CIRRUS DES AIGLES SOARS TO DUBAI SHEEMA CLASSIC WIN

Click above to watch Cirrus des Aigles winning the Dubai Sheema Classic (G1)…
(Image : Virendra Saklani/Gulf News - Footage : Dubai Racing Meydan)

US$5,000,000 DUBAI SHEEMA CLASSIC (Gr1)
Meydan, Turf, 2410m
31 March 2012

Not content with getting the better of So You Think (NZ) (High Chaparral) in the G1 Champion Stakes at Ascot in October, Cirrus des Aigles (Fr) (Even Top) was back on the big stage once again Saturday at Meydan to upstage another Ballydoyle star in St Nicholas Abbey (Ire) (Montjeu) and add the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic to his impressive resume.

Sitting close to a moderate early tempo in second, the 6-year-old was allowed to stride to the front with over a half mile remaining and had first run on last year’s G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf hero. That proved decisive as the line came in time for Cirrus des Aigles and first-time pilot Olivier Peslier, who were just a neck in front. “Cirrus des Aigles likes to fight,” trainer Corine Barande-Barbe commented. “If there is one in front, he wants to pass him and if one is behind it pushes him. He is a miracle. This was a big emotion and with him it always just gets better—it is just like a dream that doesn’t stop.”

One of France’s longstanding favorites, Cirrus des Aigles began his rags-to-riches tale in 2009 and ended that season with Longchamp’s G2 Prix du Conseil de Paris in the bag. Despite a subsequent fifth in the G1 Hong Kong Vase and a seasonal-best win in the G2 Prix Dollar in 2010, it was not until last term that the bay started to hit full stride. Each time he took on top-class opponents, it seemed to spur him on and seconds to Goldikova (Ire) (Anabaa) in the G1 Prix d’Ispahan at Longchamp in May and to Sarafina (Fr) (Refuse To Bend) in the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud preceded a hat-trick of Pattern-race triumphs in the G3 Grand Prix de Vichy in July, the G3 Prix Gontaut-Biron at Deauville and that venue’s G2 Grand Prix de Deauville the following month. In the latter contest, he demonstrated his inherent stamina with a 10-length score on deep ground and his versatility on his next start when second in the G2 Prix Dollar over an extended nine-furlong trip on fast ground at Longchamp in October. After his rousing Champions’ Day coronation, the gelding was sent to Sha Tin for the third time and for the third time failed to hit the board when only fifth in the Hong Kong Cup. Upset by Zazou (Ger) (Shamardal) in a conditions race over 1 3/16mile on Chantilly’s new Polytrack surface on his comeback March 3, that effort was to look more creditable later in the afternoon as his conqueror ran a close-up fifth in the World Cup.

Breaking well from his wide stall, Cirrus des Aigles stuck close to Bold Silvano (SAf) (Silvano) as that rival stacked up rivals behind his slow tempo. Turning up the heat in early straight, the Gallic raider had four lengths on St Nicholas Abbey there and despite the game effort of his chief rival, there was an inevitability to the result as the line neared. Jakkalberry (Ire) (Storming Home) followed in third with Treasure Beach (GB) (Galileo) in fourth.

“There was no question about the trip, as he won in Deauville by 10 lengths last year and was second in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud,” Barande-Barbe said. “If they had gone quicker he would have finished better, but as there was no pace he had to do it on his own.” Peslier added, “They told me he was very tough and very competitive and he is.”

Extract from Thoroughbred Daily News

14TH GROUP 1 VICTORY FOR GOLDIKOVA

Click above to watch Goldikova wiining the Prix Rothschild
(Image : ANZ Bloodstock News - Footage : Deauville)

PRIX ROTHSCHILD (Group 1)
Deauville, Turf, 1600m
31 July 2011

Champion mare Goldikova (Anabaa) won her 14th Group 1 race and fourth straight Prix Rothschild (Gr1) over 1600m at Deauville on Sunday.

Jockey Olivier Peslier gave Goldikova a supremely confident ride tracking her pacemaker for the first 1000m before easing her out into the clear and quickly putting three lengths on the field.

Sahpressa (Sahm) finished quickly for second, getting close to Goldikova as Pesilier eased the Champion right done on the line.

Timepiece (Observatory) was a further two lengths back in third after having every chance in the run. Sahpressa reversed the form with Timepiece on their last run when finishing second in the Falmouth Stakes (Gr1) over 1600m.

Trainer Freddie Head said, “I really have nothing to add and she is just a wonderful racehorse. Goldikova does everything in such a regular manner. She just does what she’s used to have been doing for such a long time. I think she might have been a little short of work when running second in the Queen Anne Stakes. The mare just loves Deauville.”

Peslier who was riding is 100th Group 1 winner said, “It was just a nice piece of work and I never touched her with my whip. She just needed pushing out and there was still plenty of gas left in the tank at the end of the race. She is an exceptional horse and just loves the ambiance when racing at Deauville.”

Extract from ANZ Bloodstock News

CANFORD CLIFFS STRIKES GOLD IN QUEEN ANNE STAKES

Click above to watch Canford Cliffs winning the Queen Anne Stakes (Gr1)
(Image : Racing Post - Footage : Racing UK)

QUEEN ANNE STAKES (Group 1)
Royal Ascot, 1600m
14 June 2011

Yesterday’s G1 Queen Anne Stakes was billed as a two- horse race and that’s how it turned out, with the Heffer Syndicate, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith’s Canford Cliffs (Ire) (Tagula) prevailing ahead of Goldikova (Ire) (Anabaa) in a thrilling renewal.

Moving with his customary gusto in rear early as Goldikova followed the pace cut out by her pacemaker Flash Dance (Ire) (Zamindar) and the aggressively ridden Cape Blanco (Ire) (Galileo), Canford Cliffs was hot on her heels as she moved to take over inside the final quarter. With Olivier Peslier - who rode two pounds overweight - hard at work to shake off his attentions passing the furlong pole, the writing was on the wall for the supermare, and Canford Cliffs was firmly on top at the line as Goldikova kept putting up her typical game effort.

“Olivier rode a terrific cat-and- mouse race, as I wasn’t going to kick until he did, and the quickest part of the race was the final two furlongs,” commented jockey Richard Hughes. “Ideally, I wanted to be right behind her and, luckily, I ended up in her slipstream. I have been confident about this horse since the first day I sat on him. He is amazing.” Trainer Richard Hannon added, “Goldikova is obviously a brilliant mare, but he’s a very good horse, so we had to take her on. It was the perfect race with two good pacemakers, and he has a real cruising speed and can quicken. He’s a very special horse to us - these ones don’t come along every day.” That trainer’s son and assistant Richard Hannon Jr. added, “He is probably the horse of a lifetime, and while Goldikova is becoming a legend already, maybe he is going the same way. He seems near unbeatable at a mile. My view is if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it, but we’ll discuss plans with the owners. The G1 Sussex Stakes at Goodwood July 27 is there and later on there is the Breeders’ Cup, Japan and Hong Kong, so we’ll pick our way.”

Goldikova’s trainer Freddy Head was magnanimous in defeat after witnessing the crowd’s applause on her return to the runner’s-up spot. “I am very happy with her, as she has run a great race, but there is nothing I can say other than she was beaten by a better horse on the day,” Head said. “He had a lovely run and followed us through and, as I’ve said before, this mile is tough, and is maybe a bit too far for her. These people know their horses and are very fond of champions, so it was a thrill to see their reaction to her afterwards. I think she’s run a top race and is as good as ever, so we will follow the same path, and head to Deauville in August, and then try and win a fourth Breeders’ Cup Mile.”

Bred in Ireland, Canford Cliffs is a great-grandson of the U.S. based stallion Stop the Music, and hails from an American female family as well. His third dam Triple Tipple (Raise a Cup) began her racing career in Europe before returning home to secure the GII Wilshire Handicap and GIII Palomar Handicap, and also was runner-up Sabin in the GI Gamely Handicap for trainer Richard Cross. Canford Cliffs, in whom an interest was sold last season to Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, has a 2-year-old half-brother by Holy Roman Emperor (Ire) named Mayo Lad (Ire). That bay colt, sold for 100,000gns to Peter Doyle Bloodstock as a yearling at Tattersalls October, has joined his accomplished brother with trainer Richard Hannon. Their dam Mrs Marsh produced an Excellent Art (GB) colt last February.

QUEEN ANNE STAKES (Gr1)
Final Result

#	Horse	Sire	Jockey	Trainer
1	CANFORD CLIFFS (IRE)	Tagula	Richard Hughes	Richard Hannon
2	GOLDIKOVA (IRE)	Anabaa	Olivier Peslier	Freddy Head
3	CITYSCAPE (GB)	Selkirk	Ryan Moore	Roger Charlton
4	RIO DE LA PLATA (USA)	Rahy	Frankie Dettori	Saeed bin Suroor
5	RANSOM NOTE (GB)	Red Ransom	Michael Hills	Barry Hills
6	CAPE BLANCO (IRE)	Galileo	Jamie Spencer	Aidan O’Brien
7	FLASH DANCE (IRE)	Zamindar	Mickael Barzalona	Freddy Head

Extract from Thoroughbred Daily News

J J THE JET PLANE LANDS AL QUOZ SPRINT FOR SOUTH AFRICA

Click above to watch J J The Jet Plane winning the US$1,000,000 Al Quoz Sprint (Gr2)
(Footage : Dubai Racing)

US$1,000,000 AL QUOZ SPRINT (Group 2)
Meydan, Turf, 1000m
26 March 2011

FINAL RESULT

#	Margin	Horse	Kg	OR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	0.00	J J THE JET PLANE (SAF)	57.0	122	11	B Fayd’Herbe	Lucky Houdalakis
2	Hd	WAR ARTIST (AUS)	57.0	116	9	O Peslier	Rodolphe Collet
3	Hd	BETTER BE THE ONE (AUS)	57.0	110	4	D Beasley	Michael Freedman
4	Sh	INVINCIBLE ASH (IRE)	55.0	107	8	J Murtagh	Michael Halford
5	2.25	PROHIBIT (GB)	57.0	112	5	L Detorri	Robert Cowell
6	0.5	INXILE (IRE)	57.0	108	13	A Nicholls	David Nicholls
7	0.25	TRIPLE ASPECT (IRE)	57.0	107	15	R Moore	William Haggas
8	0.25	QUICK ENOUGH (USA)	57.0	108	10	R Bejarano	Doug O’Neill
9	1.00	MAR ADENTRO (FR)	57.0	110	7	C Soumillon	Richard Chotard
10	Sh	HAPPY DUBAI (IRE)	57.0	113	2	R Ffrench	Ali Rashid Al Raihe
11	0.5	SPIN CYCLE (IRE)	57.0	110	3	R Mullen	Satish Seemar
12	0.5	MONSIEUR JOE (IRE)	57.0	112	6	J Spencer	Walter Swinburn
13	0.75	STRADIVINSKY (USA)	57.0	110	14	J Leparoux	Richard Dutrow Jr
14	Ns	SOLE POWER (GB)	57.0	117	12	W Lordan	Edward Lynam
15	0.5	PICCADILLY FILLY (IRE)	55.0	106	1	E Creighton	Edward Creighton
16	2.5	MR GRUFF (USA)	57.0	111	16	J Rosario	Ronald Ellis

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