Grateful (Ire)
When he succumbed to colic in October 2011, aged just 14, there was a poignant sense that Bernstein had never quite lived up to his glamorous billing. He was a celebrity even as an embryo, carried through the Keeneland ring at the 1996 November Sale by a $1.9 million mare--La Affirmed (Affirmed), the second most expensive broodmare auctioned in America that year--as a full-sibling to two graded stakes winners by Storm Cat. On his safe delivery, his dam's purchasers at Brushwood Farm sent Bernstein back the following November to defray...
Coolmore and Westerberg's G3 Stanerra Stakes victrix Grateful (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}--Tepin, by Bernstein), who hit the board in last month's G2 Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster, made the necessary transition under an inspired ride from Christophe Soumillon to secure a career high in Saturday's G1 Qatar Prix de Royallieu at ParisLongchamp. She became the fourth winner on the card for a dominant Aidan O'Brien. Employing patiently tactics and settled off the tempo for most of this 14-furlong marathon, the 207-10 chance made relentless headway out wide in the straight to...
As a daughter of the six-times top-level-winning dual champion grass mare Tepin (Bernstein), Ballydoyle's Grateful (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) has a lot to live up to, but she went some way to doing that on Wednesday with a hard-fought success in Fairyhouse's G3 Darley Irish EBF Stanerra Stakes. Having only her fourth career start in the 14-furlong feature and her third in just over a month after breaking her maiden at The Curragh and finishing sixth in the Listed Irish EBF Naas Oaks Trial last month, the 12-1 shot raced prominently...
3rd-Curragh, €20,000, Mdn, 6-5, 3yo/up, 12fT, 2:35.75, gd. GRATEFUL (IRE) (f, 3, Galileo {Ire}--Tepin {GISW-Can, G1SW-Eng, MGISW-US, $4,437,918}, by Bernstein), the third foal out of the six-times top-level-winning dual champion turf mare, had not been seen since finishing ninth in this track's seven-furlong conditions race in August in which A Lilac Rolla (Ire) (Harry Angel {Ire}) and Opera Singer (Justify) were first and second. Racing in mid-pack early, the 13-2 shot stayed on strongly to reel in stablemate Mother Nature (Ire) (Justify) in the final strides and prevail by a...
Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Wednesday's Insights features a half-sister to the well-regarded Going Global (Ire) at Cork. 16.29 Cork, Mdn, €16,000, 2yo, f, 8fT FOXTROT ZULU (IRE) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}), a 450,000gns Tatts Book 1 purchase by Al Shira'aa Farms, gets going for the Ger Lyons stable and is an intriguing proposition as...