IT'S ALL IN A NAME

Watch Talent winning the Investec Oaks
(Image : The Telegraph - Footage : Racing UK)

“A svelte chestnut and a golden filly with the right names.”

As owners, breeders and trainers know all too well, there are a vast array of factors which can put an end to the most promising of careers. One simple, yet highly effective method, seems to be the choice of a name. Whatever aspirations of grandeur one proud colt by Tumblewind may have had, were summarily crushed as soon as he got the moniker, “Hellcatmudwrestler”. Over-expectancy meets the same fate. “The Fastest” failed to reach a place in six outings in Argentina, while “Pure Speed” was beaten by a total of 138 lengths in her three lifetime starts. Thus it was with some daring that two of the present crop of European three-year-olds were christened Talent and Ruler Of The World.

Given the eccentricities of Epsom’s camber, it’s not always the case that talent triumphs in the Oaks. This year however, the triumph was emphatic. Travelling supremely well under Richard Hughes, the golden daughter of New Approach quickened in the style of a top class filly, once a gap finally appeared, and claimed the crown of Classic heroine in a matter of strides.

With Talent safely ensconced on her throne, it was widely anticipated that New Approach would complete a swift Classic double in the following day’s Derby. After all, his son Dawn Approach was unbeaten and scarcely tested in seven outings, having pulverized his opposition in the Dewhurst Stakes (Gr.1) and the 2000 Guineas (Gr.1,) and in the preliminaries exemplified the laid back constitution of a Frank Bruno. But as Dawn Approach showed a fighting spirit not to his rivals but to his pilot, Ruler Of The World settled into a smooth rhythm for Ryan Moore, before quickening into immortality at the furlong pole. For once, we have a svelte chestnut and a golden filly with the right names.

9 DAYS: 3 CLASSICS: 1 STALLION

Watch Intello winning the Prix du Jockey Club
(Image : RTE - Footage : Equidia)

“Whoever thought we’d see the likes of
the mighty stallion Sadler’s Wells again?”

His fourteen sires premierships made the previous standard-bearers, Hyperion (five) and St Simon look like the kindergarten. Yet the measure, it has so often been said, of a great progenitor, lies in his ability to get better than himself and that, it seems, is exactly what Sadler’s Wells has in his son, Galileo. In a matter of nine days, Galileo has put all the phenomenal things he’s achieved already in the shade, with three European Classic winners in less than ten days, two of them this past weekend. On Sunday, Intello added the French Derby (Prix du Jockey Club) to English repertoire.

Settled into a beautiful rhythm by the masterful Olivier Peslier, Intello tracked the leading pair until quickening to the fore entering the final 300 metres and was in command thereafter as Morandi and Sky Hunter gave vain pursuit. An unlucky third in the Gr.1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains, the bay thus gave Coolmore’s European Champion Three-Year-Old Galileo a third Classic winner in nine days following the victories of Magician and Ruler Of The World in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and the Derby.

Intello is the eighth Graded/Group winner by the outstanding son of Sadler’s Wells and the thirty-fourth to triumph at the highest level. Intello is the second foal of Impressionnante, who won the Gr.2 Prix de Sandringham on this day seven years ago and finished runner-up in both the Gr.1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches and Gr.1 Prix d’Astarte. An elegant daughter of Danehill, Impressionnante is out of Kaldoun’s Gr.1 Prix de la Foret and Gr.1 Prix Maurice de Gheest heroine Occupandiste, who produced the Gr.3 Prix de Saint-Georges and Gr.3 Prix du Petit-Couvert victrix Only Answer to another son of Danzig, Green Desert. Successful in the Gr.2 (now Gr.1) Prix d’Astarte, Occupandiste’s grandam Elle Seule produced Derrinstown Stud’s Gr.1 July Cup winner Elnadim to Danzig, the Gr.1 Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Mehthaaf to Sadler’s Wells’ three-parts brother Nureyev and the Gr.3 Nell Gwyn Stakes victrix Khulood to Storm Cat. By Exclusive Native, Elle Seule is one of nine Stakes winners out of the Gr.1 Matron Stakes queen Fall Aspen, these including Danzig’s Gr.1 July Cup winner Hamas and Gr.2 Diadem Stakes scorer Bianconi and Sadler’s Wells’ Gr.1 Grand Prix de Paris hero and South African Champion Sire Fort Wood as well as the Gr.1 Preakness Stakes victor Timber Country (Woodman), the Gr.1 Gamely Stakes heroine Northern Aspen (Northern Dancer) and Dubai Millennium’s dam Colorado Dancer (Shareef Dancer).

Intello is one of eleven Group winners from the 81 foals aged three and over by Galileo out of daughters of Danehill. Indeed, seven of these have triumphed at the highest level, Intello joining the Classic winners Cima De Triomphe, Frankel, Golden Lilac and Roderic O’Connor and the European Champion Juveniles Maybe and Teofilo, whilst an eighth, Cuis Ghaire, finished second in the 1,000 Guineas. Interestingly, the tryst between Galileo and Danehill produces sex-balanced inbreeding to Northern Dancer’s dam, the disqualified Spinaway Stakes victrix Natalma, and to two dual US Horses Of The Year in Natalma’s sire Native Dancer and Buckpasser.

Editor’s Note: Earlier this week, Summerhill became home to its sixth daughter of Galileo, when Uthawini came “home” after her recent re-purchase at the Cape Broodmare sale. By Galileo out of a Danehill mare, she represents the same cross which produced Frankel and Sunday’s Derby hero.

THE GOOD GET BETTER

Daily News 2000 - Vercingetorix, No Worries, Capetown Noir and Wylie Hall
(Image : Gold Circle)

“At this time of year, three-year-olds exhibit
differing rates of improvement.”

In our preview of the Daily News 2000 on Friday, we mentioned that at this time of year, three-year-olds exhibit differing rates of improvement. This couldn’t have been better illustrated than in Saturday’s South African-flavoured Group Ones, matched only by Claude Moshiywa’s stunning Comrades Marathon victory, the first “up-run” win by a local man in twenty-one years of the world’s most gruelling ultra-distance contest.

Let’s start with the oldest of the horse races. England’s Epsom Derby was being run for the 234^th time, proudly carrying the label of South Africa’s Investec Bank. Rumoured unbeatable, the unbeaten Dawn Approach went out deep in the red, only to destroy his chances with a mulish display under Kevin Manning. Clearly accustomed to the speed of his earlier conquests at six to eight furlongs, he was unable to restrain himself without cover on the outside, and simply caved in as the field straightened from Tattenham Corner. The boys at Coolmore don’t need more than one invitation; within strides, a shoal of their five-horse entry swamped the lead. However, their back-marker in navy, Ruler Of The World, flashed up at the business end to run them all down from Libertarian, Galileo’s Rock and Battle Of Marengo, completing a whitewash of the world’s oldest classic by descendants of the remarkable Galileo, himself a Blue Riband hero of an earlier generation.

The unbeaten Ruler Of The World had given notice of his promise with a six length romp in Group company at Chester a month before, but needed Saturday’s victory to justify Susan Magnier’s choice of his extravagant appellation. As Coolmore boss, John Magnier quipped in the winner’s circle, “We allocate these lofty names on the basis of pedigree and what the youngsters are showing us at home; some we win and some we lose, and we’ve had a number of bad American presidents!” This one they got right. Those with an interest in breeding will be amused at the thin line between success and failure. Asked where the mare had gone in the past season, Magnier responded that she was on her way to Fastnet Rock, when he phoned trainer Aidan O’Brien to find out how the thre-year-old was doing. “He’s good”, was the response, and so his dam Love Me True, from the spectacular family of A.P. Indy, Duke Of Marmalade, Al Mufti and Lemon Drop Kid, is carrying a full sibling to the Derby winner. The rich just get richer!

Closer to home, the Woolavington Stakes (Gr.1) looked like a match in two between Bridget Oppenheimer’s Triple Tiara heroine, Cherry On The Top, and the Summerhill Sales graduate Blueridge Mountain. Recalling the vagaries of the game and the impossibility of knowing what’s going on inside a horse, the bridesmaid in all three legs of the Tiara, Michael De Broglio’s Do You Remember, trumped them all in the dying strides, just as Blueridge Mountain looked home-and-hosed halfway up the Greyville straight. To be fair, Cherry On The Top was over the top, while Blueridge Mountain’s 1200 metre prep was hardly the stuff of normality for a Group One at 2000m. But luck? Luck schmuck! “Breed the best to the best, and hope for the best”, they say. Do You Remember is a daughter of the white hot Silvano, from De Broglio’s Oaks-winning mare, Festive Occasion.

Vercingetorix’s unbeaten rally to the Vodacom Durban July remained on course when he scraped home by a nose in the Daily News 2000 (Gr.1), tossing the Breeder’s Championship up in the air, as the gap between ourselves and our nearest pursuers narrowed to nothing. The Klawervlei party however, was spoilt to a degree by No Worries’ killer burst in the closing moments of the race, where he raced from last at 75-1.

There was plenty of talk in the aftermath about Capetown Noir’s hard-knocking rattle for third, less than a head behind. If you were choosing between him and Vercingetorix on this evidence, with the extra furlong of the July, you’d have to be with Dean Kannemeyer’s horse, but all this ignores the fact that No Worries came from behind both of them, and another stride would’ve seen the wreath on his shoulders. If you subscribe to the notion that once they start to get good, there’s no knowing how good they’re going to get, “No Worries” could just live up to his name in the July.

Besides the fact that this result could be championship-threatening for Summerhill, our fellows were left lamenting our fourth bob-of-the-nose Group One second in recent times; Galant Gagnant went down by a head to Russian Sage in the same race; Smanjemanje failed by a nose to rein in Pomodoro in last year’s July, and Black Wing was “heads-up” on the Champions Cup (Gr.1) post when it should’ve been “heads-down”, in August.

As matters stand, No Worries holds no entry for the Vodacom Durban July, but “Buffalo Bill” Burnard tells us that’s what he’s in the game for. He may never get a chance like this again. If you fancy the chances of Vercingetorix and Capetown Noir, you’d have to fancy No Worries, as well. When the sticks came out, nobody dug deeper on Saturday. Every inch of the way. In the “big ones”, it’s those inches that make the difference. It’s what separates the living from the losers.

Editor’s Note: Together with the Guineas third, Corredor, No Worries is a graduate of the inaugural Emperors Palace Summer Ready To Run, staged in our School Of Excellence. His share of Saturday’s spoils puts “Buffalo” well ahead of the hefty R400,000 price tag.

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

RULER OF THE WORLD RULES INVESTEC DERBY

Watch Ruler Of The World winning the Investec Derby (Group 1)
(Image - ODT - Footage : Racing UK)

INVESTEC DERBY (Grade 1)
Epsom Downs, Turf, 2423m
1 June 2013

Impressive when winning the May 9 Group 3 Chester Vase, Ruler of the World (Ire) (Galileo) entered the Group 1 Investec Derby as the 7-1 second-favored of the Ballydoyle quintet and emerged on top under jockey Ryan Moore for trainer Aidan O’Brien.

Settled towards the rear early, the bay who sported cheekpieces as he did at Chester, surged to the front passing the quarter pole and kept grinding to beat the strong-finishing Libertarian (GB) (New Approach) by 1 1/2 lengths, with Galileo Rock (Ire) (Galileo) a short head behind in third.

“We feel very lucky to be standing here,” John Magnier said. “This is what it’s all about. That’s why the Derby is such an interesting race, as its all unfolding and we didn’t know where they were this year because of the weather.”

Dawn Approach (Ire) (New Approach) was lit up from the outset and his refusal to settle meant that he was a spent force by the time the quarter mile pole was reached, ultimately finishing last.

Extract from Thoroughbred Daily News

CAMELOT SURGES TO SCINTILLATING INVESTEC DERBY VICTORY

Click above to watch post Investec Derby interview with Aidan O’Brien…
(Image and Footage : Racing UK)

INVESTEC DERBY (Group 1)
Epsom Downs, Turf, 2400m
2 June 2012

Derrick Smith’s Camelot (GB) (Montjeu), trainer Aidan O’Brien and jockey Joseph O’Brien had a weight of expectation on their shoulders entering Saturday’s G1 Investec Derby, but the 8-13 favorite and his 19-year-old rider proved impervious to the pressure when surging to an emphatic five-length victory. In doing so, the much-lauded bay completed the 2000 Guineas / Epsom Derby double and became the first horse to win this great race for a father-son trainer-jockey combination.

Settled with only one behind by his supremely confident rider early, Camelot had his positively ridden stable companion Astrology (Ire) (Galileo) to aim at in the straight and, after powering past with a furlong remaining, carried on into the clear, with Main Sequence (USA) (Aldebaran) denying a Ballydoyle one-two in the final stride. “He must be right up there with the best,” John Magnier commented. “It is there for everybody to see, and we are fortunate to have anything to do with him, particularly in the year that his father died, which makes it more important.” When asked whether he would like to attempt the Triple Crown, the Coolmore supremo answered, “Wouldn’t anybody? We are going to have to take it race-by-race and give it a lot of thought. These things get to mean more as you get older. If you had asked me the same question 20 years ago, I would have looked the other way, but we’ll have to see what Derrick Smith and Michael Tabor think about it. We are going through a good patch at the moment, so we just have to savor the moment.”

If there was any panic rising as he guided Camelot down the hill still several lengths adrift of Ryan Moore and Astrology, it was not apparent until he asked the crowd’s choice to chase hard from the three-furlong pole. Hanging down the camber as he closed down his barnmate, Camelot’s acceleration had carried him into a winning position by the furlong pole and his subsequent tour de force allowed connections and favorite-backers time to bask in the moment. “I was a bit worried, as he didn’t come down the hill at all and didn’t handle the track that well,” Joseph O’Brien explained. “He’s a very special horse and I’m just very fortunate to be on his back.” Derrick Smith, who was celebrating an apt 100th Group 1 winner, added, “It’s not a dream, because I could never have dreamt I would do it. This is the one everybody wants in racing and what a horse and what a ride. I suppose the Triple Crown must be on the agenda and we may get pressured into it, but we’ll sit down and talk about it and make the final decision.”

Aidan O’Brien paid his own tribute to the sport’s new talent. “He always looked special, but this is something you can’t really dream about,” he commented. “He’s one of those unusual horses who seems to be always finishing no matter what trip you run him over. He’s magical and that’s the only way I can describe him - he couldn’t be better named. He has a great constitution and the way he came back and stood relaxed in the winner’s enclosure afterwards, he’s very much in control. That he’s in such a place in his head with that ability, it is very unusual. We really fancied Ryan Moore’s horse, Astrology, and an awful lot of things could have happened, but Joseph wanted to come with a long sustained run. When a horse can give distance away and go up into those gears and still mow horses down like that, it’s incredible. I think he was only going away at the line and he has an awful lot of different options now.”

Extract from Thoroughbred Daily News