Bloodstock Review

Tue, Jun 29, 2010

by Katherine Fidler

Football fans across England may have been disappointed (though seemingly not overly shocked) by the Three Lions’ dismissal from the World Cup at the weekend, but lucky for racing fans, whether from Britain or Ireland, there were home victories aplenty.

Pretty Polly Stakes (Ireland)
Dermot Weld scored a win for Ireland when Chinese White stormed home to win the Pretty Polly Stakes by a length and a quarter. He may have won this race more times in the last twenty years than Ireland have qualified for the World Cup full stop (4-3 to Dermot), but that will have made the victory no less memorable.

Coming from a long line of middle distance performers on her dam’s side, Chinese White’s sire Dalakhani also enjoyed a fruitful career in the same market. Duly crowned Champion 3yo in Europe in 2003, the son of Darshaan won seven Group races, including the Prix de l‘Arc de Triomphe and Prix du Jockey Club. Though predominantly raced in France, a trip to the scene of his daughter’s latest victory saw him finish runner up to Alamshar in the Irish Derby.

Dam of Chinese White, Chiang Mai, also found the Curragh to be a victorious hunting ground when winning the Group 3 Blandford Stakes, a race her daughter would win nine years later (albeit a furlong shorter and a Group higher in 2009). With four races to her name when retiring to stud, all won between eight and eleven furlongs, the Sadler’s Wells mare has so far only one winner of three produce to race, although both Easterly Breeze and Cartesien have placed multiple times over middle distances. Her own dam Eljazzi won one race and placed twice from only four starts, but it was upon embarking on her stud career that her real talent became apparent. Dam of ten winners, two of them black-type and four placed at Stakes level, her most successful foal was also her first, Rafha, winner of the Prix de Diane and dam of joint top rated sprinter Invincible Spirit, now a successful shuttle sire. With produce spanning three decades, Eljaazi proved herself to be a true stayer of the bloodstock world. Her dam Border Bounty, by Bounteous, won four races and placed five times in her career, including second in the Yorkshire Oaks and Musidora Stakes. It perhaps comes as no surprise therefore that her produce should go on to achieve their own victories, such as Valley Forge, who like Chinese White and her dam, also won the Blandford Stakes, and Pitcairn, triple Group 3 winner between seven and ten furlongs before claiming a Champion sire title. Looking through the generations, it seems inevitable that Chinese White should prove such a success. Speaking of generations, Saturday’s winner is already carrying the next one, and should (fingers crossed) deliver a Cape Cross foal next year. Talk about multitasking!

Irish Derby
Cape Blanco rewarded Johnny Murtagh’s faith in him when leading an Aiden O’Brien 1-2-3 in the Irish Derby. Following on from a disappointing run in the Prix du Jockey Club, the son of Galileo recovered his Dante form to give the trainer his fifth successive win in the Classic, and a second for his sire. Connections opted for the French Classic last month instead of the Epsom equivalent after concerns over his staying ability. This comes as no surprise when considering his dam line, in which sprinters seem to be particularly en vogue. His dam Laurel Delight won four races at five furlongs, and her two most successful siblings, Petitesse and Paris House, both excelled at sprinting distances, the latter winning the Temple Stakes and Palace House Stakes amongst others. Their dam Foudroyer may have ran only twice in her career, but with six winning produce, many of them sprinters, she is by no means lacking in accomplishments. Interestingly however, her half brothers Mull House and Light Dancer turned their hooves to hurdling, Mull House having won eight races on the flat before defecting to National Hunt. Closer to home however a half brother to Cape Blanco, Mr O’Brien, proved to be a talent over eight and nine furlongs when collecting multiple Stakes wins in America. His sire Mukaddamah secured his biggest win over a mile, which may lead to the conclusion that in this family, the influence of the sire is an important one. Presidium, sire of Laurel Delight, won at 7 furlongs when setting a new record in the City of York Stakes, and after all, Cape Blanco’s own sire the great Galileo won the Irish Derby in 2001.

As with every rule, there is always an exception, and perhaps never more so than in bloodstock where an infallible formula is yet to be found. Laurel Pleasure, the first foal for Laurel Delight, won over five and six furlongs, despite her sire being miler extraordinaire Selkirk, who alongside winning the Lockinge, Celebration Mile and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes to name but a few, was also placed up to 11 furlongs. Whether the rule fits or not however, there can be no denying that after Sunday’s performance, Cape Blanco has quashed any doubts over his staying ability. Chantilly could have simply been an off day, a phenomenon to which everyone can succumb; just ask Wayne Rooney.

Northumberland Plate
The highlight of Newcastle’s flat season, often referred to as the ‘Pitmen’s Derby’ , brought both joy and disaster for trainer Donald McCain Jnr who, despite training the winner, spent the entire race stuck on the hard shoulder following a blow-out whilst heading for Gosforth Park. Nevertheless, the victory will have still been a great one for the trainer as Overturn triumphed in Europe’s richest two-mile handicap. Breaking well from the stalls to lead from the first turn to home, his win seems all the more impressive when considering the son of Barathea has been hurdling for the last six months. He is by no means the first dual-purpose winner for the stallion; siblings Marrakech and Silk Screen both proved handy on the flat and over jumps. Of course, stayers and jumpers are not a speciality for the top class miler, but when coupled with Kristal Bridge, dam of Overturn and four more winners, he proved perhaps more versatile than thought. Although Kristal Bridge placed only once herself on the flat over 11 furlongs, her produce have gone on to win from 10 to 16 furlongs on the flat, including Arbella, triumphant in the Listed Pinnacle Stakes. Of three Stakes winning foals however, two have claimed victory in both spheres; Overturn, and Fisher Bridge, a half-brother by Singspiel, who has secured wins over hurdles, fences and on the flat, including a Group 2 Handicap Hurdle at Fairyhouse.

Second dam Connaught Bridge, by Connaught, enjoyed an illustrious career on the track as joint top rated 3yo filly in England, following wins such as the Yorkshire Oaks and Nassau Stakes. These may not be treading much into stayers’ territory, but when considering her half-sister Rhein Bridge won the Lancashire Oaks, and Peche d’Or, a half brother by Glint Of Gold proved successful over hurdles and fences, the tendency towards stamina over speed becomes apparent within the family. Her own dam Fishermans Bridge won twice as a three year old, and also placed in the Nassau Stakes. As ever, exceptions creep in; for this family, it happens to be in the form of quality sprinter Primo Valentino, the 1997 produce of Connaught Bridge’s daughter Dorothea Brooke, who herself campaigned between seven and ten furlongs. Despite a miler sire and a sprinter tucked away on his dam’s side however, there’s no denying Overturn’s staying power; and at only six, we should see a lot more of this promising gelding all year round.

Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud
Like the English, the French may have felt in need of a home victory this weekend, and unfortunately for Youmzain, the result was just as they may have hoped. In yet another Group win for Andre Fabre, Plumania denied the Mick Channon-trained colt his second win in the race by a nose. After a frustrating season last year with a number of high-profile places, but no wins, the Anabaa filly seems keen to put right that wrong. Her late sire has been in the press often this season, not least because of his superstar daughter Goldikova. Plumania may well therefore follow in her sibling’s footsteps, given that their breeding is remarkably similer. Featherquest, dam of Plumania, is by Rainbow Quest, whose sire Blushing Groom is damsire to Goldikova. Whilst the more famous of the pair may be collecting Group wins around a mile, the up and coming mare Plumania seems to be improving with distance. Finishing second last year in the Group 3 Prix Penelope and Group 1 Prix Vermaille, eleven and twelve furlongs respectively, her first top-flight win comes at one and a half miles. Her dam Featherquest proved useful on the flat, winning once at nine furlongs, but also placing many times at up to thirteen. This stamina seems to have been a potent trait, as four out of her five produce to win have done so at a mile and a half, including Balladeuse, by Singspiel, who won the Prix de Royallieu, a race in which Plumania would finish third a year later. Grand dam Featherhill triumphed twice in her career, at ten and twelve furlongs, along with a further eight places. She too provides another link between Plumania and Goldikova, as her sire Lyphard is also sire of Riviere d’Or, grand dam of the Freddie Head-trained Champion mare. Interestingly many of her produce, like Featherquest, found success over slightly shorter distances, around the eight and nine furlong range. Tagel, by Cox’s Ridge, won the Prix Saint-Roman over nine nine furlongs, and Slew The Sailor, a Slew O’Gold colt was victorious in the Prix Omnium II, a Listed race over a mile. Her most successful foal Groom Dancer however won up to ten and a half furlongs when finishing first past the post in the Prix Lupin amongst many others.

Third dam Lady Berry sees a definite return to stayers’ territory. Crowned joint third top rated 3yo filly in France, she won six races up to fifteen and a half furlongs, including the Prix Royal Oak. The dam of nine winners, her four black-type produce all did so over at least ten furlongs, 1988 foal Vert Amande listing the Group 1 Prix Ganay and Group 2 Prix Maurice de Nieuil as two of his biggest wins, the latter over one and three quarter miles. A half-brother by Mill Reef, Mulberry, won the Prix de Moskowa twice, a Listed race over fifteen furlongs. It perhaps should come as no surprise then that Plumania, despite being sired by a Champion sprinter, should be finding her forte over a longer distance. With the most recent three generations on the distaff line all winning at one mile and above, it seems she is simply carrying on the family tradition.