CAPE BLANCO SWOOPS TO ARLINGTON MILLION VICTORY

Click above to watch Cape Blanco winning the Arlington Million (G1)…
(Image : ESPN - Footage : Arlington)

ARLINGTON MILLION STAKES (Grade 1)
Arlington Park, Turf, 2000m
13 August 2011

It was a great day for the Irish Saturday at Arlington Park, particularly if you were an Aidan O’Brien-trained Irish Derby-winning son of Galileo (Ire). First 2011 Derby winner Treasure Beach (GB) (Galileo) won the GI Secretariat Stakes and then, an hour or so later, 2010 Classic winner Cape Blanco (Ire) (Galileo) swept to a 2 1/2-length victory in the GI Arlington Million Stakes. Cape Blanco, favored at 2-1, settled in a stalking fourth as Mission Approved (With Approval) took the field along through pedestrian fractions over the rain-soakened Arlington turf course. The Irish raider was asked for run turning for home, made a bold move to put his head in front in upper stretch and surged clear. Gio Ponti (Tale of the Cat) closed late for second, matching his finish in last year’s Million. “He’s a good tough horse and he’s brilliantly trained,” jockey Jamie Spencer said of the winner. “All I did was was do the steering. Aidan gave me my instructions and I rode accordingly.”

Cape Blanco, a two-time group winner during his undefeated juvenile campaign, parlayed a win in last year’s G1 Irish Derby into a strong runner-up effort behind Harbinger in the G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes before storming home by 5 1/2 lengths in the G1 Irish Champion Stakes. This term, the chestnut colt took to the synthetics for a fourth-place effort in the G1 Dubai World Cup in March and was fourth again in the G1 Prix Ganay at Longchamp in April. He set sail for America after a sixth-place effort in the June 14 G1 Queen Anne Stakes and made a quick impact on these shores, defeating Gio Ponti by 2 1/4 lengths in the July 9 G1 Man O’War Stakes at Belmont Park. “I’m very pleased just to be able to ride the horse,” Spencer continued. “There are very few horses that have the will to win like he has. The more you ask from him, the more you get from him. He had loads left in the end.”

Cape Blanco won the Irish Derby and Irish Champion Stakes last term for owners Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor. Dubai socialite Fitri Hay joined the ownership group in March when she purchased a significant interest in the colt. Hay and her husband, Jim, own the UAE-based holding company JMH Group.

Extract from Thoroughbred Daily News

A PLAY WITHOUT PUNCH

River Jetez
(Photo : Stable Life)

THE BEVERLEY D AND THE ARLINGTON MILLION

Tonight marks the annual Equus Awards, a celebration of South Africa’s racing champions. One of our biggest winners, the world renowned trainer Mike de Kock, will be absent, away in Chicago for the running of the Beverly D. Stakes (Gr1), on the same card as the Arlington Million. Engaged for the de Kock stable is the evergreen mare, River Jetez, where the daughter of Jet Master is priced up as the 4-1 second favourite to Stacelita. There’s no knowing what shape a seven-year-old mare will be in, but if River Jetez is at her best, she’ll certainly frighten the likes of the favourite, and her other two principal opponents, Cheetah (9-2) and Fantasia (6-1).

In the Million field, the Aidan O’Brien-trained Cape Blanco (part owned by Summerhill clients, Jim and Fitri Hay) is the 9-5 chalk ahead of the outstanding American guard horse Gio Ponti. Riveting stuff, and two races right at the top of America’s best turf event.

DUBAI WORLD CUP 2011 : FINAL FIELD

Musir - Mike de Kock
(Photo : Gold Circle)

US$10,000,000 DUBAI WORLD CUP (Group 1)
Meydan, All-Weather, 2000m
26 March 2011

FINAL FIELD

#	Horse	Kg	HR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	CAPE BLANCO (IRE)	57.0	126	0	J Spencer	Aidan O’Brien
2	FLY DOWN (USA)	57.0	123	0	J Leparoux	Nicholas P Zito
3	GIO PONTI (USA)	57.0	121	0	R Dominguez	Christophe Clement
4	GITANO HERNANDO (GB)	57.0	118	0	J Murtagh	Marco Botti
5	GOLDEN SWORD (GB)	57.0	117	0	K Shea	Mike de Kock
6	MONTEROSSO (GB)	57.0	115	0	M Barzalona	Mahmoud Al Zarooni
7	MUSIR (AUS)	57.0	117	0	C Soumillon	Mike de Kock
8	POET’S VOICE (GB)	57.0	122	0	L Dettori	Saeed bin Suroor
9	PRINCE BISHOP (IRE)	57.0	117	0	A Ajtebi	Saeed bin Suroor
10	RICHARD’S KID (USA)	57.0	119	0	R Mullen	Satish Seemar
11	TRANSCEND (JPN)	57.0	116	0	S Fujita	Takayuki Yasuda
12	TWICE OVER (GB)	57.0	125	0	T Queally	Henry Cecil
13	VICTOIRE PISA (JPN)	57.0	121	0	M Demuro	Katsuhiko Sumii
14	BUENA VISTA (JPN)	55.0	121	0	R Moore	Hiroyoshi Matsuda

* South African Connections Highlighted

GOLDIKOVA TAKES TVG BREEDERS' CUP MILE TRIPLE

Click above to watch Goldikova winning her third Breeders’ Cup Mile
(Photo : Betfair - Footage : Breeders Cup)

BREEDERS’ CUP MILE G1
Churchill Downs, 6 November 2010

Back in his riding days, Freddie Head piloted the great Miesque (Nureyev) when she made history as the first horse to double up victories in the Breeders’ Cup by virtue of her Mile wins in 1987 and 1988 at Hollywood and Churchill Downs, respectively.

Head turned to training when he hung his tack, and became the first person to ride and train a Breeders’ Cup winner when Goldikova (Anabaa) took her first Mile in 2008.

“It’s quite unreal,” exclaimed Head.

“She’s amazing, she can do anything. I’m very emotional. I was the first jockey to win this race twice with a mare, and now I’m the trainer of a mare winning this race three times. It’s unreal. We don’t know how good this filly is - she’s extraordinary. I don’t have the words.”

Goldikova secured her first Breeders’ Cup Mile as a three-year-old in 2008, when, sent postward as the 9-5 choice, she parlayed a stalking trip into a 1 1/4-length score over defending champion Kip Deville (Kipling).

After collecting three more Group 1 wins in Europe in 2009, the popular bay returned to Santa Anita and rallied from the back of the pack to justify 7-5 favoritism.

She was sportingly kept in training by her owner/breeders, Alain and Gerard Wertheimer, and rewarded that decision with another trio of top-level wins. Second in the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville August 15, Goldikova rebounded to take the G1 Prix de la Foret at Longchamp October 3, defeating Paco Boy (Desert Style) and, in the process, surpassed Miesque’s mark of Group 1 wins with her 11th such success.

Having drawn the 10 hole for this third trip to the States, the 6-5 favorite took the overland route while racing in seventh, and California-based Sidney’s Candy (Candy Ride) showed the way up front through splits of 0:24.02 and 0:47.49. Goldikova still had a ton of ground to make up on the far turn, but it really didn’t matter.

Given her cue by Olivier Peslier, the five-year-old quickened past her rivals in a matter of strides, and flashed under the wire safely in front of the valiant Gio Ponti. Paco Boy (Desert Style) came flying from the back of the pack, but was a whisker short of The Usual Q.T. at the line.

“I think she has everything an athlete can have,” Head offered. “I mean, she’s got tremendous nerves - she’s very cool. She’s got great speed. She’s very fast, and she can carry that speed for a long time. She has always another gear. She can always change gear, and finishes faster than the others.”

Goldikova is a great-granddaughter of Gold River (Riverman), who captured the 1981 G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe for father Jacques Wertheimer. The Wertheimer brothers didn’t rule out their star returning for another season.

“I think that it was important to try to make history to have a horse that can win the same race three times the same race,” said Alain Wertheimer. Gerard added, “At the moment, I think we’re enjoying the race and the win.”

Extract from Thoroughbred Daily News

THE BREEDERS' CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Relive highlights from the 2009 Breeders’ Cup World Championships
(Image and Footage : Breeders Cup)

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OF RACING
“LET THE GAMES BEGIN”

A loaded field of 16, headed by unbeaten Zenyatta (Street Cry), was pre-entered for the G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs November 6, it was announced Wednesday.

The defending Classic heroine will face leading older horses Quality Road (Elusive Quality) and Blame (Arch), top three-year-old Lookin At Lucky (Smart Strike), and Japanese invader Espoir City (Gold Allure) in the $5million centerpiece.

Turf champion Gio Ponti (Tale of the Cat) was cross-entered in the Classic and the G1 Breeders’ Cup Mile, while Goldikova (Anabaa) seeks a remarkable third straight win in the Mile. Workforce (King’s Best), victor of the G1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and G1 Epsom Derby, will make the trip across the pond for the G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf.

Leading two-year-olds Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie) and Boys At Tosconova (Officer) are set to do battle in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Blind Luck (Pollard’s Vision) renews her rivalry with Havre de Grace (Saint Liam) in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic. Last year’s Breeders’ Cup champions California Flag (Avenue of Flags) (Turf Sprint), Informed Decision (Monarchos) (F/M Sprint) and Midday (Oasis Dream) (F/M Turf) are back to defend their titles.

A record 184 horses, 26 from overseas, were pre-entered for the two-day Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

The 14 races will be televised live on ABC and ESPN.

“The overall depth and quality of this year’s pre-entered fields are higher than at any previous occasion,” said Tom Robbins, Chairman of the Breeders’ Cup Racing Directors/Secretaries Panel. “The international contingent is particularly strong and is bolstered by high ratings for Zenyatta, Workforce and Goldikova.”

Extract from Thoroughbred Daily News