Bloodstock Bites: Dettori delight

Chris Hill of Weatherbys reviews the latest from the bloodstock world and discusses Dodging Bullets, who was bred by Frankie Dettori.

Dodging Bullets (Dubawi) disappointed those assembled at Ascot last Saturday hoping to see Sprinter Sacre (Network) successful on his return to competitive action when defeating the seven-time Grade One winner by three lengths in the Clarence House Chase in the hands of Noel Fehily and record back to back victories at Grade One level, having landed the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown on his previous start in December.

Paul Nicholls’ seven year-old gelding was bred by Frankie Dettori and is the best of the five winners produced by Nova Cyngi (Kris S), an unraced daughter of the 1984 French Oaks winner Northern Trick (Northern Dancer) and therefore a half-sister to the 2004 Listed Prix Imprudence winner Onda Nova (Keos). Having been bought by Swedish agent Stefan Uppstrom for 11,000 guineas at the 2010 Tattersalls December Mares Sale, Nova Cyngi was recently brought back to Ireland by Gary Hadden of Coolruss Stud in County Wicklow.

Dodging Bullets himself was purchased by Irish trainer Andy Oliver, for whom he won twice on the Flat, for 8,000 guineas at the 2009 Tattersalls December Yearling Sale. Now running in the colours of Martin Broughton and Friends he is a half-brother to four other winners with the further family being that of the Niarchos Family’s Grade/Group One winners Shiva (Hector Protector), Light Shift (Kingmambo) and Main Sequence (Aldebaran) and the 2008 Leopardstown Grade One Juvenile Hurdle winner Lethal Weapon (Hawk Wing).

Earlier on the Ascot card, Harry Fry claimed the Grade Two Warfield Mares’ Hurdle for a second successive year when the six year-old Bitofapuzzle (Tamure), ridden by Noel Fehily and carrying the colours of Chris Giles and Potensis Ltd, narrowly got the better of last year’s runner-up Carole’s Spirit (Hernando) by half-a-length, the two having disputed the lead throughout the entire race.

The winner of Listed Standard Open National Hunt Flat Races at Cheltenham and at Huntingdon in 2014, Bitofapuzzle is a half-sister to the 2012 Listed Sidney Banks Memorial Novices’ Hurdle winner Golden Gael (Generous) out of the unraced mare Gaelic Gold (Good Thyne) and descends from the family of the 1993 Kerry National winner Deep Bramble and the 2008 Grade Two Dipper Novices’ Chase winner Lead On as well as the Grade Three winning jumpers Kilcarbery, Martello Tower, Solvang and Teeming Rain.

At Haydock, The New One (King’s Theatre) made it four wins from four starts this season with a two-and-a-quarter length victory in the Grade Two stanjames.com Champion Trial Hurdle in the hands of Sam Twiston-Davies, despite making backers of the 1/6 shot sweat when seemingly making hard work of picking up the long-time leader Bertimont (Slickly).

The first foal out of the Listed Prix Wild Monarch Hurdle third Thuringe (Turgeon), Nigel Twiston-Davies’ stable star has been offered at Tattersalls Ireland three times, on the latter occasion when privately purchased by Highflyer Bloodstock for €25,000 at their 2011 Derby Sale, and hails from the family of French Listed winners Droit Divin and Sigmaringen and the French Listed third L’Armorial.

In the Grade Two Peter Marsh Chase on the same card, the Alistair Whillans-trained eight year-old gelding Samstown (Kingsalsa) ran out a gutsy winner of the three mile one furlong contest under Brian Harding for owner Mrs Elizabeth Ferguson.

Bred by Cheveley Park Stud and a 5,000 guineas purchase by Berkshire Bloodstock at the 2009 Tattersalls Autumn Horses-in-Training Sale where he went through the ring under his original name Perennial, Samstown was later offered at the 2013 DBS Spring Sale but was led out unsold for £11,000.

One of five winners out of Red Peony (Montjeu), a two-time Flat winner for Sir Mark Prescott and runner-up in Windsor’s Listed Harvest Stakes and Yarmouth’s Listed Virginia Fillies’ Handicap, Samstown hails from the further family of Cheveley Park’s Group One Fillies’ Mile winner Red Bloom as well as the four-time Group One winner Ibn Bey and the 1989 Group One Yorkshire Oaks heroine Roseate Tern.

Over in Ireland, the Willie Mullins-trained Vautour (Robin des Champs) got his novice chasing campaign back on track with a ninety-two length victory in the three-runner Grade Two Killiney Novice Chase at Leopardstown where his only realistic rival, Real Steel (Califet), came to grief at the final fence when struggling to close on the Ruby Walsh-ridden six year-old.

Owned by Mrs Susannah Ricci, Vautour is the last foal produced by Gazelle de Mai (Dom Pasquini), a winner of twenty races under both codes in her native France including the 1992 Listed Prix d’Iena Hurdle at Auteuil. A full sister to the 1997 Listed Grand Steeplechase de Bordeaux winner Lord Pasquini (Dom Pasquini), Gazelle de Mai has produced four winners with the three-time Grade One winning hurdler Vautour being a half-brother to the six-time French jumps winner Belle Preuillade (Royal Charter), the five-time French jumps winner Line Oceane (Bonnet Rouge) and the French flat winner Greg Jack (Lost World).

Chris is a Pedigree Researcher for Weatherbys Ltd, the company that provides the majority of pedigrees for thoroughbreds sold at public auction in Britain and Ireland and who offer a range of products and services to suit your Bloodstock needs.

For further information please visit http://www.weatherbys.co.uk/bloodstock