THE EMIRATES MELBOURNE CUP DETERMINATION: Rekindling (Corey Brown) outguns his stablemate Johannes Vermeer (Ben Melham) to win the Group 1 Emirates Melbourne Cup at Flemington. PHOTO JOHN DONEGAN/RACING PHOTOS The REKINDLING story From tiny bottle-fed colt to the toast of Melbourne, Rekindling has created his own history and warmed the hearts of his breeders in Somerset, England. DANNY POWER has the story. he 2017 Emirates Melbourne prolific owner Sol Green as a foal in the go on to train a record 12 winners. Cup winner Rekindling did company of his dam. Interestingly, Rekindling is part- something only one of the After winning eight Stakes races from owned by a modern-day Sol Green. Lloyd great Cup winners of the 1600 metres to 3200 metres, Comedy King Williams is a gambler of sorts, in business past was able to achieve, and retired to stand at Noorilim Stud, north and in racing. While he says he no longer that is to win the famous of Nagambie, where he sired 41 Stakes bets in telephone numbers as he did in his Trace as a northern hemisphere-bred three- winners, including two Melbourne Cup younger days and when joining forces with year-old. winners, Artilleryman (1919) and King his mate, the late Kerry Packer, he gambles Comedy King (GB)—the first import to Ingoda (1922) and the five-time Melbourne these days on his ability to buy and select win the Melbourne Cup and a northern Cup runner and multiple-placed Shadow his next Melbourne Cup winner. hemisphere-bred three-year-old—did it in King. Like the poker machines at Crown, 1910 when ridden by Lee Freedman’s great Comedy King’s influence in the Williams puts in a lot for the occasional grandfather William “Midge” McLachlan. Melbourne Cup stretched to 1950 when ringing of the jackpot bells, as well as the Comedy King (br h 1907, Persimmon his maternal great-grandson, Comic Court, odd teaser win along the way. (GB)-Tragedy Queen (GB), by Gallinule won the Cup for trainer Jim Cummings Rekindling is one of those jackpots (GB)) was imported by big-time bookie and and his son and strapper, Bart, who would for Williams, his son Nick and his 12 4 INSIDE RACING THE EMIRATES MELBOURNE CUP THANKS FOR SIX: Lloyd Williams gives the diminutive Rekindling a rub on the nose after the colt won the part- owner his sixth Melbourne Cup at Flemington. PHOTO PAT SCALA/RACING PHOTOS partners. While most of his recent buys from the northern hemisphere have been high- priced individuals, Rekindling, like his winner last year Almandin, was a relatively cheap buy, although the price in undisclosed. The Williamses bought the colt privately as a yearling, before he’d established himself as a racehorse of any note. It was an inspired buy and the first of Lloyd Williams’ six Cup winners that was bought as a yearling—Efficient (2007) being the closest, bought at the 2005 NZB Karaka Ready to Run Sale as an unraced two- year-old. Almandin, Green Moon (2012), What A Nuisance (1985) and Just A Dash (1981) were bought as raced horses and transformed into Melbourne Cup winners. in England’s Owner & Breeder doubled his money when sold who went on to win at Group 2 magazine, in 2009, produced as a yearling. The Pococks level and was Group 1 placed; he Rekindling story starts this magnificent quote: “We then arrived at the December Shouk’s 2002 foal became Thumbly on a dairy farm got into horses to give us sale with that dividend and Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes set in the Quantock Hills in something else to look at other spent 16,000 guineas on two winner Magical Romance, who Somerset in England’s south- than cows and we had some broodmares. was followed by the champion west. success with our jumpers, but They paid 10,000 guineas filly Alexandrova, winner of Robert Pocock (67) stumbled it got difficult taking on Martin for Sitara (GB) (b m 1998, three Group 1 Oaks in 2006 into thoroughbred breeding Pipe at Taunton (in Somerset). Salse (USA)-Souk (IRE), by in consecutive starts—Epsom 40 years ago when Stringston So we went for another option Ahonoora (GB)) and 6000 Oaks, Irish Oaks and Yorkshire Farm’s founder, Robert’s father and took on Sheikh guineas for the other Oaks. Pat, went to buy some cattle at Mohammed!” mare, Divine Grace, The “other mare”, Divine a nearby farm. The cattle were He didn’t have Robert’s son Nick the best of starts and 2000 guineas Grace, was in foal to Shinko of poor quality so Pat decided (37), after showing was available to be Forest and the resultant colt, not to buy them, but he noticed little interest in to be fair to him, spent at the bar. Electric Beat, sold for peanuts a good-moving broodmare horses at a young but he always Modest sums, but at 2800 guineas, but went on in the paddocks that was for age, eventually was cocky and little did they know to win Group 2 and 3 races sale and came home with her saw a future in had the ambition that luck was on their in Germany, the first Stakes instead. thoroughbred from day one. side. From that mare, named breeding for flat NICK POCOCK Robert Pocock Fireball, Pat Pocock and his racing, and he was wanted Sitara—one NORTHERN son got into the jumps scene, HEMISPHERE- dispatched far and wide to win from eight starts when BRED 3YOS IN THE breeding horses for, and racing learn more about the trade, trained by Luca Cumani— MELBOURNE CUP in, the powerful National Hunt including six years at Coolmore because of her Aga Khan- as a sideline to their cattle and in Ireland. driven pedigree, and the dairy business. At one stage, 1910 Comedy King (GB), It’s that relationship between cheapest way to source those trainer James Lynch—won Pat took out a trainer’s licence the Pococks and Coolmore famous bloodlines was to buy with moderate success. 2007 Mahler (GB), trainer that is the reason behind the into mares that have skipped a Aidan O’Brien—third Robert Pocock said the breeding of Rekindling, a son generation from the Aga Khan’s reason the family got into 2008 Alessandro Volta (GB), of Coolmore’s now-deceased stars. Sitara, although a half- trainer Aidan O’Brien—20th breeding flat horses was that High Chaparral. sister to a Listed winner Puce, competition for a small- 2014 Bondi Beach (IRE), The Pococks bought was from what was then a quiet trainer Aidan O’Brien—16th time operation against such Rekindling’s dam, Sitara, at Aga Khan family. champion jumps trainers as the 2002 Tattersalls December Soon after, Sitara’s two LLOYD WILLIAMS’ CUP RECORD Martin Pipe made life difficult, Breeding Sale at Newmarket. half-sisters, Puce (by Darshaan so under Robert’s guidance the They had sold half a herd of (GB)) and Shouk (by Shirley FROM 1981 TO 2017 family switched to breeding cattle and put a quarter of Heights (GB)), gave the young 42 starters, six winners, flat horses. that money, 9000 guineas, mare’s pedigree a massive 23 individual years. Robert Pocock, in a story towards a pinhooked colt that boost. Puce produced Pongee, INSIDE RACING 5 THE EMIRATES MELBOURNE CUP Cloud (2000m) at Saint-Cloud a international road-racing cycling THE BREEDERS: Robert Pocock (right) and son Nick flank Rekindling’s dam Sitara at their Stringston Farm in month later. team Orica-Scott. Somerset. PHOTO COURTESY OF POCOCK FAMILY Rekindling was to be It was Ryan’s second Emirates Wachman’s final runner. Soon Melbourne Cup after winning after he handed in his licence with the popular French-trained to take up an executive position galloper Americain in 2010. within the Coolmore business, Williams transferred Rekindling loyd Williams said it is part to Joseph O’Brien on the O’Brien Lof the joy of winning the race family property, Carriganog to be able to share it with close Stables, Piltown, County friends. Kilkenny. “We raced this horse O’Brien, now 24, retired with Joseph overseas, but when from riding in late 2015 due to they (the horses) come out here, increasing weight—having won Nick likes to get a lot of friends 30 Group 1 races (10 Classics) in, so we keep 60-70 per cent in six years riding for his father of the horses ourselves and give Aidan—and took up training them a little share,” Williams with a mixed stable of jumpers said after this year’s Cup, and flat horses. He had his first although “give” might not be the race starters in mid-2016, correct use of the word. O’Brien said Rekindling was “That’s what we did last a no-fuss horse to train. “He’s a year with Almandin. When he light-framed horse who doesn’t won the (Bart) Cummings (at winner for Stringston Farm. selling most of their youngsters need a lot of work; he trains Flemington) we owned him The first time Sitara crossed the as weanlings, the small, good- himself,” he said. ourselves and we put some other Irish Sea to visit High Chaparral, walking colt was sent to the 2014 O’Brien said it was Williams people in to share the day, and she produced a colt that made Tattersalls September Foal Sale, and son Nick who lit the fuse on hopefully when we do it they her name as a broodmare. That where he caught the eye of noted a possible trip to Melbourne for share the luck.