BORN TO SEA : BORN TO RULE

Click above to watch Born To Sea winning the Blenheim Stakes (L)
(Image : V.Chandler - Footage : All The Doyles)

BORN TO RULE

If ever a horse was born into greatness, it had to be a sibling of the greatest stallion of our era, Galileo, and of arguably the best racehorse of the last decade, Sea The Stars. That horse is Born To Sea, who debuted in the very race that rocketed Brave Tin Soldier to stardom as a juvenile, the Blenheim Stakes (Listed) at 1200m at The Curragh. It wasn’t that he won it, it was the way he won it, and while his trainer John Oxx was loathe to draw comparisons with his illustrious brothers, he did say he had some big plans for the colt.

The son of Invincible Spirit (a sprinting son of Green Desert) is said to be an imposing looking individual, who ought to be better suited by longer distances. His dam, Urban Sea, was an “Arc” winner at 2400m, and both of her most illustrious progeny excelled at that distance. Of course, there’s no guarantee Born To Sea will stay any sort of a trip, but the Invincible Spirits have at least shown some versatility, the odd one (Lawman), prevailing in the French Derby at 2000m. (The French can be different, as we know, and their Derby is 2000m, not the conventional European 2400m).

Interestingly, in the same week, the only horse in history to have won a Breeder’s Cup Juvenile and a Kentucky Derby, Street Sense, celebrated some notable successes in the Keeneland salesring, no doubt on the back of what horsemen know of his progeny, and in a week in which several of his first crop put up convincing performances. With his credentials, few would be surprised to see Street Sense emerge as a cracking sire; we’ve seen a number of them at Southern Hemisphere sales, and they look the sort to find their best in their classic years. Anything that comes to pass while they’re juveniles (as they are at the moment), is a bonus. On the face of what we’ve seen so far, there’s cause for the crew at Darley America to have smiles on their dials.

We have a small syndicate of investors at Summerhill who annually raid the weanling sales in Australia, and in the context of this story, they seem to have hit the jackpot. They have a son of Street Sense who’s being aimed at the Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale, from the immediate family of Galileo, Sea The Stars and Born To Sea. That’s not the kind of pedigree you’d expect to see at a sale in this country, and it’s a rare jackpot, not only for the vendors, but for anyone among the investing public with a modicum of Street Sense.

The Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale
Sunday 6th November

*Six cheque payment scheme for qualifying buyers.

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

WE ALL KNOW THE FAIRYTALE ABOUT THE BRAVE TIN SOLDIER

Brave Tin Soldier - Blenheim Stakes (Listed)
(Photo : Summerhill Stud) 

IT JUST TOOK 150 YEARS TO RETELL IT.

BIG. (and beautiful).	Bought as a foal for US$3 million by one of history’s best judges.
BRILLIANT.	Flattened a line-up of Ireland’s best juveniles in the six furlong Blenheim Stakes (Listed).
BRAVE.	Came back from a career-threatening injury for three more victories and Graded Stakes glory at five.
And BRED.	By the sire of Champion Sires Giant’s Causeway, Tale Of The Cat and Hennessy, out of a Mr Prospector own sister to one of the most famous winners in the history of the Kentucky Derby.

Introducing him at the Summerhill Stallion Day.
Sunday, 1st August 

For more information please visit :
www.summerhill.co.za

BRAVE TIN SOLDIER TO STAND STUD AT SUMMERHILL

Brave Tin Soldier
(Photo : Summerhill Stud) 

“IT DIDN’T TAKE YOUTUBE LONG EITHER…”

You didn’t really believe Summerhill would be long in announcing a replacement for Stronghold did you? Though it wasn’t without blood and sweat, but very few tears.

The void left by Freshman standout, Cataloochee and a horse of Stronghold’s class and speed, meant the search would have to embrace a horse with similar credentials; big, brave, brilliant. And if you could find one to answer those three questions, and come packed with pedigree too, you had a match made in heaven.

What better then, than a precocious Stakes winning juvenile by Storm Cat from a Mr Prospector own sister to one of the most famous winners of America’s greatest race? Brave Tin Soldier is precisely that : brilliant enough to cruise up in the six furlong Blenheim Stakes (Listed) as a two year old at the Curragh; brave enough to return from a career-threatening stress fracture at three to Graded Stakes glory and two other victories at five; and big (and beautiful) enough to command a $3million price tag as a foal from one of the world’s most astute judges.

It took YouTube precisely an hour to post his pulsating victory in the Cliff Hanger Stakes (Gr3) where he positively sprouted wings in the final furlong, and while it’s taken them a little longer, South African breeders’ new worship of Var and Tiger Ridge tells us they’ve cottoned on well and truly to the Storm Cat phenomenon, too.

Of course, it helped that Mike de Kock was associated with Brave Tin Soldier’s rehab in Dubai. It took him just two seconds to stamp his signature on the horse’s passport to Summerhill.

And if this all sounds too much to believe, visit him at www.summerhill.co.za and you’ll get him in Technicolor, together with one of the best “pages” on the planet.

Click here to watch
Brave Tin Soldier : 2009 Cliff Hanger Stakes (Gr3)

For more information please visit :
www.summerhill.co.za

CALL :
Linda Norval 033 263 1081