MUSIR TO STAND AT COOLMORE AUSTRALIA

Click above to watch Andrew Bon interviewing Mike de Kock on Musir…
(Image and Footage : Tellytrack)

MUSIR
Redoute’s Choice (AUS) - Dizzy De Lago (AUS)

The stallion roster at Coolmore Australia will be boosted in 2012 by the addition South African champion and leading international performer Musir.

A stud fee will be announced at a later date for the six-time group stakes winner, who is the highest rated son of Redoute’s Choice to date, according to Timeform, which described him as “a well-made horse and a high-class performer with a good turn of foot.”

As a two-year-old, the Mike de Kock-trained colt stamped himself a top-level performer when romping to a 3½-length score in the 2009 Golden Horseshoe (Grade 1), South Africa’s premier contest for juveniles, at 1400 meters (6.96 furlongs). That dominant win saw him crowned champion two-year-old of South Africa and earned him a trip to the prestigious Dubai International Racing Carnival.

It was in Dubai as a three-year-old that Musir announced himself an international star, running up a hat trick of impressive wins that included the 2010 UAE Derby (Grade 2) and the UAE 2000 Guineas (Grade 3). He went on to claim wins in the 2011 International Topkapi Trophy (Grade 2) and 2012 Al Rashidiya (Grade 2).

Overall, Musir has eight wins from 16 career starts and earnings of $2,457,481. He has finished off the board only twice.

Musir was produced by stakes-placed winner Dizzy De Lago, by Encosta de Lago, and is from the family of Japanese champion, classic winner, and leading sire King Kamehameha as well as Grade 1 winner and sire The Deputy (Ire).

Extract from Thoroughbred Times

CITYSCAPE BREAKS COURSE RECORD IN DUBAI DUTY FREE

Click above to watch Cityscape winning the Dubai Duty Free (G1)…
(Image : Oliver Clarke/Gulf News - Footage : Dubai Racing Meydan)

US$5,000,000 DUBAI DUTY FREE (Group 1)
Meydan, Turf, 1800m
31 March 2012

In the lead up to Saturday’s G1 Dubai Duty Free over 1800m at Meydan, there was at least some question as to how, or rather whether, Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Cityscape (GB) (Selkirk) would A: see out the 1800 meters of the race at his first attempt and B: handle reasonably quick ground.

The lightly raced chestnut with the big bald face answered in no uncertain terms, streaking clear from pacesetting Await The Dawn (USA) (Giant’s Causeway) in the upper stretch before reporting home an easy 4 1/4-length winner. “I can’t believe it,” commented winning trainer Roger Charlton. “The race panned out absolutely as we thought it would. Await The Dawn weakened pretty quickly to leave us in front plenty early enough, but that wasn’t a problem.”

A well-beaten eighth at 50-1 in the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville August 15, Cityscape was far too good for his rivals in the G3 Solonaway Stakes at The Curragh September 11, winning by 2 1/2 lengths in the soft. Shipped to Milan for the G1 Gran Premio Vittorio di Capua 13 days later, he missed by a nose to the top-class Dick Turpin (Ire) (Arakan), then relished the soft going at Saint-Cloud to land the G3 Prix Perth October 30. Connections had the misfortune of drawing the 12 hole for the G1 Hong Kong Mile December 11, but despite racing five wide on the turn, nearly got the job done while failing by a nose.

Cityscape was away smartly from the 11 hole, and jockey James Doyle used his mount just a touch to get over to be forwardly placed three wide, as Await The Dawn settled into an easy pace up front. Given a bit more rein as they approached the turn, the 6-year-old tugged his way past Musir (Aus) (Redoute’s Choice) up into second, and, by the time they’d reached the 700-meter marker, Cityscape was sent to the head of affairs. Shaken up at the quarter pole while traveling best of anything, he quickened clear and was never in any danger while establishing a new course record. The Mike de Kock-trained Mutahadee (Ire) (Encosta De Lago) and Mahmoud Al Zarooni-trained City Style (USA) (City Zip) completed an outstanding run at the Carnival, finishing second and third, respectively.

“This horse has an amazing turn of foot,” the winning jockey said. “He just kept finding; he was even idling a little in the closing stages. It was a great feeling and the biggest day in my life.”

Extract from Thoroughbred Daily News

DUBAI DUTY FREE 2012 : FINAL FIELD

Mike de Kock trained Musir
(Photo : The National)

US$5,000,000 DUBAI DUTY FREE (Group 1)
Meydan, Turf, 1800m
31 March 2012

FINAL FIELD

#	Horse	Kg	OR	Jockey	Trainer
1	GREEN DESTINY (IRE)	57.0	119	Glyn Schofield	Herman Brown
2	AWAIT THE DAWN (USA)	57.0	121	Joseph O’Brien	Aidan O’Brien
3	RAJSAMAN (FR)	57.0	117	Royston Ffrench	Ali Rashid Al Raihe
4	AMBITIOUS DRAGON (NZ)	57.0	122	Douglas Whyte	Anthony Millard
5	MUSIR (AUS)	57.0	117	Kevin Shea	Mike de Kock
6	DELEGATOR (GB)	57.0	116	Lanfranco Dettori	Saeed bin Suroor
7	DARK SHADOW (JPN)	57.0	121	Yuichi Fukunaga	Noriyuki Hori
8	CALIFORNIA MEMORY (USA)	57.0	120	Matthew Chadwick	Tony Cruz
9	XTENSION (IRE)	57.0	118	Jeffrey Lloyd	John Moore
10	MUTAHADEE (IRE)	57.0	116	Christophe Soumillon	Mike de Kock
11	CITYSCAPE (GB)	57.0	121	James Doyle	Roger Charlton
12	PRESVIS (GB)	57.0	120	Ryan Moore	Luca Cumani
13	CITY STYLE (USA)	57.0	113	Mickael Barzalona	Mahmoud Al Zarooni
14	RIO DE LA PLATA (USA)	57.0	118	Silvestre De Sousa	Saeed bin Suroor
15	WIGMORE HALL (IRE)	57.0	117	Jamie Spencer	Michael Bell
16	DUBAWI GOLD (GB)	57.0	117	John Murtagh	Richard Hannon
	Reserves
17	ALBAASIL (IRE)	57.0	115	Reserve	Doug Watson

Correct as at 28 March 2012

www.dubaiworldcup.com

SUPER SATURDAY : THE ACID TEST

Herman Brown Jnr and Mike de Kock
(Image : SA Trainers)

“SUPER SATURDAY”
Meydan, 10 March 2012

Super Saturday in Dubai is the last crucial test of aspirations for the richest day in racing, the Dubai World Cup meeting, where almost $30 million will be disbursed at the end of this month. For some of the candidates, their conditioners are simply applying the finishing touches, for others it’s the last run they need to get them to peak for the great day, and for others the question of where they’re going to end up on the day (in or out or in which race they’ll compete) still has to be defined. There are two South African trainers in action tomorrow, many times Champion trainer of the UAE, Mike de Kock, and third generation Herman Brown Jnr, who carries the hopes of the Chechneyan President, Ramzan Kadyrov. Brown’s horses are largely untested in the UAE, and they come from a variety of international backgrounds. We don’t know much about them, other than their ratings and their countries of origin, and you have to take their wellbeing on trust. He wouldn’t be running them at Saturday’s level, if he didn’t think they belonged there.

For de Kock, his horses fall into any one of the categories we’ve mentioned above. Bold Silvano, Musir, Mahbooba and Irish Flame, are in the “polishing” touches phase, River Jetez, the former J&B Met heroine, is only lighting up the afterburners, and has work to do. Others like Master of the Hounds, and the recent Group 2 mile victor, Viscount Nelson, have been confusing in their form, and questions remain as to what their best aptitude is. The latter is a spectacularly bred son of Giant’s Causeway (out of a Guineas and Oaks winner by Sadler’s Wells), and you’d expect his best trip to be at least ten furlongs, maybe twelve.

Local fans will be looking for bold showings from most of these horses, in particular the Durban July winner, Bold Silvano, who was a strong fancy last year to take the winner’s prize in the world’s richest race, the World Cup itself, before injury cruelly intervened. He ran a muddling race on his first start back, and the fact he’s only having his second start here, suggests de Kock has been nursing him.

Either way, it’s going to be an intriguing night of contests (two of the races have recently been elevated to Group 1 status), and if you’re wanting to follow it, tune into Tellytrack Saturday afternoon (channel 232). If you don’t have the fields, go to www.emiratesracing.com.

DUBAI WORLD CUP : DE KOCK LOOKS DOUBLE HANDED

Mike de Kock
(Photo : Tab Online)

Your thoughts on the Dubai Racing Carnival…

We’ve had any number of mails from every conceivable quarter of the world after Igugu’s big win in the J&B Met Saturday. One of our regular correspondents from America, ‘Green Beret’ is an avid Dubai-watcher, and he knows the form there as well as anyone we know. These are his thoughts (what are yours?).

Dear Summerhill Stud,
Thanks a heap for uploading the replays of Igugu’s wins in the G1 Durban July and again today in the G1 J&B Met!! This filly really looks special to me. To take down both the Durban July and J&B Met is no feat, because there’s some top class, middle distance turf horses racing in South Africa these days!! With the Dubai Carnival in full swing right now, I’m rooting hard for the Mike De Kock horses, as I always do every year!! Musir looks really at the top of his game right now!! But I’m keeping my fingers crossed that maybe Mike De Kock and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum will decide to ship this filly over as their #1 entry for this year’s G1 Sheema Classic on March 31st?? As badly as I hate saying this, it’s the one race De Kock looks like he’s lacking for a top class horse on cup night. He’s got Bold Silvano and Master of Hounds for the DWC. Musir and River Jetez for the Duty Free. But to my knowledge, he only has Irish Flame and possibly Mahbooba as his Sheema Classic possible’s at the moment? I know Irish Flame was a G1 winner of the Daily News 2000 in South Africa back in 2010. But for whatever reason, he just hasn’t been able to reproduce the same level of form in Dubai that he produced in South Africa? Mahbooba’s a talented filly, also. But I think the Cape Verdie showed us she’d likely be vulnerable against the worlds top 12f turf horses in the Sheema Classic? But if he sends Igugu? Whole new ballgame!! This filly could level the playing field for Mike De Kock chances to win the Sheema in a heartbeat if she shows up?? Any filly capable of winning the Durban July and J&B Met back to back would definitely have a legit shot at winning the Sheema Classic, too. IMO.

Mick’s reply to Green Beret :

Good Morning to you.

Many thanks for your comments on Igugu. You are right, she is quite special. We’ve had comments from around the world, and there are several Australians suggesting that she and Black Caviar are the two best racemares in the world right now. Whether that’s right or not, remains to be seen, but it’s some kind of compliment to what she’s achieved. Unfortunately, our exports have been temporarily suspended through a farcical provision in our protocols with the EU, and that means Dubai will not see Igugu this year. She’s better than everything you’ve mentioned in your note, with the possible exception of Bold Silvano, the extent of whose true talent is as yet uncovered. There is a suggestion here that there might be political issues behind the unwillingliness to remove the export restrictions, so Dubai will be the worse for not having her.

On a line through some of our internationally-campaigned horses, it’s clear Igugu would be an enormous factor if they’d let her loose.

Green Beret’s reply :

Dear SummerhillStud,
Being from America, I wasn’t aware of the political issues with EU being factor for her getting to race in Dubai, and that’s a real shame, IMO. Because with the possible exception of Snow Fairy when she’s at her dead level best, I think you’d be hard pressed to find a middle distance filly or mare anywhere in the world that’s as good as Igugu. But the advantage she has on Snow Fairy is that she’s still very lightly raced, and still has a huge scope to improve from where she already is. Snow Fairy, though really brilliant at times, has pretty much reached her peak potential, IMO. Also very much agree with you about Bold Silvano!! Another that it’s really unclear how good how could really be? He was my pick to win the Dubai World Cup last year until the injury that sidelined him after winning the Al Maktoum Challenge Rd. 2. My comments and opinions about different horses are only my own, so if they end up sparking a lively debate, so be it!! LOL. As for Bankable, I’ve loved that horse since I saw him race early on in his career. I used to call Bankable the “Rodney Dangerfield” of racing, because he never quite got the level of respect he truly deserved. Thanks so much for your reply, and best wishes and regards to all at Summerhill Stud.