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  • Sadler’s Wells- a tribute

    It’s almost a month since Sadler’s Wells died.  He was outstanding in every respect as racehorse, as a sire, as a broodmare sire and now as a sire of sires.  A book would be required to do proper justice to his impact (and I don’t have time for that) , so I will have to restrict myself to selecting a few of his more remarkable achievements, listed in no particular order

    1. That first crop of colts.

    In total his first crop  was numbered in the mid fifties of which just less than half were colts.  For six of them (In the Wings (ex High Hawk by Shirley Heights) , Old Vic (ex Cockade by Derring-Do), Prince of Dance(ex Sun Princess by English Prince) , Scenic ( ex Idyllic by Foolish Pleasure) , French Glory (ex Dunette by Hard to Beat) and Braashee ex Krakow by Malinowski) to win Group 1’s is extraordinary.  Batshoof (ex Steel Habit by Habitat) was also in that crop and he won the Tattersalls Rogers Gold Cup and Prince Of Wales Stakes which were both then Group 2’s but are now elevated to Group 1 status.  Dolpour (ex Dumka by Kashmir) won the Group 3 Gordon Richard Stakes and was only beaten a head in the Champion Stakes. In addition the unraced Accordion (ex Sound of Success by Successor)  subsequently found fame as a jumps sire. It was the most sensational first crop that could be imagined.

    2. His Consistency

    Its not easy becoming champion sire even with the benefit of large books of quality mares.  Sadler’s Wells was champion Anglo-Irish sire on 14 occasions- an all time record.  That Highflyer’s previous record had stood since the 18th century gives a sense of that achievement.  That he sired at least one Group 1 winner in each of his first 18 crops is also truly remarkable. His numbers currently stand at 2259 foals of racing age with 293 stakes winners (13%).

    3. His Irish Derby Record

    Sadler’s Wells has sired the winner of every Irish and English classic. His record in the Irish Derby is however particularly impressive. Six winners (Old Vic ex Cockade by Derring-Do), Salsabil (ex Flame of Tara by Artaius), Dream Well (ex Soul Dream by Alleged),  Montjeu (ex Floripedes by Top Ville),  Galileo (ex Urban Sea by Miswaki) and High Chapparal (ex Kasora by Darshaan) only tell part of the story. The 1999 edition saw him have a 1-2-3 courtesy of Montjeu, Daliapour (ex Dalara by Doyoun) and Tchaikovsky (ex Crystal Spray by Beldale Flutter) and this was bettered in 2002 when High Chapparal was followed home by Sholokhov (ex La Meilleure by Lord Gayle), Ballingarry (ex Flamenco Wave by Desert Wine) and Nysaean (ex Irish Arms by Irish River). His sons have kept up the good work with In the Wings siring the 1995 winner Winged Love (ex J’ai deux Amores by Top Ville), Galileo siring the 2007 winner Soldier of Fortune (ex Affianced by Erin’s Isle) and the 2010 winner Cape Blanco (ex Laurel Delight by Presidium) and Montjeu has 3 winners courtesy of Hurricane Run (ex Hold On by Surumu), Frozen Fire (ex Flamingo Sea by Woodman) and Fame and Glory (ex Gryada by Shirley Heights).

    4. His record as sire of sires

    This was once open to question- it is not any more.  Galileo has taken over his mantle as the dominant European sire and Montjeu remains the sire most likely to sire a 12 furlong Derby winner.  Barathea and In the Wings did respectably, Fort Wood produced some outstanding individuals in South Africa,  High Chapparal has done exceptionally well in the Antipodes and most surprisingly of all was the success of El Prado in the US- surprising given the abject failure of Sadler’s Wells own offspring when tried on dirt. In addition his sons such as Old Vic, Accordion, Oscar, King’s Theatre, Dr Massini and Kayf Tara have all had a major impact on the National Hunt world.

    5. His National Hunt Record

    Sadler’s Wells was an outstanding jumps sire.  Istabraq (ex Betty’s Secret by Secretariat) is of course one of the immortals but he was backed up by Theatreworld(ex Chamonis by Affirmed), Pridwell (ex Glowing with Pride by Ile de Bourbon), Synchronised (ex Mayasta by Bob Back) and many others that have seen him consistently feature in the top ten jumps sires.

    6. His record as broodmare sire

    Six times champion broodmare sire, to date he has 235 stakes winners in that capacity -more than any other sire in the history of the pattern.  Some of the multiple Group 1 winners produced by his daughters include Workforce (King’s Best ex Soviet Moon) , Conduit(Dalakhani ex Well Ahead), Music Note (AP Indy ex Note Musicale,  Henrythenavigator (Kingmambo ex Seqoyah). Youmzain (Sinndar ex Sadima),  Peeping Fawn (Danehill ex Maryinsky),  Divine Proportions (Kingmambo ex Myth to Reality), American Post (Bering ex Wells Fargo), Whipper (Miesque’s Son ex Myth to Reality), and Musical Chimes (In Excess ex Note Musicale).

    7.  Leading the European renaissance

    It’s easy to forget that at the time of his retirement, Europe was not the natural home for a top class stallion prospect. His contemporaries and paternal half brothers El Gran Senor and Secreto both went to stud in the States. The lure of the dollar and the yen meant that Europe had already lost or could no longer retain the best stallion prospects.  The best mares inevitably follow the best stallions leading to a further downward spiral. The success of Sadler’s Wells and his earnings put Coolmore in a very powerful position with regard to stallion acquisition and they utilised that advantage to the maximum.  His sons have continued that legacy- it is not unreasonable to claim that he can take credit for the current powerful state of the European stallion ranks.

    One response to “Sadler’s Wells- a tribute”

    1. mike Avatar
      mike

      Well done. Any theory on why he was so remarkably successful?

    Please Leave a comment

  • Hurricane on a run

    Hurricane Run (Montjeu ex Hold On by Surumu) was his father’s truest son. I have never seen a better example of a horse whose career almost totally mirrored that of his sire. It is worth listing their respective careers from the time of the French Derby in the Summer of their three year old careers. 

    Race  
    Montjeu  
    Hurricane Run  
    Prix de Jockey Club 
    1st 
    2nd 
    Irish Derby
    1st 
    1st 
    Prix Niel 
    1st 
    1st 
    Prix de l’Arc 
    1st 
    1st 
    Japan Cup 
    4th 
    na 
    Tattersalls Gold Cup 
    1st 
    1st 
    Grand Prix de Saint Cloud 
    1st 
    2nd 
    King George 
    1st 
    1st 
    Prix Foy 
    1st 
    2nd 
    Prix de l’Arc 
    4th 
    3rd 
    Champion Stakes 
    2nd 
    3rd 
    Breeders Cup Turf 
    7th 
    6th 

    As you will see Hurricane Run ran in 11 of the 12 races that his sire contested- an incredible statistic. They differed in that Hurricane Run did not contest the Japan Cup at the end of his three year old season.  In addition their runs  in the French Derby are not entirely comparable as that classic was shortened in distance to 10 furlongs in 2005, a change that almost certainly cost Hurricane Run victory in that classic. However their careers are remarkably similar and at his peak Hurricane Run came within a few pounds of his sire. Timeform rated Hurricane Run at 134 as a three year old and 130 as a 4 year old compared to 137 for Montjeu at three and four. The hope at Coolmore is that he will achieve similar success as a sire. The good news for Coolmore is that his three year olds are stepping up considerably on their two year old form and he looks set for a good season.

    First Crop 2 year old Results

    Hurricane Run has 147 representatives in his current crop of three year olds. 18 of them managed to win as two year olds which was a creditable outcome. The best of last years runners was the filly Cochabamba (ex Bolivia by Distant View) who finished her campaign with a close second to Cape Dollar (Cape Cross ex Green Dollar by Kingmambo) in the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes. Both of those fillies have genuine classic aspirations and to me represent good ante-post bets for the Oaks for which they are available at around 80-1 on betfair.

    First Crop Three Year Old results

    The table below shows the results for all of the three year olds by Hurricane Run to have raced in the UK so far this year. The races involved are low class affairs, mostly run on the all-weather but the results could hardly be much better. From 11 runs, there have been five wins, four seconds and one third an outstanding strike rate. In addition his early season result in France include Stakes placings for Don’t  Hurry Me (ex Beringold by Bering) and Kreem (ex En Public by Rainbow Quest). It was always to be hoped that his progeny would improve significantly with age and they seem to be fulfilling that promise. This time last year Dubawi started the season with a lot of early low grade winners and it proved a harbinger of an outstanding season and it will be interesting to see whether Hurricane Run can match his success.

    Date
    Track
    Horse
    Dam & Damsire
    Pos.
    Dist.
    03/01/2011
    Wolverh.
    Roi de Boeuf
    Princess Killeen by Sinndar
    5th
    9 f
    08/01/2011
    Lingfield
    Hurricane Higgins
    Mare Aux Fees by Kenmare
    1st
    10 f
    17/01/2011
    Wolverh.
    Sheila’s Star
    Yaselda by Green Desert
    2nd
    9 f
    17/01/2011
    Wolverh.
    Roi de Boeuf
    Princess Killeen by Sinndar
    1st
    9 f
    26/01/2011
    Kempton
    Sheila’s Star
    Yaselda by Green Desert
    2nd
    10 f
    26/01/2011
    Kempton
    Roi de Boeuf
    Princess Killeen by Sinndar
    3rd
    10 f
    25/02/2011
    Wolverh.
    Barbican
    The Faraway Tree by Suave Dancer
    1st
    9 f
    26/03/2011
    Lingfield
    Viking Storm
    Danehill’s Dream by Danehill
    2nd
    10 f
    03/04/2011
    Doncaster
    Barbican
    The Faraway Tree by Suave Dancer
    1st
    10 f
    06/04/2011
    Beverley
    Pretty Diamond
    Cheal Rose by Doctor Devious
    1st
    12 f
    07/04/2011
    Kempton
    Swindy
    Red Passion by Seeking the Gold
    2nd
    10 f

     Hurricane Run’s Pedigree

    Hurricane Run was part of the sensational first crop of Montjeu that also included classic winning colts Motivator and Scorpion. To date we have little evidence of Montjeu’s prowess as a sire of sires, apart from the slightly disappointing Motivator. In his defence we should probably withhold judgement on Motivator as his stud career has been hampered by injuries. Hurricane Run’s dam Hold On was Listed placed and second dam Hone was dam of Group 2 winner Hondo Mondo (by Caerleon). However this is an unexciting female line, largely unfamiliar to UK & Irish breeders. This meant that despite his racecourse prowess Hurricane Run’s stud fee could not be set at more than €30,000 on his retirement. It remained at that level in his second season at stud but is listed as €15,000 for 2011.  It is interesting that Hurricane Run’s dam sire is the 1977 German Derby winner Surumu, who occupies the same place in the pedigree of outstanding German sire Monsun and decent sire Lomitas.

    Conclusion

    This is a critical year for Hurricane Run. He wasn’t expected to make a big impact with his two year olds and they performed respectably but not exceptionally. However the very early signs are that his progeny are coming into their own as three year olds.  It is hoped that just as he was almost a replica of his sire as a racehorse he may come to replicate his success as a stallion. If that comes to pass, his current fee of €15,000 will look like value.

    HURRICANE RUN (IRE) 2002 c b

    Montjeu
    (IRE) 1996
    Sadler’s
    Wells (USA) 1981
    Northern
    Dancer (CAN) 1961
    Nearctic
    (USA) 1954
    Natalma
    (USA) 1957
    Fairy
    Bridge (USA) 1975
    Bold
    Reason (USA) 1968
    Special
    (USA) 1969
    Floripedes
    (FR) 1985
    Top
    Ville (IRE) 1976
    High
    Top (IRE) 1969
    Sega
    Ville (USA) 1968
    Toute
    Cy (FR) 1979
    Tennyson
    (FR) 1970
    Adele
    Toumignon (IRE) 1971
    Hold
    On (GER) 1991
    Surumu
    (GER) 1974
    Literat
    (GER) 1965
    Birkhahn
    (GER) 1945
    Lis
    (GER) 1960
    Surama
    (GER) 1970
    Reliance
    (FR) 1962
    Suncourt
    (GB) 1952
    Hone
    (GB) 1974
    Sharpen
    Up (GB) 1969
    Atan
    (USA) 1961
    Rocchetta
    (GB) 1961
    Lucy
    (GB) 1966
    Sheshoon
    (GB) 1956
    Laverock
    (GB) 1961

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  • breeze up sales- ready to run?

    Breeze up sales were a logical development. One of the supposed advantages  is that the horses offered are almost ready to run.  I put this assumption to the test in this month’s International Thoroughbred magazine.  To read the article follow the link and go to pages 50-52

    http://www.issuu.com/international_thoroughbred/docs/issuu_april

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  • Volkswagen sires

    Some cars retain their value more that others. Some stallions have offspring that retain their value better than others. In this month’s International Thoroughbred magazine I examine this issue with reference to National Hunt markets. To read the article follow the link http://issuu.com/international_thoroughbred/docs/itb_march/58

    One response to “Volkswagen sires”

    1. Joe Smith Avatar

      I’ll be sure to take a look at that as soon as possible. It’s a fair point to be made and as you point out there’s a method behind it.
      Thanks for the advice and keep writing.

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