The Weekly Wrap: Classic Clues

[Wandering Eyes]

It may be the Guineas in Newmarket this weekend but racing results of the past week have had minds turning to Epsom, particularly those from Sandown last Friday.

The G3 Bet365 Classic Trial provided a one-two for breeders David and Diane Nagle of Barronstown Stud as Bangkok (Ire) (Australia {GB}) led Technician (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) up the hill. The impressive winner not only gave his young sire another exciting first-crop Derby prospect but continued a fine early season romp for King Power Racing, Silvestre de Sousa and Andrew Balding. That same trio also looks set to be represented by European Free H. winner Shine So Bright (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) in the QIPCO 2000 Guineas on Saturday.

In a race so frequently dominated by the offspring of his sire Galileo (Ire), Australia has a clutch of sons going forward for the Derby at this stage, including the impressive Broome (Ire), who brushed his rivals aside with consummate ease when coming from last to first in an eight-length rout in the G3 Ballysax S. While Broome is trained by Aidan O’Brien, Buckhurst (Ire), who made a winning debut that same day at Leopardstown, hails from the Joseph O’Brien stable and has Poule d’Essai des Poulains winner The Gurkha (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Arc winner Solemia (Fr) (Poliglote {GB}) among his close relatives.

Sparkling Return
Two years ago, Wings Of Eagles (Fr) (Pour Moi ({Ire}) may have caught the Ballydoyle camp by surprise when winning the Derby at 40/1 but his half-sister Sparkle Roll (Fr) (Kingman {GB}) is already a much shorter price for the Oaks as she also graced Sandown’s winner’s enclosure on a card replete with well-bred individuals. Changing her legs a number of times on the good to firm turf, Sparkle Roll nevertheless stuck to her task in winning for the second time in three starts to record a two-length success over King Power (GB)—yes, racing for you know who, and a Frankel (GB) half-sister to the 2013 Oaks winner Talent (GB) (New Approach {Ire}). Making an eye-catching debut in that same race was the Tsui family’s Sea Of Faith (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who closed impressively to take fourth in a bunched finish for the minor placings. It has been a good spell for Sea Of Faith’s family as her full-brother Shraaoh (Ire) won the G1 Sydney Cup a little over a fortnight ago. The 6-year-old was the product of the first mating of his dam Jumooh (GB)— by Monsun (Ger) and a great grand-daughter of Height Of Fashion (Fr)—with Sea The Stars after being bought by Ling Tsui for €450,000 at Arqana back in 2011. The mare has also produced the G3 Bahrain Trophy winner Raheen House (Ire) from a repeat mating.

The connections of any of these fillies going forward to Epsom appear to have Pink Dogwood (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) to fear. From the same family that produced GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire})—their dams are half-sisters—the Aidan O’Brien trainee consolidated her place at the head of the Oaks market with a determined victory at Navan on Sunday in the listed Salsabil S.

King in Command
It was a productive week for Kingman, largely thanks to his former trainer John Gosden. Calyx’s racecourse gallop on Friday morning settled Gosden’s mind that the Coventry S. winner wasn’t ready to be plunged straight into Classic company after ten months off the track, but he will be seen tomorrow in the race once known as the G3 Pavilion S. but now named the Merriebelle Stable Commonwealth Cup Trial.

Meanwhile, the Denford Stud homebred Private Secretary (GB) followed stablemate Sparkle Roll into the Sandown winner’s enclosure for the second win of his career and King Of Comedy (Ire), a half-brother to Lady Bamford’s Prix de Diane winner Star Of Seville (GB) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}), landed the same Yarmouth novice contest taken out last year by Without Parole (GB) (Frankel {GB}) en route to his Royal Ascot triumph.

Brown in the Black
It’s safe to say that we’ll be seeing Chad Brown back at Tattersalls in October for the yearling sales. His debut foray to Newmarket in 2017 resulted in the purchase of 12 yearlings, six of which were for Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables and included Breeders’ Cup victrix Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and dual winner Digital Age (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). Another sextet for Peter Brant of White Birch Farm contained the dual winner and TDN Rising Star Demarchelier (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}).

On Saturday, Value Proposition (GB) (Dansili {GB}), another Klaravich runner, also earned TDN Rising Star status when winning a Belmont Park maiden by 4 1/4 lengths.

The Meon Valley Stud-bred colt was bought for 400,000gns—double the amount paid for Newspaperofrecord—his price reflecting his illustrious pedigree. A half-brother to Group 1 winner Speedy Boarding (GB) (Shamardal), he descends from one of Meon Valley’s three foundation mares, One In A Million (GB).

 W is for Victory
Three European stakes winners on Sunday had their roots in Germany’s Gestut Ravensberg. The first was the stud’s homebred Winterfuchs (Ger), a son of the late Campanologist and winner of the G3 Dr Busch Memorial at Krefeld for trainer Carmen Bocskai. The colt is a son of Wunderblume (Ger) (Lomitas {GB}), whose half-sister Wurftaube (Ger) (Acatenango {Ger}) notched four group victories including the German St Leger and has spawned a dynasty which includes the G1 Deutsches Derby winner Waldpark (Ger) (Dubawi {Ire}) and the G2 Falmouth S. runner-up Waldmark (Ger) (Mark Of Esteem {Ire}). Among the latter’s credits as a broodmare are the champion stayer Masked Marvel (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}) and G3 Prix Penelope winner Waldlerche (GB) (Monsun {Ger}), the dam of Sunday’s G1 Prix Ganay winner Waldgeist (GB) (Galileo {Ire}).

The Andre Fabre-trained 5-year-old was not the only member of the family to salute the judge at ParisLongchamp as his stable-mate Urwald (GB) (Le Havre {Ire}), winner of the listed Prix du Pont Neuf, is out of Wurftaube’s daughter Waldjagd (GB) (Observatory).

The highest compliment is paid to the family by the fact that various branches are in the hands of some esteemed European breeders. Newsells Park Stud bred Masked Marvel and in turn Waldgeist in partnership with Gestut Ammerland, while Urwald is a graduate of Andreas Putsch’s Haras de Saint Pair, and another globetrotting member of the dynasty, the GI Man o’ War S. winner Wake Forest (Ger) (Sir Percy {GB}), was bred by Newsells Park’s sister operation Gestut Fahrhof.

Gestut Ravensberg has been in operation in Gutersloh for more than 100 years, with the broodmare Waldrun (Ger), founder of its celebrated ‘W’ family, joining the fold in 1949. A reduced breeding herd is now overseen by Johann Henrich Delius, grandson of founder Paul Niemoller. The stud farm has always doubled as a training centre—originally as a private operation for the Ravensberg horses, and it is now the home of Andreas Wohler’s large string.

First Classic for Olave
Dietrich Von Boetticher was at ParisLongchamp to enjoy the success of Waldgeist in the colours of his Gestut Ammerland, and he can also take some of the credit for the winner of the Premio Valderas (Spanish 1000 Guineas), which, along with both Italian Guineas at Capannelle, got the European Classic season underway on Sunday.

The day will have been a memorable one for Patrik Olave, who, in his second full season training at La Zarzuela racecourse, saddled two fillies for the Guineas, including the winner, Udalla (Ire) (Dream Ahead). Also a winner last year at two and fourth in the listed Criterium de Languedoc in France before her home Classic win, Udalla was bred by Lynch-Bages Ltd and Camas Park Stud from the Peintre Celebre mare High Fidelity (Ger), an Ammerland-bred half-sister to the Arc winner Hurricane Run (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}).

The 32-year-old Olave returned to his native Spain in 2017 after stints with Shadwell Stud in England and as assistant trainer to Francois Rohaut in France and, having started out with three horses under his care, now has 24 in training in Madrid.

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