Chris Hill brings us the latest bloodstock news

Chris Hill brings us the latest bloodstock news and reflects on the action on track and in the sales ring.

Prince Khalid Abdullah’s three year-old colt Kingman (Invincible Spirit) confirmed himself the best miler in Europe with a convincing defeat of Anodin (Anabaa) and Olympic Glory (Choisir) in the Group One Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville to record his fourth victory at the highest level.

The Juddmonte homebred is from a family that trainer John Gosden knows particularly well having trained his dam Zenda (Zamindar) to victories in the French 1000 Guineas and Coronation Stakes, as well as her half-brother Oasis Dream, the three time Group One winner who was crowned Champion European Two Year-Old in 2002 and Three Year-Old European Sprinter in 2003. Gosden also trains Kingman’s year-older half-brother Remote (Dansili) who is yet to reappear this season but landed last season’s Group Three Tercentenary Stakes at Royal Ascot and has Multilingual (Dansili), a full-brother to Remote, housed at his Clarehaven Stables in Newmarket.

Coincidentally, Kingman’s Prix Jacques le Marois victory was a second consecutive success in the race for the Irish National Stud’s flag-bearer Invincible Spirit (Green Desert) following the triumph of Moonlight Cloud twelve months ago. Her trainer Freddy Head was responsible for the 2002 Sprint Cup victor’s other French Group One winner this season, Charm Spirit, who claimed the Prix Jean Prat at Chantilly in July.

At Arlington in the U.S., the Marco Botti-trained Euro Charline (Myboycharlie) proved her sales price to be all wrong when claiming the Grade One Beverly D Stakes under Ryan Moore for owners Team Valor, having landed the Listed Valiant Stakes at Ascot on her previous start and finishing runner-up in the Group Three Nell Gwyn Stakes and third in the Group One Coronation Stakes earlier this season.

Her victory was also a first at the highest level in the Northern Hemisphere for Myboycharlie, the 2007 Prix Morny winner, who stands at Haras du Mezeray in France and in April this year was responsible for his first Group One winner when his two year-old daughter Peggy Jean claimed the Inglis Sires’ Produce Stakes at Randwick in Australia.

The only winner to date out of the six-time winner Eurolink Artemis (Common Grounds) and from the further family of the 1995 Irish Oaks heroine Pure Grain and dual-Lockinge Stakes winner Soviet Line, Euro Charlene was purchased by Old Buckenham Stud for just 800 guineas when offered at the 2012 Tattersalls  February Sale. Later that year she made a decent profit for her original purchasers when selling to Scuderia Blueberry at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale for 13,000 guineas, since when she has been acquired privately by Team Valor for an undisclosed sum.

Coincidentally, Kingman’s Prix Jacques le Marois victory was a second consecutive success in the race for the Irish National Stud’s flag-bearer Invincible Spirit (Green Desert) following the triumph of Moonlight Cloud twelve months ago.

Hardest Core (Hard Spun), a $210,000 purchase by Gregory Bentley at the 2013 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, caused an almighty upset when landing the card’s showpiece, the Grade One Arlington Million, under jockey Eriluis Vaz for trainer Edward Graham ahead of the European-trained Grade/Group One winners Magician (Galileo) and Side Glance (Passing Glance).

Bought by Graham - initially as a jumps prospect - as a 30th birthday present for his son Andrew, the four year-old gelding is one of five winners out of the dual U.S. winning mare Lillybuster (Housebuster), a half-sister to the 1992 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Gilded Time (Timeless Moment), whose previous best foal was the three-time winner and Stakes-placed Calla Lilly (Pulpit).

Hard Spun, who stands at Darley’s U.S. base at Lexington in Kentucky is probably best known on these shores as sire of Group Two winners Moviesta and Red Duke, though with his victory in the Arlington Million Hardest Core became the fifth individual Grade One winner for the 2007 Grade One King’s Bishop Stakes victor.

Earlier on the card, the Group Three Gallinule Stakes winner Adelaide (Galileo), who Coolmore had recently sold a half-share to clients of Australian trainer Chris Waller, claimed the Grade One Secretariat Stakes under Ryan Moore for trainer Aidan O’Brien.

Bred by the Elletelle Syndicate out of the 2007 Group Two Queen Mary Stakes winner Elletelle (Elnadim), who sadly died last year just a month after being bought for €825,000 at the 2013 Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale, Adelaide is a full-brother to Puissant (Galileo), a £240,000 purchase by Stephen Hillen at the inaugural Goffs London Sale in June and now in training with Marco Botti. Further back in his pedigree appear the 1985 Tattersalls Gold Cup winner Elegant Air and the 1974 Group Three Princess Elizabeth Stakes winner Elegant Tern.

Last weekend saw Arqana hold their August Yearling Sale at Deauville where a trio of seven figure lots helped the French sales house post an improvement in aggregate of 14.8% on the previous year’s sale with a total of €38,807,500 being traded over the three days at an average price of €146,998 and median of €90,000, increases of 9.2% and 12.5% respectively on 2013.

The sale topper was a filly from the final crop of the great German stallion Monsun who went to Tony Nerses, bidding on behalf of Saleh Al Homaizi, for €1.2 million. Out of the winning German mare Sasuela (Dashing Blade), the yearling filly is a full-sister to the 2009 German Oaks runner-up Soberania (Monsun) as well as a half-sister to last year’s Group One Grosser Preis von Bayern victor Seismos (Dalakhani), who earlier in the day had landed the Group Three Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury, and the 2013 Group Three Grosse Europa Meile winner Samba Brazil (Teofilo).

It has been announced that Aidan O’Brien’s Queen Anne Stakes runner-up and Lockinge Stakes third Verrazano (More Than Ready) has been retired to stand at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Kentucky from next year.

Just hours after Kingman had recorded a second French Group One in 2014 for his sire Invincible Spirit, a yearling colt by the same stallion changed hands for €1.1 million when purchased jointly by Mayfair Speculators and Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock. For the latter members of the partnership it was their second significant interest in the close family as last November they secured that season’s Irish Oaks heroine Chicquita (Montjeu) – a half-sister to the Arqana second top lot being out of the Listed Prix de la Seine winner Prudenzia (Dansili) - from the Paulyn dispersal for an Irish sales record €6 million.

The final lot to make seven figures was the first foal out of the 2011 Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial third Dance Secretary (Danehill Dancer) – herself a sister to the U.S. Grade One Keeneland Turf Mile Stakes winner Perfect Soul (Sadler’s Wells)- who went to Anthony Stroud Bloodstock with a bid of €1 million. By Galileo she is bred along the same lines as last month’s Deauville Group Three Prix de Psyche winner and Luca Cumani’s dual-Group Three winner Quest For Peace and is from the further family of the U.S. Grade One winner Flashy Bull and Grade Two winner Megans Bluff.

Tattersalls Ireland also played host to their August Sale last week with a three year-old son of Milan out of the hurdles winner Bonnie Parker (Un Desperado) topping the sale when selling to Ryan Mahon and trainer Paul Nicholls for €80,000. Nicholls is already familiar with the family having trained Woolcombe Folly (Presenting), a half-brother to Bonnie Parker, to victory in the Grade Two Lightning Novices’ Chase at Doncaster in 2010, whilst further back in the pedigree appear high-class staying chasers Cahervillahow and Double Seven as well as last year’s Grand National runner-up Cappa Bleu.

A Presenting half-brother to Nicky Henderson’s  two-time Grade One winning jumper and unbeaten chaser Simonsig (Fair Mix) ended the sale as the second priciest lot when bought by John O’Byrne for €60,000. The three year-old gelding, offered by Simmonstown Stud on behalf of owner/breeder Simon Tindall, is out of the four-time winner under N.H. rules Dusty Too (Terimon), who is a half-sister to the dam of the dual-Group Three winning jumper My Murphy (Presenting).

At the conclusion of the three day sale, Tattersalls Ireland could boast impressive total figures of €4,767,000, an increase of 74% on the 2013 renewal and the second-best aggregate in the sale’s history, with the average price of €9,829 and median price of €6,000 being improvements of 31% and 24% respectively on last year.

Finally, in breeding news it has been announced that Aidan O’Brien’s Queen Anne Stakes runner-up and Lockinge Stakes third Verrazano (More Than Ready), who was a dual Grade One winner last season when trained in the U.S. by Todd Pletcher, has been retired to stand at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Kentucky from next year.

Other notable retirements to the breeding shed include Sheikh Fahad al Thani’s Melbourne Cup winner Dunaden (Nicobar), who will stand at Overbury Stud in Gloucestershire, Carlton House (Street Cry), who came agonisingly close to becoming The Queen’s first Epsom Derby winner when losing out to Pour Moi in 2011 by just under a length and will stand at Darley’s Kelvinside Stud in Australia and Coolmore’s 2013 Jersey Stakes winner and Irish 2000 Guineas runner-up Gale Force Ten (Oasis Dream) who will stand at the Irish National Stud next season.

Chris Hill

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