yet another, Forever Together, would win the Oaks. It's a family that just keeps giving.

Signe herself won her first three starts but never quite progressed enough to gather a bit of black type. Her third foal, however, is making up for that and Carmers can justifiably now be considered a candidate for the St Leger having won his first three starts on the bounce, including breaking the track record in the Queen's Vase. 

“It's all fairly new to me but I am living the dream, and what has happened today is absolutely amazing,” said Carmichael, standing alongside her trainer Paddy Twomey and bloodstock agent Amanda Skiffington.

“It has made me so nervous today. It's what dreams are made of, it's something to look forward to. This helps my mare, and, just the whole programme I've got involved in, I hadn't intended to when I first got involved in racing but it has been fabulous.”

Skiffington added, “Fiona named this horse after his husband. That's his nickname, Carmers, and she said we had better find a good one to give that name to.”

Signe had been bred at Ballylinch Stud, who consigned her for sale on behalf of her breeders Vimal and Gillian Khosla, and she later returned 'home', where her celebrated dam Green Room (Theatrical) had been a long-term boarder, for the start of her own breeding career.

Watching on as the celebrations started for Carmichael and co, Ballylinch Stud's managing director John O'Connor recalled, “Signe was a lovely yearling. Amanda loved her and Fiona backed her judgement and now it's really starting to pay off, because this family has exploded really in the number of years that it's been with us. There's been some amount of high-quality horses to have come out of that family.”

He added, “The Khoslas have another daughter [of Green Room] called Fenella, who is also by Sea The Stars, so it's exciting times for them as well. Green Room was just a really special mare.”

Ballylinch Stud could also feel some pride in the valiant run in second of Furthur (Waldgeist), who races for Jason Singh's The Merry Pranksters syndicate (fans of Ken Kesey will enjoy the naming of the Andrew Balding-trained colt).

Ballylinch consigned Further for breeders Max and Lyn Morris at the Goffs November Foal Sale, where he was bought by the Motherways' TDM Bloodstock. Singh later bought him with Balding at Book 2 of the October Yearling Sale – as one would expect of a Tattersalls man.

Ombudsman Shines for Father of the Bride Hanly

From the previous year's Book 2 has emerged a colt who has almost sneaked his way into the biggest spotlight of all since winning on debut this week last year at Newmarket for John and Thady Gosden. Ombudsman, yet another exciting runner for Night Of Thunder, has done little wrong in the intervening 12 months, winning five of his six starts for Godolphin, culminating in the Prince of Wales's Stakes.

The four-year-old son of Night Of Thunder was co-bred by James Hanly of Ballyhimikin Stud and Jono Mills, bloodstock manager of Godolphin and Darley.

“James is an amazing breeder and he owns the mare,” said Mills. 

“The team at Ballyhimikin, Frisk and Helen, did an amazing job with him – he was a lovely yearling and it's all down to them. I was a tiny part of it.”

He added, “He really was always a beautiful yearling, Anthony [Stroud] bought him, and the horse has been beautifully managed by John and Thady. They have given him the time he needed to come to the fore.”

James Hanly had good reason not to be in attendance at Royal Ascot as he was otherwise engaged at his daughter's wedding.

In between the 'I dos', he commented, “It's a major boost. I'm afraid I couldn't make it as I am here at my daughter's wedding in Greece. Duty called! But we watched it on the telly and it's just unbelievably exciting.”

Hanly added, “He'll be rated highly after this, I'd imagine. The mare [Syndicate] is a beauty and he is a beauty as well. He made a lot of money [340,000gns] as a yearling and was very, very attractive back then as well. John Gosden is such a good trainer and those good trainers give these horses time if they need it.”

Hanly sourced Syndicate (Dansili) from Juddmonte at the 2017 December Mares Sale for just 25,000gns.

He recalled, “We picked her out from Juddmonte and sent her to John Feane, who won a race with her. John said 'this is a good filly and you definitely need to breed from her.' It's a good Juddmonte family – it's a right good pedigree. This is what we dream about and sometimes dreams come true. We're very lucky to have her and we've a great team at home minding them. Helen and Diarmuid Jones manage the farm [ Ballyhimikin] for me and they are the key to all of this. It's a team effort.”

Away from the roasting action on the track, those at Ascot this week looking for a little calm can take advantage of a special installation of the Queen's Reading Room at the racecourse to mark the 200th anniversary of the Royal Procession.

The Queen's Reading Room charity was launched two years ago by Queen Camilla to “promote the power and benefits of reading”. We at TDN encourage you to follow the Queen's lead, and her influence has perhaps spread to the guest list for the royal carriages this year, which have so far included the writers Anthony Horowitz, Robert Harris and William Boyd. And if you are jetting off on holiday after an exhausting week at Royal Ascot, we suggest packing a copy of Boyd's most excellent Any Human Heart.

 

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