Captain Gerrard’s Inter-County Shuttle

[Wandering Eyes]

In these days when we are all encouraged to reduce our carbon footprint, two stud masters have come up with an unusual way of saving on multiple trips with mares to visit a stallion.

Captain Gerrard (Ire) has been a stalwart of Richard Kent’s Mickley Stud in Shropshire for the last nine seasons and was rewarded with his first Group 1 winner last year courtesy of the Coolmore Nunthorpe S. victory of Alpha Delphini (GB). His popularity may have waned a little over the years but one breeder who has kept the faith is Mick Channon, who combines his successful training career with his interest in Norman Court Stud in Wiltshire.

Channon has been so pleased with the foals he’s bred by the son of Oasis Dream (GB) that he has decided to send him 12 mares this season. With just a handful of other mares booked, Kent and Channon decided that the sensible thing to do was for the stallion to visit Norman Court Stud rather than the other way round.

“It seemed silly to drive the mares all the way up to Shropshire,” said Channon. “We have plenty of room here and we’re all set up with Sixties Icon (GB) and Coulsty (Ire) so it seemed a good idea to shuttle Captain Gerrard here. He’ll stay for a month or so and it’s not really a commercial arrangement as such but if anyone wants to use him while he’s here they can, and he’ll be back at Mickley in time to cover any other mares booked to him.”

Winner of the G3 Cornwallis S. at two and later the G3 Palace House S., Captain Gerrard stayed in training until he was four, winning six of his 27 starts for trainer Bryan Smart and owner Reg Bond. He stands for a fee of £1,500.

“He gets winners all over,” Channon added. “We’ve got six or seven 2-year-olds to let loose by him this year. I’ve always liked him and always supported him.”

The trainer and breeder has previously put the might of his broodmare band behind his long-term resident Sixties Icon with good effect. The St Leger-winning son of Galileo (Ire) and the Oaks winner Love Divine (GB) (Diesis) took the breeding world a little by surprise when his first-crop juveniles hit the track in 2012. His first 2-year-old winner came as early as April 8, while Chilworth Icon became his first black-type winner in the Woodcote Stakes on Derby day.

“Sixties Icon is our big gun. He continues to defy convention, but then he is a Group 1 winner with a proper pedigree,” Channon added. “He’s got a good book of mares this year, and there’s the nice filly of Tom Dascombe’s, Iconic Choice (GB), who won the Radley Stakes and is entered in the 1000 Guineas. We also have Coulsty here now, who has come over from Rathasker Stud. He gave me a pleasant surprise when he arrived. He’s a lovely horse, but Maurice Burns has always had an eye for a good-looking horse.”

While the trainer is looking forward to unleashing his juveniles once the turf season starts at the end of the month, his immediate priority is the Cheltenham Festival, where, among his trio of runners, he will saddle Glen Forsa (Ire) (Mahler {GB}), who is one of the leading fancies for the G1 Racing Post Arkle Novices’ Chase on Tuesday.

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