Andrew Caulfield, May 8, 2007–Royal Academy’s Are Born To Run P EDIGREE INSIGHTS This lukewarm recent response to Royal Academy probably stems from the fact that his progeny have BY ANDREW CAULFIELD seemed more at home on turf than dirt, with most of his American graded winners, such as Val Royal, Academic Angel, Quero Quero, Mananan McLir, ROYAL ACADEMY’S ARE BORN TO RUN Legislator, Naughty Rafaela, Dernier Croise, Oprah Like Bruce Springsteen, he was born in the USA and Winney and Royal Gem, scoring on grass. The quickly found fame there, thanks partly to his striking ex-French Danzon, a fine third against the males in appearance. But unlike Springsteen, there was nothing Saturday s GI Woodford Reserve Turf Classic, looks a blue collar about the ancestry of Royal Academy, who = certainty to be added to this list before long. There was sired by the great Nijinsky II from the ultra-quick Crimson Saint. This made him a half-brother have been exceptions to this rule, though, such as Baghdaria, Court Folly and this year s dual to Storm Cat=s spectacular dam Terlingua, so = no wonder Vincent O=Brien was prepared to Grade II winner Molengao, and the prospect of bid a sale-topping $3.5 million for him at more and more synthetic tracks should also be Keeneland=s 1988 July Sale. in Royal Academy=s favor. Although Royal Academy promptly departed The weekend=s classics at Newmarket to Ireland, he returned to America to win the provided a wonderful demonstration of why 1990 Breeders= Cup Mile and was ultimately Royal Academy should be held in higher repatriated from Ireland to continue his regard. The 2,000 Guineas was won in style stallion career at Ashford Stud in 1998. He is Royal Academy by Cockney Rebel, a colt from the first Irish now in his 10th season at Ashford, but there www.coolmore.com crop by Royal Academy=s son Val Royal, and a is a strong suspicion that Royal Academy=s day later the 1,000 Guineas confirmed the virtues are far from fully appreciated in his homeland. champion status of Finsceal Beo, a Mr. Greeley filly out Why else would this stallion--a sire of no fewer than of Royal Academy=s daughter Musical Treat. Musical 140 stakes winners worldwide--be currently available Treat is the second Royal Academy mare to produce a for as little as $15,000? He covered 90 mares in 2004, British classic winner, the first being Crystal Crossing, 98 in 2005 and 107 last year, which aren=t the type of dam of the St leger winner Rule of Law. figures normally associated with a proven Ashford stallion. Caulfield cont. www.coolmore.com Despite this success, it is probably also fair to say His female line served the late Jean-Luc Lagardere=s that breeders in Europe had mixed feelings about Royal stud extremely well, producing the Group 1 winners Academy during his years at Coolmore in the 1990s (he Vahorimix, Vadawina, Valixir and this year=s very was leased to Japan in 1996). His real merit didn=t promising filly Vadapolina. Val Royal, for his part, won become clear until after he had been transferred to the four of his six starts in Europe and also took the GII Del States, but his tally of Group 1 winners from those Irish Mar Derby shortly after leaving Andre Fabre=s yard. crops included Sleepytime (1,000 Guineas), Zalaiyka It is a measure of how talented Val Royal was that he (French 1,000 Guineas), Oscar Schindler (two editions was able to return after an 18-month absence to win of the Irish St Leger), Val Royal (Breeders= Cup Mile), races of the calibre of the GII Oak Tree Breeders= Cup Ali-Royal (Sussex S.) and Carmine Lake (Prix de Mile and Breeders= Cup Mile. His time at Belmont on l=Abbaye de Longchamp). Breeders= Cup day was a record-breaking 1:32.05. Royal Academy has also made a major impact during Val Royal=s Breeders= Cup performance sent The his years spent shuttling to the southern hemisphere. Blood-Horse into raptures: His numerous group winners in Australia include this AVal Royal unleashed a strong late run to win going year=s smart juvenile Deferential and the Group 1 away, but the move was much more than that,@ it winners Bel Esprit and Kenwood Melody. Australia has reported. AExplosive hardly does it justice, and Valdivia also seen evidence of Royal Academy=s lasting impact, took Val Royal in hand before the wire, noting the horse as Miss Andretti, an outstanding sprinter with four was just playing around the last few yards. The Group 1 victories to her name during the current five-year-old got his last quarter in little more than :22, season, was sired by Royal Academy=s son Ihtiram at extraordinarily quick even given the very firm turf.@ the miniscule fee of A$2,500. Is it any wonder, then, that Cockney Rebel=s Guineas Royal Academy=s two years in Brazil also proved performance was marked by a Street Sense-style burst highly productive--productive enough for him to top of acceleration, which virtually took him from last to Brazil=s two-year-old sires= list in 2003-04 and to finish first in a 24-runner field, to win in a very fast time? third and then second on the general sires= lists in the Cockney Rebel, who cost only 15,000gns as a foal next two seasons. Naughty Rafaela, Durban Thunder, before doubling his price as a yearling, is easily the best Molengao, Neuilly, Misto Quente, Movie Star and the of the five winners out of Factice, an Irish two-year-old South African Group 1 winners Express Way and five-furlong winner. As you would expect of an Eyeofthetiger are just some of the Brazilian foals which inexpensive individual, his immediate pedigree is have gone on to impress elsewhere. run-of-the-mill, but his fourth dam Rare Exchange was a Presumably American studs failed to show enough half-sister to the influential broodmares Rare Treat and interest in Royal Academy=s best son Val Royal when Battle of Roses and to the very smart Jaipur. Rare Treat his racing career was brought to a premature end by produced the champion American filly What a Treat, the recurrence of a tendon injury in Dubai in March who in turn became the dam of the highly successful 2002. Although this injury came just a matter of Be My Guest, and another of Rare Treat=s daughters months after his spectacular victory in the Breeders= bred the Derby-winning Golden Fleece. Cup Mile, Val Royal=s destination proved to be Australia (to Eliza Park Stud) rather than the U.S., thanks to a ROYAL ACADEMY, h, 1987 deal arranged by the Kern Lillingston Association. He Nearco (Ity) Nearctic shuttled for three years to Australia, where his best Lady Angela Northern Dancer winner is a two-year-old filly called Ehor, but his most Native Dancer Natalma recent trip to the southern hemisphere was to Almahmoud Nijinsky II Argentina. Bull Lea Bull Page Cockney Rebel, named after a =seventies rock band, is Our Page Flaming Page a member of Val Royal=s first Irish crop, sired at Pat Menow Flaring Top Fitzsimons= Oak Lodge Stud. Appropriately, the colt Flaming Top was bred by Oak Lodge Bloodstock, but, after demand Balladier Spy Song from breeders fell in 2006, Val Royal has now moved Mata Hari Crimson Satan on to the National Stud at Newmarket, where his fee Crimson Saint Requiebro (Arg) Papila for 2007 is ,6,500. GSW, 11-7-0-2, Papalona $91,770 Cockney Rebel is obviously Val Royal=s finest Eight Thirty 12Fls, 3GSW, Bolero Rose Bolero achievement, but his first Irish crop also contains 1SW, 1GSP, 1SP MSW, 45-9-9-10 Stepwisely Valbenny, a filly who earned an Experimental Free 5Fls, 1GSW First Rose Menow Handicap mark of 113 after winning the GIII Miesque S. 5Fls, 1SW Rare Bloom and another turf stakes towards the end of last year. Two group winners represent an eye-catching achievement in view of the general standard of the mares Val Royal covered at his fee of i8,500. This was a modest fee for a horse of Val Royal=s background. .