Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum at Goodwood with his retained jockey Jim Crowley | racingfotos.com

Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and one of the world’s leading owner/breeders, has died. He was 75.

For the past 40 years, Sheikh Hamdan has raced a powerful string of horses around the world, many of them homebred through his Shadwell Stud operation. His royal blue and white silks have been borne by 19 European Classic winners, including the Derby winners Nashwan and Erhaab, while his major victories around the globe include the Breeders’ Cup Classic, two Melbourne Cups and two Dubai World Cups.

Like his brother, the Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Sheikh Hamdan was drawn to horseracing during his student days in Britain. He initially had horses in training in Newmarket with Harry Thomson ‘Tom’ Jones in 1981. Since then, his influence in the sport worldwide has spread to include his ownership of stud farms in the UK, Ireland and America. It was announced in February that 59 mares, fillies and weanlings that comprise Shadwell’s Australian breeding portfolio will be dispersed at the Magic Millions National Sale in May and June.

In 2020, Sheikh Hamdan was crowned leading owner in Britain for the fifth time with 112 winners led by the outstanding sprinter Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and including the homebred dual Group 1 winner Nazeef (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and G1 Sussex S. Winner Mohaather (GB) (Showcasing {GB}). The latter has recently joined a team of four stallions at Shadwell’s Nunnery Stud in Thetford, Norfolk. 

The operation also stands five stallions at Derrinstown Stud in Ireland, including Sheikh Hamdan’s most recent Classic winner of the Irish 2000 Guineas, Awtaad (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}). In America, the Kentucky-based Shadwell Farm is home to the sires Tamarkuz, Mohaymen and Qurbaan. Sheikh Hamdan received the 2007 Eclipse Award as the leading owner in North America, where he has raced such leading lights as Horse of the Year and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Invasor (Arg) (Candy Stripes), GI Belmont S. winner Jazil (Seeking The Gold), Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf heroine Lahudood (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}).

Also winner of the GI Flower Bowl Invitational in 2007, Lahudood is the grandam of Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who was one of six winners for Sheikh Hamdan during last year’s Royal Ascot meeting. The sextet included the G1 King’s Stand S. victory of Battaash, one of the most popular horses in training in the UK who went on to secure his second consecutive victory in the G1 Nunthorpe S. at York in August.  

Shadwell’s six Royal Ascot wins were provided by five different trainers, which is indicative of the widespread support Sheikh Hamdan has provided for a wide range of racing’s participants. From his initial patronage of Thomson Jones, his British string expanded to the stables of John Dunlop, Robert Armstrong, John Benstead, Peter Walwyn, Alec Stewart and Major Dick Hern. Over the years the names William Haggas, John Gosden, Marcus Tregoning, Barry Hills, Charlie Hills, Owen Burrows, Richard Hannon and Roger Varian have been added to the list of his trainers in the UK. Kevin Prendergast and Dermot Weld have been Shadwell’s long-term trainers in Ireland, while in France he utilised John Hammond, Freddy Head, Jean-Claude Rouget and Francois Rohaut. Naturally, Sheikh Hamdan also supported the growth of horseracing in his native country, where his trainers include Doug Watson, Erwan Charpy and Ali Al Rayhi, and he was also a key patron of Kiaran McLaughlin in the United States and David Hayes in Australia.

In 1984, Sheikh Hamdan bought the 2,400-hectare Shadwell Estate in Norfolk and set about establishing the headquarters of his worldwide breeding operation which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2019. 

One of his most significant early equine purchases was that of Height Of Fashion (Fr) (Bustino {GB}), who raced for her breeder The Queen, winning the G1 Fillies Mile, G2 Princess Of Wales’s S. and G2 May Hill S. before joining the burgeoning broodmare band at Shadwell Stud. Her second foal was the multiple Group winner Unfuwain (Northern Dancer), but better was to come the following year when she foaled Nashwan (Blushing Groom), who went on to win the 2000 Guineas, Derby, Eclipse and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. Both colts, trained like their dam by Major Dick Hern, became important stallions for their breeder, and they were followed some 12 years later by Height Of Fashion’s final foal, Nayef (Gulch), who won the G1 Champion S., G1 Juddmonte International, G1 Prince of Wales’s S. and G1 Dubai Sheema Classic for Hern’s former assistant Marcus Tregoning. The mare’s mighty legacy has also been enhanced by her listed-winning daughter Sarayir (Mr Prospector), who later produced the 1000 Guineas winner Ghanaati (Giant’s Causeway).

On Wednesday, Sheikh Mohammed posted a photograph of Sheikh Hamdan on Twitter with the message, “We belong to God and to Him we shall return…May God have mercy on you, my brother, my support and my companion.” (by TDN)

Khalid Abdullah after Workforce won the 2010 Derby | racingfotos.com

By Kelsey Riley

His Highness Prince Khalid bin Abdullah, one of the most successful owner/breeders in the history of the sport through his Juddmonte Farms dynasty, died on Jan. 12 in his 84th year.

Prince Khalid’s famous green, pink and white silks have been immortalized in the annals of the sport, having been carried transatlantically by 118 Grade/Group 1 winners headed by champions like Frankel (GB), Dancing Brave (GB), Enable (GB) and Arrogate among many others. He campaigned over 500 stakes winners, of which he bred over 440.

Douglas Erskine Crum, chief executive officer of Juddmonte, said on Tuesday, “The whole of Juddmonte feels a huge sense of loss. Prince Khalid will always be remembered as a quiet, dignified, benevolent family man, whose horses spoke for him. He leaves a legacy that will stand the test of time. His contribution to the development of the Thoroughbred will have long-lasting effects.”

Prince Khalid bin Abdullah was born in 1937 in Saudi Arabia and was a member of the House Of Saud, the Saudi Royal family, his father Abdullah bin Abdul-Rahman being a younger half-brother to King Abdulaziz, the founder and first monarch of Saudi Arabia. Prince Khalid studied in both Riyadh and the U.S. before going on to be an extremely successful businessman, chief among his accomplishments in that realm being the development of the private investment company Mawarid Holding, which has diverse portfolios in financial services, manufacturing, construction, medical supplies, telecommunications, the media and more.

Despite Prince Khalid’s extensive business successes, he will perhaps be best remembered for his profound contributions to the Thoroughbred breed. The foundation for the quality that has reverberated unrelentingly throughout the Juddmonte genes over the past 40-plus years was laid right from the outset. Prince Khalid bought his first yearlings in 1978 and the following year, his advisors Humphrey Cottrill and James Delahooke signed for the two most expensive yearlings at the Tattersalls Houghton Sale, including the record-priced Sand Hawk (GB) (Grundy {GB}) at 264,000gns. While Sand Hawk would fail to truly build on his promise, an In Reality colt selected at Keeneland the same year certainly did not: Known Fact would, in 1980, became Prince Khalid’s first Classic winner in the G1 2000 Guineas less than a year after his silks had graced a winner’s enclosure for the first time atop Charming Native (Princely Native) in a Windsor maiden race. In the interim, Prince Khalid had also notched a first Royal Ascot win with Abeer (Dewan) in the G3 Queen Mary S. in addition to Known Fact’s scores at two in the Mill Reef S. and Middle Park S. On the occasion of Known Fact’s Guineas victory, Prince Khalid became the first Arab owner to win a British Classic, a realm in which he went on to garner plenty of competition, with the Maktoum family making their entrance to the sport only a short time later.

Known Fact went on to win the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. and earn champion miler honors for trainer Jeremy Tree before retiring as a foundation sire to Juddmonte’s nursery in Wargrave-upon-Thames in Berkshire. He relocated in 1987 to Juddmonte’s American division at the former Belair Farm south of Lexington, which Prince Khalid had purchased in 1982. Known Fact’s stud career was highlighted by Gerald Leigh’s champion miler Markofdistinction (GB) and Warning (GB), a top 2-year-old who went on to win the G1 Sussex S. and Queen Elizabeth II S. for Prince Khalid and sire five Group 1 winners from Banstead Manor Stud.

In the meantime, the fillies recruited during Prince Khalid’s formative years as an owner were sowing the seeds of a broodmare band of nearly unprecedented proportions. Prince Khalid’s first homebred winner came in the form of Fine Edge (GB) at Newmarket in 1982. The prior year, Prince Khalid had privately purchased Slightly Dangerous (Roberto) after she had won the G3 Fred Darling S. at two for trainer Barry Hills, and she became the dam of Prince Khalid’s dual Group 1 winner Warning as well as Prince Khalid’s 1993 Derby winner Commander In Chief (GB), by his great G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Dancing Brave (Lyphard). Slightly Dangerous also left behind the Group 2 winner and sire Dushyantor (Sadler’s Wells) and the GI Flower Bowl scorer and multiple Classic-placed Yashmak (Danzig), herself the dam of G1 Jean-Luc Lagardere winner Full Mast (Mizzen Mast).

Other fillies accrued during this era whose names still feature in the pedigrees of Juddmonte-bred luminaries today include Monroe (Sir Ivor, out of Best In Show), whose descendants include Prince Khalid’s Logician (GB), Xaar (GB), Bated Breath (GB), Cityscape (GB) and Close Hatches; and Sookera (Roberto), who among many other notable stakes winners is the second dam of Hasili (Ire) (Kahyasi {Ire}), who produced a remarkable five homebred Grade/Group 1 winners for Prince Khalid-Champs Elysees (GB), Intercontinential (GB), Banks Hill (GB), Cacique (Ire) and Heat Haze (GB). All bar Heat Haze (Green Desert) were by another Prince Khalid homebred, Danehill (Danzig). Champs Elysees and Cacique both stood at Juddmonte’s Banstead Manor Stud alongside their full-brother Dansili (GB). Frankel (GB) is a great-grandson of Rockfest (Stage Door Johnny), who was purchased from Jock Whitney, while Enable’s fourth dam Fleet Girl (Ire) (Habitat) was part of a handful of mares that were included in the Belair Farm deal. Prince Khalid purchased Mofida (GB) (Right Tack {GB}) in foal to The Minstrel from Robert Sangster in 1981. The resulting filly was Zaizafon, who would produce the sires Zafonic and Zamindar. The stakes-winning Bahamian (Ire) (Mill Reef) was a 310,000gns yearling purchase in 1986, and she went on to produce the G1 Irish Oaks winner Wemyss Bight (GB) (Dancing Brave) and is the ancestress of two of Juddmonte’s best sires, Oasis Dream (GB) and Kingman (GB).

All the while as his homebred stock began to step out, Prince Khalid continued to supplement his program with yearlings purchased at the sales. Pivotal among those was Rainbow Quest (Blushing Groom {Fr}), from the family of Slightly Dangerous and bought by James Delahooke for $950,000 at Fasig-Tipton’s July Yearling Sale in 1982. Rainbow Quest was good for Jeremy Tree at two and three but blossomed into a champion at four to win the G1 Coronation Cup and the Arc. Rainbow Quest was honored by Timeform as the first horse since Mill Reef and Brigadier Gerard (GB) to earn a rating of at least 130 at ages two, three and four.

Prince Khalid had purchased Banstead Manor Stud near Newmarket in 1987, and thus Rainbow Quest was the perfect candidate to be its foundation sire. Rainbow Quest was an immediate hit, siring three Group 1 winners from his first crop including Quest For Fame (GB), who won the 1990 Derby for Khalid Abdullah and Roger Charlton and was the first of three winners of the blue riband for his owner, later joined by Commander In Chief (GB) (Dancing Brave) for Sir Henry Cecil in 1993 and Workforce (GB) (King’s Best) in 2010 for Sir Michael Stoute.

As Rainbow Quest was fulfilling his prophecy on the racecourse, Delahooke ventured back to Kentucky for the Keeneland July Sale in 1984, where he selected a bay son of Lyphard for $200,000. Put into training at two with Guy Harwood, the colt named Dancing Brave won a pair of conditions races at two, and while Prince Khalid also campaigned that year’s G1 William Hill Futurity winner Bakharoff (The Minstrel), it was no secret who was regarded as the better. Dancing Brave fulfilled all the hopes and expectations placed on him at three, taking the 2000 Guineas, Eclipse S., King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. and the Arc. His only losses came in the Derby after a luckless run and the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf. Dancing Brave was unanimously voted the 1986 Horse of the Year.

Dancing Brave took up residence at Darley’s Dalham Hall, where Prince Khalid supported him with great success, breeding the 1993 Derby winner Commander In Chief and the same year’s Irish Oaks victress Wemyss Bight.

While that accomplishment was excellent on its own merits, Dancing Brave’s record as a sire paled in comparison to what Prince Khalid achieved with another colt sent away from home to stand at stud: Danehill. Bred by Prince Khalid out of Razyana (His Majesty), Danehill was placed in the 2000 Guineas before winning the G3 Cork and Orrery S. (now the G1 Diamond Jubilee S. at Royal Ascot) and the G1 Haydock Sprint Cup for Jeremy Tree. Danehill was snapped up for a wildly successful transcontinental shuttle career by Coolmore; his record of 84 Group 1 winners was surpassed just last year by Galileo (Ire). Like Dancing Brave, Juddmonte patronised Danehill plenty, their many stakes winners by the sire including Frankel’s listed-winning dam Kind (Ire).

With the retirement of Jeremy Tree in the 1989, a handful of trainers came to the fore who would be pivotal in shaping the Juddmonte dynasty, including Tree’s Beckhampton successor Roger Charlton, who enjoyed immediate success with G1 Prix du Jockey Club scorer Sanglamore and Derby victor Quest For Fame in the same season; and Andre Fabre, whose standouts in the pink, white and green were headed by the Classic and four-time Group 1 winner Zafonic. But the two training titans most closely associated with Prince Khalid in the post-Tree era were Sir Henry Cecil and Bobby Frankel. And while the two men could hardly be more different by nature, they will be inextricably linked in history by the greatest horse that Prince Khalid-and, perhaps, anyone-ever produced.

A common feature of Prince Khalid’s racing program was his enjoyment and patronage of American racing, and in addition to those he bred in Kentucky, Prince Khalid sent many a European-trained runner across the Atlantic to try their hand on the American turf. John Gosden, who has now trained for Prince Khalid for nearly 40 years, was the recipient of many of those runners when based in California in the 1980s, and upon his return to Newmarket it was the New Yorker Bobby Frankel who was the main beneficiary. Incidentally, one of the most influential mares to come through Prince Khalid’s program started out in Europe with Gosden before later joining Frankel in California. Her name was Toussaud (El Gran Senor), and she won the GI Gamely H. before throwing four Grade I winners headed by GI Belmont S. winner and sire Empire Maker (Unbridled)-his 13 Grade I winners as a sire include Juddmonte’s four-time top-level winner Emollient–and Honest Lady (Seattle Slew), who is also the dam of First Defence, who in turn sired Prince Khalid’s 2020 G1 Irish 2000 Guineas winner Siskin as well as five-time Grade I winner Close Hatches. Other Juddmonte standouts trained by Frankel included Sightseek (Distant View), Exbourne (Explodent), Marquetry (Conquistador Cielo), Ventura (Chester House), Midships (Mizzen Mast) and Champs Elysees.

When Bobby Frankel died in 2009, Khalid Abdullah set out to select a colt of the highest quality to name in his honor. The man that would have the honor of training the colt was Sir Henry Cecil, who had already repaid Prince Khalid’s patronage with the 1993 Derby victory of Commander In Chief, the 1997 Oaks score of Reams Of Verse and the 1000 Guineas win of Wince in 1999, as well as multiple Group 1 winners like Passage Of Time (GB), Midday (GB) and Twice Over (GB) into the 21st century. But the horse for whom they will both be best remembered hadn’t yet stepped foot on a racecourse. But he was well worth the wait.

A third generation Juddmonte homebred by Galileo, Frankel (Ire) set the stage with a four-race undefeated juvenile campaign in 2010, but few likely could have predicted, or dared to dream of, what would come next. After winning the G3 Greenham S. by four lengths, Frankel took control of the 2000 Guineas from the break and sprinted the mile on a loose rein, winning by a jaw-dropping six lengths. He would go on to add the G1 St James’s Palace S., G1 Sussex S. and G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. by season’s end. After absolutely thrashing the opposition in the G1 Lockinge S., G1 Queen Anne S. and the Sussex the following summer, he stepped up in trip to similarly dominate the G1 Juddmonte International and the G1 Champion S. Frankel is said to have been the exact dose of medicine Sir Henry needed while battling cancer, and the beloved Newmarket trainer sadly died a year and a half after Frankel left his care on June 11, 2013. Frankel is the horse that both Cecil and Abdullah will be best remembered for. But one thing Prince Khalid will never be forgotten for among racing circles is how he stood by Cecil through thick and thin, including his well documented personal and professional struggles of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Prince Khalid’s embarrassment of success on the racecourse is the mark of his success in sport and business. His fierce belief in and loyalty to a man that had served him so well is the sign of the true honour with which he conducted himself.

Just like his trainer and now his owner, Frankel’s legacy lives on and continues to build; he has made an explosive start at stud and his Group 1 winners include Khalid Abdullah homebreds Logician (GB), winner of the 2019 G1 St Leger for John Gosden, and Quadrilateral (GB), the champion 2-year-old filly of 2019 trained by Roger Charlton at Beckhampton, right back where it all began.

As Frankel was quietly building up to his racecourse debut in 2010, Workforce was working his way through a memorable 3-year-old campaign for Prince Khalid from the yard of Sir Michael Stoute. In May he handed his breeder his third win in the Derby in just his third start, and he would become Prince Khalid’s fourth Arc winner, joining Rainbow Quest (1985), Dancing Brave (1986) and Rail Link (GB) (Dansili {GB}) (2006). The Prince came desperately close to getting another when Flintshire (GB) (Dansili {GB}) finished runner-up in both 2014 and 2015 in the midst of a campaign that saw him win five Grade/Group 1s in three different countries. At the same time, Kingman (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) was stringing together a stellar 3-year-old campaign for John Gosden in 2014, winning the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas, G1 St James’s Palace S., G1 Sussex S. and G1 Prix Jacques le Marois and earning Cartier Horse of the Year honours. Like Frankel, he has made an excellent start to his stud career, with three Group 1 winners including last year’s Cartier champion 3-year-old Palace Pier (GB).

Meanwhile, the career of another Juddmonte superstar was budding in the U.S. Following the death of Bobby Frankel, Prince Khalid spread his American-based horses mostly among Bob Baffert and Chad Brown, and in addition put in place a new business plan that saw him supplement his homebred program with a handful of colts purchased at auction and bred for the top dirt races. His team spent $560,000 at Keeneland September in 2014 on a grey colt by Unbridled’s Song that they dispatched to Baffert. After quietly building up the colt with a gradual introduction in Southern California, Baffert sent Arrogate to Saratoga for his stakes debut in the GI Travers in 2016. Arrogate absolutely demolished the opposition in track record time at 11-1, and built on that effort with sublime performances in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic, GI Pegasus World Cup and GI Dubai World Cup, in the latter stumbling out of the gate and sitting last before circling the entire field. Arrogate will be represented by his first runners this year, and if he passes a modicum of his talent onto his progeny his untimely death last June at the age of seven will prove a huge blow.

By the time Arrogate’s racing career was winding down in the autumn of 2017, Prince Khalid had yet another superstar very much out in the open in Europe with Gosden. Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) had made her considerable talent well known with a five-length romp in the G1 Epsom Oaks, and by season’s end had compiled a glowing record after adding wins in the G1 Irish Oaks, G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S., G1 Yorkshire Oaks and the Arc. It is a nod to just how remarkable Enable was, however, that by the time she retired from racing another three last years later last autumn, those lofty 3-year-old accomplishments seemed a distant memory. After missing most of her 4-year-old campaign due to setbacks, Enable pulled off an incredible Arc double off just one prep race before shipping to Churchill Downs to take the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf on the same card that Prince Khalid won the GI Mile with another homebred, Expert Eye (GB). A much more traditional campaign at five saw Enable take the G1 Coral-Eclipse, and a second King George and Yorkshire Oaks, but the very soft going likely contributed to her unraveling in the very late stages of her third Arc attempt and succumbing to Waldgeist (GB) (Galileo {Ire}).

It was widely assumed that Enable would now be headed off to join Prince Khalid’s broodmare band, his decision in keeping his precious mare in training until five being such a sporting one. But in confirming that Enable would try once again for a historic third Arc in 2020, Prince Khalid laid bare his love for the sport that had been so good to him, and he it. Enable indeed did record a historic treble, but it was in the King George, with the great mare managing just sixth in another soft-ground Arc on Oct. 4. She was retired thereafter with 15 wins from 19 starts, including 11 Group 1s, and earnings of over £9.6-million. She is set to visit Kingman for her first mating this spring.

That resulting foal, the progeny of two Horses of the Year, will be incredibly anticipated by many. Such is the breadth of Prince Khalid bin Abdullah’s Juddmonte legacy, however, that he or she will be but one small bud on a towering oak that branches off in so many directions. Today, Juddmonte stands six Grade/Group 1 winners and/or sires in two countries. Its consignments of fillies and mares at Tattersalls, annually without fail, draws a vibrant international crowd ringside, all intoxicated by the notion that they may be able to capture a small piece of that Juddmonte magic for themselves. Many have.

The enormity of the loss of His Highness Prince Khalid bin Abdullah to the global Thoroughbred industry is immeasurable. He was a sportsman who loved the game of racing and breeding and the challenge of matching up his homebreds to produce superior athletes. It is quite possible we will never again see his equal. But as many of Prince Khalid’s lines continue to grow strong after 40 years, it is likely we will be paying homage to him for many generations to come.

Charlton Leads Tributes To Prince Khalid Abdullah

Roger Charlton, who trained Quest For Fame (GB) and Sanglamore to win the Derby and Prix du Jockey Club for Juddmonte in 1990, said on Sky Sports Racing, “I think the whole of the racing industry appreciates what Prince Khalid achieved with Juddmonte Farms. Life is full of luck and being in the right place at the right time and how lucky was I? He was a wonderful owner to deal with and I owe him everything. It’s a huge loss.

“He was always a great pleasure to talk to before a race and/or after a race, and of course he was hugely knowledgeable. He had huge passion for it and I think that’s really important. Any owner/breeder goes through rough patches, bad horses, bad stallions, but his passion was always there right to the end. It was marvellous that he had horses like Arrogate, Kingman, Frankel and Enable towards the end. It was a real testament to a fantastic operation.

“Generally speaking it’s fair to say that every trainer, jockey, breeder and owner in this country had immense respect for Prince Khalid. I don’t think too many people ever found fault with what he did. He was generous, in sponsoring some great races as well as owning horses. His life was full of great credit and he was very humble.

“He was a colossal contributor to racing. I shall personally miss him a lot and I’m forever grateful that I’ve been able to train the horses that I have.”

John Gosden, trainer of Enable (GB), Kingman (GB) and Oasis Dream (GB), reflected, “He sparked an interest going racing in Paris in the 1950s and then some 15 or 20 years later decided to set up a breeding operation with Jeremy Tree as his advisor. What he created in the first 20 years, never mind 40 years, is beyond extraordinary, and to be a leading owner in Europe and America within the period he did it speaks bounds for his knowledge and his strategic approach. He knew the pedigrees of his horses inside out—you could never catch him out on pedigrees.

“He was the most charming man. He was incredibly humorous, steely, tough— you’d better be on your mettle with him—but the most amazing man to train for. We all had an awful lot of fun together because he enjoyed being with the horses. It was his passion and he always referred to it as his one great luxury.

“Prince Khalid wasn’t particularly well while Kingman was racing but he was in Deauville when he won the Jacques le Marois. He didn’t come to the races but he came to the stables a couple of hours later and we stood the horse up for him  and he stood there and looked at the horse, walked around him and patted him. He had the most wonderful affinity with horses. With Enable, he saw her in the Arc in 2018 and he enjoyed that very much but he was quite fragile by that stage and we never saw him at the races after that, but he watched every race on television.”

Dermot Weld, trainer of Emulous (GB) and Famous Name (GB), said, “I’d like to extend my sympathy firstly to his family. He is a huge loss to the racing industry because  he was one of the pillars of the breeding industry in the world for the last 50 years. He was the man who raced Frankel, Kingman, Enable, and he gave us though this brilliance these wonderful horses to enjoy.

“Two words I’d like to say: when you talk about Juddmonte you talk about excellence, and when you talk about Prince Khalid you talk about loyalty. In this changing world this was a great quality that shone out from the man.”

Bob Baffert, trainer of Breeders’ Cup Classic and Dubai World Cup winner Arrogate, told Sky Sports Racing, “He was definitely one of the titans of racing. He was such a gentleman, a really low-key kind of guy who trusted his trainers. The biggest compliment a horse trainer in America could get is if he wanted you to train his horses.”

Lady Jane Cecil, trainer of G1 Champion S. winner Noble Mission (GB), reflected on the longstanding relationship between Prince Khalid and her late husband, Sir Henry Cecil. She said, “They had a special friendship which meant a great deal to Henry. They were very different but they got on very well and I think Henry amused the Prince.

“[The Prince] was so loyal. Imagine him allowing me to train Noble Mission. He’s Frankel’s full-brother and with him allowing me to do that, and being loyal and supportive, which of course was an extension of his loyalty to Henry, it meant that Warren Place had that fantastic day at Ascot which will live with me forever.”

Frankie Dettori: “He was a great of the sport. I had one of my early Group 1s aboard a horse he owned called Ryafan in the Prix Marcel Boussac, who was trained by John [Gosden]. He was amazing and a true giant of the sport. You could go on naming all the great horses he has owned, but you would have to say Enable, Frankel and Dancing Brave are the three that stand out.

“Enable will always be the apple of my eye and the last time I saw him was when she won her second Arc. He was a real gentleman and he loved his horses. He was very passionate and knowledgeable about them and the results speak for themselves. What he has done for the whole industry is fantastic.

“Though Enable will always stand out to me, Frankel will always be the best horse that I’ve seen and have had to race against. I went to see Dancing Brave win the 2000 Guineas in 1986–I wasn’t riding then and he was incredible. He was then beaten in that famous Derby before winning the King George and the Arc.

“I grew up in an era watching horses like Dancing Brave win and you were always very excited that one day you might get to wear those silks–ones that had been associated with such great success.”

Tom Queally, rider of Frankel: “I was very fortunate and lucky to ride dozens of pattern race winners for Prince Khalid throughout my career. He was a gentleman to ride for, his Juddmonte operation has been a huge success and leaves a legacy which will live on for a long time. I was very lucky to ride what was arguably his best horse. It was the work of years and years of breeding to produce a horse with the excellence of Frankel.

“His loyalty to Sir Henry Cecil through all the ups and downs was very admirable. That loyal patronage paid off in the best possible way you could have imagined with Frankel. He had a great understanding of horses and was very easy to deal with and very approachable. It’s a sad day and my thoughts go out to his family and friends and everyone that worked for him. I will look back with great pride that I had some involvement with him.”

Andre Fabre: “It’s a great loss for everyone. Personally he had the sort of charm that made you want to do well for him, though he was a quiet man. I was lucky enough to train a lot of great horses for him. Above all, he was a man that everyone respected and loved. It is bad news.

Chad Brown via Twitter: “Prince Khalid was the definition of class and sportsmanship. It was one of the greatest honors of my life to be asked to train horses for him…the phone call every trainer has dreamed of getting. He raised the bar to unthinkable heights, always putting the horse first. RIP.”

Statement from Breeders’ Cup: “Prince Khalid bin Abdullah was one of the world’s most passionate and influential leaders in Thoroughbred racing and breeding, and one who exemplified great dignity and class. Prince Khalid was an early advocate and staunch supporter of the Breeders’ Cup program and became one of its most ardent and successful owners. Under the banner of Juddmonte Farms, racing fans were thrilled by the magnificent performances of Arrogate and Enable, among the Prince’s seven Breeders’ Cup champions, and by the brilliance of Frankel, and many others on the international scene. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and to his dedicated management and staff.”

Statement from Churchill Downs Racetrack President Mike Anderson: “Thoroughbred racing and breeding icons like Prince Khalid bin Abdullah are few and far between. For decades, the Juddmonte Farms racing and breeding operation has represented top-class on an international stage thanks to the vision and dedication of Prince Khalid. His unforgettable pink, green and white silks made numerous trips to the Churchill Downs winner’s circle with regally-bred horses–from 2001 Kentucky Oaks winner Flute to 2018 Breeders’ Cup Turf champion Enable–and they are fondly remembered by the Churchill Downs family as part of his significant legacy.”

Statement from National Thoroughbred Racing Association President Alex Waldrop: “The contributions of Prince Khalid bin Abdullah to the Thoroughbred breeding and racing industry over the past 40 years will be felt for generations to come. From Empire Maker to Frankel to Enable, his operation produced many of this sport’s all-time greats who carried his famous green, pink and white silks to victory in the world’s most prestigious races. Our deepest condolences go out to his family and the entire Juddmonte Farms team.”

Keeneland President and Chief Executive Officer Shannon Arvin: “Prince Khalid bin Abdullah was foremost a man of extraordinary class, and the excellence he achieved in Thoroughbred racing and breeding globally will continue to influence the breed for generations. Though he was a major presence on the international stage, we at Keeneland treasure the long friendship we enjoyed with Prince Khalid. His Juddmonte Farms is a prominent consignor and buyer at Keeneland sales, where he bought Known Fact, one of his earliest classic winners, at the 1978 July Selected Yearling Sale, and purchased his champion and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Arrogate at the 2014 September Yearling Sale. Juddmonte Farms has also strongly supported Keeneland’s philanthropic mission and its racing program as sponsor of the Grade I Juddmonte Spinster since 2005. Prince Khalid’s distinctive pink, green and white silks have been carried to numerous wins at Keeneland, earning for him a Keeneland Tray as part of the track’s distinguished Milestone Trophy Program. On behalf of Keeneland, we extend our deepest condolences to Prince Khalid’s family and the entire Juddmonte Farms team.”

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin stable has chalked up its 5,000th winner worldwide.

The memorable milestone was reached when Expecting To Fly, trained by Henri-Alex Pantall, ridden by Hugo Journiac, landed a one-mile maiden race at La Teste de Buch, France, on Thursday, 16 August, 2018.

It came 25 years, eight months after Sheikh Mohammed created an elite stable of around 60 of his homebreds and a collection of his best horses already with established trainers in Europe.

His ambition to achieve global success with a stable, whose spiritual home and inspiration was Dubai in the UAE, has been achieved with great passion, flair and innovation.

Since its inception in 1992, Godolphin has won races in 14 countries on four continents.

Godolphin’s first winner came in a six-furlong maiden on dirt at Nad Al Sheba in Dubai, UAE, on 24 December, 1992.

The history-making debut winner was Cutwater, trained by Hilal Ibrahim and ridden by jockey Dennis Batteate.

It would be 13 years before Godolphin reached 1,000 winners, that courtesy of Cherry Mix, trained by Saeed bin Suroor and ridden by Frankie Dettori, who won the G1 Gran Premio Del Jockey Club E Coppa d’Oro at San Siro, Italy, on 16 October, 2005.

But included among the first 1,000 winners in the instantly recognisable Godolphin royal blue were some of the names that carved a reputation for the stable of excellence and achievement at the highest level.

Balanchine in the 1994 G1 Oaks at Epsom, UK, Swain’s back-to-back wins in 1997-98 in Ascot’s G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Kayf Tara hacking up in the 1998 G1 Ascot Gold Cup, Daylami in the 1999 G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf, and Fantastic Light’s memorable defeat of Galileo in the 2001 G1 Irish Champion Stakes — they were all great triumphs for Godolphin.

But undoubtedly the most significant for the stable were the glorious victory of the great Dubai Millennium in the 2000 G1 Dubai World Cup at Nad Al Sheba, and the exploits of his son, Dubawi, who took the G1 Irish 2,000 Guineas but later earned fame as an excellent winner of the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville.

While the first 1,000 winners were 13 years in the making, it took only a further seven years to reach 2,000 winners — when the very smart Certify (later a G1 Fillies’ Mile winner) won a six-furlong turf maiden at Newmarket on 12 July, 2012.

Certify was ridden that day by Godolphin’s retained jockey Mickael Barzalona, who holds a unique place in the stable’s history, as he would also partner the Godolphin’s 3,000th and 4,000th landmark winners.

The memorable 3,000th victory was chalked up by the Andre Fabre-trained Manatee, ridden by Barzalona, in the G2 Grand Prix de Chantilly on 31 May, 2015.

The 4,000th was delivered by the Charlie Appleby-trained Fly At Dawn, again with Barzalona in the saddle, in the UAE 2,000 Guineas at Meydan on 26 January, 2017.

Godolphin’s international achievements are numerous — 273 G1 winners globally, nine Dubai World Cups, six Breeders’ Cup winners, the G1 Caulfield Cup in Australia, four winners at Hong Kong’s International Races, and the coveted G1 Yasuda Kinen in Japan.

Perhaps Godolphin’s most stunning victory in America in recent years came in the 2016 G1 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park when stable flagship Frosted annihilated his opposition, winning by 14 and a quarter lengths in track record time.

Among the most recent winners was arguably the most noteworthy — the brilliant Masar, ridden by William Buick and trained by Appleby, who triumphed in the G1 Derby at Epsom in June 2018.

 J A McGrath

IL VIDEO DEL J & B MET CLICCANDO QUI.

 

EDICT OF NANTES LANDS INVESTEC CAPE DERBY

Former Klawervlei Farm Sale graduate Edict Of Nante made history at Kenilworth on Saturday when he lifted the G1 Investec Cape Derby under the urgings of three times British champion jockey Frankie Dettori.

It was Dettori’s greatest South African win thus far, and the charismatic rider thrilled the large Kenilworth crowd by providing his customary flying dismount after the win.

The Klawervlei Stud bred Edict Of Nantes, who provided Sun Met winning trainer Brett Crawford with one of three major wins on the day –Crawford also landing the R1 000 000 Kuda Sprint with Bold Respect, was scoring his maiden feature win having previously finished third in the G3 Drakenstein Vet Clinic Cape Classic and second (to subsequent G1 Sun Met fourth place finisher Gold Standard) in the G2 Selangor Cup.

Edict Of Nantes, whose dam won only up to 1200m, has now won or placed in eight of ten outings and Saturday’s win pushed his earnings to over R900 000. The Mayfair Speculators owned Edict Of Nantes now looks a potential candidate for the G1 Vodacom Durban July later in the year.

He also joined a list of some of South Africa’s very best thoroughbreds in landing the Investec Cape Derby, with past Derby winners including the local legends Sea Cottage, Politician, Jay Peg and current outstanding sire Dynasty.

The colt, who is bred on the same Count Dubois/Jet Master cross exported G3 Three Troikas Stakes winner Madame Dubois (now in the care of Todd Pletcher),  is the fifth G1 winner sired by former Italian champion Count Dubois. A son of Zafonic, Count Dubois was Italy’s champion 2YO in 2000, when his wins included a score in the G1 Gran Criterium, and he also ran third to multiple G1 winner Nayef in that year’s Listed Autumn Stakes at Ascot. Since retiring to stud at Klawervlei, Count Dubois  
has enjoyed plenty of success, with his runners include the Equus Champions Asylum Seeker and French Navy, Guineas winner Biarritz, and G1 winners Zaitoon and Zeeno. 

 

 

Frankie Dettori in sella ad Edict Of Nantes rientra dopo aver vinto il Derby, con il team  //  Frankie Dettori and Edict Of Nantes after having won the Derby with the team

Edict Of Nantes’ success was also a feather in the cap of the Klawervlei Farm Sale (he was a R360 000 buy from the 2015 Farm Sale). Still a relatively new sale (it was first held in 2011), the Farm Sale has grown in size and popularity every year, with both the quality of horse on sale and number of buyers increasing annually.

The 2017 G1 Investec Cape Derby winner is, however, by no means the first notable horse to have emerged from this sale.

Former Equus Champion Sprinter Captain Of All, now standing alongside his sire Captain Al at Klawervlei, was a R100 000 bargain buy from the 2012 Farm Sale and he has proved a wonderful poster boy for the sale. 

The Riverton Stud bred horse went on to prove himself one of the top sprinters around in 2015 (Captain Of All was rated the equal of US champion and G1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint hero Runhappy by Longines), when he won the G1 Golden Horse Casino Sprint (under 60kgs) and G1 Mercury Sprint –where he thrashed Horse Of The Year Legislate by over four and a half lengths. 

Other impressive recent winners sold at past renewals of the Farm Sale include talented three-year-olds Apocalypse Now, Oracle Of Delphi and Pillar Of Hercules, while promising two-year-olds Barrack Street and Queen Moira are other promising former Klawervlei Farm Sale graduates.

 

 

KLAWERVLEI STARS SHINE BRIGHT ON SUN MET DAY

Saturday’s Sun Met racemeeting at Kenilworth was a day to remember for Klawervlei. Currently well clear on the breeders’ log, Klawervlei were responsible for no fewer than three of the major features run on the day, with their outstanding resident sire  Captain Al responsible for an astonishing five winners on Saturday.

Exciting future sire prospect William Longsword (pictured), who recently emulated his sire Captain Al when landing the G1 Grand Parade Cape Guineas, picked up his second major feature race win in a row when victorious in the $500 000 CTS Mile.

Bred by Klawervlei, the regally bred colt (who looked an absolute picture in the pre-race parade) made it six wins from just eight outings when drawing off to register a deceptively easy 1.75 length over Copper Force and G2 Investec Dingaans winner Singapore Sling. Among the beaten runners were the Klawervlei Stud bred G1 World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas winner Just Sensual and Lanzerac Ready To Run Stakes victress Safe Harbour.

Owned by Mayfair Speculators, William Longsword (a half brother to G1 winning sprinter Real Princess) was a R2.2 million purchase from the 2015 Cape Premier Yearling Sale.

He was one of no fewer than three feature race winners on the day for his outstanding sire Captain Al, whose Bernard Kantor bred and owned 2yo daughter Call To Account lifted the first stakes win of her career when outgunning some top class juveniles to take the Listed Princess Charlene Of Monaco SA Foundation Summer Juvenile Stakes. (It was back to back wins in the Summer Juvenile for Captain Al –whose Sergeant Hardy had won the same race 12 months earlier). Trained by Joey Ramsden, Call To Account is third Captain Al sired juvenile to win this particular race.

Call To Account - Listed Princess Charlene Of Monaco SA Foundation Summer Juvenile Stakes (Wayne Marks)

Captain Al’s daughter Carry On Alice (bred and part-owned by Klawervlei) provided her sire and breeder with yet another big race win when she landed the G1 Betting World Cape Flying Championship for champion trainer Sean Tarry, at the expense of outstanding speedsters Trip To Heaven and Red Ray, with Captain Al’s recent G2 CTS Southern Cross Stakes winning daughter Jo’s Bond back in fourth. This wonderful racemare, owned by Chris Van Niekerk, Dr John and Jill Warner in partnership with Klawervlei, has now won Grade One races at 2,3,4, and 5, and is without doubt a true champion!

 

Carry On Alice - G1 Betting World Cape Flying Championship (Wayne Marks)

Klawervlei Farm Sale graduate Edict Of Nantes (he was a R360 000 buy from the 2015 Farm Sale) confirmed his class when lifting the G1 Investec Cape Derby (a race won previously by such legends as Sea Cottage, Politician, and Dynasty) beating some of the country’s top three-year-olds in the process. He also provided legendary jockey Frankie Dettori (whose numerous big race wins overseas include former Derby winners Authorized and Golden Horn) with his biggest South African win to date.

The Mayfair Speculators owned Edict Of Nantes, who provided Klawervlei’s highly successful sire Count Dubois with yet another top level victory, was yet another big race winner on the day for trainer Brett Crawford, who would go on to saddle Whisky Baron to victory in the G1 Sun Met. Hopefully Edict Of Nantes can go on to provide Brett and his owners with yet more G1 glory later on. Bred on the same Count Dubois/Jet Master cross as the very smart exported filly Madame Dubois, Edict Of Nantes pushed his earnings to over R900 000 with Saturday’s classic success.

(Remarkably, Captain Al –whose G1 winning son Captain America would later finish a creditable third in the G1 Sun Met –also made his presence felt in the Investec sponsored Derby when daughter Captain Gambler finished a smart third).

The 2017 G1 Investec Cape Derby winner is the fifth G1 winner for Count Dubois, whose previous stars include champions Asylum Seeker and French Navy. He remains one of South Africa’s best value for money sires!

Frankie Dettori and the Klawervlei Ladies (Wayne Marks)

 

CAPTAIN AL DOMINATES SUN MET DAY

Klawervlei’s outstanding sire Captain Al dominated proceedings on Sun Met day on Saturday. The former champion sire, and eight times champion sire of 2yos, had no fewer than five winners on the day (and seven winners in total over the weekend), with Captain Al sired runners cleaning up in the Cape features.

Captain Al continued his dominance of two-year-old features when daughter Call To Account and son Kasimir ran first and second in the Listed Princess Charlene Of Monaco SA Foundation Summer Juvenile Stakes.

Call To Account, who is bred and owned by Bernard Kantor, is the third Captain Al runner to lift the prestigious Summer Juvenile Stakes, a race won previously by such G1 winners as Sparkling Gem, Princess Victoria and Copper Parade. She was preceded by Only Emily and Sergeant Hardy respectively.

It was also back to back wins in the Summer Juvenile Stakes for Captain Al, whose subsequent G3 Cape Of Good Hope Nursery winning son Sergeant Hardy had won this race a year ago.

Call To Account, the 77^th stakes winner for her sire, had been third, on debut, to another promising 2yo daughter of Captain Al in Princess Peach.  Her paternal half-brother Kasmir impressed when finishing second, on debut, in the Summer Juvenile Stakes and he looks more than capable of becoming yet another black type winning juvenile for Captain Al.

 

Call To Account (Wayne Marks)

The champion’s next feature race win on the day came when his Klawervlei Stud bred and bound son William Longsword defeated a star studded field to lift the CTS Mile. Winner of the G1 Grand Parade Cape Guineas last time out, the handsome colt put a top class field to the sword as he skated clear to land the $500 000 contest by one and a half lengths for owners Mayfair Speculators and trainer Vaughan Marshall. Bred on the same Captain Al/Fort Wood cross as Sun Met third Captain America, William Longsword has now won six of just eight outings.

 

William Longsword (Wayne Marks)

Captain Al’s great daughter Carry On Alice made it G1 win number four when she got the better of stable mate Trip To Heaven and G1 winner Red Ray to lift the G1 Betting World Cape Flying Championship –a race she was third in 12 months earlier. Bred (and part-owned) by Klawervlei, Carry On Alice has now won G1 races at 2,3,4, and 5, with her previous top level wins including the SA Nursery, City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint and Computaform Sprint. Owned by Chris Van Niekerk, Dr John and Jill Warner, and Klawervlei Stud, Carry On Alice’s G1 win on Saturday pushed her earnings to over R3.9 million.

 

Carry On Alice (Wayne Marks)

Captain Al was also represented by G1 Sun Met third Captain America and G1 Investec Cape Derby third Captain Gambler to put a cherry on what was a magnificent day for the son of Al Mufti.

The champion’s good form continued the great run of success that Captain Al’s progeny enjoyed at the recent Cape Premier Yearling Sale, where his yearlings fetched up to R4.5 million.

 

VENERDÌ 20 GENNAIO 2017. Sudafrica, ecco i #Frankel. Pronta al debutto Miss Frankel, mentre 4 figli del campione passeranno alle Cape Sales

 

 

Torniamo in Sudafrica dove, secondo report locali, sta crescendo la febbre per i primi figli di Frankel (Galileo) che passeranno alle prossime Cape Yearling Sales, nello stesso periodo in cui sta per esordire il primo figlio del campionissimo proprio da quelle parti. Diciamo subito che l’asta ci sarà sabato e domenica 21 e 22 Gennaio, e comprende 4 figli del sire di Juddmonte. Sono 3 femmine ed un maschio, prodotti di un lotto di 65 fattrici acquistate dal Coolmore ed importate in Sudafrica per dare nuovo impulso all’allevamento. Tutto questo quando sabato a Kenilworth debutterà Miss Frankel, una 3 anni prodotto della campionessa Val De Ra (Var), vincitrice di 11 delle 13 corse disputate tra cui molte a livello di G1 sul tema dello sprint, allevata dalla famiglia Taberer dell’Avontuur Thoroughbred Farm, che affronterà una maiden sui 1000 metri contro 11 rivali, allenata da Dennis Drier e montata da Sean Veale. La corsa è in programma alle 12,30. Miss Frankel ha avuto molto seguito sin dalla nascita, tanto che le è stata dedicata una pagina Facebook (CLICCANDO QUI) dove se ne seguono i progressi giorno dopo giorno. 

I figli di Frankel in catalogo sono il Lot 27, prodotto della fattrice Daffodil (Fastnet Rock). Il maschio è il Lot 64, prodotto della fattrice Fly To The Moon (Holy Roman Emperor), poi ancora un’altra femmina come Lot 114 dalla fattrice Little Fastnet (Fastnet Rock) ed infine il Lot 198 prodotto della fattrice Supposing (Invincible Spirit). 

Cliccando su questo LINK sarà possibile consultare il catalogo con tutti i lotti e relativo pedigree e, in molti casi, anche la foto dello yearling visibile di fianco alla sezione media.

PUBBLICATO DA GABRIELE CANDI A VENERDÌ, GENNAIO 20, 2017

 

Aste in Francia: Pubblicato il catalogo delle #Arqana #February Mixed Sale. Tante opportunità per gli interessati

 

 

In Francia è stato pubblicato il catalogo delle Arqana February Mixed Sale, in programma martedì 14 Febbraio. L’asta comprende 307 lotti incluse 110 fattrici, 54 prospetti di fattrici, 74 cavalli in training, 21 cavalli di 2 anni e 46 tra yearlings, stalloni e prospetti di stalloni. Viene data molta rilevanza a questa asta perchè nel 2010 venne acquistata per sole 40,000 euro la mamma della campionessa La Cressonniere. L’asta comincerà con la vendita del Lot 1, un prospetto di stallone come Sarek (Teofilo): 4 anni, inedito, ma facente parte della immediata famiglia dei campioni in corsa ed in razza Le Havre e Polar Falcon.

Più tardi passerà invece proprio uno stallone già fatto e finito, e padre di vincitori come Sandwaki (Dixieland Band), vincitore a 2 anni del Prix du Bois e di Listed Prix La Fleche. Offerto dall’Haras de la Huderie è in razza dal 2008 ed ha già prodotto vincitori. Una delle star dell’asta sarà il Lot 58, un cavallo in training che si chiama Kalimera (Kitten’s Joy), proveniente dal roster Wertheimer et Frere, prodotto di una mezza sorella del campione Setsuko (Pleasantly Perfect). Ha 4 anni, ha ottenuto 5 piazzamenti in carriera nel corso del 2016 e recente vincitrice a Pornichet per Christophe Ferland. Al momento vanta un rating di 84. IL CATALOGO COMPLETO CLICCANDO QUI.

PUBBLICATO DA GABRIELE CANDI A VENERDÌ, GENNAIO 20, 2017 

 

 

GIOVEDÌ 19 GENNAIO 2017. Inghilterra: Bill Davies vince la prima corsa da proprietario dopo 26 anni di attesa! Grazie ad Ayr Of Elegance a Lingfield

 

 

 

Una storia curiosa ci arriva dall’Inghilterra ed esattamente la apprendiamo dalle colonne del Racing Post, e racconta di come un proprietario di cavalli da corsa abbia dovuto attendere 26 anni per ottenere la prima vittoria in assoluto. Sembrerà incredibile ma è ciò che è accaduto a Bill Davis il quale ha avuto una pazienza davvero incommensurabile prima di esultare dopo aver visto i propri colori passare il palo per primo. Il fatto è accaduto a Lingfield, grazie ad Ayr Of Elegance che ha giustificato al meglio il suo ruolo da favorito vincendo una maiden sul miglio e mezzo. Davis ha reagito in maniera pacata: “It’s fantastic, it’s so wonderful. Ce l’ho fatta!” 

Lui ha avuto una gran pazienza, io per esempio avrei cambiato molto prima obiettivo, ma a dir la verità Bill Davies non è che ci abbia provato così tante volte, o almeno la statistica degli ultimi 7 anni (compreso il 2017) vede una ventina di tentativi (con qualche anno saltato completamente) nei quali ha ottenuto al massimo secondi, terzi e quarti posti. Quest’anno, invece, grazie sempre ad Ayr Of Elegance ha potuto vivere almeno il brivido della competitività. Sembrava una maledizione: Lo stesso cavallo in Maggio sembrava aver vinto, da favorito, ma è stato battuto di un muso sul palo. Ancora a Lingfield, in Agosto, è partito da favorito ma a causa di una musata, Ayr Of Elegance è rimasto nelle gabbie. Insomma, alla fine non era una vera e propria ossessione. E lo spirito del proprietario si è colto solo successivamente. 

PUBBLICATO DA GABRIELE CANDI A GIOVEDÌ, GENNAIO 19, 2017

 

MERCOLEDÌ 18 GENNAIO 2017. America: Verso la #PegasusWorldCup del 28 Gennaio, ecco chi sono i 12 candidati alla corsa da $12 milioni!

 

 

Lunedì mattina è stata data l’ufficialità di come gli ultimi 2 slot rimanenti ancora in ballo per la edizione inaugurale della Pegasus World Cup Invitational G1 da $12 milioni, sono stati completati quando mancano ufficialmente 10 giorni alla corsa in programma a Gulfstream Park. La storia di questa corsa è ormai cosa nota: Nata da una idea di Frank Stronach, la Pegasus è ufficialmente cominciata quando ne è stato dato il lancio nel Gennaio dell’anno scorso, è stata poi finalizzata l’11 Maggio e solo pochi giorni dopo erano stati completamente acquistati i 12 blocchi da $1 milione ciascuno, utile a comporre il montepremi dello schieramento, senza considerare il ritorno di immagine, il merchandising, i proventi derivanti dai diritti tv: Alla fine gli acquirenti sono stati i seguenti: Frank Stronach, James McIngvale, Sol Kumin and James Covello, Coolmore, Reddam Racing, California Chrome LLC, Daniel Schafer, Jerry & Ronald Frankel, Starlight Pegasus Partners, Reeves Thoroughbreds, Jeff Weiss & Rosedown Racing, e la Ruis Racing.

Sebbene ci sia voluto un pò di tempo prima che l’idea ingranasse bene, almeno nella mente degli appassionati, lo schieramento e l’idea nel complesso è apparsa realizzabile (non solo nel senso formale, ma anche in quello sostanziale) solo da poche settimane. Non per quelli di (1) CALIFORNIA CHROME, che lo slot lo avevano acquistato per mirare da lontano l’obiettivo che per il sauro corrisponde anche all’ultima corsa in carriera, prima dell’ingresso in razza. Degli altri movimenti,

Continua a leggere…»

PUBBLICATO DA GABRIELE CANDI A MERCOLEDÌ, GENNAIO 18, 2017

 

Sudafrica: Frankie #Dettori invitato al J&B meeting di Kenilworth del 28 Gennaio. Ingaggiato nelle 4 migliori corse!

 

 

Si avvicina il grande evento del 28 Gennaio non solo in America, ma anche in Sudafrica. In programma il Sun Met con 5 milioni di rand al palo, per il quale è stato ingaggiato anche Frankie Dettori che sarà ospite d’eccezione ed interprete di The Conglomerate (Lonhro), vincitore del Vodacom Durban July Stakes G1, che è servito come test per la missione a Kenilworth a fine mese. Il jockey italiano, che fa spettacolo a se, è stato ingaggiato da Joey Ramsden ed i coniugi Jooste, noti anche come Mayfair Speculators che hanno in corsa anche Legal Eagle, anche per montare altre 3 delle 13 corse in programma tra cui CTS Mile da $500,000 in sella a Just Sensual, vincitrice del Cape Fillies, il Betting World Cape Flying Championship G1 dove monterà Seventh Plain per Dennis Drier, e l’Investec Cape Derby G1 dove salirà in sella a Table Bay sempre Ramsden. in addizione al J&B Met per il quale è stato praticamente definito il campo partenti nelle scorse ore, ma di cui avremo l’ufficialità solo giovedì prossimo in mattinata. 

A fare da mediatore proprio lo sponsor Investec, che ha avuto modo di lavorare grazie alla sponsorizzazione negli ultimi 3 anni del Derby Festival di Epsom Downs, tra l’altro vinto da Frankie in sella a Golden Horn.

PUBBLICATO DA GABRIELE CANDI A MERCOLEDÌ, GENNAIO 18, 2017