Karen Headley following in her father’s footsteps. P7 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2014 732-747-8060 $ TDN Home Page Click Here LA ROUTE CONTINUES TO GAIN POPULARITY RUBICK FLYING AHEAD OF BD PRELUDE by Emma Berry J “TDN Rising Star” J Rubick (Aus) (Encosta de Back in 2010, the arrival of some 30 new sires in Lago {Aus}), who ran to the hype and shot to the head France prompted a new initiative from the French of the G1 Golden Slipper market when a three-length Racing & Breeding Committee (FRBC) and the country=s debut winner at Randwick Jan. 25, tuned up for this stud farmers in an attempt to revitalise the domestic Saturday=s G3 Blue Diamond (C&G) Prelude S. with a stallion market. Now held annually on the first weekend smooth hit-out Monday at Rosehill. With jockey Brenton of February, La Route des Etalons, which this year saw Avdulla in the irons, the A$460,000 Magic Millions 27 farms open their doors to show off 98 stallions in Gold Coast yearling Normandy, has grown in both stature and popularity. purchase covered 800 At its heart it is, of course, a commercial imperative, meters in :51.5, much not only to stem the flow of French-based mares to the delight of trainer leaving the country to be Gerald Ryan. AHe covered in Britain and worked enormous this Ireland, but also to morning,@ Ryan told stimulate extra interest AAP. AHe ran his last from overseas breeders. 400 metres in :22.82 While many larger and last 200 metres in breeders would naturally :11.33 and did it easily. flock to the big-name sires He will go down to Rubick standing in France=s two Melbourne overnight racingandsports.com.au major European rival Redoute’s Choice [Monday into Tuesday]. countries, the range of Emma Berry He=s only ever travelled to the Gold Coast sales and stallions covering in a back, so I wouldn=t have a clue how he will handle the more reasonable fee bracket has been a lure for smaller trip. But he is such a relaxed horse and nothing seems breeders seeking to take advantage of the lucrative to bother him, so I think he will be fine.@ Rubick is the French premiums scheme. $3 (2-1) ante-post favorite for the G1 Blue Diamond S. ALa Route des Etalons has grown each year and this Feb. 22 ahead of Earthquake (Aus) (Exceed and Excel year we are pleased to have welcomed breeders from {Aus}), who runs in Saturday=s filly Prelude. The Darley Germany, England, Ireland, Italy and Belgium, as well as filly is listed as the $4.80 (7-2) second favorite for the many French breeders,@ says the event founder and Blue Diamond. co-organiser Christine Dutertre of Haras du Mezeray. Such is the rising profile of the weekend that 250 guests gathered at Arqana for the now-traditional Saturday night party, while 180 were hosted last year. AIn France, people are now expecting this event so they can confirm their Slickly at Haras du Logis matings or make their Emma Berry choices, and from a human aspect, people enjoy going from farm to farm and meeting other breeders along the way,@ Dutertre continued. AIt=s very convivial.@ Last year, the French ranks were boosted by the arrival of a big-hitter from down under, Arrowfield Stud=s multiple champion sire, Redoute=s Choice (Aus) (Danehill). The imposing 18-year-old has returned to the Aga Khan=s Bonneval Stud to stand alongside Sinndar (Ire) (Grand Lodge) and Siyouni (Fr) (Pivotal {GB}) for a second season this year and, at i60,000, is France=s most expensive stallion. Cont. p3 IN THIS ISSUE PEB’s TDN Sketch of the Week CO-PUBLISHERS President: Barry Weisbord [email protected] @barryweisbord Vice President: Sue Finley [email protected] @suefinley BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Director of Business Development: Gary King [email protected] EDITORIAL [email protected] Editor-in-Chief: Jessica Martini Managing Editor: Alan Carasso Racing Editor: Steve Sherack Racing Analyst/Social Media Director: Brian DiDonato Click here to buy a print of this sketch, or the original. Associate Editor: Justina Severni Currently accepting commissions. Visit www.pebsite.com for details. Assistant Editor: Christie DeBernardis Assistant Editor: Heather Likins Assistant Editor: Michael Illiano Lucy Stack passes away ADVERTISING Owner/breeder Lucy Stack, wife of Fozzy Stack, passed away [email protected] Director of Advertising: Alycia Borer Sunday. Art Director: Lia Kusch Sr. Ad Coordinator/Dir. of Distribution: Sarah K. Andrew Lucy Stack Advertising Designer: Amanda Crelin Racing Post Advertising Assistant: Amanda Foster Page 6 CUSTOMER SERVICE Training in genes for Headley [email protected] Karen Headley is following in the footsteps of her father, Director of Customer Service: Vicki Forbes legendary horseman Bruce Headley, and while still in her first year of training on her own, she could have a star in the making. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY [email protected] Director of IT: Robert Williams Karen Headley Benoit Photo WORLDWIDE INFORMATION International Editor: Kelsey Riley Page 7 [email protected] Andrew Caulfield Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing: Sean Cronin Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing: Tom Frary Pedigree analyst Andrew Caulfield reevaluates Unbridled’s [email protected] Song’s status as a sire of sires in the wake of Fashion Plate (Old Fashioned)’s win in Saturday’s GI Las Virgenes S. at Santa Fashion Plate 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 Anita. Benoit Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-8060 | 732-747-8955 (fax) www.thoroughbreddailynews.com Page 11 www.thetdn.com TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 2/4/14 • PAGE 3 of 13 • thoroughbreddailynews.com La Route Continues to Gain Popularity (cont. from p1) AWe were very happy with the weekend,@ says AWe have participated in this weekend from the start Bouquetot=s manager Benoit Jeffroy, a former member and it is particularly useful when you are introducing a of Darley=s nominations team. AWe had around 600 new stallion, as we were with Redoute=s Choice last visitors over the two days and, as a new operation in year,@ says Aga Khan Studs manager Georges Rimaud. the stallion market, it=s AFor us this year, Siyouni is already full, but we=ve sold really important to let a few nominations to Redoute=s Choice today, so it is people know we=re here worthwhile.@ and to show them our One stud for which La Route team and the horses.@ des Etalons 2014 was At seven, the G1 Prix particularly important was Al Ganay winner Planteur, Shaqab Racing=s Haras de who was retired after his Bouquetot, which is standing its final start in the first two stallions, Planteur (Ire) GI Breeders= Cup Classic Planteur (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) and Style last year, looks terrific. Emma Berry Vendome (Fr) (Anabaa), this Along with Air Chief Marshal (Ire) at Haras de la season. Cauviniere, he is one of only two sons of Danehill The base of Sheikh Joaan Al Dancer at stud in France and will certainly have found Thani=s burgeoning breeding favour with breeders who have seen him in the flesh. empire, Bouquetot is in the His young counterpart Style Vendome won last throes of a fairly major season=s Poule d=Essai des Poulains and, as a son of the expansion. Originally a farm for late Anabaa, has big shoes to fill in France. breeding Thoroughbreds and Jeffroy adds: AOver the last five years there have trotters, it has recently been been some significant new stallions in France and some used as a training centre, but new farms too, like Cauviniere, and Haras de work on a new six-box stallion Grandcamp, which now has six stallions. It gives people yard is under way and, if the Benoit Jeffroy the opportunity to use good horses at home--we all sheikh=s recent investment in Emma Berry know that plenty of mares go abroad to be covered, racing is anything to go by, it but it is much easier for French breeders to use stallions won=t be long before those boxes are full. at home and the market is improving all the time.@ TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 2/4/14 • PAGE 4 of 13 • thoroughbreddailynews.com If Haras de Bouquetot is a name of which we=ll be hearing plenty more in the coming years, Haras du Quesnay is one which has been the bedrock of the French breeding establishment for decades. The Head family=s operation remains very much at the forefront, however, as its production of the outstanding Classic and Arc winner Treve (Fr) (Motivator {GB}) proved last season. While Treve was born and raised at Quesnay, she will retire eventually to Bouquetot, having been sold to Sheikh Joaan while in training last year. In the meantime she remains, understandably, a source of great pride to her trainer Criquette Head-Maarek, who broke off from her spiel on the Quesnay Liam Norris and Criquette Head-Maarek stallions to show Emma Berry breeders a recent photo of Treve on her phone, as one might show off a favourite child. Head-Maarek=s presence at Quesnay during the weekend brings an extra personal touch to proceedings. Her genuine affection for the stallions on the roster-- whether it be her parents= homebred Dunkerque (Fr), a son of the former Quesnay stalwart Highest Honor (Fr), or Treve=s sire Motivator--is touchingly apparent. Of immediate interest this season will be the first runners for another Quesnay resident, Youmzain (Ire) (Sinndar {Ire}). As runner-up to Dylan Thomas, Zarkava and then Sea the Stars in consecutive runnings of the G1 Prix de l=Arc de Triomphe, Youmzain is held in great affection by a number of racing fans and the dual Group 1 winner has been well supported since his retirement to stud, not least by his owner, Jaber Abdullah, who has sent him around 20 mares each season.