Annual Update

It has been a year of mixed results and far too many seconds and thirds!

January was quite a sad month for us as our stable star Dansant was retired to stud. He had been a brilliant servant over the years winning 9 races, 6 of them listed and earning over £200,000 in prize money. If you could have a horse like him every year you would be very fortunate. He has settled into his new role very well and has covered over 30 mares. We are very much looking forward to having a “mini Dansant” one day in the future.

The rest of January was pretty hit and miss, we had a few disappointing runners but on the flip side we had an encouraging debut from Full Bloom and a couple of good efforts from Good Again.

Despite her efforts she was fairly difficult to keep sound and we came to the heart breaking decision to sell her. She was in foal to Kheleyf went she went through the sales ring in July and we were sad to see her go but happy she was sold to Whitsbury Farm who we know will look after her well. 

 

February was pretty quiet. Full Bloom continued to progress and ran well to finish 2nd at Lingfield. Unfortunately she sustained a nasty injury when she was struck into. We took her to the vets and they patched her up and sent her home on strict box rest for two months. It was a real blow, but in hindsight, the break gave her the time she needed to mature physically and it did her no harm.

 

Yard newcomer Prince Apollo won on his first outing for us early March. He was a very tricky horse to train and he took a lot of time and patience to get right. He spent most of his time out in the paddock to keep him as stress free as possible and was always ridden out first lot and on his own. His win came as a good reward for our patient approach.

Preparations were under way for Pachattack’s run in the Winter Derby. She had a couple of racecourse gallops which we were pleased with and was in good shape going into the race. In an ideal world, Pachattack needs to make the running. She didn’t get her way in the Winter Derby but ran a brilliant race to be 3rd.

March also brought us our first winner over hurdles, Sole Bonne Femme. Jump horses are not our speciality but is was a nice change/challenge.  We had ran him a few times to familiarize ourselves with him and when we got it right, he won for us by over 4 lengths!

 

April was an eventful month. Dubai Bounty ran for the first time in 9 months after an injury sidelined her. She didn’t get the smoothest of runs but we were delighted that she had regained her form after such a serious injury.

Cala Santanyi, a lovely Green Desert filly we had been holding on too made her debut. And what an impressive one it was! With first time out runners, all you can hope for is a bit of promise and a good experience. Cala ran a blinder to be second only beaten a head. We were thrilled. Prince Apollo won for a second time for us but the biggest event of April was Claire & Nicky’s wedding. After 2 years of hearing about the planning of it on a daily basis, I was glad when it was finally over and we could talk about something else!

The day after the “wedding of the year” Maristar & Little Black Book won within an hour of each other at Southwell. We had hoped for good runs from them both as they had worked together on the surface in preparation for the race and gone very nicely. That would be the last time we saw Maristar on English ground as the American trip was just around the corner.

 

It was early May when we sent a small but select team to open a satellite yard in Alrington Park, Chicago. With the constant dismay of poor prize money, we were of the opinion that we needed to take matters into our own hands. America was the way forward for us. Maristar, Pachattack, Akhmatova, Joe Le Taxi, Beauchamp Viceroy & Burj Alzain left on the morning of 4th May heading west. It left a big hole in our yard but we had to bite the bullet and go for it.

 As the 6 “American’s” got settled in at Arlington, we carried on with our business. Cala Santanyi & Swiss Cross made their way up to Chester. It was sods law they were both drawn in the second widest stall. It is never ideal to have a wide draw but it’s a disaster at Chester. We took it on the chin and had the best man for the job in Frankie Dettori on board. Both horses ran into 3rd place which was a great result given the draw. Of course, Frankie gave them both perfect rides and we went home happy.

We had been patiently biding our time with a very forward and smart Dansilli colt named Dissent. We had been getting ourselves excited over this horse for a while leading up to this run. He ran a very nice race to finish 5th.

Swiss Cross landed a nice 0-90 handicap with ease at Brighton in mid May. He needed a confidence boost which he certainly achieved in this race and his owner Alan Spence was there to welcome him into the winners enclosure. A few day's later Alan's other horse Little Black Book ran a great race to finish third in a 1m2f handicap at Sandown. The stiff finish there may have caught him out but we were pleased with how he was progressing. 

We had the dream start to our American campaign. Maristar won on the first time of asking and Burj Alzain was beaten by the flare of a nostril. We couldn't have dreamed of a better start. Being American bred was always going to give Maristar a helping hand and we always knew she had a lot of class about her. She thrived on American soil and we were so proud and delighted when she won. Burj Alzain had always been the most laid back character and only really came alive on the racecourse. He was officially beaten a nose but we know he was the true winner as he was switched wide losing more than a nose in length! We were thrilled with both of them. 

Just when we thought our American start could not have got any better, Pachattack won the Grade 3 Matron Stakes by 6 lengths! An amazing start for us and a dream come true for Michael Deegan and his family as both his fillies won within days of each other. 

June is of course the month of the Derby, the greatest race of the year. Although we didn't have the Derby winner, we did manage to secure a winner on Derby Day! Swiss Cross fresh from his win at Brighton nailed the final race of Derby Day in style. The early pace wasn't strong enough for this sprinter so he made his own way from the front and stayed there! We were absolutely delighted to have a winner on such a prestigious day.

We were lucky enough to play host to two highly talented horses of Todd Pletcher's for the duration of Royal Ascot. Unfortunately neither horse ran up to standard at the Royal meeting after the great English weather turned the ground soft. He wasn't alone as we had no luck there either. 

Quiz Mistress came back to life at Wolverhampton running 2nd to in form Lexi's Boy. She had a shaky start to her 3yo campaign but regained her form on the second time of asking. 

July saw a remarkable comeback from Full Bloom who despite a nasty injury at the start of the year won on her first start back. It was very rewarding for all concerned and the months of nursing her back to health had clearly paid off. 

We saw two encouraging debut runs from two year old's Behlul & Zain Point who both ran with promise. It's always nice to see two year olds having a nice introduction to racing and any promise shown is always very satisfying. 

Little Black Book added a duo of seconds to our statistics in a very frustrating week. He ran two unbelievable races both to finish second. Whilst we are always pleased to see our horses run well, second place is bitter sweet. 

Maristar struck again for us in the states in August. We had her entered into a race on a "main track only" basis which means the race is due to be run on the turf track however if the turf is deemed un-raceable, the race is switched to the main polytrack. In a twist of fate, the heavens open in Chicago and flooded the turf track and with the race now switched, Maristar could run. It looked like a piece of work and her class shone through once again. 

Zain Point ran a good race on the second time of asking to finish second behind an odds on favorite of Barry Hill's.

The string of seconds was set to continue over the next couple of weeks with Little Black Book and Quiz Mistress both running into the second spot again whilst Pachattack and Maristar were doing the same in the States. Pachattack had made the long trip to Saratoga to compete in the Grade 1 Personal  Ensign. This was to be the highest caliber race of her career to date. She was to have a new jockey in Rajiv Maragh and it was her first attempt on a dirt track. We were aware of the many question marks over our heads going into the race but nothing ventured nothing gained. We needn't have worried as Pachattack ran an almighty race to finish second. It was a result we could only have dreamed of. It seemed like yesterday we were scrambling home in listed company yet here we were in second place in a Grade 1 event. Back in Chicago, Maristar was lining up on her beloved Arlington polytrack in the Grade 3 Washington Stakes. In her usual style, she came home fast and strong, however at a crucial moment was stopped in running. She finished in second place but her jockey was convinced it cost her the race. Yes, it was another second but there were no grumbles from us to have two placings in Graded races within the hour. 

In what was becoming a sense of fashion, we went on to have a few more seconds in September! Quiz Mistress ran the race of her life at HQ under Cathy Gannon. We were so pleased that she was running true to form and it was lovely for her owners to be there to see it. It was unlucky that she found one too good that day but she ran a gutsy determined race and we were very happy with her. 

Biddestone Stud's Irishstone had her debut race at Kempton. Like her Mother, she is a very light framed young filly. She had a nasty bought of ringworm through the summer months which is typical for two year old's but we were pleased with her going into the race. She exceeded our expectations to finish second (funnily enough) beaten a head. 30 minutes later Prince Alzain was to make his debut. Although breaking the string of seconds, he finished in third place. He came out of the race well and it was to be the beginning of something special.

Early October and Pachattack was in full swing as she prepared for her second attempt at a Grade 1 in the Juddmonte Spinster Stakes at Keenland. The Spinster race is the highlight of Keenland's fall meet and we were thrilled to have a runner with every chance of winning. 

Prince Alain was back in action on the grass at Windsor. He finished 4th beaten a length. We were very pleased with the progress he had clearly made since his debut and glad to see that he could run as well on the turf as the all weather track. 

The time had come for Pachattack to run in the Spinster stakes and as not to break our ongoing trend, she finished second! The winning margin was half a length and we were once again so very proud of her. She ran a huge race to finish second from a wide draw, there could of been an argument that the draw had cost her the race.

Dissent ran for the first time since May, and left the field stood still to win by 6 lengths. We had never doubted his ability and being a Dansili he has had his little quirks along the way but we were very happy for the horse and his owner Mr McFadden.

We had two more debutantes to run in October. Hallmark Star and Star date both ran in 1m maidens at Leicester. Very encouraging races were ran by both horses and we were pleased that they had a good introduction to racing.

Excitement was starting to build late October as our dream of having a Breeder's Cup runner was set to become a reality as Pachattack, fresh from two consecutive Grade 1 seconds was on track to run in the Ladies Classic. Maristar would also be running during the Breeders Cup meeting in the Grade 2 Chilluki stakes.

The Breeder's Cup came and went and we were bursting with pride as Pachattack finished 3rd and Maristar did the same. Without question if the race had been an extra half a furlong, both fillies would have won. It wrapped up a remarkable season in the States. We would never have dreamed of such an amazing start to our new venture. It was a risk that thankfully paid off and I would love to be in the position to do it again. Pachattack went to the Keenland sales within days of her run and sold for a staggering $1.2 million. It was heart breaking to see her being led away but we will look forward to seeing her run again as she has gone to Graham Motion's yard in Lewisville. 

Back in the UK Full Bloom went on to win her second race of the season after a few placed efforts. She has been known to need a little persuading in her races and she was delivered perfectly by a good young apprentice, Keiren O'Neill. It was great for her owners who bred her as well. 

Dissent's ability was to be tested in a 0-85 handicap in mid November. He finished 3rd which was wonderful. It was only his third run so his inexperience played a huge part in his defeat. We left him alone after that race on a rating of 81 to work from next year. 

Prince Alzain & Nordic Quest went slightly north to Wolverhampton to run in separate divisions of an extended mile maiden race. Drawn 13 of 13 Prince Alzain had a lot overcome! But overcome it he did and won by 2 lengths. He had been fast becoming a very smart young horse and our expectations of him were beginning to rise. Nordic Quest had been slightly slower to come to hand and was a very cheeky chap. Taking all this into account he ran a great race to finish 4th. He will be a lovely horse next year when he matures. 

Maristar remained in the States after finishing third in a Grade 2 and went off for a well deserved holiday in Florida. 

The yearlings were starting to come in and we were lucky enough to secure 9 which we were very pleased about. 

After Prince Alzain's cosy win, his form was boosted by the second and third horse winning their next races by a combined 15 lengths. We had planned to run him in a conditions race in France but was set back by a minor blip. It was disappointing for connections but thankfully, it turned out to be next to nothing and we had the Boxing Day Novice race to aim him towards instead. This horse had been blossoming before our eyes for the last 6 weeks and we couldn't wait to run him again. 3 horses declared for the Novice race, ourselves included. Sounds ideal, however one of the other runners was Jeremy Noseda's Harvard N Yale, a horse well documented as a Kentucky Derby hopeful and rated 91. Regular jockey Seb Sanders was suspended but we had a great substitute in Steve Drown. We were sure of Prince Alzain's ability going into the race and although we respected Harvard N Yale, we were confident. He proved us right to win by over a length. It was the perfect way to round of the year and we know we are going to have a very talented horse to deal with next year. 

We are ready and looking forward to next year and all that comes with it.