PEDIGREE INSIGHTS Ireland Were Changed When Nelson Bunker Hunt Bought B Y a N D R E W C a U L F I E L D a Half-Share Early in 1968
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Andrew Caulfield, August 6-Toronado (Ire) Original plans for Vaguely Noble to be trained in PEDIGREE INSIGHTS Ireland were changed when Nelson Bunker Hunt bought B Y A N D R E W C A U L F I E L D a half-share early in 1968. Vaguely Noble was instead sent to Etienne Pollet at Chantilly. The French maestro Wednesday, Goodwood, Britain asked his star colt to race five times in 1968. Although QIPCO SUSSEX S.-G1, ,300,000, Goodwood, 7-31, he suffered an unexpected reverse when given a great 3yo/up, 1mT, 1:36.29, gd/sf. deal to do in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, Vaguely 1--sTORONADO (IRE), 125, c, 3, by High Chaparral (Ire) Noble won all of his other races by a minimum of three 1st Dam: Wana Doo, by Grand Slam lengths. His most notable display came when he won 2nd Dam: Wedding Gift (Fr), by Always Fair the Arc by three lengths from Sir Ivor, who had won 3rd Dam: Such Style (GB), by Sassafras (Fr) (i40,000 wnlg >10 ARQDEC; i55,000 yrl >11 the 2000 Guineas and Derby and would later go on to ARQAUG). O-Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani; win the Champion S. and Washington D.C. B-Paul Nataf; T-Richard Hannon; J-Richard Hughes; International. Timeform rated Vaguely Noble one of the ,170,130. Lifetime Record: 7-5-1-0, ,363,877. all-time greats, with a figure of 140. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the John R. Gaines took an option to buy a 25% interest eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. in him for $1.25 million, and the colt retired to Click for the Racing Post result, the brisnet.com PPs or Gainesway. Although Vaguely Noble had clearly been the free brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, an exceptionally talented colt, there were grounds for courtesy Racing UK. wondering whether he would prove as effective as a To someone well past the first flush of youth, 1967 stallion, especially as a stoutly bred turf horse based in doesn=t seem all that long ago. The reality, of course, is Kentucky. For a start, his sire Vienna sired little else of that it was nearly a lifetime away--the era of the note. Vietnam War and the Middle East=s Six Day War. However, Vaguely Noble answered the doubting Apparently 1967 also saw the inception of the Super Thomases by siring a succession of top-class Bowl, the first heart transplant, the launch of Sesame Street and the first ATM. At the same time, Twiggy performers on both sides of the Atlantic. Pride of place was sporting the shortest of mini-skirts and we were has to go to that magnificent filly Dahlia, but he was thronging to see movies like ABonnie And Clyde@ and also responsible for the likes of Exceller, Estrapade, AThe Graduate.@ Mississipian, Lemhi Gold, Jet Ski Lady (Oaks), Empery Horse racing in Britain in 1967 was also very different (Derby), Nobiliary, Royal And Regal and Gay Mecene. from its modern counterpart. It had been only two Sadly, Vaguely Noble=s stallion sons proved incapable years earlier that Track Spare had won the first race of extending his influence in the Northern Hemisphere, commencing from starting stalls, and the concept of but Vaguely Noble=s female line continues to shine, as supplementary entries was still light years away. This Toronado demonstrated last week with his defeat of latter fact presented owner Brook Holliday with a major Dawn Approach in the G1 QIPCO Sussex S. This problem. Holliday=s father, the exceptionally successful victory prompted Racing Post handicappers to promote breeder Major Lionel Holliday, had died in December Sheikh Joaan=s colt to a rating of 130--the best by a 1965, the year his Lancashire Oaks winner Noble Lassie 3-year-old in 2013. produced a colt by the none-too-fashionable Vienna. The colt was given no classic entries. This didn=t look a problem when the colt, Vaguely Noble, was beaten on his first two starts, but then he started to show his true worth. After sailing home TORONADO, c, 2010 12 lengths clear in the 18-runner Sandwich S. at Ascot, Northern Dancer Nearctic the Holliday homebred tackled the Observer Gold Cup Sadler’s Wells Natalma (now the Racing Post Trophy) and was just as Fairy Bridge Bold Reason impressive, bursting seven lengths clear in the final High Chaparral Special furlong. Timeform gave a rating of 132 to the (Ire) Darshaan (GB) Shirley Heights (GB) 2-year-old. Delsy (Fr) The decision was taken to sell Vaguely Noble at Kasora (Ire) Kozana (GB) Kris (GB) Tattersalls= December Sales, and there was great Koblenza (Fr) excitement when he fell to a bid of 136,000gns Gone West Mr. Prospector (,142,800) from Hollywood plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Secrettame Franklyn. Of course, 136,000gns doesn=t sound very Grand Slam Bright Candles El Gran Senor exciting to modern ears, but Vaguely Noble=s price was Wana Doo Christmas Bonus more than three times the long-standing British record 11-2-1-3 4 Fls, 1 G1SW Wedding Gift (Fr) Always Fair Danzig for a horse in training. It may help to put his price into SW & MGSP-Fr, Carduel context if I point out that the average wage in Britain in 18-2-1-3 Such Style (GB) Sassafras (Fr) 1967 is listed as a mere ,1,380--less than one one- 8 Fls, 1 G1SW 10 Fls, 1 SW Regal Lady (Fr) hundredth of Dr Franklyn=s outlay--and the average house cost around ,3,800. Toronado=s fourth dam Regal Lady was a half-sister A look at the mares which visited High Chaparral in to Vaguely Noble. As a daughter of the Derby winner 2009 reveals that a lot of them came from jumping Relko and Lancashire Oaks winner Noble Lassie, Regal backgrounds. High Chaparral was clearly on the brink of Lady was bred to stay pretty well, and she did. One of being transferred to Coolmore=s National Hunt division, her wins came over 1 5/8 miles. Regal Lady developed as another of Sadler=s Wells=s best sons, Yeats, has into a good broodmare, producing G2 Prix Hocquart been. Fortunately this was prevented by some excellent winner Regency and the G1 Oaks third Britannia=s Rule. results in 2009, both in Europe and Australia. His Toronado=s third dam Such Style was also bred to European team featured the group winners Above stay well, as her sire Sassafras won the Prix du Average, Golden Sword, Joanna, Magadan and The Jockey-Club and the Arc and was awarded victory in Miniver Rose. High Chaparral=s potential as a sire of the Prix Royal-Oak over nearly two miles. However, classic horses was highlighted by Golden Sword=s some speed was introduced when Such Style visited second in the Irish Derby and High Heeled=s third in the Always Fair, a son of Danzig. Always Fair had looked Oaks. His Australian runners, headed by the New potentially top class when he won his first three starts Zealand-breds So You Think and Monaco Consul, also at two, including the Coventry S. and Acomb S., but he shone. ultimately fell just short of the top rank, his best Thanks to such horses as Redwood, Wigmore Hall, Wrote and Toronado, High Chaparral s recovery has Timeform rating being 121. His only victory at three = continued, with his fee being restored to i25,000 in came in the G3 Prix Quincey over a mile. each of the last three seasons. That said, his profile Always Fair sired 11 stakes winners from just over remains higher in Australasia, no doubt thanks to So 300 foals. One of those stakes winners was Toronado=s You Think=s superstar status ADown Under.@ He second dam Wedding Gift, winner of a one-mile Listed attracted 235 mares at a fee of A$88,000 in 2010, race at two. She was considered good enough to tackle then 187 when his fee was raised to A$99,000 in the 1996 G1 Prix de Diane and ran creditably to be 2011. Last year he covered 158 mares at A$77,000 fifth. and he is standing the 2013 Southern Hemisphere Wedding Gift also revived memories of Vaguely Noble season at the same fee. His popularity should have when her Shamardal colt Casamento won the 2010 been boosted again by the exploits of his son It=s A G1 Racing Post Trophy--the former Observer Gold Cup. Dundeel, this year=s Australian Derby winner who Toronado=s dam Wana Doo was by Grand Slam, received a weight of 120 on Longines= latest list of the another stallion with plenty of precocious speed, and World=s Best Racehorses. this filly was a winner at Longchamp at two going a mile before scoring over 6 1/2 furlongs on Deauville=s all-weather track at three. Toronado represents another feather in the cap of his sire High Chaparral, a top-class middle-distance colt who also bagged two editions of the GI Breeders= Cup Turf. Despite his accomplishments on the track, High Chaparral has had to work for his success as a stallion. He was in direct competition with Sadler=s Wells, Montjeu and Galileo when he retired to Coolmore, at a time when there was still some prejudice against Sadler=s Wells as a sire of sires. High Chaparral stood his first season in 2004 at a fee of i35,000, which was i5,000 higher than Montjeu=s fee and i5,000 lower than Galileo=s.