When I was a business student, the text books loved case studies explaining how the nimble Japanese car industry took market share from the bloated US auto giants. In a bloodstock context this could be updated with a chapter on how the French breeding industry wiped the floor with their Irish rivals over the past two decades. The reasons are varied but include the French benefiting from : 1. The soundness and toughness brought by AQPS mares 2. The use of stallions who have proven that they can jump 3. The willingness to support stallions with unfashionable pedigrees and backgrounds 4. Smaller book sizes allowing opportunities to more stallions 5. Earlier timelines for NH racing allowing a quicker estimation of the merits or otherwise of a sire. 6. Not slavishly going for sire lines- in Ireland piling into sons of Galileo and sons of Monsun hasn’t worked. Now its unproven sons of Sea the Stars with whom breeders are rolling the dice. 7. Cooperatives. Some of the great success stories of Irish business came from the cooperative movement such as Kerry Group. We never adopted that model for bloodstock. Breeders in central France have banded together to back Haras de Cercy under a cooperative model. Irish breeders need to look at this model which has so many potential benefits and upsides for breeders. Cooperatives redress the imbalance of power between mare owners and stallion masters.
In recent years in Ireland we have routinely seen books of 250+ for unproven middle distance flat horses from the same few sire lines . There are now thousands of broodmares by failed NH sires that highlight the long term consequences of this herd mentality. In search of a quick fix, Irish stallion masters have now decided to purchase the better French young sires knowing that the economics of our huge book sizes make this approach financially viable. It will be interesting to see what sort of offers are made for the 9 year old sire who has just had two winners of three year old hurdles in France and who has all the qualities to become a major NH sire. That sire is Goliath du Berlais who stands at Haras de la Tuilerie.
Goliath Du Berlais’ Pedigree:
Pedigree Overview
Saint des Saints has become a stalwart of French breeding and enjoyed a stellar Cheltenham with three winners in Prokterat, Monmiral and Sine Nomine. He has also delivered as a broodmare sire and despite his age, still covered 81 mares in 2023 at €15000. King’s Daughter was a Grade 3 winner over hurdles as a three year old and she is a daughter of the outstanding 5 time champion NH sire in King’s Theatre. She has compiled an impressive record at stud with 7 winners and 4 black type winners. Aside from Goliath du Berlais, James Du Berlais (by Muhtathir) was runner up in a Punchestown Stayers Hurdle for Willie Mullins. Queen Du Buelais (by Muhtathir) was a Grade 3 hurdle winner and David Du Berlais (by Saints des Saints) was a Listed hurdle winner and is now at stud in Haras de Cercy. For good measure, Goliath Du Berlais’s second dam Bint Bladi is the dam of RSA Chase 2nd Lyreen Legend (also by Saints des Saints). It’s hard to fault this pedigree…
Goliath Du Berlais Racecourse Performance
Goliath Du Bearlais won 7 of his 12 starts culminating in an impressive 14 length victory in the 2019 Grade 1 Prix Ferdinand Dufaure chase at Auteuil as a four year old. Earlier that season he had won a Grade 2 and a pair of Grade 3’s for trainer Guillame Macaire. As an entire, this was more than sufficient to ensure his popularity once he was retired to Haras de la Tuilerie to stand alongside his sire Saint des Saints.
First runners: Goliath’s first runners have certainly started with a bang. Two winners and two placed horses from four runners in French three year old hurdles is definitely impressive. This will be music to the ears of the breeders who utilised Goliath (140 in 2020, 131 in 2021, 119 in 2022 and 130 in 2023 so he will have big numbers to come. He seems poised for stardom. He retired at a fee of €7500 in 2020 and it is unchanged since then but if his electric start continues we can expect a significant price hike and big offers from Irish studs.
A decade ago, things were pretty grim in the French flat stallion ranks. At that time, the forgettable Elusive City, standing at €15,000, was the most expensive French based sire. Things have improved greatly since then and there is now a decent selection of credible stallions. The generous French premium system help to underpin their breeding sector and the success of French National Hunt breeders shows the potential of the French industry.
Other changes have been less positive. The death of Le Havre and the sale of Wootton Bassett were big blows. Book sizes have increased dramatically with 17 flat sires covering 100+ mares in 2022 and this level of concentration isn’t good for diversity. With the epic World Cup final between France and Argentina still fresh in the memory, I have used footballing references for my sire verdicts.
2023 fee (2022 fee)
1. Siyouni €150,000 (€140,000) 2007 Pivotal ex Sichilla by Danehill
FootballComparison: A footballer who scores some spectacular goals but doesn’t score often enough
If the Aga Khan wasn’t one of the world’s richest men, this could be considered a rags to riches story 🙂 Retired at a fee of €7000, there were no great expectations for Siyouni. Pivotal had failed to deliver a top class sire son and Siyouni’s race record was good (he won a Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere), but unremarkable.
Since his first runners in 2014, Siyouni has delivered stars such as St Mark’s Basilica, Sottsass, Laurens and Ervidya. This ability to get superstars helps to gloss over the fact that his 6% percentages of stakes winners (66 from 1052 foals of racing age) is modest enough for a sire at his fee.
Siyouni had 63 yearlings sold this year for a median of €210,000 and he covered 132 mares this year. On the track he had a healthy 9 Group winners and 14 Stakes winners, so it was understandable that he was popular in the sales ring. A sire who has risen from such a modest opening fee clearly belongs in any discussion of the elite European sires. However for me a career tally of 7 Group 1 winners in the Northern Hemisphere is a little underwhelming. Three of his best performers were also siblings to other top horses so he got plenty of help on the dam side. This was the situation with Sottsass (1/2 brother to MySisterCharlie) , St Mark’s Basilica (1/2 brother to Magna Grecia) and Tahiyra (1/2 sister to Tarnawa), . When his progeny are good, they tend to be very, very good but I would like to see him converting his quality books of mares into top performers with a little more regularity.
2. Zarak €60,000 (€25,000) 2013 Dubawi ex Zarkava by Zamindar
Football Comparison: A young player with famous parents who is overpriced
Another Aga Khan owned sire is the second most expensive sire in France. Unlike Siyouni, Zarak was always expected to make a big impact. That expectation is understandable, when you are by Dubawi out of Zarakava who was one of the greatest fillies of our lifetimes. On the track, he almost lived up to his stellar pedigree winning a Grand Prix de Saint Cloud and finishing runner up in Prix de Jockey Club (to Almanzor) and Prix Ganay (to Cloth of Stars). At stud he has produced 9 stakes winners led by Grp 2 winner Purplepay. His yearling median has risen to €56,500 and he covered 159 mares this year at €25,000. Sons of Dubawi are very fashionable and his pedigree is free from Danzig and Sadler’s Wells so he can suit most mares. However, I was surprised at the size of the price hike. He stood for €12,000 for his first four season and then got a hike to €25,000 after his first two year olds did well. He lacks a superstar and his sales results don’t justify the hike he received. Those facts may change but I would have thought something around €35,000 would have been more appropriate for now.
3. Galiway €30,000 (€30,000) (2011 Galileo ex Danzigaway by Danehill)
FootballComparison: Overrated like Paul Pogbaat Man Utd
He covered 170 mares at €30,000 this year which goes to show that French breeders can be just as influenced by a foolish herd mentality as their Irish/ UK counterparts. 🙂 Galiway never won above Listed level and his half brother Silent Name was disappointing as a sire. In total he has 9 Stakes winners from 190 foals of racing age. This is 5% which is arguably a very good outcome given that he stood at €3,000 for his first four seasons. I’m more sceptical about his merits. His popularity is primarily down to Sealiway who won a soft ground Champion Stakes in 2021 but whose trainers (Frederic and Cedric Rossi) are caught up in the ongoing French doping investigation. His next best progeny are Grp 3 winners Esope and Kenway. He also has a high class hurdler in Vauban. I simply can’t see the wisdom of paying €30,000 for him when you have a much better son of Galileo like Nathaniel standing for £15,000.
4. Almanzor €25,000 (€30,000) (2013 Wootton Bassett ex Darkova by Maria’s Mon)
FootballComparison: Hoping to hang on for extra-time to see if he can turn things around
An outstanding winner of the Prix de Jockey Club, Irish Champion Stakes and Champion Stakes, he was an exciting addition to the French stallion ranks. When his sire was sold to Coolmore, Almanzor was perfectly positioned as the heir apparent. Alas his first crop hasn’t set the world alight and he badly needs some top runners to emerge to remain relevant. He has no winners above Listed level in Europe although he does have some nice prospects. His yearling median fell back to €35,500 from more than double that amount. He still has some big crops waiting in the wings so he could yet turn things around but its odds against at this stage. He covered 129 mares this year but he will prove a harder sell for next year. It would have been better to shave some more from his fee as his star is waning.
5. Persian King €25,000 (€30,000) (2016 Kingman ex Pretty Please by Dylan Thomas)
FootballComparison: Anice prospect but not cheap
High class on the track, he won the Autumn Stakes at two, the French Guineas at three, and he was runner up in the Prix de Jockey Club. At four he won the Prix de Moulin and the Prix D’Ispahan at four and he stretched his stamina to finish a very creditable third in the Arc. He comes from a good Wildenstein family that includes Peintre Celebre under his 4th dam, Policy Maker under his third dam and Planteur under his 2nd dam. Covered 115 mares this year. He lacked the brilliant turn of foot of Kingman but he still rates an interesting prospect.
6. Mishriff €20,000 (na) (2017 Make Believe ex Contradict by Raven’s Pass)
Football Comparison: Should have looked to transfer a year earlierwhen he was hot property
Connections probably regret not retiring Mishfriff at the end of 2021. At that point, he was after annexing the Sheema Classic and the Saudi World Cup on Dirt. For good measure back on turf he won an International Stakes and he was just touched off in a King George to complement the Prix de Jockey Club he won as a three year old. It was an appealing story for the marketplace, a classic winner who could perform on turf or dirt and who had Rafha (dam of Invincible Spirit and Kodiac) as his 3rd dam. Keeping him in training as a five year old did nothing to improve his cv. His best effort in 2022 was a narrow defeat in the Eclipse. His sire Make Believe has also failed to sire anything else above Group 3 level and will be standing for his lowest fee of €10,000 for 2023. It will be interesting to see what level of support he attracts and I think he may struggle, despite his many fine attributes as a racehorse. Incidentally, It seems hard to believe that his foals will have the still active Dubawi as their great, great grandsire.
7. Hello Youmzain €22,500 (€25,000) (2016 Kodiac ex Spasha by Shamardal)
FootballComparison::Could go either way -like a penalty shootout
A Grp 2 winner as a two year old in the Criterium de Maison Lafittes, he won the Sprint Cup at 3 and the Diamond Jubilee at 4. Sons of Kodiac have outperformed expectations at stud with Ardad, Coulsty and Kodi Bear doing well this. This fellow was Kodiac’s best performer on the track but for me he is a little pricey for an unproven sprinter. His distaff line has a lot more stamina influences than you might expect with his first three dams by Shamardal, Sadler’s Wells and Mill Reef respectively. It will be interesting to see if he is a pure influence for speed and precocity or if those other elements come through. He received 128 mares in 2022 and is likely to remain popular for the coming season.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8. Kendargent (€17,000 ) Kendor ex Pax Bella by Linamix
FootballComparison:A game of two halves and he hasn’t had a good second half
His first crop of 19 foals were conceived at a fee of €1,000. Despite such humble beginnings, his first crop included Group winners Restiadargent and Kendam. Given that Kendargent had never even won a Stakes race (he was placed 2nd in Grp 3 and 4th in Grp 1) it seemed like we were witnessing the emergence of an extraordinary and unlikely success story. His fee was hiked in the coming years to €22,000 and he started covering three figure books. However his progress stalled. To date, Skalleti is his only Grp 1 winner and Kendargent has sired just 38 Stakes winners (4%) from 873 foals of racing age. He has failed to deliver on that initial promise.
9. Goken (€15,000, €15,000) Kendargent ex Gooseley Chop by Indian Rocket
FootballComparison:Has come from the lower leagues and doesn’t look at home in the top flight
He has mirrored his father in many ways. Like Kendargent he was owned by Guy Pariente and he has a wonderful outcross pedigree. He was the first son of Kendargent at stud but he can boast a better race record than his sire, as he was a dual Group 3 winning sprinter and he was 3rd in a Kings Stand. He was retired at fee of €5,000 and like his sire he had a strong first crop of two year olds which saw his fee hiked to €15,000. His oldest runners were four in 2022 and his stakes winners include three Grp 3 winners and four Listed winners from 116 foals of racing age (6%). A yearling median of €18,500 doesn’t justify his current fee and he will need to start delivering more on the track.
10. Victor Ludorum €15,000 (€15,000 ) 2017 Shamardal ex Antiquities by Kaldounevees
FootballComparison: “When the seagulls follow the trawler it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea“- Eric Cantona
Victor Ludorum was popular with French breeders (the seagulls) covering 154 mares in his first season, so he will have lots of opportunities to succeed (sardines) 🙂 He was one of the three unbeaten Group 1 winning two year old colts by Shamardal in 2019 (along with Pinatubo and Earthlight). In the case of Victor Ludorum he won the Prix Jean Luc Lagardare and followed up at three in winning the Poule d’Eassi des Poulains. He was kept in training at four when he added a Grp 3 from 6 starts that year. He is from a predictably strong Darley family with Irish Oaks winner Helen Street (the dam of a very good sire in Street Cry and Grand-dam of Shamardal) as is his third dam (and Helen Street appears 3X3 courtesy of Shamardal). He is pitched at the same price as Earthlight and it’s probably reasonable for what he offers.
11. Zelzal €15,000 (€15,000 ) 2013 Sea the Stars ex Olga Prekrasa by Kingmambo
FootballComparison:More likely to be relegated than promoted
Won a Prix Jean Prat at three and was 3rd in the Prix de Moulin at four. Has sired a pair of Grp3 winners this year in Dolce Zel and Ouraika. He may have benefited from the successes of Baaed who is also bred on the Sea the Stars/Kingmambo cross. However this guy whilst not bad, is not Baaed either! In truth his tally of 3 stakes winners from 104 foals of racing age isn’t that impressive and I’m not sure the big hike in fee from €6000 in 2020 to €15,000 in 2021 was warranted. His yearling median this year was €13,000 and I think he is well overpriced.
The French have a reputation for being fashionable. Sunday was Prix de l’Arc day- Europe’s finest single days racing with seven Group 1 races. The results were a breath of fresh air and a delight to those people who love to see diversity amongst the stallion ranks. We have come to expect top class European racing to be dominated by the Danzig and Sadler’s Wells branches of the Northern Dancer line. On Sunday, these lines were eclipsed by a less fashionable branch of the Northern Dancer line and even more pleasingly, five of the other winners were not from the Northern Dancer line.
Nijinsky- a better Arc day than in 1970
The Nijinsky sireline had a big day on Sunday. Nijinsky famously lost his unbeaten record in the 1970 Arc to Sassafras. He subsequently sired one winner of the race in Lammtarra and two of his sons Green Dancer (sire of Suave Dancer) and Caerleon (sire of Marienbard) sired winners of Europe’s premier all-aged race. The impressive victory of Danedream (f. by Lomitas ex Danedrop by Danehill) saw another victory for his sireline as Lomitas is a son of Nijinsky’s Irish and French St Leger winning son Niniski. Alas Lomitas died last year so he will not benefit from this victory.
Another grandson of Nijinsky sired a big winner when Kasbah Bliss (g. by Kahyasi ex Marital Bliss by Double Bed) won the marathon Prix du Cadran . In addition Nijinksy’s son Royal Academy is the broodmare sire of Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner Dabirsim (c by Hat Trick ex Rumoured by Royal Academy). The cap off the day, Nijinsky’s grandson Generous was broodmare sire of Prix de L’Opera winner Nahrain (. by Selkirk eg Bahr by Generous). All in all it was a welcome reminder of the positive influence of the last triple crown winner.
Super Sunday Silence
Dabirsim’s win in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere was another reminder of the possibilities of the Sunday Silence line. It is mystifying to me that the major European studs have not acted to secure a truly top class son of Japan’s greatest ever sire to make available an alternative sireline. The possibilities were already shown by Divine Light who sired Natagora winner of the Cheveley Park and 1000 Guineas. Lanwades (in the UK) stand Vita Rosa and Darley France stand Layman, but neither could be considered amongst the best of the Sunday Silence’s as racehorses.
Dream Ahead
Dream Ahead (c. by Diktat ex Land of Dreams by Cadeaux Genereux) won his fifth Group 1 when edging out Goldikova in the Prix de la Foret. It was subsequently announced that he will be retiring to Ballylinch Stud in County Kilkenny Ireland at the end of the season. His sire Diktat is now in Spain but if properly priced Dream Ahead should prove popular. For people who care about these things it is significant that if you go back 22 generations you will find that Dream Ahead’s sire line traces to the Godolphin Arabian, so he represents a good chance to continue that line in Europe.
Tangerine Trees
Tangerine Trees (g. by Mind Games ex Easy to Imagine by Cozzene) was a somewhat fortuitous winner of the Prix de l’Abbaye as the fast finishing Sole Power looked to be the best horse on the day. Tangerine Trees represents another sireline that has fallen out of fashion namely the Forli line which was once so popular down around Ballydoyle. However the reason why Mind Games is unfashionable is that he was a truly dreadful stallion with terrible percentages. Thankfully he is now retired from active service.
Elusive Kate- Can’t escape Mr P.
Elusive Kate (f. by Elusive Quality ex Gout de Terroir by Lemon Drop Kid), could hardly be considered unfashionable being a daughter of Elusive Quality who stands at 50,000 USD and who is a stallion who is popular on both sides of the Atlantic. Elusive Kate has Mr Prospector on both sides of the pedigree as Elusive Quality traces to Mr Pr via Gone West and Lemon Drop Kid is a son Kingmambo by Mr P. The prominence of Mr Prospector is not nearly as pronounced in Europe as it is in the States.
Nahrain for Varian
Nahrain (f. by Selkirk ex Bahr by Generous) just defeated her half sister Announce (f. by Selkirk ex Hachita by Gone West) in the Prix de L’Opera. In winning she gave her trainer Roger Varian the first of what are likely to be many Group 1 wins. The veteran Selkirk is from the Sharpen Up line and has now sired 14 Group 1 winners, 10 of which are fillies and again although he could never be called unfashionable he perhaps never got the credit he deserved.
Conclusions
Sunday’s results do not mark the end of the domination of Europe by the Sadler’s Wells and Danzig lines. However it is a useful reminder to European breeders and buyers that there are a lot more ways of breeding a top class racehorse than through the ultra fashionable sire lines. As the French might say vive la difference!
The increasing success of French bred horses has been the most striking element of National Hunt breeding over the last decade. Mon Mome in the Grand National, Binocular and Hors la Loi in the Champion Hurdle, Kauto Star in the Gold Cup and Master Minded, Voy Pur Ustedes and Azertyuiop in the Queen Mother Champion Chase have taken jumps racing top prizes. Trainers and owners aren’t oblivious to such success and the respective champion trainers Paul Nicholls and Willie Mullins are long time converts to the merits of French breds. The Irish and British breeding sectors do not seem to have actively responded to the new market realities and if nothing is done they will continue to lose market share. If the Anglo- Irish racing and breeding authorities wish to meet the challenge they need to think strategically and act courageously.
Understanding the marketplace
Someone once explained the difference between advertising and marketing as follows- with advertising you try and sell what you’ve made, with marketing you only make what you can sell. With respect to Irish Thoroughbred Marketing and British Bloodstock Marketing they are actually in the advertising game trying to promote a product that has already been produced. Their governing bodies need to think about true marketing and how their respective breeding and racing industries can produce and showcase products that are truly in demand.
The French breds that are in demand in the UK and Ireland have previously demonstrated ability on the racecourse. For a buyer this means that the horses are broken, schooled, fit and ready to run and yet they are at an age when many of their Anglo-Irish peers are still being left to develop. The problem for the Anglo-Irish store horse is that the evidence in favour of this model versus the French model is inconclusive at best. However there can be no doubt in an owner’s mind regarding the costs and time involved in bringing his store horse to the racetrack. The traditionalists used to argue that horses who had started “too early” would burn out quickly but the racing careers of such as Kauto Star (36 runs over 8 seasons and counting), Big Bucks (30 runs and counting), Mon Mome (41 runs) have changed that assumption. In addition some veterinary evidence may indicate a beneficial impact of early exercise and training on subsequent injury rates.
Meeting the challenge- race planners
Underpinning the French system is the race programme that provides lots of opportunities to test younger horses. There is no reason why elements of the French racing programme cannot be adopted by the Anglo-Irish race-planners. It might horrify some (or many), but why not run three year old bumpers, three year old hurdles from February onwards and four year old chases on a regular basis? The world would not end and traditional race programming would still exist for less precocious types. In a business situation rather than allowing a competitor an unchallenged position you would seek to win back the business and such moves would allow a segment of the market to compete directly with the French runners. An additional benefit of such moves is that it would allow breeders earlier indications of the merits of jumping stallions. Given that many jumps stallions are deceased before their worth has been established this is another important consideration.
Meeting the challenge- breeders
1. I don’t believe that French jumps stallions are manifestly superior to their Anglo-Irish counterparts but there are some lessons that might be learned. Firstly a much greater number of French stallions have actually raced over jumps. In the UK and Ireland the likes of Alderbrook, Midnight Legend, Broadsword and Monksfield performed over jumps but they represented a tiny minority of the stallion population. It seems incongruous that jumps breeders do not seem to place any weighting (and often a negative weighting) on stallions having demonstrated an ability to jump. It is also worth remembering that one of the outstanding steeplechase sires of the modern era, Roselier, won the French champion hurdle.
2. There has been a loss of diversity in the National Hunt stallion ranks. This is driven by huge books for fashionable stallions, many of whom are unproven. There has also been an unhealthy concentration on certain sire lines especially sons of Sadler’s Wells. The consequence is reduced opportunities for other stallions to make a breakthrough. The French have smaller book sizes and many stallions get an opportunity there that would not be available in the UK or Ireland. Irish and UK breeders should be less fashion conscious and more adventurous.
3. Invest in proven French stallions. Larger book sizes give Irish and UK stallion masters an economic advantage over their French rivals. This affords them the opportunity to tap into successful French lines. The purchase of Robin Des Pres and Robin Des Champs for stud duty in Ireland are indicators that some studs are adopting this policy. More studmasters should use this key difference between the marketplaces to their advantage. In a business context this is analogous to poaching your opposition’s key staff, something that can strengthen your position and weaken theirs.
Conclusion
Competition between breeding nations is healthy and can lead to improved standards all round. The French have done a superb job in gaining a very substantial share of the Anglo-Irish market, driven by racecourse success. This success has naturally resulted in higher prices for promising young stock and some purchasers are now questioning whether there is still value to be obtained. However it would be a very dangerous assumption by Anglo-Irish breeders that the French will price themselves out of the market. With the Anglo-Irish industry in crisis, doing nothing is not an option so radical and new thinking is required to regain competitiveness.
Lope de Vega was a celebrated Spanish writer, ranked almost the equal of Cervantes and the author of an incredible 1800 plays (thanks Wikipedia). Last weekend’s French Guineas (Poule d’Essai des Poulains) saw another Lope de Vega defeat Dick Turpin by half a length. The equine Lope is unlikely to achieve evarlasting fame but on a line through Dick Turpin there is currently little between him and Makfi at the top of the European rankings for milers.
Lope de Vega- performance to date
Lope de Vega was a very useful two year old winning his first two starts before winding up his season with a close fourth behind Siyouni in the Grand Criterium. He was third, beaten only half a length on his seasonal reappearance in the Prix de Fontainbleu before his half length success in the Poule D’Essai des Poulains. In the aftermath of his victory it was stated that he would be aimed at the 10 furlongs of the French Derby. On pedigree, he should have a reasonable chance of getting the additional two furlongs.
Lope de Vega- bred for the French Guineas
In some respects Lope de Vega was bred for the French Guineas. His sire Shamardal won the race in 2005 and his broodmare sire Vettori won the 1995 edition of the race. In addition his grandam Lady Golconda is a daughter of Kendor who won the 1989 renewal. Furthermore Rahy is the broodmare sire of Giants Causway and Rahy is a son of Blushing Groom the winner of the 1977 renewal.
Shamardal’s racing career
Shamardal was unbeaten on turf, winning the Dewhurst at two for Mark Johnston, before winning the French Guineas (from the luckless Indesatchel ridden by Jamie (Frank) Spencer) at three. He followed up in the first 10 furlong French Derby defeating the fast finishing Hurricane Run. In the case of both French classics he benefitted from canny rides from Frankie Dettori. Just 9 days after the French Derby he contested the St James Palace Stakes and he put up an extremely impressive performance that marked him out as an outstanding performer. Unfortunatley it proved to be his last race.
Shamardal’s life story was certainly interesting as he was diagnosed as a wobbler, his first owner Abdulla Buhaleeba sold him at the end of his two year old career after reputedly incurring significant casino losses. He was by Coolmores Giant’s Causeway out of a sister to Godolphins Street Cry, but Coolmore passed him over at the Houghton Sales after failing an endoscopic test. He was the star of Giant’s Causeway’s first crop that also featured Footstepsinthesand and Karen’s Caper.
Shamardal’s stud career
Shamardal’s first crop 143 was conceived off a fee of €40,000. From that crop Arctic was a group 3 winner in Ireland before disappointing somewhat in the Middle Park stakes. Shakespearean won the Solario Stakes and followed up in the Goffs million. As three year olds Siyaadah won the UAE 1000 Guineas and Zazou won a German Group 3 before coming a close sixth behind Lope de Vega in the Franch Guineas. From his time in Australia he is represented by Faint Perfume who is a dual Group 1 winner including the Crown Oaks over 12 and half furlongs. He is currently listed as €20000 and should be popular at that price as he is delivering plenty of stakes horses.
Lady Vettori
Lady Vettori, the dam of Lope de Vega won her first five races as a two year old including the Group 3 Prix du Calvados. She finished her season with a highly creditable third in the Prix Marcel Boussac. She ran just once at three when just touched off in the Prix Imprudence. At stud she had four foals prior to Lope de Vega, the best of whom was Bal de la Rose (by Cadeuax Genereux) who was a 10 furlong Group 3 winner. Lady Vettori is herself a half sister to a stakes performer in Rosey de Megeve (by Efisio) and there are some decent connections further back in the pedigree. However, overall it is not a particularly high class family and it was her racing merit not her pedigree that saw Lady Vettori sold for €500,000 in December 2005.
Conclusion.
His run in the French Guineas represented a career best performance for Lope de Vega. His manner of victory was not overly impressive and he will probably need to show further improvement if he is to succeed in his stated target of the French Derby. He is a nice advert for his sire Shamardal who is one of the leading lights of a bunch of highly promising new sires to burst on the scene. His dam Lady Vettori owned a modest enough pedigree but she was a superior racehorse and she can certainly take her share of the credit for her sons success. Machiavellian appears 3*3 in the pedigree as broodmare sire of Shamardal and sire of Vettori but rather than reading too much into that I think we can just credit the combination of a much better than average sire and dam.
It may be old news at this stage but in my defence I was moving house and I was without internet access for a period. Therefore I hope you will forgive me for belatedly reflecting on this years Cheltenham festival.
1. A disappointing Cheltenham
Cheltenham 2010 was a disappointment. All the races were run and we got some new champions but it lacked any performances that will live long in the memory. In the Gold Cup we saw the best of neither Kauto Star nor Denman and thus far the winner Imperial Commander (Flemensfirth x Ballinlovane by Le Moss) ranks as a good but not a great winner.
The Champion hurdle got the result we expected in 2009 but not so much in 2010 with Binocular triumphing (see full pedigree review http://montjeu.com/archives/75 ) . He was a good winner and although runner up Khyber Kim (Mujahid x Jungle Rose by Shirley Heights) franked the form by winning the Aintree hurdle the belief remains that the current crop of 2 mile hurdlers are unexceptional. As an aside it is worth noting that Binocular was effectively declared a non-runner a few weeks before Cheltenham and he drifted to 999-1 on betfair. It is interesting to compare the media fawning over Nicky Henderson with their treatment of other trainers who have ruled fancied horses out of big races before doing a u-turn.
Master Minded failed in his attempt to join the legends of the game by winning a third Champion Chase. The winner Big Zeb (Oscar- Our Siveen by Deep Run) looked good and is another marker of the skills of his trainer Colm Murphy.
Of the defending champions in the big four races only Big Bucks (Cadoudal-Buck’s by Le Glorieux) retained his crown and enhanced his reputation. He followed up at Aintree and is now unbeaten in his last 7 runs over hurdles.
The potentially star hurdler that we expected to see was last years bumper winner Dunguib (Presenting-Edermine Berry by Durgam). However the Irish banker was only third behind Menorah (Kings Theatre-Maid for Adventure by Strong Gale). Criticism of Dunguibs jockey was unwarranted as he was never travelling like the superstar that so many had expected to see.
Key Numbers
There were 12 Group 1 races over the four days of Cheltenham. The influence of Sadler’s Wells was never far away and 6 of the races fell to his grandsons and one to his great grandson (Binocular). For the record King’s Theatre had a double with Menorah and the Bumper winner Cue Card (King’s Theatre-Wicked Crack by King’s Ride) and Oscar matched his achievment with Big Zeb and Peddlers Cross (Oscar-Patscilla by Squill) winning the 2mile 5 novice hurdle. Accordion had a winner with Alberta’s run in the Ryanair chase and Golden Tornado who like Accordion was unraced, sired Berties Dream winner of the 3 mile novice hurdle. Golden Tornado is a half brother to the American trained Irish 2000 Guineas winner Fourstarsallstar who sired the cross country chase winner A New Story. The non-Sadlers Wells line stallions with Grade 1 winners were the Alleged horse Flemensfirth with Imperial Commander, Cadoudal with Big Bucks, Pistolet Blue with Arkle winner Sizing Europe, Presenting with RSA winner Weapons Amnesty although he is out of an Old VIc mare and finally Triumph hurdle winner Soldatino who has a very obscure French pedigree being sired by Graveron a non-stakes winning grandson of Mill Reef out of an AQPS mare (“autre que pur sang” — “other than thoroughbred.”)
Ireland v France
The media often bill Cheltenham as an Anglo-Irish battle, but an equally interesting battle has arisen between Irish and French breds. This year only 3 of the 12 Group 1’s went to French breds (Binocular, Big Bucks, Soldantino) but they still managed 9 winners overall and relative to their numbers they are disproportionately successful compared to their Irish and UK rivals. This years battle may have gone to the Irish but the war is far from over. It has been interesting to note how Irish studs have started to invest in proven or promising French jumps stallions as happened with Pistolet Bleu and more recently with Robin des Champs and Robin des Pres. Given the larger book sizes in Ireland, the buying power of Irish studs tends to be greater and it will be interesting to see whether the French repeat the mistakes of the 1970’s and 1980’s when they failed to hold onto their best flat stallions such as Lyphard, Riverman and Nureyev.
The last 2 weeks have seen huge amounts of top level action in the UK, Ireland and France. It would be easy to simply write about one top level winner but I aim to please so here are ten items of interest from the past two weeks…….
1.Sea the Stars- His greatness is unquestioned, but is he the greatest ever?
The answer is no. Sea the Stars is undoubtedly a fantastic horse whose consistency and versatility has to admired but some of the praise has been vastly overdone. I believe that I have seen better individual performances over a mile, 10 furlongs and 12 furlongs. It is interesting to compare his level of form with that of last year’s winner Zarkava. She also won an Arc by two lengths beating Youmzain, over a mile she trounced Goldikova in the French Guineas and she was both a Group 1 winner at two and unbeaten throughout her career. However would anyone seriously suggest that she might be the greatest horse of all time,as has been mentioned in the case of Sea the Stars?
2. Mighty Mighty Montjeu.
We have learned that when Montjeu sires a good two year old, that horse becomes a top class three year old. Thus far his only Group One winning two year olds have all become Derby winners namely Authorized, Motivator and Fame and Glory. For good measure Jukebox Jury who won last years Royal Lodge has now become a Group 1 winner after narrowly triumphing in the Preis Von Europa. On Saturday 26th September at Ascot in the Royal Lodge Joshua Tree won well. The next day in the Curragh’s Beresford Stakes,St Nicholas Abbey was even more impressive and become ante post favourite for next year’s Derby. For good measure Bikini Babe was runner up in the CL Weld Stakes. As if to remind everyone that he still sires the odd decent older horse he had an Australian Group 1 winner Speed Gifted to complement Jukebox Jury’s success at the highest level. With Fame & Glory likely to stay in training it would be no surprise if he is champion sire in 2010.
3. John Oxx- You can’t get away from his influence!
Back in 2000 Sinndar gave John Oxx the best day he could ever have hoped for when winning the Arc on the same day as Namid won the Prix de’lAbbaye. In 2009 apart from Sea the Stars he won the Prix de Cadran with Alandi who spoilt Yeats farewell to racing. This was Alandi’s second major victory in three weeks following on from his Irish St Leger victory. The weekend also gave plenty of reminders of that memorable day in 2000 as Namid sired Total Victory who followed his sire in triumphing in the Abbaye and Sinndar was responsible for Youmzain who again had to settle for the runner-up spot for the 3rd successive Arc. For good measure Sinndar sired Rosanara who was quite impressive in retaining her unbeaten record in the Prix Marcel Boussac. I wrote in one of my first posts that Sinndar was badly overlooked by Irish breeders. He is now resident in France where I hope he gets the big books that he deserves as he is more than capable of siring a top horse. Total Gallery became Namid’s first Group 1 winner but he has probably arrived too late to make much of a difference to Namid’s reputation and his lack of major success saw the median for his yearlings slip to €5600 in 2008.
4.The Aga Khan- as good as it gets.
The Aga Khan had an incredible weekend. Group 1 successes for Shalanaya, Alandi, Siyouni, Rosanara, Varenar represent an incredible return and a vindication of his breeding policy.The sires involved Lomitas,Galileo, Pivotal, Sinndar and Rock of Gibraltar, are a decidedly mixed bunch but such success highlights the strength of his female lines.His non-conformist approach to stallion selection often sees him responsible for breeding the best offspring of many overlooked stallions. For good measure Daryakana (by Selkirk) and Manighar (by Linamix) picked up Group 2 races. Looking at some of the pedigrees involved familiar names quickly appear. The third dam of Shalanaya is Sharmeen the dam of Shergar, the dam of Alandi is a full sister to Oaks winner Aliysa, the grand-dam of Siyouni is Slipstream Queen who was dam of Slickly and was presumably purchased as part of the Lagardere purchase so it is fitting that he won the race commemorating Jean Luc Lagardere. Rosanara is out of a Linamix mare so again it can be taken that she was part of the Lagardere acquisition. Varenar is a half brother to Visindar who started favourite for the 2006 Derby on the back of an impressive win in the Prix Greffulhe and Daryakana is out Daryaba who won the French Oaks and Prix Vermeille in 1999.
5. Pivotal- another gap on the cv filled
I am a huge admirer of Pivotal and it is interesting to monitor the impact of the better mares on his results. The Prix Jean-Luc de Lagedare say a first and third for Cheveley Parks finest, comprising Siyouni and Buzzword. Interestingly both are our of Danehill mares and this is a cross that has been tried repeatedly since the success of Saoire in the Irish Guineas. Kitty Kiernan is another representative of this cross. Surprisingly it was the first time that Pivotal had sired a Group 1 winning two year old although he did have Group 2 winners previously in Captain Rio and Excellent Art.
6. Sahm- a loss
Sahm was impeccably bred being by Mr Prospector out of Salsabail. However I always felt he was at stud on the wrong continent. He has had relatively few runners in Europe and most of them were with Kevin Prendergast, who never seemed to train a bad one eg Mustameet, Adaala, Red Moloney. He also sired Maram who won last years Breeders Cup Fillies Turf. Now he has had a Group 1 winner in surprise Sun Chariot winner Sahpreasa. Sahm died in 2007 aged only 13 and before he really got to capitalise on his better than expected results.
7. Sales races- distorting the truth
There were a number of sales races over the past 8 days with the Tattersalls races at Newmarket and the Goffs races at the Curragh. Amazingly for the second year running Hawk Wing sired the winner of one of these sales races (Lucky General) to put him near the top of the two year old rankings again. This is a travesty of justice if it means that someone in the distant future comes to the conclusion that it was a mistake to banish this great racehorse but dreadful sire to Korea. Shamardal sired another Shakespearen the winner of the Goffs Million Mile and along with Arctic who was somewhat disappointing in the Middle Park he ensures that Shamardal will feature near the top of the first season sires listing. At Newmarket in the Tattersalls races Danehill Dancer sired Lilly Langtry the winner of the fillies races which means that he will now win the Anglo-Irish championship at the expense of Cape Cross.
8. Middle Park in decline
THe Middle Park stakes has been in decline for a long period. In the past twenty years only Oasis Dream and Rodrigo de Triano have gone on to Group 1 success as three year olds. This years field was small but select with all the runners having shown a high level of form. In winning Azwaan retained his unbeaten record but he wasn’t overly impressive. Alhaarth throws all sorts and this year he was very unlucky that Mourayan didn’t win thus years St Leger as he got no sort of run. In the past Alhaarth has shown his versatility by siring sprinters (Dominica), milers (Haafhd) and middle distance horses (Bandari). Accordingly it is hard to say how far Azwaan will stay but it will be a surprise if he wins next years 2000 Guineas.
9. Special Duty- omens are good
Special Duty showed a very impressive turn of foot to win the Cheveley Park. She has already been highly tried taking on colts when beating Siyouni in the Prix Robert Papin and finishing second to Arcano in the Prix Morny. She is from a top class family as her dam is a full sister to Sightseek who won 7 Grade 1’s for Juddmonte. Her sire Hennessy died in 2007 whilst on duty in South America and he is one of those sires that seemed to be around forever yet he was only 14 when he died. In Europe he is known solely for outstanding two year old Johannesburg and it is to be hoped that Special Duty trains on a little better than he did. She will most likely be targetted at the 1000 Guineas and she seems to have a good chance of giving Criquette Head her fourth success in that classic.
10. Singspiel – A value sire
I think that Hibaayeb was fortunate not to be disqualified after winning the Fillies Mile. She clearly impeded Lady Darshaan who is incidentally a half sister to Prix de l’Abbaye winner Total Gallery. However she kept the race and thereby became the 12th Group 1 winner for Singspiel and his third this year after Eastern Anthem and Dar Re Mei. Singspiel saw a significant reduction in his stud fee some years ago and he is value at £15000. Hibaayeb’s fourth dam is Oh So Fair who achieved fame as the dam of Oh So Sharp.
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