By Emma Berry
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Members of the Heffernan family and their extended clan make it all look so easy. Turn up to a major race day somewhere in the world and leave with a big trophy and a bag of swag. OK, so it doesn't always go that smoothly but after last year's audacious Breeders' Cup Turf win for Ethical Diamond, the HOS Syndicate has done it again in the G2 Red Sea Turf Handicap, worth a cool $2.5m.
Joseph O'Brien had two runners in the race but it was Sons And Lovers (Study Of Man) who pulled off the latest raid despite pulling hard in the early stages before stable-mate Tennessee Stud (Wootton Bassett) came to his rescue to give him cover.
This was a highly impressive victory from the five-year-old gelding on his first attempt at 3,000 metres, opening up his options across a range of decent staying contests through the summer. First, though, the Dubai Gold Cup is under consideration, and O'Brien also mentioned in his post-race debrief the Melbourne Cup, which he has plundered twice already.
When finally let loose by Ireland's champion jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle, Sons And Lovers grabbed the lead and held off the challenges of eventual runner-up Tabletalk (Camelot) and Tarriance (Frankel). The placegetters were the last two winners of the Melrose Handicap and are trained in Britain by Tom Clover and Andrew Balding respectively.
O'Brien said of the winner, “He's really developed well and it's obviously a career-best tonight. It was his first time at the distance and he was a little bit keen early and Dylan gave him a lovely ride and got him to relax down the back straight.
“Dubai is a legitimate possibility for his next run. I'm delighted for the ownership. They love racing on the international stage and this is hopefully a horse who has his best days ahead. It's a special win. We've had horses place here before, but it's a real privilege to come to Saudi and places like here to compete. It's even more special to win.”
The initials in the name of the winning syndicate stand for Heffernan, O'Brien and Slater, the surnames of the grandchildren of Andrew and Margaret Heffernan, who set about selecting a number of potential dual-purpose horses to run for the youngsters in order to give the family some fun days out at the races together. Their plan is working spiffingly so far, with the only cloud over the day being that Andrew Heffernan was not able to join his sons and grandchildren on the trip as he is currently not in the best of health. We wish him well.
Bernard Heffernan dedicated the win to his father. He said, “He's not very well back in Dublin and just couldn't travel. This is huge for all of us, but particularly for my father and my mother who started this syndicate. Horses have been my father's life. He held a training licence and I worked with him. Having all of the grandkids together and all of us brothers and sisters together has been an unbelievable experience and this one is dedicated to Dr Andrew Heffernan.”
Sons And Lovers was bred by Kirsten Rausing, who raced him initially with her great friends Hugo and Maya Morriss. From the first crop of Rausing's Lanwades Stud stallion Study Of Man, he is a half-brother to the Listed-placed Secret Of Love (Sea The Moon), the pair being out of So In Love (Smart Strike). This is also the family of Group 2 winner Sandrine (Bobby's Kitten) and has been under Rausing's care for generations tracing back to Sushila (Petingo).
Saturday, King Abdulaziz (Riyadh), Saudi Arabia
RED SEA TURF H. (Presented by Longines)-G2, $2,500,000, King Abdulaziz, 2-14, 4yo/up, 3000mT, 3:11.57, gd.
1–SONS AND LOVERS (GB), 128, g, 5, by Study Of Man (Ire)
1st Dam: So In Love (GB) (MSP-Fr), by Smart Strike
2nd Dam: Soft Morning (GB), by Pivotal (GB)
3rd Dam: Summer Knight (GB), by Nashwan
(€40,000 Ylg '22 GOFNOV). O-H O S Syndicate; B-Miss K Rausing (GB); T-Joseph O'Brien; J-Dylan Browne McMonagle; $1,500,000. Lifetime Record: GSW-Ire, SP-Fr, GSP-Eng, 14-3-1-5, $1,617,822.
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