BETTING WORLD DERBY AND OAKS : OLE OLE

Shogunnar (SAF)
(Photo : Gold Circle)

Betting World Derby and Oaks (Grade 2)
Clairwood, Turf, 2400m
24 June 2012

Life can be funny in the way it throws up coincidences. Or is it possible that these things are preordained? Here we are at the quarter final stage of Europe’s biggest football tournament, England, thank heavens for her fans who’ve taken a pasting on the rugby field of late, having made it to the quarters, and suddenly on the racing front we’re reminded of one of the same tournament’s greatest sons. Some years ago, Manchester United striker, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made this tournament his own, and the horse the Coolmore team named for him, Solskjaer, pops up with a live candidate for each of this weekend’s Gold Circle Derby and Oaks.

The Derby looks like a match in two, with Vaughan Marshall’s Tribal Dance in the one corner and Gavin van Zyl’s Shogunnar in the other. The catch here is which form is the more reliable. Tribal Dance destroyed his field in the East Cape Derby (Gr.3) a few weeks back, and we found a pleased-as-punch Vaughan Marshall grabbing an early breakfast on Sunday morning at Café Bloom: he was imperious in pink, and he had the bloom of confidence about him. Shogunnar on the other hand, on only his fourth racecourse appearance, posted the fastest last 400 metres in an ominous display from the back, grabbing the third placed cheque behind Jackson in the Daily News 2000 (Gr.1). We’re not for a moment suggesting that Shogunnar is in the Jackson class, but this was a smashing effort making up 7 lengths on the favourite, and as a son of the Summerhill resident, Solskjaer, he gives hope of a good weekend. Adding weight to our aspirations, just Tuesday afternoon, the stallion’s first-time daughter, Sol’s Gold, gave early notice with a 60-1 performance for Albert Rapp and co at the Vaal. Don’t tell Mike Bass or Marsh Shirtliff we said this was a “match in two”. They’ll tell you Taipan is the one to be with, and he could well be; it’s just that a “match-in-two” had a better ring to it.

The Oaks is a different matter. It does not look like a vintage field, the top rated being Beloved Betty (MR 99), Razzle Dazzle Rose (MR 96) and Avenue of Gold (MR 92), while Mike de Kock will believe he holds a strong hand with Tajmeel (MR 86). However, for as long as you have a ticket, there’s hope, and it’s interesting that current champion jockey, Anton Marcus, has taken the ride on Sean Tarry’s Final Score, another Summerhill-bred daughter of Solskjaer. You might well ask where all this stamina comes from, given that the stallion’s December-foaled Ice Axe picked up a cheque in the Derby last year. Here we need to remember that his half-brother Yeats, is the only horse in history to have posted four consecutive victories in the greatest staying race in Europe, the Ascot Gold Cup (Gr.1) over 4000m, coincidentally also scheduled for Thursday at Royal Ascot. That probably says it all. It’s now in the hands of providence.

REMEMBERING FAMILY : YEATS ET AL

Ice Axe and Castlethorpe - MR 96 Divided Handicap
(Photo : Gold Corcle)

KWA-ZULU NATAL BREEDERS’ 1600
Clairwood, Turf, 1600m
19 June 2011

It was the Irish poet, William Butler Yeats, that once proclaimed “I have spread my dreams under your feet; tread softly because you tread on my dreams.”

The Irish have always had a sense of the romantic, and their premier racing outfit, Coolmore, have never been short of imagination when it comes to the naming of their best racehorses. They regularly “reserve” great names, and when a youngster tells them on the gallops, that he may be worthy, he is assigned an appropriate title.

So it was with the two brothers, Yeats and Solskjaer, the one named for their poet laureate, the other for their best footballer at their club, Manchester United, in a European Championship year.

In a weekend when both might be remembered, it’s appropriate that a statue was unveiled at the Royal Ascot meeting, commemorating the greatest stayer of all time, Yeats, for his four consecutive Gold Cup victories.

On Sunday, Solskjaer gets his turn, with his son the short priced favourite for the R250,000 KwaZulu-Natal Breeders’ 1600 at Clairwood. Now 4 wins from 5 starts (including a disqualification when defeating major Vodacom Durban July hopeful, Castlethorpe,) Ice Axe is a late December foal from his Sire’s first crop.

Dangers? There are a few, none more so than a fellow Summerhill-bred dual Group winner of 2011 and a Guineas heroine of last season, Fisani.

We’ll know more on Sunday afternoon.

KwaZulu-Natal Breeders’ 1600
Final Field

#	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	FISANI	60.0	104	11	G Lerena	Mike de Kock
2	SEAL	58.0	107	7	M Odendaal	Gavin van Zyl
3	SMANJEMANJE	58.0	97	2	S Brown	Tyrone Zackey
4	DANCE WITH MIKEY	58.0	87	10	M Yeni	Colin Scott
5	ICE AXE	56.0	98	5	A Marcus	Charles Laird
6	THE MOUSEKETEER	56.0	87	6	A Delpech	Sean Tarry
7	SHIELD THE SHEIK	56.0	72	4	S Randolph	Des Egdes
8	ABINGTON	54.0	94	9	G Hatt	Greg Ennion
9	KINGS CALL	54.0	83	3	R Danieslon	Paul Lafferty
10	FOURTH ESTATE	54.0	82	1	C Orffer	Colin Scott
11	LAS RAMBLAS	51.5	95	8	*A Mgudlwa	James Goodman

SADLER'S WELLS DIES AGE 30

Sadler’s Wells wins the 1984 Coral Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park
(Photo : PA Archive)

SADLER’S WELLS
(Northern Dancer - Fairy Bridge) 

Sadler’s Wells (Northern Dancer - Fairy Bridge, by Bold Reason), a perennial champion stallion and prodigious sire of sires in Europe, died Tuesday afternoon of natural causes at Coolmore, where he had resided since entering stud in 1985. He was 30 years old.

Coolmore manager Christy Grassick said, “He was undoubtedly the best sire Europe has ever seen, and through his sons Galileo, Montjeu, High Chaparral and Yeats, along with grandsons Hurricane Run and Rip Van Winkle, he has left a wonderful legacy at Coolmore, and his influence looks set to continue for many years to come. We all feel privileged to have been involved with such a special horse.”

Sadler’s Wells captured both of his starts at two, including the G2 Beresford Stakes, but was overshadowed by the brilliance of stablemate and fellow Northern Dancer scion El Gran Senor (brother to Summerhill’s multiple champion sire Northern Guest), who ended 1983 as the champion 2-year-old in England and Ireland. At three, Sadler’s Wells won the G2 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial Stakes before earning Classic glory in the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas. He followed with a runner-up finish in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club, splitting future top sires Darshaan (GB) and Rainbow Quest.

The blaze-faced bay established himself as one of the toughest members of his generation thereafter, winning the G1 Coral-Eclipse Stakes and G1 Irish Champion Stakes, as well as finishing second in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes. Northern Dancer, represented by dual Classic winner El Gran Senor (2000 Guineas and Irish Derby) as well as Epsom Derby hero Secreto in addition to Sadler’s Wells, set record earnings figures in Britain and Ireland in 1984, becoming the first stallion to pass the GBP1-million mark (the previous best was GBP559,999).

“He was a hell of a good racehorse,” former jockey Pat Eddery told PA Sport. “I won the Eclipse and the Irish Champion on him, and also finished second in the King George. He was a very tough horse with a great pedigree. He probably was the best sire of them all.”

Rated at 132 by Timeform, Sadler’s Wells entered stud in 1985 at Coolmore as one of the most desirable stallion prospects in years, with El Gran Senor and Secreto heading across the Atlantic, and his 3/4-brother Nureyev (Northern Dancer - Special) departing France for Kentucky after one breeding season. Expectations were understandably high for Sadler’s Wells with his initial Ir125,000gns stud fee, but the robust bay managed to exceed even the highest hopes. The tone for his stud career was set when a pair of colts from his first crop - Prince of Dance (GB) and Scenic (Ire) - deadheated for victory in the 1988 G1 Dewhurst Stakes. They were joined by Old Vic (GB), who doubled up in the G1 Prix du Jockey-Club and G1 Irish Derby; and In the Wings (GB), who captured the 1990 G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf.

These early successes kept breeders clamoring for his services, and Sadler’s Wells continued to deliver while covering big books of well-bred mares. The services of his Classic-winning sons Galileo (Ire) and Montjeu (Ire) are in high demand. Another son, El Prado (Ire), led the U.S. sire list in 2002, and is responsible for MGISW Medaglia d’Oro, who has gotten off to a tremendous start at stud.

“It’s the end of an era,” Robert Sangster’s son Ben told PA Sport. “It is the most phenomenal record for any horse to be champion sire 14 times - a record that is likely to remain unequalled. His legacy will live on through his sons and daughters and their sons and daughters.”

Extract from Thoroughbred Daily News

OLÉ! OLÉ! SOLSKJAER

Ice Axe by Solskjaer
(Photo : Gold Circle)

“It’s been a ‘Hot Weekend’ for
Markus and Ingrid Jooste…”

When Mike de Kock tipped his progeny at the Ready To Run gallops, Solskjaer must have been listening. Named for the man that won the European Champions Cup for Manchester United, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, our man came to Summerhill as the most accomplished son of one of the world’s best stallions, Danehill, to set foot on continental Africa.

It was always going to take a little time for the “Sollys” to come to hand, given his pedigree and the fact he’s a brother to the immortal stayer, Yeats, and if Ice Axe’s 4.75 length romp on debut Sunday was anything to go by, he’s announced his arrival in no uncertain terms. A half brother to the Champion filly, Icy Air, this fellow was a December foal, of whom little could’ve been expected ‘til now. But they’ll be waiting for him from here on hence, especially as he’s bred to get at least 2000m, and you’d have to believe he could move up on his weekend performance on this evidence.

It’s been a hot weekend for Ingrid and Markus Jooste, Charles Laird and their Summerhill Ready To Run graduates. At Turffontein on Saturday, Hollywoodboulevard, (a R900,000 daughter of Street Cry) made it four in a row in the Three Troikas (Grade 3), “Figgy’s” hands-and-heels ride carrying her to the top of the Gauteng sophomore fillies’ class. Remember, she has a parallel line of form through her erstwhile Summerhill paddock mate, Igugu, to the Cape champion, Ebony Flyer, which puts her right up in that bracket. Racing fans have something to savour in the KZN winter season’s clashes between these three exceptional young ladies, who may even be better than their male counterparts.

FIRST FOAL FOR CHAMPION YEATS

Click above to watch a tribute to Yeats’ fourth Gold Cup victory
(Photo : Independent - Footage : TVG)

“HALF BROTHER TO SOLSKJAER”

The seven-time Gr.1 winner Yeats, half brother to Summerhill resident, Solskjaer, sired his first foal at Coolmore Stud in Ireland. The bay colt is out of the unraced Rock Of Gibraltar mare Suma Flamenca and is from the family of Luas Line, Kingsfort and Prince Arch, all of whom are Gr1 winners of recent years.

Coolmore manager Christy Grassick commented: “We are delighted with Yeats’ first foal, he is a correct bay with plenty of quality, just like his sire. Yeats won more Gr1 races than any other son of Sadler’s Wells and he covered an excellent book of mares last year, so we hope to see many more classy foals by him this season.”

Yeats was one of the most popular stayers in recent times, winning 15 races including four consecutive Gr1 Ascot Gold Cups. His seven Gr1 wins also include victories in the Coronation Cup, the Irish St Leger and the Prix Royal-Oak, and he was twice crowned European Champion Stayer.

Extract from European Bloodstock News