CAPE ROYAL JAW-DROPPING ON DEBUT

Click above to watch Cape Royal winning on debut…
(Image : JC Photos - Footage : Tellytrack)

CAPE ROYAL (SAF)
2011 Summerhill Ready To Run Graduate

Dean Kannemeyer Racing’s tremendous Easter Monday was highlighted by a jaw-dropping win by debutante Cape Royal (SAF) (Royal Academy (USA) - Dubai’s Fairy (GB)).

Cape Royal gave the stable its second juvenile winner of the current season and stamped himself as one of the most exciting prospects in South African racing.

The Summerhill sales topper, when making R1.5 million at the 2011 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale, Cape Royal was all the rage for Monday’s race, a maiden juvenile plate over 1000 metres.

Sent off at the prohibitive odds of 9-10, the magnificent looking bay simply trotted up to give top jockey, Karl Neisius his 3,000^th win. Neisius has enjoyed a long and successful partnership with Dean, and the pair have enjoyed many high-profile triumphs together (most memorably with Dynasty) and it was extremely fitting that Neisius reached this landmark when riding a Kannemeyer horse.

Dean has also enjoyed a lot of success with Cape Royal’s sire, the late Royal Academy. Dean saddled the stallion’s sons, Eyeofthetiger and Express Way, to win the G1 Vodacom Durban July and Cape Guineas respectively.

Cape Royal has the pedigree to match his imposing physique. His dam, Dubai’s Fairy, is a daughter of leading British sire, Medicean, sire of recent Dubai World Cup runner up, Capponi. Dubai’s Fairy is also a half-sister to UK G2 winner Just James, and is from a strong international family.

Congratulations go out to winning owner, Lady Christine Laidlaw, who owns this exciting juvenile. Cape Royal should give her plenty of thrills and much excitement if his debut is anything to go by!

Extract from Dean Kannemeyer Racing

HOT CROSS BUNS MAIDEN JUVENILE PLATE
Kenilworth, Turf, 1000m
9 April 2012

FINAL RESULT

#	LBH	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	0.00	CAPE ROYAL	58.0	0	11	K Neisius	Dean Kannmeyer
2	6.25	NOVEMBER RAIN	58.0	0	1	B Fayd’Herbe	Justin Snaith
3	7.25	LION’S ROAR	58.0	0	7	F Coetzee	Justin Snaith
4	8.00	WILMINGTON	58.0	0	4	R Fourie	Justin Snaith
5	10.25	OCEANS EDGE	58.0	0	3	G Wright	Justin Snaith
6	10.75	ZE KAISER	58.0	0	10	A Domeyer	Mike Bass
7	12.75	TIGER’S CHARM	58.0	0	9	F Anthony	Piet Steyn
8	13.25	SUIT OF LIGHTS	58.0	0	2	G van Niekerk	Mike Bass
9	14.50	WATERWAYS	58.0	0	6	C Du Plooy	Gary Collins
10	17.00	DISTINCTLY DRY	58.0	0	8	D Ashby	Glen Puller
11	17.50	TO BE HAPPY	58.0	0	5	A Nienaber	SHane Humby
		Late Scratching
12	0.00	GOOI MIELIES	58.0	0	11	* J Smitsdorff (4.0)	Carl J Burger

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

ROYAL ACADEMY DIES : THE END OF AN ERA

Tom and Charlie Magnier with Royal Academy
(Photo : Coolmore Stud)

ROYAL ACADEMY (USA)
Nijinsky (CAN) - Crimson Saint (USA)
1987-2012

Coolmore Stud lost the dual Group One winner Royal Academy (Nijinsky - Crimson Saint) last week due to the infirmities of old age. The 25-year-old had sired 165 stakes winners, including 86 Group and Graded winners and spent time at stud in Ireland, Australia, Japan, Britain, the US and Brazil. His top progeny include Top Hat, who won three Group One races, as well as the sires Bel Esprit and Val Royal.

“One of the last links to the great Nijinsky - and to his equally great trainer Dr Vincent O’Brien - came to an end on Wednesday with the death of his son Royal Academy. The 25-year-old stallion succumbed to the infirmities of old age at Coolmore Australia.

“It’s very sad,” said Tom Magnier, “Royal Academy has been a tremendous servant to Coolmore, wherever he’s been based. He spent the last five years of his life here, the last two years in retirement. Particular credit must go to our head stallion man Gerry Ryan, who looked after him with great care and attention. He has been wonderfully prolific, siring more than 160 Stakes winners and his progeny earnings are the equivalent of more than US$120,000,000.” 

“He sired major winners over a wide range of distances, at all ages. I suspect, though, that his greatest legacy is the speed he passed on to the best of his Australian descendants - the brilliant Black Caviar is by one of his sons while champion sire-elect Fastnet Rock is out of one of his daughters.”

Royal Academy first hit the headlines when Vincent O’Brien bid a sales-topping $3,500,000 for him at the 1988 Keeneland July Selected Yearling Sales. In addition to being a very handsome individual, he had the attraction of being out of Storm Cat’s grandam Crimson Saint.

Royal Academy proved a very sound investment for Classic Thoroughbreds Plc. Although Nijinsky’s progeny were usually noted for their stamina, O’Brien took the bold decision to run him in the six furlong July Cup. As so often, O’Brien’s judgment proved spot on and he gained his first Gr.1 success. Royal Academy then finished a good second to the exceptional sprinter Dayjur in the Ladbroke Sprint Cup before ending his career in a blaze of glory when carrying a back-from-retirement Lester Piggott to a stirring victory in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Belmont Park.

Royal Academy began his stallion career at Coolmore at a fee of IR30,000gns in 1991. His four first-crop Group winners were headed by Oscar Schindler (Irish St Leger) and there was at least one Gr.1 winner in each of his first five Irish crops, thanks to the efforts of Ali-Royal (Sussex Stakes), Carmine Lake (Prix de l’Abbaye), Sleepytime (1,000 Guineas), Zalaiyka (French 1,000 Guineas), Val Royal (Breeders’ Cup Mile) and Lavery (Phoenix Stakes).

Royal Academy also stood at Coolmore’s American branch, Ashford Stud, resulting in among others, Bullish Luck, a star in Hong Kong who also won the Gr.1 Yasuda Kinen in Japan. His Gr.1 winners in Australia included Black Caviar’s sire Bel Esprit, Serious Speed and Kenwood Melody.

He reminded us of his talents in 2007, when the English / Irish 2,000 Guineas double fell to his grandson Cockney Rebel (by Val Royal) and the English / Irish 1,000 Guineas double went to Finsceal Beo, out of a Royal Academy mare. Last year’s European champion 2-year-old Dabirsim is another product of one of his daughters.”

Extract from www.coolmore.com

READY TO RUN : A NEW GLOBAL STANDARD

Ready To Run Gallops at Summerhill Stud
(Photo : Gareth du Plessis)

“Extract from Australia’s Gavelhouse”

South Africa’s Ready To Run Sale, which comfortably exceeded its predecessors in terms of averages and turnover, may well have set an international standard that is going to make the rest of the world “take a hard look” at our model. So says Gavelhouse South Africa’s director David Mickleburgh.

“First of all, the lavish marketing programme spearheaded by Mick Goss of Summerhill Stud was brilliantly conceived and executed at a level of intensity not seen elsewhere, was reinforced by a sponsor, Emperors Palace, who did not hold back in exploiting the occasion and venue to its fullest extent resulting in a branding exercise that others will do well to follow,” he commented. “Ready to Run sales elsewhere, and in the Antipodes particularly, are generally indifferent affairs and none have developed the excellence or respect of the Emperors Palace exercise. But it is in the trading results and quality of stock that is causing others to take notice,” Mickleburgh suggests.

“Our Ready To Run has now entrenched itself as the happy hunting ground for skilled South African pinhookers to ply their trade internationally, buying weanlings in Australia and New Zealand and even South America, raising them till two-year-olds in this country and on-selling highly profitably at the Emperors Palace Ready to Run. And don’t think the Aussies and Kiwis haven’t noticed this trend and are on their part ready to cater to our pinhookers,” Mickleburgh added. “In fact, this year’s sale was dominated at the upper price levels by well bred, two-year-olds imported as weanlings which accounted for about 10% of the catalogue but about 25% of the R31,000,000 aggregate, which in itself was well above last year’s R23,685,000. The strong marketing backed by the impressive quality level of the imports, ensured that the average of R189,000, was an increase of nearly 20% quite extraordinary in this tough economy. Virtually all the top prices were achieved by the quality imports,” points out Mickleburgh.

Sales topper was a Royal Academy colt knocked down for R1.5 million to Form Bloodstock. The unnamed colt is out of Machiavelian’s granddaughter Dubai’s Fairy and was consigned by Summerhill’s Mick Goss who understandably enjoyed the lion share of business.

Another lot to make R1 million was lot 180, also a Rock of Gibraltar colt, also consigned by Summerhill and also purchased by Form Bloodstock.

The highest priced priced filly on the sale was lot 71, a daughter of El Prado. Consigned by Summerhill Sales, the grey filly was bought by Anfield Sports for R900,000. The excellent prices achieved by the large number of pinhooked fillies indicated that the speculators had recognized the continual demand by South African breeders for well related females with stud potential.

The top nine prices were for imported stock and included an interesting South American import consigned by Nicola Coppez’s Balmoral pre-training farm representing a mix of USA and Brazillian blood; knocked down for R400,000 to Fred Crabbia; the colt was sired by Breeders Cup Classic winner Alphabet Soup out of a well-performed Brazillian mare Allysa.

As pleased as anyone else over the results was the TBA who are experiencing some stiff competition from Cape-based sales companies which enjoy an advantage due to the restrictions governing the movement of horses in South Africa.

Extract from Gavelhouse

LESTER PIGGOTT : ONCE A LEGEND, ALWAYS A LEGEND

Click above to watch Lester Piggott winning the
1990 Breeders Cup Mile aboard Royal Academy
(Image : Louisville - Footage : Sydneyvic)

ROYAL ACADEMY (USA)
1990 Breeders Cup Mile (Grade 1)

The number of stories about England’s most famous jockey are legion, and we just stumbled across another one. In his twilight days, Ireland’s greatest trainer, Vincent O’Brien stumbled across one last champion, Royal Academy. Such was the colt’s talent, he delayed the master’s retirement by two years. It was in the early days of the Breeders Cup, and Vincent, always the adventurer, decided to take his Group One winning sprinter for a final tilt at the Breeder’s Cup Mile. By this time, the veteran was already approaching his 80’s, and he elected to take the “long fellow” to the States with him. Remember, Lester Piggott had already retired once, and had been brought out of retirement by Vincent O’Brien. Perhaps not quite with this purpose in mind, but almost so.

That Royal Academy turned this into one of Vincent O’Brien’s best-remembered adventures, is now part of Ireland’s folklore, but there was an amusing aside as well. As Lester Piggott disembarked from his flight into Chicago, he was asked by the immigration officer if he was there for business or pleasure. The laconic Lester replied, “just pleasure”. And thus ended the story, as Messrs Justenni and Brooks so famously said “True pleasure is rare”!

RECORD TURNOVER FOR 2011 EMPERORS PALACE READY TO RUN SALE

Click above for 2011 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale Statistics
(www.tba.co.za)

EMPERORS PALACE READY TO RUN SALE
TBA Sales Complex, Gosforth Park, Germiston
South Africa
6 November 2011

The 2011 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale concluded Sunday at record levels. The sale aggregate topped R31,030,000, up 31% on 2010 figures. The average of R189,207 was up 22% on the previous year.

The sale was largely dominated by well bred, imported 2-year-olds and was topped by lot 35, a superb looking son of Royal Academy, who was knocked down for R1.5 million to Form Bloodstock. The unnamed colt is out of the Medicean mare, Dubai’s Fairy, and was consigned by Summerhill Sales. The other lot to make R1million was lot 180 Duke Of Medina, a son of Rock Of Gibraltar, who was also purchased by Form Bloodstock.

The top priced filly on the sale was lot 71 Hope Forever, a daughter of El Prado knocked down for R900,000. Consigned by Summerhill Sales, the grey filly was purchased by Anfield Sports.

Imported sires truly dominated the sale with top prices being paid for the progeny of Royal Academy, Rock Of Gibraltar, El Prado, Street Sense, Dylan Thomas, Danehill Dancer, Any Given Sunday, Tale Of The Cat and Forestry.

Top sires by aggregate were Rock Of Gibraltar, Mullins Bay, Kahal, El Prado and Stronghold.

Summerhill Stud’s Mick Goss was pleased with the overall result of the sale, saying, “It was a record turnover for the sale, which in these tough times is truly remarkable. This sale is also a tribute to the spirit of South Africans, who have shown their spirit and resilience at the sale. People remained until the last lot sold, and there was a million rand available with just five lots to sell.”

The TBA’s CEO Jan Naude was also satisfied by the one day sale, commenting, “The pin hooked imports really stole the show, but there was still good money for the good locally bred individual.”

Click the thumbnail above to view in-depth statistics of the 2011 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale.

Extracts from www.tba.co.za