Tdn Europe • Page 2 of 7 • Thetdn.Com Wednesday • 17 March 2021
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WEDNESDAY, 17 MARCH 2021 BLACKMORE MAKES CARAVAGGIO COLT HIGHLIGHTS DONCASTER BREEZE UP CATALOGUE HISTORY AT CHELTENHAM There are 177 juveniles catalogued for the Goffs UK Doncaster Breeze Up Sale, the sales company announced on Tuesday. The breezes will be held at Doncaster Racecourse on Apr. 20 beginning at noon local time. The sale is slated for Apr. 22 starting at 10 a.m. local time. Several Royal Ascot winners have been sourced from the sale in recent years, including G1 Princes Of Wales=s S. hero My Dream Boat (Ire) (Lord Shanakill), G1 Commonwealth Cup S. winner Quiet Reflection (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), G2 Norfolk S. victors Prince Of Lir (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) and A=Ali (Ire) (Society Rock {Ire}) and Listed Windsor Castle S. winner Ardad (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}). Steel Bull (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}), a Doncaster Breeze Up alumni, won the G3 Molecomb S. in 2020, while Bodhicitta (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) landed the GII Yellow Ribbon S. at Del Mar and Umm Kulthum (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) saluted in the G3 Firth of Clyde S. Cont. p5 Rachael Blackmore | Racingfotos.com IN TDN AMERICA TODAY VIOLENCE AND MUNNINGS SIRE OBS MARCH CO-TOPPERS By Emma Berry A Violence colt and a Munnings filly each brought $550,000 during Jump racing was lifted from the doldrums on the opening day the first session of OBSMAR on Tuesday. Click or tap here to go of Cheltenham as Rachael Blackmore became the first woman to straight to TDN America. win a championship race at the Festival aboard Kenny Alexander's unbeaten Honeysuckle (GB) (Sulamani {Ire}). Her 7-year-old mount in turn continued her flawless career to become the third mare in five years to win the G1 Unibet Champion Hurdle following Annie Power (Ire) (Shirocco {Ger}) and last year's winner Epatante (Fr) (No Risk At All {Fr}), who had to settle for third this year, the two mares being split by Sharjah (Fr) (Doctor Dino {Fr}). With the Cheltenham Festival having been one of the last major sporting events to have taken place under normal circumstances before Britain was placed in lockdown 12 months ago, this time around jump racing's showcase meeting fell foul of the restrictions which have blighted so many sports events around the world. Where such a ground-breaking achievement from the Irish jockey would usually be met with a response bordering on the delirious from racegoers, Blackmore and Honeysuckle returned in front of an empty stand to a winner's enclosure devoid of atmosphere. Cont. p2 TDN EUROPE • PAGE 2 OF 7 • THETDN.COM WEDNESDAY • 17 MARCH 2021 Cheltenham Day 1 Results Cont. from p1 Cheltenham, riding a winner of a Champion Hurdle. It's just so far removed from anything I ever thought could be possible, so That, however, removes nothing from the latest high in the maybe there's a lesson in that for everyone out there." upwardly mobile career of Blackmore, who admitted that this Honeysuckle had looked the model of composure on her way significant milestone was "never even a dream". Her first Grade to post and it was an air which she maintained throughout the 1 win came in partnership with Honeysuckle at Fairyhouse two-mile contest, as she coasted in the slipstream of the early almost two years ago. Since then, the Henry de leading duo of Silver Streak (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Goshen Bromhead-trained mare has become the horse who not only (Fr) (Authorized {Ire}), travelling with ease throughout. Asked to defines the excellence of Blackmore but matches it stride for go on by Blackmore after jumping the penultimate flight, the stride. mare breezed past the leaders unextended as though they were "She is just so incredible. I just can't believe we've won a standing still and swiftly opened up a seemingly unassailable Champion Hurdle," said Blackmore. "Kenny Alexander, Peter lead. Meeting the last hurdle perfectly, her historic victory was MolonyCthey're both at home with their families watching; it's sealed as she powered farther clear of the field to finish 6 1/2 a pity they can't be here today, but I tell you, when I was lengths ahead of Sharjah, who finished runner-up for the second crossing the line I didn't care. year in a row. "Honeysuckle was just incredible. She's done everything I've De Bromhead, who was landing his 10th win at the Festival wanted her to do throughout the race. Henry produces her and first in the Champion Hurdle, said, "I couldn't have been every day in that kind of form for me to steer around, and it's more relaxed watching her as she always seemed happy. It's unbelievable. This is such a special race and I am just so thankful amazing. Rachael is as good as any of themCmale, female, she is to be a part of herCit's all about her. She's unbeaten, and she's as good as any of the guys. I'm ecstatic with the result but I'm improving. Her last run was her career best until today; she's delighted for them. She never ceases to amaze me. I'm not getting better all the time. It's just phenomenal." saying I would have predicted that but she is an incredible mare. She added, "To me, this was never even a dream. It was so far She has just gone into a different zone the last year, she really from what I ever thought could happen in my lifeCto be in has." Cont. p3 TDN EUROPE • PAGE 3 OF 7 • THETDN.COM WEDNESDAY • 17 MARCH 2021 Cheltenham Day 1 Results Cont. He continued, "In the situation we are in we are lucky to be here. Fair play to the BHA, IHRB, Cheltenham and everybody to set up brilliant protocols and allow us to continue the sport." Now unbeaten in 11 races, Honeysuckle, bred at Dorset's The Glanvilles Stud by Geoffrey Guy, has played an important role over the last three seasons in waving the flag for a dwindling Senior Vice President Gary King National Hunt breeding programme in Britain. She may yet Twitter: @garykingTDN bolster it further in years to come as she will become the crown [email protected] jewel at her owner Kenny Alexander's burgeoning National Hunt + 1.732.320.0975 stud in Scotland. New Hall Stud in Ayrshire, which he bought from Gordon Thom in 2016, has already produced Group 1 International Editor winners on the Flat, including Donna Blini (GB) (Bertolini), later Kelsey Riley the dam of Japan's Horse of the Year Gentildonna (Jpn) (Deep Twitter: @kelseynrileyTDN Impact {Jpn}). It is now home to an elite band of jumps mares [email protected] assembled by Peter Molony for Alexander, one of the few major European Editor owners in the National Hunt world to place a specific emphasis Emma Berry on racing fillies and mares. Twitter: @collingsberry [email protected] Racing Reprieve To a degree, the jumping brigade has been holding its breath Associate International Editor Heather Anderson going into this year's Cheltenham Festival following the negative Twitter: @HLAndersonTDN publicity surrounding the photograph of Gordon Elliott astride a dead horse which surfaced on social media a fortnight ago. The Marketing Manager leading Irish trainer has just started a six-month ban but his Alayna Cullen Cullentra House stable celebrated victory in the race Twitter: @AlaynaCullen immediately following the Champion Hurdle, the G1 Close [email protected] Brothers Mares' Hurdle. Denise Foster is the interim licence-holder at the Elliott yard and her name thus enters the Contributing Editors Cheltenham record books as the trainer of Black Tears (GB) Alan Carasso Christina Bossinakis (Jeremy), the second British-bred winner of the day who ousted hot favourite Concertista (Fr) (Nathaniel {Ire}) on the line. Cafe Racing Cont. p3 Sean Cronin Tom Frary [email protected] Irish Correspondent Daithi Harvey Regular Columnists Chris McGrath | John Berry | Kevin Blake Amy Lynam | Melissa Steele IN TDN AUS/NZ TODAY HAYES BROTHERS TO FORM NEW PARTNERSHIP JD Hayes will join his older brother Ben in a training Black Tears after taking the Close Brothers Mares= Hurdle partnership. Tom Dabernig will establish his own training base. Racingfotos.com Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Aus/NZ. TDN EUROPE • PAGE 4 OF 7 • THETDN.COM WEDNESDAY • 17 MARCH 2021 Rachael Blackmore celebrates after guiding Honeysuckle (GB) to victory in the G1 Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy at Cheltenham Racingfotos.com Cheltenham Day 1 Results Cont. for Noel Meade and owners Albert Dravins and Eamonn The 7-year-old mare was also the second Grade 1 winner for Scanlon. But it wasn't all Ireland's day. The facile success of the late Garryrichard Stud stallion Jeremy during the opening Appreciate It in the opener was almost mirrored by another day following the emphatic victory of the imposing Appreciate It odds-on favourite in the G1 Sporting Life Arkle Novices' Chase (Ire) in the G1 Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle, a seventh when Shishkin (Ire) (Sholokov {Ire}) continued his dominant run winner of that particular race for the Festival's leading trainer through that division with a 12-length win over the running-on Willie Mullins. Eldorado Allen (Fr) (Khalkevi {Ire}). A number of horses have been removed from Elliott's stable That success, the seventh in a row for Shishkin, including his over the last fortnight, including Envoi Allen (Fr) (Muhtathir win in last year's Supreme Novices' Hurdle, put Nicky Henderson {GB}), who is considered one of the bankers of the meeting and and Lambourn on the scoresheet, while one of the most who runs in Thursday's G1 Marsh Novices' Chase.