ST PETERSBURG (AUS)
Nureyev (USA) - Miss Bold Appeal (USA)

Solzhenitsyn (NZ) won the Group 3 Lord Mayor’s Cup over 1600m in Australia last week for the second year running. The son of St Petersburg (AUS) who stands at Summerhill Stud in South Africa’s picturesque KZN Midlands, is out of Tri Victory (NZ) by Victory Dance (IRE). A 12-time winner, Solzhenitsyn also won the Group 1 Toorak Handicap over 1600m at Caulfield in Australia and placed twice in Group 1’s and a Group 2 down under.

Named after a Russian novelist and activist, Solzhenitsyn won by a short neck from Commands colt Transporter, with Epic finishing one and quarter lengths off the leader in third position.

In South Africa, Blushing Peter (out of Elegant Blush by Jallad) placed third in the Grade 3 Protea Stakes as well as placing fourth in the Grade 1 South African Nursery. He is trained by Sean Tarry and bred and owned by Fred Crabbia. St Petersburg’s other Bold Black Types from Australia and Macau include Chartreuse, Barlinnie, St Peters Gift, Russian Conquest and Fantasticprivilege.

St Petersburg is the sire of 167 progeny to race to date, producing 85 winners (50.0%) with earnings of over $6.6 million which include five Stakes Winners and two Stakes places.

St Petersburg is the only son of Nureyev standing in KwaZulu-Natal, out of the mare Miss Bold Appeal by Valid Appeal. A good-looking dark bay stallion with an outstanding temperament, he is a half-brother to Triple Grade 1 winner in the USA, Jersey Girl as well as 8-time winner Partition and sire Bold Expectation in Australia. He belongs to the immediate family of Two-Year-Old USA Champion sire Foolish Pleasure, Beldale Lustre, Valid Expecations and Little Expectations.

A stallion that stood privately prior to relocating to Summerhill Stud, St Petersburg has produced winners (and Stakes Winners) in New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong.

St Petersburg won three races in Australia at age 3, 1000-1200m and placed twice. His wins include the Group 3 VRC Chivas Regal Stakes (1200m) and the SAJC Fraar Handicap (1000m). He placed fourth in the Group 1 VRC Lightening Stakes (1000m) and Group 2 Ascot Vale Stakes (1200m) before a tendon injury prematurely ended a career that promised great heights.

PREAKNESS STAKES (Grade 1)
Pimlico, Dirt, 9.5 Furlongs
18 May 2013

A Triple Crown will have to wait yet another year after Calumet Farm’s Oxbow (Awesome Again) gave Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas - age 77 - a sixth win and fellow Hall of Famer Gary Stevens - age 50 and a handful of months removed from a seven year retirement - a third victory in Saturday’s Grade 1 Preakness Stakes at Old Hilltop in Baltimore. Itsmyluckyday (Lawyer Ron) looked a danger in deep stretch before settling for second, while Mylute (Midnight Lute) came from the back of the pack to be third.

GI Kentucky Derby hero Orb (Malibu Moon) was sent off at prohibitive odds of 3-5 to take this middle jewel, but raced in a bit of traffic and closer to the pace than is his custom on the back stretch and only a belated rally carried him into fourth.

In the capable hands of Gary Stevens, whose two previous Preakness wins came for Bob Baffert (Silver Charm, 1997 and Point Given, 2001), Oxbow was given rein and edged past Goldencents (Into Mischief) to lead with a circuit to travel, while Itsmyluckyday and Titletown Five (Tiznow) were the next-closest pursuers. Orb and GIII Illinois Derby hero Departing (War Front) raced as a team further back, while Govenor Charlie (Midnight Lute), Will Take Charge and Mylute comprised the latter third of the field into the clubhouse turn.

Oxbow traveled sweetly turning up the backstretch and there were no real deltas until Joel Rosario guided Orb off the inside and into the two path to launch a middle move between Titletown Five and Itsmyluckyday that carried him to within two lengths of the pacesetter nearing the half-mile pole. But Titletown Five countered up the fence and Departing ranged up to his outside, and all at once, Orb was relegated to sixth and was sending out distress signals as he was niggled along by Rosario. Back at the head of affairs, Stevens was a mere passenger as Oxbow took them around the final turn after breezing the opening six furlongs in 1:13.26, and, surprisingly, his host of pursuers did not include the Derby winner.

Itsmyluckyday, three or four wide the whole journey, took aim from the outside and Departing appeared dangerous for a stride or two in upper stretch, but Oxbow had managed to conserve enough energy for that crucial final furlong and stayed on well for the win. Itsmyluckyday was a gallant second ahead of Mylute, who validated his fifth in the Derby with another creditable effort.

WINTER STAR
2012 SUMMERHILL READY TO RUN GRADUATE

WINTER STAR
Solskjaer (IRE) - Winter Dimension by Exclusive Patriot (USA)
2 Year-Old Bay Filly

Owner : Vicky Veeramootoo
Trainer : Johan Janse van Vuuren
Jockey : Donovan Mansour
Breeder : Summerhill Stud

WINTER STAR is a graduate from the Summerhill draft of the 2012 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale.

MAIDEN JUVENILE PLATE
For Maiden 2-Year-Old Fillies
Vaal, Turf, 1200m
16 May 2013

Enquiries :
Tarryn Liebenberg +27 (0) 83 787 1982
or email tarryn@summerhill.co.za
www.summerhill.co.za

PREAKNESS STAKES (Grade 1)
Pimlico, Dirt, 9.5 Furlongs
18 May 2013

In the moments leading up to Wednesday’s Preakness post position draw at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Shug McGaughey - the trainer of Orb (Malibu Moon) - admitted to HRTV’s Zoe Cadman that, in an ideal world, he would get the eight hole for his GI Kentucky Derby hero.

The racing Gods, however, had other plans for Saturday’s likely favorite and the thriving bay was granted post one instead. On the morning line, the colt was installed the even-money choice in the nine-horse field. “There is nothing we can do about it,” said McGaughey. “It wasn’t the one I would have picked out, but it’s just a nine-horse field and it all evens itself out. Jockey Joel Rosario will know what to do.” he added. “He won the GII Fountain of Youth Stakes from the 1. His first race wasfrom the ‘1’ and he finished third in a very good race at Saratoga August 18.”

While McGaughey was, for the most part, accepting of drawing the rail, Orb’s regular exercise rider, Jenn Patterson, appeared much more concerned. “We’ll get her calmed down, she’ll be fine,” said McGaughey with a smile. “They always told me therail was the shortest way around, so maybe that’s what we’ll do.”

Listed as the third choice on the morning line at 6-1 is Departing (War Front), who drew post position four. The Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider home-bred won the April 20 GIII Illinois Derby in his latest start. “Everything’s fine,” said trainer Al Stall. “There are only nine horses, so the position isn’t that important. Orb isn’t going to go on with it, so he’s going to have to go around. Out of the nine numbers, the 1 is probably the one you want the least.”

PREAKNESS STAKES 138
Final Field

Extracts from Thoroughbred Daily News

www.preakness.com

KRA GUINEAS (Grade 2)
Greyville, South Africa

I know it’s a week and a bit since the KRA Guineas, but class has no age limit. This race (previously known as the South African Guineas) has a roll call to envy: Sea Cottage, Politician, Bold Tropic, Royal Chalice, Ilustrador, Right Prerogative and Dynasty; a history of stars rivalling any other horse race on the continent. And I’m willing to bet that Saturday’s renewal was as good as any of them, a contest between a pair of young gladiators of the highest order in the hands of two of the world’s finest jockeys. His 1/7 odds told us everything about the public’s perception of Capetown Noir, whose dominance of his contemporaries looked complete, yet the money kept flowing for the as yet unbeaten but as yet untested Vercingetorix. Karl Neisius has been at the top of this game for decades now, and it’s an open secret that he rates Capetown Noir with the best he’s thrown a leg over. Anthony Delpech on the other hand, journeyman supreme himself, was known to harbour the deepest respect for the up-and-coming de Kock trainee, and while he wasn’t yet ready to call him an Igugu or a Bold Silvano, only the race was going to tell us how good he really is.

Who knows whether it was the run of the race or a lack of respect for the rest of the field, but Capetown Noir found himself further back than Neisius would have wanted him, and while it is so that Vercingetorix got a run on him turning for home, we should remember it was only the latter’s third visit to the races. Whatever, it was a battle for the ages, two fine three-year-olds in the hands of two masters, stride for stride, head for head, nose-up, nose-down, and then the impossible. Nobody in their heart of hearts really believed Capetown Noir could go down, but soon the numbers were up, and the number one box was somebody else’s. You may well argue that if you ran this race ten times again at the same stage in their lives, most times the result would  favour Capetown Noir, but that doesn’t get away from the fact that in Vercingetorix, Mike de Kock has found another star. Frighteningly, he’s that good that by the time the season is out, he might well have broken Summerhill’s eight year reign at the head of the Breeders Premiership.

But that’s a matter for another day; this is about two fine horses and two great riders, and what a treat it is to be a bystander on such an occasion. When there is so little between two competitors, it matters, no, it really matters, who the driver is, and in this case, neither horse had an advantage. South Africa is many things, and we’ve produced some great sportsmen and some world-class companies, but none of these disciplines has been any more prolific in the production of stars than racing. It’s an unheralded fact that the most sought-after jockeys’ title in racing is Hong Kong’s, and that for 21 of the past 22 years, it’s been in the hands of a South African. Pofessionals of the calibre of Dougie Whyte, Basil Marcus, Felix Coetzee, Bartie Leischer and Weichong Marwing, have dominated this championship with unerring distinction for decades in the racing world’s richest jurisdiction. Yet they’d be the first to concede that men of the ilk of Jeffrey Lloyd, Michael Roberts, Piere Strydom, Anton Marcus, Delpech, Neisius and Kevin Shea, were all capable of riding the jockeys of other nations to sleep at the height of their powers.

Of course, we’re not alone in the art of jockeyship - the histories of nations were written on the backs of horses, and other countries have been turning out top men of the profession for three-and-a-half centuries now. But a good deal of dross is talked about jockeys. Take the row about the length of stirrup leathers, which has been dragging on for years. Of itself, it isn’t worth a fig. People forget that Lester Piggott, whom history would probably judge as master of all, won his first three Epsom Derbies with his leathers about the conventional length. He won his next six with his knees more or less tucked up under his chin. Lester won all of his Derbies because of his good hands.

The question should not be whether this or that jockey rides too short or too long, as though there can be mathematical certitude to all this. Rather, the question should go something like this: does the jockey have balance? Does he avoid bumping the poor beast with his backside, or screwing off to the side as he uses the whip? Does he stay ahead of the horse’s centre of gravity? And perhaps, above all things, does the jockey have hands?

A polo player can use his legs; a good horseman, by imperceptibly shifting his weight, can make a horse do anything. Great jockeys of the past, the Tiger Wrights and the Charlie Barendses, rode on longer stirrups and could use their legs, but the modern jockey, invariably perched up there with his feet on the dashboard, really has only his hands. Andrew Fortune has hands, the way Mercury, messenger of the gods, had legs. His horses travel on gossamer threads. This man is an essay in horsemanship.

All of these men, Wright and Barends excepted, were graduates of our little jockey’s academy at Summerveld. I say “little” in inverted commas, because it’s home to about 50 students, yet it continues to churn out Olympic class athletes with regular success, to a point of out-performing all known academies of any sporting variety, pound-for-pound, on the planet. I guess this “little” school, is no little school at all.

Reverting for a moment to Capetown Noir. In saying this, I mean no offence to Vercingetorix, who is still somewhat spare, somewhat of a work-in-progress, and could in the end become the real and the only thing. Meanwhile, Capetown Noir is made for Hollywood. Women race-goers drool over him. He is big, I would think approaching 16.1hh, and black with a white blaze that broadens as it splashes out over his muzzle. He has four jet black legs that leave the impression of invisibility at his quickest, and a big generous eye. He has lots of rein, a prominent wither and massive hindquarters. When he canters to the start, he hardly raises his knees; he knows he’s the leading man, and the others are extras and clapper-loaders.

The Bible tells us that God made man and the earth in seven days. Man has fashioned the thoroughbred over 350 years, and Capetown Noir is the point of perfection this God-given creature has reached in that time. He and Vercingetorix will be facing off again on Daily News day on the first weekend in June. The horns will be out, and so will the fans. Savour it - this is what racing was made for.

DOVER BEACH
2012 SUMMERHILL READY TO RUN GRADUATE

DOVER BEACH
Mullins Bay (GB) - Hard To Get by Fard (IRE)
2 Year-Old Grey Filly

Owners : Mr A & Mrs FV van Vuuren
Trainer : Mike Azzie
Jockey : Gavin Lerena
Breeder : Summerhill Stud

DOVER BEACH is a graduate from the Summerhill draft of the 2012 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale.

MAIDEN JUVENILE PLATE
For Maiden 2-Year-Old Fillies
Turffontein, Turf, 1450m
11 May 2013

Enquiries :
Tarryn Liebenberg +27 (0) 83 787 1982
or email tarryn@summerhill.co.za
www.summerhill.co.za

SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT EXCELLENCE
Summerhill Stud, South Africa

Below is an extract from a letter written by Hazel Kayiya, a qualified chartered accountant who works in the forensic audit department at Gold Circle. Hazel has been identified as a young, up-and-coming talent by Gold Circle who have awarded her a scholarship to the School of Management Excellence. She is attending the course to broaden her knowledge of the racing and breeding industries in general.

“After reading the article below, I realised that I want to be part of the School of Excellence with no doubt or reservations. The article says ‘which you pursue is what you value’. I value knowledge, I value the thoughts and opinions of others. I want to be part of the change that happens at Gold Circle.

So instead of succumbing to the death of comfort zone, I should rather brave the cold, pull up the thermal underwear and step out and experience something different. At the end of it all. I want to walk out there with a new perspective that will challenge and test me. To ‘pursue excellence’, of elegance, of truth, of what’s next, of what if, of change, of value, of results, of relationships, of service, of knowledge” that will enable me to add more value to the department and the company.

2013 pulled out a wild card in my bag of dreams, thank you for extending this opportunity to me to be part of the Summerhill magic.”

Heather Morkel +27 (0) 33 263 1081
or email heather@summerhill.co.za
www.summerhill.co.za

“Have you ever been to Chester?”

The racecourse is one of those follies that sprang from England’s most creative period, shaped from the bowl of an ancient Roman harbour with an intimacy from its one mile round course that is matched only by the Champs de Mars in Port Louis. And as only the British would, on race days the contestants march ceremoniously through the heart of the city to what the early Britons christened the “Roodeye”. My grandfather always said: “If you’ve never raced at Chester, you’ve never raced at all,” and that’s probably true of what all English fans would say. At this time of the year, Chester holds two of England’s time-honoured Derby trials, the Chester Vase and the Dee Stakes, the former arguably the more successful in the deliverance of Derby aces, though South Africans will remember that it was his victory in the Dee Stakes that secured former Champion sire, Royal Prerogative’s passage to Cape Town.

Among the Vase’s celebrities of the modern era are Henbit, who went on to a six length end-to-end triumph in the “big one”, and Shergar, the Aga Khan’s ill-fated champion who remains to this day Epsom’s favourite son. In 1989, Old Vic waltzed off with the Vase, and followed up with stunning victories in the French and Irish equivalents. Summerhill has its own recent connection with the event in the race’s imperious winner of its 103^rd renewal, Golden Sword, who subsequently chased the world champion Sea The Stars to just over two lengths in the Investec version of the Derby.

While he’s not quite what his name suggests yet, Ruler Of The World was this week’s hero of the Vase. It is so, that he has taken longer than his illustrious half-brother, Duke Of Marmalade, to create an impact on the track, but on this occasion he looked as if he was ready to make up for lost time, with a power-packed display. Remember, the race is staged within the narrow circumference of an old sailing boat harbour, so the straight is less than 300m, which meant our hero had to conserve his jet fuel ‘til they’d straightened. In a matter of strides he hit top gear, and drew clear for an emphatic fourth win for Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle yard in the past six years. In the saddle, Ryan Moore mentioned he was still a bit green, but once he got a hold of the horse, he lengthened really well. Part-owner, Paul Smith, added: “Aidan thinks quite a lot of him. He’s been working well at home, but we thought he might still be a little babyish. I think with the tight-turning track and the crowd, it was a good choice, and it paid dividends.”

This colt, who hails from the illustrious family of A.P. Indy, Lemon Drop Kid and Al Mufti, is now two for two, and who knows, his name may yet prove prophetic.

THE EMPERORS PALACE SUMMER READY TO RUN
@SUMMERHILL FEBRUARY 2014

Enquiries :
Tarryn Liebenberg +27 (0) 83 787 1982
or email tarryn@summerhill.co.za
www.summerhill.co.za

“If you’re not part of the process itself,
you’re going to be left behind.”

There are not too many of us left who remember the Great Depression of the late 20s and early 30s, so the financial turmoil the world has landed itself in the last five years is, for most people, a unique phenomenon. In business talk, not so long ago we used to plan in 3-5 year cycles; these days, the rate of change is such that if you’re not part of the process itself, you’re going to be left behind.

It’s understandable in times like these, that horsemen should bet on the tried and tested. Which means that when it comes to stallions and their progeny, buyers look with greater comfort at the stock of the proven sire, rather than those of the up-and-coming.

At the same time, it’s a fact that all of Northern Guest, Foveros, Western Winter, Fort Wood and Jet Master, had first crops, and those with the enterprise to follow their intuitions, were the ones that cashed in. By the very nature of things, renewal is part of the process by which the world works, and whatever the state of the nation’s stallion play, we need to remind ourselves that there’s always a new generation waiting in the wings. Those that rely more on memory than on vision, are driving in the rear view mirror.

It’s been our observation over more than three decades in the horse business, that in good economic times, players are more inclined towards adventure; they’re more likely to gamble on unfamiliar territory than when austerity is the watchword. It’s our guess that we’re in the in-between faze right now, where financial indicators are telling us that the planet is slowly getting back on its feet, and for those who are in the breeding business, this may be a signal to revise our strategies.

Talking of vision, just yesterday, our new signing, Visionaire, delivered up his first runner and at the same time his first winner, the filly She Is Tango, by a scorching five lengths. And if the odd reports we’re getting from elsewhere in the United States of others from his first small crop are anything to go by, it seems we may be in for a bit of cooking.

None of us should be surprised though. Visionaire was one of the very best winners in recent years of America’s premier stallion-maker, the King’s Bishop Stakes (G1) at historic Saratoga, his last-to-first destruction of the fastest 3-year-olds of his year, stamping him a generation leader. Among America’s contemporary stallion luminaries, are the names of Distorted Humor, More Than Ready and Hard Spun, all of whom distinguished themselves in the King’s Bishop, and if they haven’t already claimed a championship, they’re bang in line for one.

So, if you’re still of a conservative disposition and believe the tried-and-tested route is your preference, Visionaire’s just given you the “heads-up” for a hell of a lot less than you’d have to pay for those of the older generation.

Enquiries :
Linda Norval +27 (0) 33 263 1081
or email linda@summerhill.co.za
www.summerhill.co.za

“The only way you could actually see the race live over here
was on the Internet.”

Let’s begin with Orb, only the fourth Grade 1/Grade 2-winning colt in 10 crops by the amazing Malibu Moon. You bet he’s amazing, he started out at the Pons Brothers’ Country Life Farm in Maryland for a $3,000 fee, as a 3-year-old in the year 2000 (and what a great job they did with him, by the way), and look where he is now. As you might imagine, he’s now the number two sire in North America, with only G1 Dubai World Cup winner Animal Kingdom’s sire, Leroidesanimaux, ahead of him. The gap was $1.9-million yesterday, but with 166 runners this year, compared to 49 for “Leroi”, this is only going to have one outcome. Right now Malibu Moon is a big favourite to become North America’s Leading Sire this year. He must have always shown them a lot as a racing prospect. He was bred by Spendthrift’s now-owner B. Wayne Hughes way before he acquired (and restored) Spendthrift, and made his debut for trainer Mel Stute over 4 1/2 furlongs at Hollywood Park in April as a 2-year-old, finishing second. He then won at five furlongs in :57 2/5 seconds in May.

But a slab fracture ended his career, and the Pons boys rolled the dice and bought half. Good call. Malibu Moon moved to Castleton Lyons in 2004, then over to Spendthrift in 2008. He’s been in the top six on the North American General Sire List the last three years (third in 2010), and all this with a 14-to-3 filly bias among his Grade 1 and Grade 2 winners (combined) through the end of 2012. It may be America’s greatest race, and the best horse did win, I’m pretty sure of that. He figured to get the trip, he handled the conditions, and won with a Beyer 104, which is at least respectable (Animal Kingdom 103, I’ll Have Another 101, before his Preakness 109), but there were some unsatisfactory aspects to the race.

First, it was run in the slop after persistent rain most of the day in Louisville, and several major contenders, including previously unbeaten Verrazano (14th) and Goldencents (17th), might just have hated the going. Second, Palace Malice more or less ran off with Mike Smith in first-time blinkers, setting a suicidal pace (45:1/5, 1:09:4/5). Everything chasing him backed up as well, setting up the race for closers. Of the first five finishers, only Normandy Invasion was closer than 15^th after the first half-mile. Third, and this is really unsatisfactory, from my point of view, Churchill’s infamous hard-bargain negotiating stance meant they priced the feed so high the European racing channels couldn’t justify buying it, so the only way you could actually see the race live over here was on the Internet, and that was only because I borrowed a friend’s TwinSpires account. From reading Michael Bronzino’s letter in the TDN Monday, there were problems in Florida watching Churchill races live, too. Yeah, I get it that Churchill Downs are hard negotiators; and yeah, I get it they’re a public company and slaves only to the almighty dollar. But what I don’t get is why breeders aren’t up in arms. Churchill Downs is not their friend.

When racing was on the ropes in the early 1980s the breeders, led by John Gaines, created the Breeders’ Cup as a vehicle whereby breeders could contribute to the revival of racing, and it worked. Now it’s the breeders who are on the ropes, and don’t let anybody tell you different. North American breeders desperately need to recapture European markets, not just to sell their horses, but to generate investment to become competitive again for top stallion prospects worldwide, which presently they are not. Australia and Japan, please note, are standing the two Kentucky Derby winners before Orb, who will, presumably, stay in America, but only because the owners can afford to keep him.

Yet, prospective customers for America’s breeders cannot even watch America’s so-called greatest race in Europe, because the racetrack company really doesn’t care if it’s free to watch there, or not, just like they don’t care, as the new points system guarantees, that horses trained in Europe are virtually shut out, unless they win the UAE Derby in Dubai. How are prospective buyers going to get excited about American racing, not to mention owners who might actually have horses racing there, like jockey Ryan Moore was when he came back and told Channel 4’s Emma Spencer at Newmarket on Sunday that it was about the greatest buzz he’s ever had as a rider - when they can’t even see the race live? I know nostalgia won’t buy you a ham sandwich, and, honestly, the last thing I think of myself as is a whiner, but I’ll guarantee you one thing, there’s no way this would have happened when Warner Jones, Jr was running the show. Churchill Downs used to work in tandem with Kentucky breeders. Now, they couldn’t care less.

…BUT THE BEST IS STILL TO COME.

Enquiries :
Linda Norval +27 (0) 33 263 1081
or email linda@summerhill.co.za
www.summerhill.co.za

“There is good reason for thinking that Dawn Approach
will not be troubled by a mile and a quarter”

It’s that time of the year again, when streams of conjecture from pedigree pundits pondering the stamina limitations of Classic prospects are the order of the day. The debate rages no more furiously anywhere than it does in the United States, primarily as it’s Kentucky Derby time, and since the bulk of American horses are bred for speed, there’s always the question of whether their stamina will stretch the ten furlongs of their most famous race.

Strangely enough, for a country that has an hereditary obsession with these arguments, the British have been uncharacteristically quiet, more likely because most horses in those realms are bred for the Derby trip, and it’s usually their class that makes them effective at anything less than a mile and a half. Indeed, for a country that was once renowned for the lightning elements of the Grey Sovereign, Gold Boss, Golden Cloud, Vilmorin, Abernant and Mummy’s Pet lines, there is a distinct dearth of out-and-out speed in European pedigrees these days. A top sprinter is more likely to be an errant child from a heritage that screams “stamina”, than he is to have been bred for the job, hence the regular decimation by the Australians of the region’s leading exponents of the art of speed in the King’s Stand Stakes (Gr.1) and the Golden Jubilee Sprint (Gr.1) most years at Royal Ascot.

Saturday’s Two Thousand Guineas (Gr.1) hero, Dawn Approach, has woken the gurus from their slumber however, with his imperious 5 length triumph in the 205^th running of England’s first Classic, because his pedigree at least suggests there may be a few chinks in his stamina armoury, and hence his appetite for the Derby distance.

Andrew Caulfield who’s been around a long time, and is one of the world’s leading students on the subject, yesterday provided his dissection of Dawn Approach’s prospects of doing so. As usual, he is delightfully insightful. But most of these fellows have a knack of occupying the top of the fence when it comes to putting their reputations on the line, and Andrew’s left us wondering again. So you be the judge!

Jim Bolger’s outstanding record as a trainer has shown time after time that he is not hidebound by convention. If a horse appears to be ready to run, he is happy to run it, even if other trainers would hesitate because of the animal’s bloodlines. This has been highlighted by the records of the five colts which have taken the Dewhurst Stake (Gr.1) for Bolger over the last seven years, as none of them made his debut later than July 16. Parish Hall was out as early as April 10, despite being inbred 3x3 to Sadler’s Wells, and Saturday’s admirable 2000 Guineas winner Dawn Approach started his career even earlier, on March 25. These early starts also allowed Bolger to give his colts the wealth of experience which often proves so valuable in the top events, with all five racing at least five times at two.

I guess that ungenerous observers might say that some of these colts paid the price for their early exploits, as neither Teofilo (Galileo) nor Parish Hall (Teofilo) was able to race at three and Intense Focus (Giant’s Causeway) ran only twice after his busy first season. However, New Approach proved to be a model Thoroughbred and is now a highly exciting sire, with the unbeaten Dawn Approach leading the way.

Of course the excitement about New Approach started last year, when Dawn Approach’s Coventry Stakes (Gr.2) win was part of an unprecedented stakes treble for a first-crop sire at Royal Ascot, the other victories coming via Thair and the short-lived Newfangled.

While these three proved that New Approach is perfectly capable of siring precocious juveniles, I suspect that they may be exceptions to the rule. No other stakes winners emerged from New Approach’s subsequent 2-year-old runners in 2012, but he notched up his fourth stakes winner when the stoutly bred Talent took the Pretty Polly Stakes (L) two days ago.

As with many a winner of the 2000 Guineas, the question now is whether Dawn Approach has the necessary stamina for the Derby. I might as well admit now that I have my doubts, but I am delighted that Dawn Approach’s connections apparently intend to let him take his chance. Bolger has been an advocate of Equinome’s genetic testing system, designed to evaluate a racehorse’s stamina potential. It seems, though, that he is still prepared to go along with the old trial-and-error process which has stood racing in good stead for hundreds of years.

When Brough Scott interviewed Bolger for Racing Post Sunday in March, Scott explained that the system categorizes a horse’s stamina capabilities, from a TT for middle-distance to a CC for sheer speed. “Galileo was a TT, but he had class,” Bolger explained. “The ideal for a Classic horse is CT. New Approach was a CT, while Dawn Approach is a CC. I trained his dam who had talent, although she got injured, but she was by a sprinter, so the Derby distance is unlikely. But as he settles so well, I would not rule it out entirely.”

It is essential to remember that stamina cannot be accurately assessed without taking temperament into account. A hard-puller is never going to stay as far as expected. Equally, a phlegmatic temperament and a willingness to settle can sometimes allow a horse to stay further than anyone might have predicted. One of the most extreme examples that I can recall was Lord Helpus, a horse trained by Barry Hills nearly 40 years ago. This colt was by Green God, a high-class performer who did all his winning over five or six furlongs. Golden Cloud, the broodmare sire of Lord Helpus, was another specialist sprinter and so were Golden Cloud’s sire Gold Bridge and Vilmorin, sire of Lord Helpus’ very speedy second dam, Poplin. Lord Helpus seemed to be fulfilling his destiny when he showed consistently useful form over sprint distances at two. However, an amenable temperament encouraged Hills to move the colt up in distance at three, when Lord Helpus achieved a Timeform rating of 111 in scoring twice over a mile. The 4-year-old Lord Helpus then showed even further progress, when he achieved his finest victory in the Princess of Wales’s Stakes (Gr.3) over a mile and a half.

Of course the stamina had to come from somewhere, the most obvious sources being Green God’s grandsires Nasrullah and Guersant, both of whom just about stayed a mile and a half. Clearly, this latent stamina eventually proved more potent than the fast blood in Lord Helpus’ pedigree. So will the presence of one very fast horse in Dawn Approach’s pedigree, his broodmare sire Phone Trick, be more influential than the fact that his next three dams are daughters of Pleasant Colony, Alydar and Sea-Bird II?

In case you’ve forgotten, Pleasant Colony won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness before siring several high-class performers over a mile and a half, including Colonial Affair (Belmont Stakes G1), Denon (Turf Classic G1) and St Jovite (winner of the G1 Irish Derby and King George for Jim Bolger). Alydar was a fine second in each of Affirmed’s Triple Crown wins, running him to a head in the Belmont Stakes. And the majestic Sea-Bird still has strong claims to being the finest mile-and-a-half horse in living memory.

To get back to Phone Trick, fast horses inevitably predominate among the good winners produced by his daughters, good examples being Zensational, Old Topper and Universal Form. Fortunately for Dawn Approach’s admirers, there are exceptions to the rule, the finest being Unbridled’s daughter Exogenous. With a G1 Kentucky Derby and G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner as her sire, Exogenous stayed well enough to triumph in a pair of Grade 1s over a mile and an eighth and she was also runner-up in Grade 1s over a mile and a quarter and a mile and a half (appearing not to stay the latter distance). Then there’s Eye of the Tiger, a Grade 2 winner over 1 3/16 miles, and Connected, a Grade 3 scorer over 1 1/8 miles.

Therefore, there is good reason for thinking that Dawn Approach will not be troubled by a mile and a quarter, but only the racecourse test will tell us whether he can also excel over the Derby distance. It is worth pointing out that the late great Vincent O’Brien was of the opinion that a mile and a quarter was the optimum distance for some of his English and Irish Derby winners. Sheer class can help eke out a colt’s stamina, and Dawn Approach certainly has that, so I think the idea of putting him to the test in the Derby is the right one, no matter what the result. Dawn Approach’s dam Hymn of the Dawn cost no more than $18,000 as a weanling. She failed to win in five attempts and her dam Colonial Debut also retired winless after eight starts. Even his third dam Kittihawk Miss, won only once in seven starts. Don’t get the wrong idea, though. The 2000 Guineas hero comes from a female line which has achieved a great deal. Colonial Debut’s best effort was her Tale of the Cat colt Galantas, a smart miler who earned the equivalent of over $300,000. Dawn Approach’s fifth dam is Ole Liz, a winner of six of her 12 juvenile starts back in 1965. As a daughter of Double Jay and Islay Mist, Ole Liz was a sister to Bourbon Mist, and both these sisters proved very influential producers.

The Newstead Farm Dispersal in 1985 provided abundant evidence as to Ole Liz’s talents. Her daughter Kittiwake, now the fourth dam of Dawn Approach, realized $3.8 million at the age of 17. Kittiwake’s daughters Larida and Miss Oceana sold for $4million and $7million, respectively. Dawn Approach’s third dam, Kittihawk Miss, was a sister to Miss Oceana, whose record stood at an impressive 11 wins and 6 seconds from 19 starts. Good enough to win five of her six juvenile starts, Miss Oceana progressed to boost her total of Grade 1 wins to five, including one over a mile and an eighth. She also finished third in the CCA Oaks over a mile and a half. Kittiwake was 21 when she foaled the last of her four stakes winners, the Group 1-winning Nureyev colt Kitwood, who stayed a mile and a quarter in France. Kittiwake is also the second dam of Magic of Life, winner of the G1 Coronation Stakes. Ole Liz is also the third dam of Film Maker, a highclass turf filly who scored at up to a mile and a half.

Dawn Approach isn’t the only proof that this female line is still flourishing; other recent Grade 1 winners being Aruna (a Mr. Greeley filly descending from Kittiwake who scored at up to 1 3/8 miles) and Love Theway Youare (2012 Vanity Handicap). Beaconaire, another of Ole Liz’s daughters, produced the high-class filly Sabin, who collected Grade 1 wins in the Yellow Ribbon Stakes and Gamely Handicap. Bourbon Mist’s daughter Fire Water bred the champion filly Life’s Magic, whose wins included the G1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff, and Bourbon Mist is also the third dam of two very different types in Europe, namely Nuclear Debate, a top sprinter, and the stamina-packed Amilynx, twice a winner of the G1 Prix Royal-Oak.

CASHA
2012 SUMMERHILL READY TO RUN GRADUATE

CASHA
Stronghold (GB) - Vanish by Coastal (USA)
2 Year-Old Bay Filly

Owner : Vendel Civils (Pty) Ltd (Nom: Mr A H van de Vendel)
Trainer : Johan Janse van Vuuren
Jockey : Donovan Mansour
Breeder : Summerhill Stud

CASHA is a graduate from the Summerhill draft of the 2012 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale.

MAIDEN JUVENILE PLATE
For Maiden 2-Year-Olds
Vaal, Turf, 1000m
7 May 2013

Enquiries :
Tarryn Liebenberg +27 (0) 83 787 1982
or email tarryn@summerhill.co.za
www.summerhill.co.za