Andrew Caulfield, January 4, 2005–Zenno Rob Roy (Jpn) P EDIGREE INSIGHTS Unfortunately Hancock’s prediction that Sunday Silence and Easy Goer were destined for greatness as BY ANDREW CAULFIELD stallions proved to be only half right. It was Sunday Silence who earned that accolade with a totally dominant career which has earned him comparison with ARIMA KINEN-G1-JRA (Listed), ¥346,620,000, Naka- Sadler’s Wells. yama, 12-26, 3yo/up, 2500mT, 2:29.50 (NSR), fm. The latter has occasionally been responsible for first, 1--ZENNO ROB ROY (JPN), 125, c, 4, by Sunday Silence second and third in major races and Sunday Silence has 1st Dam: Roamin Rachel (GISW, $528,777), by Mining often pulled off this feat, including in October’s G1 2nd Dam: One Smart Lady, by Clever Trick 3rd Dam: Pia’s Lady, by Pia Star Tenno Sho, when Zenno Rob Roy led home Dance In O-Shiraoi Farm; B-Shinobu Oosako; T-Kazuo The Mood and Admire Groove. Since then, Zenno Rob Fujisawa; J-Olivier Peslier; ¥183,234,000. Lifetime Roy has become only the second horse to complete the Record: G1SW-Jpn, 15-7-4-2, ¥964,508,000. *1/2 very difficult treble of Tenno Sho (1 1/4 miles), Japan to Darling My Darling (Deputy Minister), MSW & Cup (1 1/2 miles) and Arima Kinen (1 9/16 miles). MGISP, $352,359. This trio of Group 1 successes gives Zenno Rob Roy Every time a Japanese Group 1 event falls to one of star billing among a celebrated 2004 cast of over 20 Sunday Silence’s offspring--a very common occurrence-- Japanese group winners by Sunday Silence, which also I can’t help thinking back to the summer of 1990, when featured Durandal (Mile Championship), Admire Groove this Horse of the Year was forced into retirement by a (Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup) and the ligament tear. winners of the 1000 Guineas, 2000 Guineas and Oaks. At the time, Arthur Hancock commented that: The 1000 Guineas winner Dance In The Mood “It’s the end of a wonderfully blessed racing career ventured to California last July to finish second to and the beginning of a new one… He and Easy Goer Ticker Tape in the GI American Oaks. There was further were both great horses and will both be great international evidence of Sunday Silence’s prowess in stallions.” Sundrop’s close second to Attraction in the 1,000 At that stage Sunday Silence was scheduled to retire Guineas at Newmarket and in Layman’s victory in the to Hancock’s Stone Farm--his birthplace and home also G3 Prix de Cabourg. In the past we have seen Sunday to his sire Halo--with Easy Goer heading for the Picnic win the G3 Prix Cleopatre, To The Victory finish Hancock family’s Claiborne Farm. second in the Dubai World Cup, Stay Gold win the At the same time, Charlie Whittingham recalled, “all Dubai Sheema Classic and Hong Kong Vase, Sunday those people didn’t want to buy him, at the auctions Joy win the AJC Oaks and Silent Honor take the G3 and privately, because he was kind of gangly and Cherry Hinton S. awkward as a young horse. Despite all that, he turned The question this raises is whether Sunday Silence out to be a classy freak that everyone misjudged.” would have become such a superstar stallion had That misjudgement continued over the next few American breeders been able to get past the fact that weeks. Although it was announced that Sunday Silence his first two dams were daughters of Understanding would stand the 1991 season at $50,000 live foal, and and Montparnasse. that some shares might also be sold, September It is hard to say, partly because the mares he covered brought news that Sunday Silence had been sold in Japan were probably higher up the pecking order entirely to Zenya Yoshida. The Shadai Stud master had than the mares he might have attracted from skeptical initially bought a 25-percent interest six months earlier American breeders. It could also be argued that most of for $2.5 million and then stepped in with another $7.5 his success has come on the turf, but this is largely million for the remaining 75 percent when American because he has been mated with turf performers in breeders showed little interest in using this “freak.” Japan. Caulfield cont. www.coolmore.com The broodmare sires of his Group 1 winners in 2004-- Tony Bin, Dr Devious, Northern Taste, In The Wings and Mining--were turf performers with the notable exception of Mining, the broodmare sire of Zenno Rob Roy. Mining was sold to Japan in October 1995, at the age of 11, after seven years at Glencrest Farm. With Mr. Prospector as his sire and a Buckpasser mare as his dam, Mining was bred to the same pattern as Seeking the Gold, Woodman, Miswaki and that good broodmare Proflare. Sunday Silence also sired important winners out of daughters of Miswaki (Silence Suzuka, winner of the G1 Takarazuka Kinen over 1 3/8 miles) and Woodman. Mining was inbred 2 x 4 to Raise a Native and this could help explain not only why he raced infrequently but also why he was so talented. When he proved too good for Gulch in the GI Vosburgh S. over seven furlongs in October of his four-year-old season, Mining was winning for the sixth time in six starts. However, he could finish only 10th behind Gulch when favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Mining had sired eight stakes winners from three crops of racing age by the time he was sold, his only Grade I winner being Zenno Rob Roy’s dam Roamin Rachel. Zenno Rob Roy, who finished second in the 2003 Japanese Derby, clearly stays a mile and a half very well, but speed was his dam’s forte. Thirteen of her 15 starts came in sprints and she was fast enough to win nine of them, including the GI Ballerina H. over seven furlongs. Roamin Rachel’s sister Choice Claim has also produced a graded winner (Another), who gained her best win over six furlongs even though she is by Seattle Slew. Roamin Rachel was exported to Japan after selling for $750,000, in foal to Storm Cat, at Keeneland’s 1998 November Sale. She had already produced three foals and one of them, her Deputy Minister filly Darling My Darling, was second twice at Grade I level as a juvenile, before winning two stakes events. The tragedy of Sunday Silence’s death was that it came when he was still only 16, but his influence is sure to live on. The JRA sire rankings published in last week’s TDN showed sons of Sunday Silence in second, fourth and ninth places behind their sire on the general list. There are also three sons among the top nine juvenile sires, which are again headed by Sunday Silence, including the first-crop sire Admire Vega. This winner of the Japanese Derby has the smart Stormy Café among his eight winners. No doubt Zenno Rob Roy is also destined to become a very successful sire and I can’t help thinking that Sunday Silence’s descendants may well have an important role to play outside Japan..