SUN CENTRAL from the Outstanding Sire-Line at Cheltenham This Week
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EUROPEAN BLOODSTOCK NEWS FRIDAY, 13TH MARCH 2015 – EIGHTEEN PAGES For more information • T: +44 (0)1638 666512 • F:+44 (0)1638 666516 • [email protected] • www.bloodstocknews.eu Today’s Headlines CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL REVIEW www.tattersalls.ie MCCOY GETS ONE ON THE picture BOARD WITH UXIZANDRE The retiring Champion A P McCoy (pictured right receiving his trophy, with the winning connections and his family) registered his first winner at this year’s Festival meeting yesterday, billed as St Patrick’s Thursday, when landing the Gr.1 Ryanair Chase, aboard Uxizandre (Fragrant Mix). today’s trip, but he jumped fantastically and was always Racing in the colours of his boss J P McManus and wearing going forward which got a lot of the others in trouble. a visor for the first time, the Alan King-trained seven-year- “I was quite happy coming down the hill – he kept old made much of the running and had the field stretched looking at the television camera on the inside and I with four fences to go. He jumped left at the next and sent thought that he has a little bit for himself if he is able to the wing flying, but he kept up his relentless gallop and notice what is going on around him. Fair play to Alan King, stayed on to win by five lengths from the mare Ma Filleule who has got him spot on for today, having been (Turgeon), with Don Cossack (Sholokhov) a further three disappointing in his two previous runs.” and a quarter lengths away in third. Bred in France by Frederic Aimez, he was purchased by Runner-up to Taquin Du Seuil (Voix Du Nord) in last John O’Byrne for £100,000 at the 2013 DBS Spring Sale. He year’s Gr.1 Golden Miller Novices’ Chase at the Festival, he is out of the Dear Doctor mare Jolisandre, a half-sister to followed up the next month in the Gr.1 Manifesto Novices’ the Listed-placed chaser Easter. They are out of the nine- Chase at Aintree. This season he landed the Listed Shloer time French jumps winner Palisandre (Night And Day), Chase here in November, was unplaced at Leopardstown in from the family of the Listed Prix Violin II Handicap Chase December and unseated Barry Geraghty in the Gr.2 Game winner Jet Du Bosc (Le Nain Jaune). Spirit Chase at Newbury last month, which McCoy won on Mr Mole (Great Pretender) before subsequently announcing his retirement at the end of the season. Sales Talk McCoy said: “He jumped off and ran away with me all the Points of View tip Champers On Ice (Robin Des way – for the first mile and a half all I was thinking was I Champs) tops the Brightwells Cheltenham Festival would have loved to have ridden him in the Queen Mother Sale when selling to Bryan Drew for £205,000. Champion Chase because he was going so well. I was a bit For the full sales report by Carl Evans, see page 8 worried about his stamina and whether he would see out SUN CENTRAL From the outstanding sire-line at Cheltenham this week # 5 GRADE 1 winners from the SADLER’S WELLS line to Thursday. # 75% WIN/PLACED horses on day 1 from the SADLER’S WELLS line. Cheltenham promise at just £2000 Oct 1st NFFR ELUSIVE BLOODSTOCK Contact: JAMES GRAY | +44 (0) 7743 042742 | [email protected] | www.elusivebloodstock.co.uk 1 EBN Friday, 13th March 2015 CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL REVIEW VAUTOUR LIGHTS UP “I was just hoping he would get over the last two [fences]. The race is over turning for home and it’s just a CHELTENHAM IN OPENER question of jumping, and he absolutely flew them. I don’t Festival winners rarely come as impressive as the Willie know what was going through Ruby’s head after Annie Mullins-trained Vautour in yesterday’s opener, the Gr.1 Power the other day, but I think he just committed and Golden Miller Novices’ Chase, where he ran his rivals ragged said ‘here we go’, and was bang, bang over the last two. from the front, jumped impeccably and scored by fifteen He’s definitely a Gold Cup horse.” lengths with his ears pricked, in the colours of Rich Ricci. Bred in France by Haras de Saint Voir and Patrick The six-year-old son of Rathbarry’s Robin Des Champs Joubert, who were also responsible for Wednesday’s Gr.3 made the running, accompanied by Irish Saint (Saint Des Coral Cup winner Aux Ptits Soins (Saint Des Saints), he Saints). The Noel Meade-trained Apache Stronghold is out of the tough mare Gazelle De Mai (Dom Pasquini), (Milan) made ground from the back to mount a challenge who won nine races on the flat, six times over hurdles, around the home turn, but Vautour quickly put daylight including the Grande Course de Haies de Bordeaux, and between them and skipped to an easy victory from Meade’s five times over fences, from 39 starts over six seasons, charge and Valseur Liso (Anzillero), who were separated and has produced three other winners of twelve races. by a short head, and Irish Saint who stayed on for fourth. She is a full-sister to the Grand Steeplechase de Bordeaux Second on his two starts in France, before joining winner Lord Pasquini. Mullins, Vautour has only tasted defeat once, at Leopardstown on Boxing Day and this was his fourth win COLE PUTS GREATREX AND at the highest level, having scored in the Deloitte Novice SHEEHAN ON TOP OF THE WORLD Hurdle, Supreme Novice Hurdle here twelve months ago, Trainer Warren Greatrex and jockey Gavin Sheehan broke and the Tattersalls Ireland Champion Novice Hurdle. their Festival ducks in the Gr.1 World Hurdle with the Mullins said: “I’ve always loved this horse, from the time rejuvenated Cole Harden (pictured on page three). The he won here last year. I just couldn’t get him back [to that son of Coolmore’s Westerner has had a wind operation form] and I’ve had to really work hard at him for the past since his last start and put up a great front-running three weeks to get him back into that shape today, but performance, staying on strongly up the hill to win by three that’s probably what he needs – just hard work. I’ve and a quarter lengths from the favourite Saphir Du Rheu probably been minding him too much all season. I made (Al Namix), with the same distance back to Zarkandar sure he did plenty of work and I don’t like doing that, but (Azamour), who made a devastating mistake at the he needed it because he wasn’t coming into form and it second last and just held on from the fast-finishing At was a bit ‘do or die’, but he did come right. Fishers Cross (Oscar). AUGUST YEARLING SALE AUGUST 15-17 DEAUVILLE The August Yearling Sale set new records in 2014 with 86.4% of horses sold for an average of €224,447 over the weekend. These outstanding scores are linked to the sale’s extraordinary capacity to attract international buyers. Success at the highest level, unrivalled racing opportunities in France, that is what all buyers are fi nding here in Deauville. They will be there again this year to enjoy the fi reworks. Will you? ENTER NOMINATE BY THE AUGUST MONDAY 16 MARCH Freddy Powell: LIMELIGHT +44 (0) 750 783 25 85 © APRH [email protected] 2 EBN Friday, 13th March 2015 CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL REVIEW A dual bumper and hurdle winner as a four-year-old, he was runner-up in the Gr.1 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle the following year, before winning the Gr.2 West Yorkshire Hurdle at Wetherby in November. This season he has been placed in the Gr.2 Long Distance Hurdle and Gr.2 Cleeve www.tattersalls.ie Hurdle on his last start. An emotional Greatrex said: “I believed in the horse, but picture I was struggling with him early season. When he came back in I was having trouble with him with his wind, and I sent him away to be tested, and he then went and won at Wetherby and won well. So I thought the people who were looking at his wind didn’t know what they were on about. “After that I struggled with him and I thought we’d go to the Cleeve and we’d see, and he wasn’t right. So we had it [wind operation] done. I’d like to say a big thank you to at Tattersalls Ireland as a three-year-old to Grove Stud for € my head lad Graham Bains, who does everything with this 13,000. He is out of the unraced Nosie Betty horse. We knew he was spot-on. But I’m small. I’ve got 75 (Alphabatim), who is a full-sister to the Gr.1 Deloitte horses in the yard and we’re breaking through.” Novice Hurdle winner Mr Noise. The winning second dam Sheehan said of the race: “That is what dreams are is a full-sister to the Listed-placed chaser Gold Bearer made of. He jumped off well but I had to get at him just to (Golden Love), from the family of the Listed-winning get my way, so I could get in front. He jumped brilliant and chaser and Gr.1 Champion Bumper runner-up Golden did everything right. He was full of running and I didn’t Alpha (Alphabatim). know whether to squeeze on earlier, as he had so much TINKLER CALLS IT RIGHT FOR running in him.