Ghaiyyath Crowned Longines World=S Best Racehorse Cont
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
WEDNESDAY, 27 JANUARY 2021 GHAIYYATH CROWNED DETTORI SCOOPS LONGINES AWARD FOR FOURTH TIME LONGINES WORLD=S BEST Frankie Dettori turned 50 at the end of 2020 and it was yet another memorable year for the jockey on the racecourse, RACEHORSE during which he earned his third consecutive Longines World's Best Jockey Award. He first won the award in 2015. "Whoever thought at my age I could still do it?" Said Dettori from his home in Newmarket as he joined the Longines Racing Awards via a video link. The most successful horses with which the Italian-born jockey was associated in 2020 were the European champion 3-year-old colt, Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}), champion stayer Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and the recently retired Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), who recorded an historic hat-trick in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. at Ascot. All three were trained in Newmarket by John Gosden. Cont. p5 IN TDN AMERICA TODAY Ghaiyyath winning the Juddmonte International over Group 1 winners KY SIRES FOR 2021: FOURTH-CROP STALLIONS Magical, Lord North and Kameko | racingfotos.com Chris McGrath examines the cohort of Kentucky sires whose first crops are five this year. Click or tap here to go straight to By Emma Berry TDN America. Godolphin's Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) was officially named Longines World's Best Racehorse on Tuesday having been assessed to have posted the top two performances of 2020. His high mark of 130 was gained in the G1 Juddmonte International S. at York, which was also named Longines World's Best Horserace for the first time. The former Charlie Appleby trainee also recorded a mark of 127 in the G1 Hurworth Bloodstock Coronation Cup which, in a pandemic-disrupted season, was moved from Epsom to Newmarket. Bred by the Weld family's Springbank Way Stud from the 2006 G1 Irish 1000 Guineas winner Nightime (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Ghaiyyath won his first four starts in 2020, starting out with a facile victory in the G3 Dubai Millennium S. at Meydan in track record time. Returning to the UK, the 5-year-old beat the previous season's Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) in the Coronation Cup before claiming an even bigger scalp with his victory over Enable (GB) in the G1 Coral-Eclipse. His championship performance came with his three-length strike in the International, in which fellow Group 1 winners Magical (Ire), Lord North (Ire) and Kameko filled the minor places. Cont. p2 TDN EUROPE • PAGE 2 OF 7 • THETDN.COM WEDNESDAY • 27 JANUARY 2021 Ghaiyyath Crowned Longines World=s Best Racehorse cont. and for Godolphin was a great honour. from p1 "The most pleasing victory in 2020 was the Juddmonte Ghaiyyath has now retired to his owner Sheikh Mohammed Al International. I felt it just confirmed what we had seen in the Maktoum's Kildangan Stud in Ireland. Eclipse when he beat Enable." "In some ways Ghaiyyath was The ongoing Covid-19 the perfect racehorse; he had so restrictions meant that for the many positive attributes," said first time the awards, organised Joe Osborne, managing director for the eighth year in tandem by of Godolphin Ireland. "He Longines and the International campaigned internationally and Federation of Horseracing he was at that age to have Authorities (IFHA), were reached his peak form. He was presented in an online ceremony the kind of brand ambassador hosted by Francesca Cumani at that Godolphin has been famous Newmarket's National for down the years. His high Horseracing Museum instead of cruising speed and his ability to in London. find acceleration at the end of A stellar season for the Bob his races was what really set him Baffert-trained Authentic (Into apart." Mischief) saw him win the GI Charlie Appleby added, "It was Click to watch the 2020 Longines World Racing Awards Kentucky Derby and GI Haskell S. a great privilege to be involved racingfotos.com but it was his 2 1/4-length with a horse like Ghaiyyath. Right victory in the GI Breeders' Cup from the start he was one of the horses we were very fond of Classic which was judged to be his standout performance of the and to train a horse like this for His Highness Sheikh Mohammed year on 126. TDN EUROPE • PAGE 3 OF 7 • THETDN.COM WEDNESDAY • 27 JANUARY 2021 Longines World=s Best Racehorse cont. This placed him second overall in the rankings and made him the world's best 3-year-old and highest-rated dirt horse. Authentic is now at stud at Spendthrift Farm, which comprised one part of his large syndicate of owners during his racing days. The group included Myracehorse Stable, with members in every state in America and from more than 20 countries around the Senior Vice President Gary King world. Twitter: @garykingTDN "I used to love looking forward to making that trip to London [email protected] even though it was always freezing," said Baffert via video link + 1.732.320.0975 from his home in California. The trainer was also responsible for Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup Classic winner American International Editor Pharoah, who was the Longines World's Best Racehorse of 2015, Kelsey Riley as well as Arrogate, the world's top-rated horse of 2016 and Twitter: @kelseynrileyTDN 2017. [email protected] European Editor Emma Berry AUTHENTIC WAS JUST GETTING Twitter: @collingsberry [email protected] BETTER AND BETTER AND BETTER. Associate International Editor HE HAD A LOT OF SPEED AND HE Heather Anderson COULD CARRY IT A MILE AND A Twitter: @HLAndersonTDN QUARTER EFFORTLESSLY Marketing Manager Bob Baffert Alayna Cullen Twitter: @AlaynaCullen [email protected] Contributing Editors Alan Carasso He continued, "Authentic was just getting better and better Christina Bossinakis and better. He had a lot of speed and he could carry it a mile Cafe Racing and a quarter effortlessly. It takes a really good horse to win the Sean Cronin Derby and the Breeders' Cup Classic. It's just an honour to be Tom Frary involved in this. Racing is all about bragging rights so to have a [email protected] horse as good as this is what it's all about." There was a seven-way tie for third between horses trained in Irish Correspondent Britain, France, America and Australia on a ranking of 125. Daithi Harvey Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) won three Group 1 races in two different hemispheres for the William Haggas stable in 2020 but Regular Columnists Chris McGrath | John Berry | Kevin Blake it was his season-closing victory in the G1 QIPCO British Amy Lynam | Melissa Steele Champion S. for which he gained top marks, alongside fellow Newmarket resident Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}). The latter was the top-rated European 3-year-old, gaining his mark for his run in the G1 Prix du Haras Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois IN TDN AUS/NZ TODAY at Deauville. Juddmonte's Kingman is also the sire of Persian HKJC LANDS ON SAVABEEL COLT King (Ire), ranked equal to Palace Pier on 125 after winning the A NZ$720,000 colt by Savabeel led the third session of New G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, while Palace Pier's stablemate Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale. Click or tap here to Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) is again the top stayer in go straight to TDN Aus/NZ. TDN EUROPE • PAGE 4 OF 7 • THETDN.COM WEDNESDAY • 27 JANUARY 2021 Longines World=s Best Racehorse cont. (Dubawi {Ire}), and the Japanese duo of GI Tenno Sho runner-up the world having run to 125 when winning the G1 Gold Cup for Fierement (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Glory Vase (Jpn) (Deep the third time at Royal Ascot. Impact {Jpn}). The Barclay Tagg-trained Tiz The Law (Constitution) was also Breeders' Cup Classic runner-up Improbable (City Zip) was awarded 125 for his GI Runhappy Travers S. victory, and that another to reach 123, a mark he gained twice, in the GI Whitney mark was also achieved by Australian sprinters Bivouac (Aus) S. and GI Awesome Again S. (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) and Classique Legend (Aus) (Not A The best performance of 2020 for Juddmonte superstar Single Doubt {Aus}) in the G1 Darley Sprint Classic and The TAB Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) was her record third victory in the Everest, respectively. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S, for which she was Japan's recently retired Horse of the Year Almond Eye (Jpn) awarded a mark of 122. This same rating was given to Love (Ire) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), trained by Sakae Kunieda, was judged to (Galileo {Ire}) for her victories in the Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks, as have run to a mark of 124 on well as 2000 Guineas winner two occasions, when winning Kameko (Kitten's Joy) for his the GI Victoria Mile and GI G2 Shadwell Joel S. success, Longines Japan Cup for the and to the previous season's second time. That same European champion mark was awarded to her 2-year-old Pinatubo (Ire) compatriot, the Triple Crown (Shamardal). Also on 122 winner Contrail (Jpn) (Deep were Maximum Security Impact {Jpn}), whose first (New Year's Day), Anthony taste of defeat came when Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), finishing runner-up to Beauty Generation (NZ) Almond Eye in the Japan (Road To Rock {Aus}), Cup. Gamine (Into Mischief), In Also in equal-tenth place Swoop (Ire) (Adlerflug on 124 was Hong Kong star {Ger}), Magical (Ire) (Galileo Golden Sixty (Aus) Almond Eye achieved a mark of 124 twice | Horsephotos {Ire}), Tarnawa (Ire) (Medaglia d'Oro), now the (Shamardal), Swiss Skydiver winner of 15 of his 16 races and gaining his top mark in the G1 (Daredevil) and Tom's d'Etat (Smart Strike).