TUESDAY, 22 MARCH 2016 EXCITEMENT BUILDS AS HUSSONET PASSES AWAY Hussonet (Mr. Prospector--Sacahuista, by Raja Baba), a leading STARS LIMBER UP international stallion of no fewer than 20 champions and 30 Grade/Group 1 winners on four different continents, passed away Monday from a stroke at Cornerstone Stud in South Australia. He was 25 years old. Bred in Kentucky by Peter Brant and Julian Schnabel, the second foal and first to race from 1987 U.S. champion 3-year-old filly Sacahuista won twice and was not out of the top three in seven trips to the races and although he never scaled the heights as a racehorse, Hussonet retired to stud in Chile, where he was represented by three horses of the year and 17 of his champions. Wild Spirit (Chi), the 2003 Chilean Horse of the Year, made her way to the U.S. and took out the 2003 GI Ruffian H. in New York for trainer Todd Pletcher, while Trotamondo (Chi), the 2005 Horse of the Year, annexed the 2005 GIII Native Diver H. in Last season’s G1 Dubai Fillies Mile and Moyglare Stud S. winner California. Cont. p5 Minding pictured with Seamie Heffernan | Racing Post Aidan O’Brien has Royal plans in mind for his Australian import TAPIT’S STRONG HAND GETS STRONGER Vancouver (Aus) (Medaglia d’Oro). The Ballydoyle handler is Andrew Caulfield discusses how leading sire Tapit’s already eyeing up the G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot as a mid-season strong Kentucky Derby hand got stronger with Cupid’s win in target for the ex-Gai Waterhouse trained 3-year-old. The colt the GII Rebel S. showed top-class form in Australia as a juvenile most notably Click or tap here to go straight to TDN America. when winning the G1 Golden Slipper at Rosehill. Despite that success coming over six furlongs, O’Brien feels the colt has the scope to stretch out a bit further in trip. Explaining the horse’s current routine O’Brien said, “He’s been with me three weeks and he’s doing one canter, he’ll step up to two and we’ll prepare him hopefully for Ascot. We’ll be thinking six furlongs or a mile with him. I thought he would be a miler and I’d be thinking about the Queen Anne, even though he has shown six-furlong pace in Australia.” Aidan O’Brien traditionally uses the opening day of the Irish flat season as an opportunity to give some of his stable stars an away day and Sunday saw the champion trainer unleash an army of 50 horses to work on The Curragh turf after racing. Among the throng were some of last season’s star juveniles, such as Air Force One (War Front), Minding (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Hit It A Bomb (War Front) and Ballydoyle (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). The horses where dispatched in five groups of 10 and O’Brien seemed quite happy with their level of fitness for the time of year. “They probably went a bit quicker this year, the ground was a bit better.” Cont. p2 TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 2 of 8 • THETDN.COM TUESDAY, 22 MARCH 2016 ‘Excitement Builds as Stars Limber Up’ cont. from p1 WELCOME CHANGE TO PLUS 10 “It’s probably the first year we’ve come here and the ground A significant amendment to the Plus 10 bonus scheme has has been a bit drier,” O’Brien continued. “Seamus [Heffernan] been announced. In 2016 bonus prizemoney will now be paid to was very happy with Air Force Blue. He cruised up the middle. breeders and pinhookers of horses entered into the Plus 10 It’s five weeks to the Guineas and we’ll probably go straight scheme regardless of whether the horse has been fully qualified there,” reported O’Brien after the gallop. Of his unbeaten GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Hit It A Bomb, O’Brien for the scheme by its current owner. For breeders and commented, “He might go to the French Guineas, assuming Air pinhookers, the new payment structure equates to a guarantee Force Blue goes to Newmarket. He might go for a trial there if of a bonus payment, should the horse they bred and/or he’s going. He’s done very well and he’s carrying plenty of registered for Plus 10, go on to win a bonus race. The bonus condition--a trial would help him.” payments will be as follows: £1,000 where only the Foal In a similar situation with the colts, O’Brien is also keen to Registration has been paid and £2,000 where only the Foal and keep his Group 1-winning 3-year-old fillies apart if he can and he Yearling Registrations have been paid. Where all three explained, “Ballydoyle will stick to fast ground and could go for registration stages have been paid, the full £10,000 will be paid the French Guineas if Minding goes for the English one. Seamus out. This is a welcome introduction as there could easily have seemed very happy with Minding, we’ll look to the English been scenarios whereby a pinhooker had paid up two Guineas, but she wouldn’t want the ground like concrete.” Of registration payments to ensure his yearling was Plus 10 eligible the older brigade, O’Brien’s other Breeders’ Cup winner Found at the sales. Failure on the new owner’s part to pay the final (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was also in action and O’Brien received registration would have rendered the pinhooker’s Plus 10 positive feedback from Heffernan about the 4-year-old. investment as worthless. “Seamus was very happy with her. She might come back here Eddie O’Leary, a major buyer and consignor through his Lynn for the G3 Mooresbridge S. or to work, with a view to getting Lodge Stud commented on the announcement, “This change her ready for the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup.” was needed--the breeders’ investment cannot be wasted when inclusion in further registration stages to fully qualify horses is beyond their control.” Cont. p3 TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 3 of 8 • THETDN.COM TUESDAY, 22 MARCH 2016 “I am a big believer in the Plus 10 bonus scheme when the breeder gets rewarded--this makes it a much fairer system for all, so I will continue to support it and register my foals and yearlings into the scheme,” O’Leary concluded. Julian Dollar of Newsells Park Stud echoed these sentiments and said, “Newsells Park has been an enthusiastic supporter of Plus 10 since its inception and I am delighted this amendment has been made. The change offers breeders further peace of mind that Plus 10 is a sensible investment by removing the risk to them of the registration not being completed by the owner, while still providing the upside of enhanced prices in the sales ring.” The first Plus 10 race of the turf season was run at The Curragh on Sunday and was won by the Darren Bunyan-trained Mister Trader (GB) (Hellvelyn {GB}). The colt was bought for €15,000 as The first 2-year-old Plus 10 bonus race of the season was won by a yearling at Tattersalls Ireland and connections received a Mister Trader (Hellvelyn), trained by Darren Bunyan, at The Curragh cheque for €12,500 in addition to the prizemoney. Sunday. | Peter Mooney CLARIFICATION In “Five Frankels Set for Easter Sale” in Monday’s TDN, the number of mares Frankel was miscalculated. Frankel covered 21 mares in his first crop, and 40 total in his first three Southern Hemisphere seasons. TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 4 of 8 • THETDN.COM TUESDAY, 22 MARCH 2016 7th-LYP, €22,000, 3-20, 3yo, 11fT, 2:30.23, g/s. TOP BY COCOONING (FR) (c, 3, American Post {GB}--Cocooning {Fr} {SP-Fr}, by Galetto {Fr}) Lifetime Record: 4 starts, 2 wins, 2 places, €19,000. O/B-Jean-Claude Bouret (FR); T-J-P Gauvin. CONDITIONS RESULTS: *1/2 to Comete (Fr) (Jeune Homme), GSW-Fr, $207,289. 1st-ANG, €27,000, 3-21, 3yo, 10fT, 2:09.31, g/s. SOTTEVILLE (FR) (f, 3, Le Havre {Ire}--Sandsnow {Ire}, by 7th-MPV, €20,000, 3-21, 4yo/up, 13f (AWT), 2:48.69, st. Verglas {Ire}) Lifetime Record: 4 starts, 2 wins, 1 place, €24,700. SAVOKEN (FR) (g, 5, Kentucky Dynamite--Savoya {Fr}, by O-Gerard Augustin-Normand; B-Franklin Finance S.A. (FR); Anabaa) Lifetime Record: SP-Fr, 9 starts, 3 wins, 6 places, T-Jean-Claude Rouget. *Full to Crisolles (Fr), MGSP-Fr, $119,151. €52,400. O/B-Ecurie du Sud (FR); T-Cedric Rossi. 5th-MPV, €27,000, 3-21, 3yo, 10f (AWT), 2:09.16, st. ADDITIONAL MAIDEN WINNERS: KIDMENEVER (IRE) (c, 3, Baltic King {GB}--Pepys Tillergirl {Ire}, +The Golden Boy (Fr), c, 3, Myboycharlie (Ire)--Adjira (Ire), by by Tillerman {GB}) Lifetime Record: 13 starts, 3 wins, 5 places, Montjeu (Ire). ANG, 3-21, 10 1/2fT, 2:14.39. B-C Barel & A €54,262. O-Gerard Augustin-Normand, Elisabeth Vidal & F Hiriart (FR). Vermeulen; B-George S O’Malley (IRE); T-Fabrice Vermeulen. Silver Dollar (Fr), c, 3, Silver Frost (Ire)--My Memoir (Ire), by *€10,000 2yo ‘15 GORMAY. King’s Best. MPV, 3-21, 13f (AWT), 2:51.01. B-Haras des Sablonnets, Comte H de Talhouet-Roy & Ecurie Serval (FR). 3rd-LYP, €25,000, 3-20, 4yo/up, 11fT, 2:29.97, g/s. *€41,000 Ylg ‘14 AROCT. BEST FOUAD (FR) (g, 5, King’s Best--Raheefa, by Riverman) Lifetime Record: MSP-Fr, 18 starts, 5 wins, 10 places, €164,250.