The Weekly Wrap: In Praise Of Superior Mares

[Wandering Eyes]

With just over a week to go to the Investec Derby the bigger question appears to be not who will win but who will turn up. The two most exciting trial winners to this eye, Sir Dragonet (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and Telecaster (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), may both be sons of Derby winners but could head instead to the Prix du Jockey Club and the Irish Derby.

Both of course would need to be supplemented for Epsom, and with Sir Dragonet’s win coming in the wet at Chester and Telecaster’s Dante victory being posted just 16 days before the Derby, there is understandable hesitation from connections in both cases. In the meantime we will be able to see both of Aidan O’Brien’s Guineas winner, Magna Grecia (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and Hermosa (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), aim to become dual Classic winners at the Curragh this weekend.

Classic action was available farther afield over the past weekend, with War Of Will (War Front) gaining some compensation for his bumpy ride in the Kentucky Derby with victory in the Preakness S., while Loves Only You (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) broke the record of her paternal half-sister Gentildonna (Jpn) when winning the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) in impressive fashion in Tokyo. The linking factor to these 3-year-olds, other than becoming Classic winners on two different continents, is that both stem from the breeding operation of the Niarchos family which has enjoyed such prolonged success.

As discussed in yesterday’s TDN, Loves Only You is a great grand-daughter of Miesque and thus joins Study Of Man (Ire)—who is bred on the same Deep Impact-Storm Cat cross but out of a daughter of Miesque (Nureyev) rather than a grand-daughter—as well as Alpha Centauri (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) on the list of top-class winners from this dynasty in just the last two seasons. War Of Will, as a third-generation descendant of Aviance (GB) (Northfields), hails from no less celebrated a family which has been represented by the likes of Spinning World, Chimes Of Freedom and Denon. As co-owners of Magna Grecia, the Niarchos family has already enjoyed a taste of Classic success in Europe this season and could be in for more on Saturday.

Celebrated matriarchs
The names of such pre-eminent broodmares as Urban Sea (Miswaki) and Miesque regularly crop up on both sides of the pedigrees of Classic winners and it will be no surprise if we end up talking of Zenda (GB) in similarly hushed tones. Indeed, the daughter of Zamindar, herself a Classic winner, has been in the news in the last few weeks for both good and bad reasons. As the dam of Kingman (GB), her contribution to the bloodstock world looks set to be significant, and Zenda was also represented at York this week by her winning son First Eleven (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and grandson Repartee (Ire). The latter, as a son of Invincible Spirit (Ire) out of the unraced Plesantry (GB) (Johannesburg), is thus closely related to Kingman, but he is also noteworthy as the first winner for Sheikh Mohammed Obaid to be trained by Kevin Ryan. The Yorkshire-based Irishman, along with French trainer Henri-Francois Devin, was a major benefactor of the sheikh’s largesse at the yearlings sales last season and is training 17 horses for the owner. With his stylish five-length winning debut, Repartee could not have put the new partnership on a better first footing.

The youngster was co-bred by Joseph Burke, the shrewd purchaser of Pleasantry in the year before Kingman burst onto the racing scene. Burke was also in action the weekend before last at Arqana in his other role as bloodstock agent, where he made a rare breeze-up purchase for Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum. He kept his faith in Zenda’s clan when selecting a Kingman colt from the family of classy sprinter Signs Of Blessing (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}).

Following victories on consecutive days for First Eleven and Repartee, the third day brought only bad news as it was announced by Juddmonte that Zenda had succumbed to a prolonged bout of laminitis which ultimately proved fatal. With two colts still in training and a Frankel yearling colt to come, as well as three daughters remaining in the Juddmonte broodmare band, the full extent of Zenda’s legacy will not determined for some years yet.

Another of the Juddmonte mares, Kind (GB) (Danehill), already has her name writ large in racing history as the dam of Frankel but she extended her influence over the weekend through her grand-daughter Jubiloso (GB), the offspring of Shamardal and Frankel’s listed-winning half-sister Joyeuse (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). Having made her debut on the all-weather at Chelmsford in late April, the 3-year-old took another major step forward when winning at Newbury, eased down, by seven furlongs on a banner day for Sir Michael Stoute who, unusually, had engaged Colm O’Donoghue for the ride. A step up into Pattern company will certainly be next on Jubiloso’s agenda.

Kind, like fellow Juddmonte matriarch Hasili (Ire) (Kahyasi {Ire}) and the aforementioned Urban Sea, is notable for having produced more than one son to end up at stud. One of the greatest mares in this regard was Lord Howard de Walden’s Doubly Sure (GB) (Reliance {GB}), the dam not just of the celebrated Sharpen Up (GB) brothers Kris (GB) and Diesis (GB), but also the stallions Keen (GB) (also by Sharpen Up) Rudimentary (Nureyev), Presidium (GB) (General Assembly) and Doubletour (Lyphard). While Kris and Diesis still pop up fairly regularly in pedigrees, their lesser stallion brothers have largely been forgotten, so it was nice to see the rare appearance of Doubletour’s name as the damsire of Surrounding (Ire) (Lilbourne Lad {Ire}), winner of the listed Owenstown Stud S. for Michael Halford at Naas on Sunday. The 6-year-old mare runs for her breeder Peter Newell, who also raced her half-brother, the useful eight-time winner Rummaging (Ire) (Chineur {Fr}).

Like a Hurricane
Due Diligence (War Front) notched an important marker in his fledgling career by posting his first black-type winner, Good Vibes (GB), in the listed Marygate S. at York. Paul and Clare Rooney’s juvenile was bred by Whitsbury Manor Stud, where his sire stands.

Arguably the most impressive performance by the offspring of a first-season sire last week, however, came from TDN Rising Star Hurricane Ivor (Ire). The Fabrice Chappet-trained youngster races in the same colours as his sire, Ivawood (Ire), and looks to be another exciting representative for Fiona Carmichael, whose strike-rate with group winners to runners is enviable to say the least.

For the same owner, Chappet trained Intellogent (Ire) to become the first Group winner (and subsequently first Group 1 winner) for Intello (Ger) and it would be no surprise if that team did the same for Ivawood, who is understandably close to Carmichael’s heart.

The young son of Zebedee (GB) was a Group 2 winner at the July meeting and Glorious Goodwood at two and was runner-up to Charming Thought (GB) in the G1 Middle Park S. before twice finishing third behind Gleneagles (Ire) in both the English and Irish 2000 Guineas.

Ivawood has been represented by three winners to date, with Hurricane Ivor being out of a Royal Applause (GB) mare and another winner, Iva Reflection (Ire), out of a mare by Royal Applause’s son Acclamation (GB).

Abergavenny-based trainer David Evans, who saddled Good Vibes to win the Marygate, also sent out an Ivawood debutant (another from a Royal Applause mare) to finish second last week and his name, Ivatheengine (Ire), has a suitably Welsh theme which will appeal to readers of a certain age.

Euros flying high in Australia
It was a good weekend for European imports in Australia, particularly at Morphettville, where three of the stakes winners were bred in Britain and Ireland.

Chief bragging rights went to the former William Haggas-trained OTI Racing representative Fastnet Tempest (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who won the G3 R A Lee S. for the David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig team. The same training triumvirate also sent out the Moyglare Stud-bred Valac (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) to win the listed Port Adelaide Cup over 2500 metres, while another of the day’s listed contests was won by Clearly (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), a 5-year-old mare who raced initially for Godolphin and John Gosden before a stint in Germany with Sarah Steinberg and then a switch to the Ballarat stable of fellow British expat Archie Alexander.

In Sydney, one-time Melbourne Cup hope Grey Lion (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) proved he is still competitive at the age of seven, winning the listed Lord Mayor’s Cup for Matthew Smith and capping a good weekend for his team of owners with OTI, which also struck with another import, Mantastic (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), at Flemington. The former John Hammond trainee has won his last two races on the bounce for Chris Waller and also landed the listed CS Hayes Cup at Morphettville back in March.

 

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