Seven Days: Keep Calm and Carry On

[Wandering Eyes]

Turbulente was a prophetic winner at Chantilly on Friday considering the events that would transpire less than 24 hours later across the Middle East. The Wertheimer-bred daughter of Australia from the family of a horse whose greatest exploits came in Australia – Americain (Dynaformer) – looks one to follow as the French Classic trials come around. 

Super Saturday went ahead in Dubai amid early rounds of missile strikes and interceptions across the region as American and Israeli troops struck Iran and the inevitable retaliation ensued. Sheikh Mohammed demonstrated his own brand of 'keep calm and carry on' by appearing at Meydan to see major winners both for himself in Rebel's Romance (Dubawi) and for his brother Sheikh Ahmed courtesy of Quddwah (Kingman) and Meydaan (Frankel).

With President Trump suggesting a four-week war in the region and the airspace over the UAE remaining closed, it is anyone's guess as to when those waiting to come home to Europe will be able to board a plane. The continuing uncertainty must also cast some doubt over the Dubai World Cup meeting at the end of this month, or at least the participation of top horses who are not already in the Emirates. However, at the time of writing, the Bahrain Turf Club is planning to go ahead with its King's Cup meeting on Thursday and Friday, while the Dubai Racing Club is also planning to race at Meydan on Friday.

Romance of the turf

This time last year Romantic Warrior (Acclamation) was out in Dubai. Having provided the ultimate supporting role to Forever Young in an epic battle for Saudi Cup glory, he then went down by just a nose to Soul Rush in the Dubai Turf. 

Normal service has resumed since his return to Hong Kong and a spell which saw him start racing again at Sha Tin on November 23. Four straight wins have ensued this winter, and Sunday's four-length victory in the Hong Kong Gold Cup represented his 13th Group 1 victory. They haven't all come in Hong Kong either, as he has also won Japan's Yasuda Kinen and the Cox Plate in Australia.

Romantic Warrior is now eight and remarkably was born, at Corduff Stud in Ireland,  just one day before Rebel's Romance appeared at Godolphin's Irish operation. What a week that was, and what thrills they continue to provide for racing fans around the world.

Rebel's Romance's record now stands at 21 wins from 31 starts, and perhaps the most notable aspect of his race record, alongside his consistency, is his global footprint. Those wins have been posted in six different countries – four in Dubai, two in Qatar, at three different tracks in the USA, four wins in Germany at Cologne and Hoppegarten, one in Hong Kong, and seven in the UK at six different courses. They are both, simply, marvellous horses. Long may they run.

Epsom ahoy!

Much as we love the golden oldies, it is time to start thinking about this year's Classic generation, and where better to start than with the entries for the Derby, which were released last week. 

Among the list was the Bob Baffert-trained colt Greenwich Village, a son of Quality Road out of the Australian-bred mare Houtzen (I Am Invincible). His dam did all of her winning in Australia over five and six furlongs, and she ran twice in Europe for Martyn Meade, notably finishing runner-up to Battaash in the G2 King George Stakes at Goodwood. 

Tom Ryan, representing Greenwich Village's part-owner SF Racing, admitted that it would be “quite a pivot” if the horse ends up coming to Epsom over Churchill Downs, but noted that he was invited by the Jockey Club after winning the Pasadena Stakes over a mile on the Santa Anita turf on February 22.

There has never been a Japanese runner in the Derby but there are two horses from that country entered for this year's race: Choreo Sequence and Akkan.

The Shadai Farm-bred Choreo Sequence is a son of the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2,000 Guineas) winner Saturnalia, who was also fourth in the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) and won up to a mile and a half. (It is worth noting that the Guineas equivalent in Japan is run over 2,000m.) 

Furthermore, Choreo Sequence is out of Noble Cullinan, who is by Deep Impact, and she has the Kentucky Derby winners Sunday Silence and Smarty Jones as her two grandsires.

The colt's trainer, Yuta Sato, said, “The Derby, with its near 250-year history, is a truly magnificent race that I have long admired.

“Although we are still at the consideration stage, the owner [Hiroyuki Kawakatsu] has entrusted us with a horse of tremendous potential, and for that reason we have decided to enter him in the Derby at Epsom Downs.

“Choreo Sequence's dam line traces back to Germany, and his pedigree includes the names of outstanding sires such as Sadler's Wells and Monsun, both produced by Europe's great horsemen.”

That German connection is through third dam Noble Stella (Monsun), who ended up racing in America where she won four graded stakes races for Gary Tanaka.

The other colt, Akkan, also has some familiar European and American names in his pedigree as he is by Hawkbill (Kitten's Joy), winner of the Eclipse and the Dubai Sheema Classic who was also third at Epsom in the Coronation Cup. Akkan has a little more experience under his belt than the twice-raced Choreo Sequence, as he has made six starts, winning twice over 2,000m as a two-year-old.

On a cold winter's day when you're longing for spring, there is almost nothing more exciting than perusing the names on the list of Derby entries. One name that immediately leaps out is Morshdi, for he is in the same Sheikh Ahmed colours as those worn by the previous Morshdi, who won the Derby Italiano of 2001, was second in the Irish Derby and was by the Derby winner Slip Anchor. We were delighted to hear on Monday that the original Morshdi is thriving at the age of 28, living in retirement at Sheikh Ahmed's stables at Jebel Ali.

The new Morshdi, trained by William Haggas, is by Dubawi and should be the nap of all Van Morrison fans as he is a son of the Galileo mare Into The Mystic, which makes him a full-brother to the 2024 G2 Park Hill Fillies' Stakes winner Nakheel.

Morshdi is not the only three-year-old currently out there with a recycled name as on Saturday up popped Pursuit Of Love (Sea The Stars) to win a Southwell novice race pretty comfortably for Charlie Appleby. 

Those who can remember the original Morshdi should also remember the first Pursuit Of Love. A decent sprinter for his breeder Lord Howard de Walden, the son of Groom Dancer won the Prix Maurice de Gheest and was second in the July Cup. Pursuit Of Love, who features as broodmare sire of the great Attraction (Efisio), later stood at Plantation Stud in Newmarket alongside the aforementioned Slip Anchor, who was perhaps Lord Howard de Walden's crowning achievement as a breeder. 

We applaud the naming of the Godolphin three-year-old, however, as the colt is out of Linda Radlett and is a half-brother to Fanny Logan, two superb characters from Nancy Mitford's beloved classic Pursuit of Love.

Poised to Swoop

The entries have also been published for the Deutsches Derby, which is run on July 5, and with 89 horses engaged, has one more than Epsom. It is of course early in the year, but one outfit which already has a developing Derby dream is Liberty Racing – and Lars-Wilhelm Baumgarten's syndicate has form in this regard as it won the 2023 Deutsches Derby with Fantastic Moon (Sea The Moon) and then struck again the following year with Palladium (Gleneagles).

One of this year's big hopes from five entries in the race for Liberty Racing is Salitos, who won on his second start at Fontainebleau on Saturday for Peter Schiergen. The colt is a son of the 2020 Deutsches Derby winner In Swoop, who is himself by the late Derby winner Adlerflug. These are the first three-year-olds for In Swoop, who was beaten only a neck in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe by Sottsass and stands at the Beeches Stud on the Coolmore National Hunt roster. There is no reason for him not to produce good middle-distance Flat horses too, and it would be great to see Salitos line up at Hamburg on the first Sunday of July.

In Swoop's stud contemporary Japan (Galileo) was also placed in an Arc as well as winning the Juddmonte International and Grand Prix de Paris. He retired to Gestut Etzean and is one of the major young hopes on the German stallion scene along with the 2021 Arc hero Torquator Tasso, who has his first two-year-old runners this year. Japan is well represented by members of his first crop in the Deutsches Derby with eight entries. 

Hilitany a notable first for Ubettabelieveit

Hilitany showed the benefits of having had some winter sun and a few outings in Dubai when becoming the first stakes winner for his Mickley Stud sire Ubettabelieveit in the Listed Spring Cup at Lingfield on Saturday.

A dual winner last year for George Boughey, the colt is owned by Victorious Forever, who gave £300,000 for him when consigned at the Goffs UK Breeze-up by Tally-Ho Stud. 

Hilitany's brother Columnist, by another son of Kodiac in Ardad, came close in the G2 Coventry Stakes of 2024 when beaten just half a length to be third behind Rashabar and Electrolyte. The pair was bred by Peter Balding of Throckmorton Court Stud from the Royal Applause mare Sand And Deliver.

A Legend indeed

Veering off into National Hunt territory for a moment, it is worth noting the win in  Saturday's Doncaster bumper of Friendly Glance. The son of Passing Glance races for the Pitchall Stud Parternship and represents a partnership in more ways than one. 

Passing Glance is now resident at Batsford Stud but he spent seven years prior to that standing at David and Kathleen Holmes's Pitchall Stud until it ceased standing stallions in 2016. Also in residence was the Pitchall stalwart Midnight Legend, and what a partnership these two stallions have struck up when it comes to the family of Friendly Glance. 

The four-year-old is the eighth full-sibling to have won for the Midnight Legend mare Call Me A Legend, a homebred six-time winner in the colours of Kathleen Holmes who, like her latest winner, was trained by Alan King. 

One of the tribe, six-year-old Glance At Midnight, holds entries in the G1 Supreme Novices' Hurdle and G1 Turners Novices' Hurdle at next week's Cheltenham Festival for owner/trainer Andrew Martin.

 

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