The Weekly Wrap: Crown A Thorny Topic

[Wandering Eyes]

Both Guineas were accompanied by a fierce north wind at the runners’ backs in Newmarket but it was an ill wind of a different kind that dampened some of this correspondent’s enthusiasm in anticipation of what is usually one of the most exciting weekends of the season. It is perhaps now an old-fashioned view, but part of the excitement of the first Classics of the British season has always been derived from potentially witnessing the horses who will go on to define their generation by progressing through the Classic distances.

The St Leger has long since fallen by the wayside as a long-term aim for the best 3-year-olds of the season and, with a more commercial hat on, it is easy to understand the reasons behind that. However, it is regretful that, while the Triple Crown is almost always a natural aim for the colts who lined up at Churchill Downs on Saturday, it is very rarely so for their European counterparts.

There are of course major differences between the British and American Triple Crowns in both race distances and the timing of the races through the season. In America it’s all over in five weeks while here we have from early May to mid-September for things to go awry, with all manner of alternative options to tempt a potential challenger.

America had a long enough wait of its own before American Pharoah and Justify came along in quick succession, but in Britain, we’re closing in on 50 years since the Triple Crown was last won in 1970 by Nijinsky. Despite it being so nearly achieved by Camelot (GB) in 2012, this time-honoured challenge is being failed not just by a reluctance of horses’ connections to aim for the St Leger, but to a degree by breeders. More than ever, a notable number of this year’s Guineas runners had question marks on pedigree as to whether they would properly see out a mile, let alone progress beyond that. Now that doesn’t of course mean that many of them haven’t already proved themselves to be classy individuals and/or will go on to do so, but it’s swiftly becoming apparent that the old maxim of the Guineas being the best Derby trial may not be used much longer.

Headline Act A Standing Dish
The potential for great stories to have come from this year’s Guineas weekend was enormous. The 86-year-old Kevin Prendergast saddled Madhmoon (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) to be fourth on Saturday, while his young colleague David Elsworth, 79, has the talented Dandhu (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) in his stable. She failed to fire on Sunday but has already landed a Group 3 win this season and there’s certain to be more to come from her. Then there’s the admirably frank Sheila Lavery, whose Lady Kaya (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) ran a barnstormer of a race to be second in the 1000 Guineas. There will be many outside her County Meath stable will be hoping that the filly bought for €15,000 as a foal by the trainer’s niece Joanne, and subsequently unsold as a yearling, will go one better in the Irish equivalent.

Nineteen-year-old David Egan rode in his first Classic on Saturday and his second just 24 hours later when keeping his trademark cool to guide the favourite Qabala (Distorted Humor) to a third-place finish for his boss Roger Varian, having won the previous day’s listed Newmarket S. aboard the highly promising UAE Jewel (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). To make his appearance in the 1000 Guineas even more memorable, Egan rode against his father John, who was twelfth on Garrel Glen (GB) (Mount Nelson {GB}).

But, as we have come to expect, the headlines were dominated by Aidan O’Brien and his ever-dependable ally Galileo (Ire). The champion sire may have had no representative in the colts’ Classic but he featured as damsire of Magna Grecia (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), just as he has done with previous winners Night Of Thunder (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Galileo Gold (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}) and Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). Then on Sunday, his daughter Hermosa (Ire), though apparently only the Ballydoyle third string, was not just the standout in the paddock but also on the racecourse when making all the running and kicking clear out of the dip just when it looked as if her chance might be thwarted.

Two years on from Winter (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) beating her favoured stablemate Rhododendron (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), this was another well deserved Classic victory for the understated Wayne Lordan. Incidentally, Hermosa’s sister Hydrangea (Ire) was down the field in tenth that day, ridden by Padraig Beggy, who would go on to enjoy the biggest day of his career a month later when winning the Derby on Wings Of Eagles (Fr) (Pour Moi {Ire}).

Coolmore has long given the Derby vital support but it seems unlikely that Magna Grecia will head to Epsom, despite his juvenile Group 1 triumph in the Vertem Futurity being a tried and trusted route to being a major player on the first Saturday of June.

Hermosa, however, the daughter of the Pivotal (GB) mare Beauty Is Truth, whose tally of Group 1 winners now stands at three, has rocketed into second place in the betting for the Oaks behind stablemate Pink Dogwood (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), despite O’Brien’s warning on Monday that she is likely to be aimed at the Irish 1000 Guineas and not the Oaks. Her name is the Spanish word for beautiful and Hermosa’s progression through the Classic tests would be just that.

Leger Legends
For all that the St Leger’s dwindling appeal gives scant hope of another Triple Crown winner, its influence is perhaps now felt in other ways.

With a stud berth as a National Hunt stallion often the best that colts who run well in the race can hope for, maybe we will start to see more of them remaining in training to challenge for an increasingly lucrative programme of longer-distance races, not least the Weatherbys Hamilton Stayers’ Million.

The 2017 St Leger certainly gives cause for hope in this regard. Nine of the 11 runners in that year, led by Capri (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), can still be seen in action. Runner-up Crystal Ocean has not been out of the first two in seven subsequent group races and looks a formidable flagbearer this year for Sir Michael Stoute, who excels with older middle-distance campaigners. In a stellar line-up, Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) was third in the St Leger and sailed unbeaten through last season as champion stayer, while Rekindling (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}) won the Melbourne Cup and Coronet (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Defoe (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}) have been admirably consistent.

Europeans Prevail In The U.S.
While American racing was dominated by one controversial story which moved even the President to air his views on Twitter, away from the Kentucky Derby there were good results for European-bred runners in the U.S. over the weekend.

At Churchill Downs, Digital Age (Ire), winner of the GII American Turf S., brought up an across-the-pond stakes double for Invincible Spirit (Ire), who had struck earlier in the day with his first British Classic winner Magna Grecia (Ire). Not only another triumph from Klaravich Stables and Chad Brown’s shopping spree at Tattersalls, Digital Age brought further success for his breeder Craig Bennett’s Merry Fox Stud, whose major winners include Cursory Glance (Distorted Humor) and Charming Thought (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}).

Brown’s winning run wasn’t restricted to Kentucky. At Belmont Park, he saddled two of the day’s four stakes winners. Santa Monica (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) won the GII Sheepshead Bay S., her third graded stakes victory since being bought for 375,000gns by Stephen Hillen at Tattersalls’ December Sale in 2017, and 4-year-old Olympico (Fr), became the first major American winner for his French-based sire Rajsaman (Fr) when taking the GIII Fort Macy S. by three lengths.

Another ex-pat winner in Kentucky on Saturday was Beau Recall (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}), who claimed her second Grade II strike in the Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile S.

Marvellous Marnanes
The Marnane family has enjoyed terrific success in France in recent years and Theresa Marnane is currently lying fifth in the French owners’ table behind Godolphin, Wertheimer & Frere, Gerard Augustin-Normand and Al Shaqab Racing.

On Saturday, the Marnane runners, trained by Matthieu Palussiere, pulled off a clean sweep of the three juvenile contests in the country that day, following on from the success of Brand New Day (Ire), a homebred daughter of Epaulette (Aus), who won her second race of the season at Chantilly on May 2.

It was another former shuttler, Sidestep (Aus), who provided two of the four winners of the week for the team. The son of Exceed And Excel (Aus) spent three seasons at Haras du Logis in Normandy but did not return this year. He made headlines in March when his daughter Kiamichi (Aus) won the G1 Golden Slipper for Godolphin.

At Bordeaux Le Bouscat, a double was completed by his son Wheels On Fire (Fr) after the Con Marnane-bred Fan Club Rules (Ire) became the second winner for fellow freshman sire Gutaifan (Ire).

Another Sidestep colt, Real Appeal (Ger), notched the second victory of his fledgling career by following his debut success at Chantilly on April 24 with victory at Marseille Borely.

The Marnanes’ Bansha House Stables will offer ten juveniles for sale at Arqana’s Breeze-up Sale in Deauville on Saturday, including a son of Kingman (GB) out of a Pivotal (GB) half-sister to crack sprinter Signs Of Blessing (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) (lot 124).

Wertheimers On A Roll
While Con and Theresa Marnane are farming the French juvenile contests, Alain and Gerard Wertheimer have been fielding a formidable team of 3-year-olds so far this season, the latest success coming via yesterday’s G3 Prix de Guiche winner Flop Shot (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}), who joins Slalom (Fr) (Intello {Ger}), Shaman (Ire) (Shamardal), Platane (GB) (Le Havre {Ire}) and Starmaniac (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) on the brothers’ list of Classic hopefuls.

Meanwhile, Saturday’s listed winner Bartaba (Fr) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and G2 Prix du Muguet winner Plumatic (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) have flown the flag for the older division and have ensured the Wertheimer team has made a flamboyant start to what could be a memorable season.

Adieu, Dunaden
The final nod this week must go to Dunaden (Fr) (Nicobar {GB}). While it gives no pleasure whatsoever to record his death at the age of 13, amid the ongoing welfare arguments that appear to threaten horseracing, it’s worth noting that so tough a horse, who raced 46 times around the world, was claimed by an accident in his paddock. Bad luck can befall even the best of them.

His story was one to keep many of the sport’s smaller players hoping and believing. Yes, when he won his three Group 1 races in Australia and Hong Kong he was owned by a sheikh—and in fact he played a significant part in ensuring that the young Sheikh Fahad Al Thani would make a major investment in the sport. But this was a horse who passed from his breeder’s hands at the foal sales for a mere €1,500. That breeder was Comte Edouard Decazes, who boarded Dunaden’s dam La Marlia (Fr) at Haras de Maulepaire, right next to where her sire Kaldounevees (Fr) stood at Haras du Mesnil.

Dunaden, who earned more than £5 million when campaigned so admirably by Mikel Delzangles to win 10 races, was by a very wide margin the best offspring of Nicobar, a Group 2-winning miler and son of Indian Ridge (Ire). The Byerley Turk sireline hangs by a thread, with another fine stayer Vinnie Roe (Ire) (Definite Article {GB}) being one of a handful of sires left at stud to represent this foundation stallion.

Dunaden had 87 mares in his first book before his partners dropped away to 36, 56 and 17 in ensuing seasons. He had covered 10 mares this season before his death last week. Though he has such scant representation to come, he had made a promising start with his runners. Days before he died, his son Ranch Hand (GB), bred by Emma Balding and trained by her son Andrew, was the impressive 12-length winner of a Southwell novice race in the famous ‘Mill Reef colours’ bequeathed to the Baldings by Paul Mellon and now carried by the horses of the Kingsclere Racing Club. Perhaps there’s a chapter or two still to be written.

 

 

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