Lessons Learned This Weekend

A La Recherche Du Temps Perdu…

The stallion business in the antipodes changed forever once the practice of shuttling stallions from the Northern Hemisphere was established. Previously, it was an either/or situation regarding which hemisphere a horse could stand in, which meant that Australasia's imported stallions tended to be ones which had been deemed to be surplus to requirements in Europe or North America. Inevitably, some of these less obvious stallion prospects sired good horses, and it was not uncommon to see big races won by horses whose sires possessed relatively obscure profiles. Nowadays, however, it is much harder for the less obvious horses to find places at stud, which has lent something of a look of sameness to the results of big races around the world. However, Saturday's G1 Captain Cook S. at Trentham in New Zealand harks back to a former era: the winner, Aide Memoire (NZ), is the only stakes performer ever sired by her 16-year-old sire Remind (Deputy Minister), a horse who never won a graded stake in a busy five-season career in the U.S.

Recent decades have seen a focus northwards in New Zealand's breeding industry, abetted by the relocation of the country's principal sales venue from Trentham to Karaka. Some of the great stallions in the nation's history have stood on the South Island, but nowadays studs there find it harder to compete. Remind, however, stands at Long Acres Stud near Darfield in Canterbury. He retired there in 2007 after a lengthy career racing from Bill Mott's barn in the livery of his breeder, Claiborne Farm. He won five races between eight and nine furlongs including the Storm Cat S. at Keeneland, although a graded stake triumph continually eluded him. He was, though, many times placed in such company, including finishing second or third in eight Grade II or III races. He also finished fourth in the GI Shadwell Turf Mile in 2005, beaten four lengths by the winner Host (Chi) (Hussonet), passing the post ahead of the likes of Three Valleys (Diesis {GB}), Ad Valorem (Danzig) and the top-class Australian racemare Alinghi (Aus) (Encosta De Lago {Aus}).

Remind clearly had plenty to offer, having proved himself a very tough, sound and genuine horse, and only a few lengths behind the best. He was a half-brother to three graded stakes winners. Furthermore, his sire, Deputy Minister, had recently enjoyed success in Australia courtesy of his son Dehere, who had sired many good horses during his stints of shuttling to Coolmore in New South Wales. Dehere's high achievers had included the 2000 G1 Golden Slipper S. heroine Belle Du Jour (Aus), as well as the admirable Group 1 winners Defier (Aus) and Bollinger (Aus). The fact that Remind was affordable was also, presumably, a factor in his recruitment by Long Acres, a decision which has been justified by the on-going exploits of Aide Memoire, one of the most progressive racehorses in the country. Her seven victories include last season's Rangitikei Gold Cup, while her recent Group 1 triumph suggests that further big-race glory awaits.

Home From Home For Double Doyle…

The position within the Godolphin fold of talented English jockey James Doyle seemed precarious a couple of months ago when Saeed bin Suroor seemingly decided that he would prefer to use other riders. However, Doyle now looks to have cemented his place on the team with a sparkling start to his current Australian stint. Doyle was recently sent southwards to fill the void created among Godolphin's riding ranks by the absence of James McDonald. He has made an excellent start to his stint, taking three rides at Rosehill on Saturday for the John O'Shea stable and winning on two of them.

While he is basically in unfamiliar territory, Doyle will have found plenty of familiar signs, not least because his two winners are both sons of stallions who are well represented within the Godolphin team in Europe: Street Cry (Ire) and Teofilo (Ire). He will also have recognised the Darley blue-print of developing families from high-class mares by using high-class sires. His first winner, Trekking (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire})–who justified odds-on favouritism to land an impressive win on debut–is a classic case in point. Trained by Lee Freedman, Serenade Rose (Aus) (Stravinsky) was Australia's champion filly of the 2005/06 season, taking the G1 VRC Oaks, G1 Arrowfield Stud S. and G1 AJC Oaks. She was bought afterwards by Sheikh Mohammed for a reported A$3-million, clearly a mouth-watering addition to the Darley broodmare band. Sadly, she only had three foals before dying in 2011. Her first two foals were both fillies, Outdoor (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}) and Entertains (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}). She then bred one colt: Minnesinger (Aus) (Lonhro {Aus}).

Minnesinger, now aged five, is a winner at Kilmore and Sandown and has been Group 2-placed, but will never be part of Darley's breeding operation as he is a gelding. The two fillies, though, each the winner of three races, are both now members of the Darley broodmare band, Outdoor in Australia and Entertains in Europe. They are both clearly exciting prospects with their collective breeding record now standing at one run for one win, Trekking being Outdoors's first foal and now a debut winner.

Bonanza For High Chaparral?

Dual Derby and dual Breeders' Cup Turf hero High Chaparral (Ire) was a great stallion for Coolmore (and, for his first four Southern Hemisphere seasons, Windsor Park Stud in New Zealand) siring top horses on both sides of the world. His most prolific Group 1 winners were the Windsor Park-conceived So You Think (NZ) and Dundeel (NZ), but he also came up with plenty of other top-level scorers including Toronado (Ire), Free Eagle (Ire), Monaco Consul (NZ), Shoot Out (Aus) and Descarado (NZ). Tragically, he died in 2014 at the age of only 15, but he has plenty of chances to become established posthumously as a notable sire of sires.

One of several sons of High Chaparral to have made a good start at stud is Redwood (Ire), a magnificent horse who carried the colours of his owner/breeder Prince Khalid Abdullah with distinction for four years, 2008 to 2011 inclusive. Trained by Barry Hills, Redwood–a grandson of Dancing Brave's dual Group 1-winning full-sister Jolypha (Lyphard)–was an impressive winner at Newmarket on debut as a 2-year-old before taking a listed event at the same track first-up at three. Ultimately he registered his best triumph as a 4-year-old, taking the GI Northern Dancer Turf S. over 12 furlongs on a firm track at Woodbine in 2010.

Juddmonte elected not to place Redwood on its own roster when he signed off after contesting the G1 Hong Kong Vase in December 2011. Its loss, however, was Westbury Stud's gain because Redwood found his way to Gerry Harvey's property in New Zealand. Things are looking very promising, as was emphasised by Redwood's first-crop 3-year-olds' double at Ellerslie on Saturday. The Donna Logan- and Chris Gibbs-trained Romancer (NZ) is the more exalted of the pair at present as his success came in black-type company in the Mufhasa S., which he landed comfortably under Vinnie Colgan. Night's Watch, however, might be at least as talented because he recorded an impressive victory on debut in a 1200-metre maiden race, suggesting that plans to press on for the G1 NZ Derby next March should be realistic. Both horses are owned by successful Australian-based syndicator OTI Racing, and both should be capable of running well in stakes company in Australia.

Coolmore's Kiwi Connections…

High Chaparral is not the only Coolmore stallion who has used New Zealand to establish his reputation. Stravinsky (Nureyev), sire of the aforementioned Serenade Rose, shuttled between Ashford Stud in the U.S. and Cambridge Stud in New Zealand, while Pour Moi has been splitting his time between Coolmore in Ireland and Windsor Park Stud in New Zealand, whence his first crop has yielded the Group 1 winner Sacred Elixir (NZ). Now 2011 G1 National S. and 2012 G1 Irish 2000 Guineas victor Power (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) is doing well with his Cambridge Stud-conceived offspring.

The four stakes winners from Power's first European crop of juveniles this year have been headed by G3 Anglesey S. winner Peace Envoy (Fr), who has a minor placing in the G1 Prix Morny to his credit. Following Saturday's feature race day at Trentham, Power is already also responsible for a Southern Hemisphere first-crop group-winning 2-year-old, the Graeme Rogerson-trained Gift Of Power (NZ), previously successful in the Wellesley S., having taken the G2 Wakefield Challenge S. over 1100 metres.

A particular bonus of a link with Cambridge Stud is the access which it provides to the stud's outstanding broodmare band. Gift Of Power is a case in point: his dam Capital Diamond (NZ) (Lucky Unicorn {Aus}) has Cambridge Stud's legendary matriarch Eight Carat (GB) (Pieces Of Eight) as her third dam, her granddam being Eight Carat's top-class daughter Diamond Lover (Aus) (Sticks And Stones {Aus}).