Araafa (Ire) P EDIGREE INSIGHTS but the Younger Brigade Didn’T Have Everything Their Own Way, Thanks Principally to Northern Dancer’S Sons
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Andrew Caulfield, June 27, 2006–Araafa (Ire) P EDIGREE INSIGHTS But the younger brigade didn’t have everything their own way, thanks principally to Northern Dancer’s sons. BY ANDREW CAULFIELD Danzig had an unusual double, courtesy of Ad Valorem in the G1 Queen Anne S. over a mile and Soapy Danger ST. JAMES'S PALACE S.-G1, £250,000, Ascot, 6-20, in the G3 Queen’s Vase over double that distance, 3yo, c, 1mT, 1:39.59, gd/fm. while Sadler’s Wells supplied the winner of the G1 Gold 1--ARAAFA (IRE), 126, c, 3, by Mull of Kintyre Cup for the third time, this time with the impressive 1st Dam: Resurgence (GB), by Polar Falcon Yeats. The 26-year-old Alzao, a grandson of Northern 2nd Dam: Fearless Revival (GB), by Cozzene Dancer, got into the act with the G2 Hardwicke S. 3rd Dam: Stufida (GB), by Bustino (GB) success of Maraahel. (48,000gns wnl ‘03 TATDEC; 150,000gns yrl ‘04 You could say that the Royal meeting developed into TATOCT). O-Saleh Al Homaizi & Imad Al Sagar; something of a battle between the male lines developed B-Sweetmans Bloodstock; T-Jeremy Noseda; J-Alan by Danzig and Sadler’s Wells, with the Danzig line Munro; £141,950. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Ire, being the winner. In addition to Danzig’s own group 7-3-1-1, £330,165. double, there were group winners by his sons Mull of Click for the Racing Post chart or the brisnet.com Kintyre and Ishiguru and his grandsons Danehill Dancer catalogue-style pedigree. (the impressive Jeremy) and Cape Cross (the magnificent Ouija Board). Another of Danzig’s sons, the One of the heartening aspects of last week’s Royal Dewhurst S. winner Mujahid, also had a rewarding time Ascot meeting was the number of young stallions thanks to his stamina-packed son Baddam, winner of which enjoyed stakes success. Among them were the the Ascot S. and Queen Alexander S. over extreme nine-year-olds Medicean (Nannina and Dutch Art), Mull distances. of Kintyre (Araafa) and Dixie Union (Sander Camillo); Coolmore had every reason to be pleased with the the eight-year-olds Ishiguru (Hellvelyn) and Noverre success of both these males lines, as Sadler’s Wells, (Elhamri); and the seven-year-old Redback (Gilded). The Montjeu, Danehill Dancer and Mull of Kintyre all stand 10-year-old Montjeu also struck gold with his under the Coolmore banner, and Ad Valorem, now a second-crop three-year-olds, achieving a Group 2 dual Group 1 winner, is scheduled to divide his time double with Mont Etoile and Papal Bull, plus a third stakes success from Snoqualmie Boy. between Coolmore and Woodlands Stud in Australia. www.coolmore.com As Mull of Kintyre was one of the lowest-priced This sequence of defeats can’t have helped attract stallions on the Coolmore roster when he retired at a quality mares to him, but he did receive one notable fee of IR£5,000 in 2002, it is hardly surprising that opportunity in the shape of Resurgence, a filly culled by quantity of his winners, rather than their quality, has Cheveley Park Stud for 31,000gns as an unraced been the hallmark of his stallion career so far. However, two-year-old in 2000. Incidentally, the Thompsons’ in Araafa, he has demonstrated that--given a well-bred Cheveley Park Stud took the title of leading breeder at mare--he is perfectly capable of siring a top-class the Royal Ascot meeting, when Nannina followed performer. Exclusive and Russian Rhythm as its third winner of the Araafa didn’t receive much credit for his victory over G1 Coronation S. In her post-race interview, Mrs George Washington in the Irish 2000 Guineas, firstly Thompson stressed the importance her team places on because George Washington had a ready-made excuse keeping numbers in check at their highly successful in the heavy ground and secondly because he came out stud, with 120 broodmares being the desired of the race with a problem. People were far happier to maximum. This means that some well-bred fillies can’t accept the form of the English 2000 Guineas, in which be retained and some talented mares--such as George Washington had finished nearly five lengths Nannina’s group-winning dam Hill Hopper--have to be ahead of the 66-1 Araafa. However, the panache of culled if they appear not to be shaping up. Araafa’s decisive victory in the St James’s Palace S. Resurgence came on the market at the end of 2000, suggests that a rematch between the two will be the year that her brother Pivotal made a pleasing start fascinating. Will Araafa, with his ability to kick for with his first runners. Pivotal has since done so home a long way out, once again be able to blunt outstandingly well that he is now the highest-priced Gorgeous George’s finishing speed? stallion standing in England. Resurgence’s profile has American readers may remember that Mull of Kintyre also been rising. After visiting the inexpensive Danzig made his main-track debut in the 1999 Breeders’ Cup line stallions Foxhound, Mull of Kintyre and Orpen in Juvenile, in which he was ignored at odds of nearly her first three seasons, she visited Danehill Dancer in 30-1, despite having taken the G2 Gimcrack S. by three 2004, producing a colt May 7 last year. lengths on his last appearance. Although he never Perhaps one of the reasons why Resurgence wasn’t threatened the first three at Gulfstream, Mull of Kintyre retained was the fact that her sire, Nureyev’s fast son handled the dirt well enough to be a closing fourth of Polar Falcon, already had several daughters in the 14, ahead of such as Dixie Union, Forest Camp and Cheveley Park broodmare band, including the G1 Captain Steve. Coronation S. winner Exclusive and the Group 3 “Mull Of Kintyre ran a big race and I was very pleased winners Icicle and Red Camellia. It was Red Camellia with him,” was Aidan O’Brien’s verdict. “The lack of a who supplied Cheveley with the Group 1 winner Red race on dirt was always going to be a disadvantage, but Bloom, while Exclusive has produced a pair of very he ran really well. talented daughters in Chic and Echelon. “Being by Danzig, there would have to be doubts Araafa’s links with Pivotal must make him a very about him getting a mile and a half next year,” O’Briend interesting stallion prospect, but, in the shorter term, he added. “That would make a Derby bid in Europe looks sure to add a lot of interest to the rest of this unlikely. I see him as a possible Guineas horse, with the year’s top mile events, with the Breeders’ Cup Mile Kentucky Derby another target, all being well.” being one of the possibilities. Mull of Kintyre’s Kentucky Derby claims were certainly valid, as the bottom half of his pedigree is packed with horses who have excelled on dirt. His dam, Retrospective, had a sire, Easy Goer, and grandsire, Alydar, who finished second in the Kentucky Derby, and Retrospective was a half-sister to the admirable Broad Brush, the 1986 Kentucky Derby third. No wonder Mull of Kintyre cost $1,000,000 as a yearling. Unfortunately, all the speculation about his suitability for a Churchill Downs bid came to nothing, because Mull of Kintyre didn’t make it to the races in 2000. O’Brien revealed why at his media open day the following spring: “He was working with Giant’s Causeway last spring and going every bit as well, so it was a real shame when he ripped a shoe off and a nail went right through his pedal bone. He was lucky to survive, but is back now and in great form.” Unfortunately, Mull of Kintyre failed to fulfill his connections’ high expectations at four and failed to win in six attempts, coming closest to success when a neck second to King Charlemagne in a Listed race..