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A few more breeders (2016)

Discussion in 'Horse Racing' started by Bustino74, Jan 29, 2016.

  1. Bustino74

    Bustino74 Thouroughbred Breed Enthusiast

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    I know it's early in the year but I've got to start sometime.

    Mark Dixon has lost his senior mare Yawl. She has been barren for the last few years and was finally pensioned off after being barren again in 2015. She died in the early weeks of 2016. A Rainbow Quest daughter of the Oaks winner Bireme, she is the grand-dam of the Oaks winner Talent and she has 6 daughters, grandaughters and great granddaughters remaining in the stud. Her blood will live on.

    It's a big time for this owner (even if nearly all co-owned now) with some big throws in the stallion department.

    Prowess (dam of Talent) will hopefully produce a Frankel foal and visits Dubawi
    Talent will hopefully produce a Dubawi foal and visits Dansili.
    Much Promise (a daughter of Prowess) will hopefully produce a Dansili foal and will visit Camelot
    La Spezia (a Danehill Dancer granddaughter of Yawl) is due to Camelot and visits Born to Sea
    Bari (a Cape Cross half-sister to La Spezia) is a maiden and visits Intello
    La Marchesa ( a Duke of Marmalade great grand-daughter of Yawl) is a maiden and visits Maxios

    Jump Ship (a granddaughter of Bireme) is due to Mukhadram and visits Due Diligence
    Lakatoi (a half-sister to Yawl) is due to Zebedee and visits Power

    All matings, as ever, are not certain as many things can happen during the foaling season.

    It looks as if La Superba (La Spezia's daughter) stays in training as a 4yo filly but will confirm later. Forte is shipped to the Middle East to earn her keep before they decide to sell or breed from her.

    More later
     
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  2. Bustino74

    Bustino74 Thouroughbred Breed Enthusiast

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    None of this trio of breeders had a particularly bright 2015 although in some cases this was expected. They are all at different stages this year and 2016, in different ways, will be important to all three of them.

    Avington Stud

    With only 3 mares they are the smallest outfit I follow. In 2015 they had 2 winners the most important of which was Gibeon from the stud’s Fame and Glory family(Gibeon was Richard Hughes last winning ride). He stays in training with Hannon and this consistent colt will contest 9-10f handicaps and with improvement some Group 3s. His year younger half-sister Girling (by Rock of Gibraltar: in training with Becket) ran a promising 2nd on her only start as a 2yo and can pick up a maiden in April or May. The mare of these two, Gravitation (by Galileo) was a progressive 3yo and won a Group 3 race at that age: her offspring should similarly progress. The matings with the Danzig line continues and there is a 2yo filly called Gemina (by Holy Roman Emperor), who is yet to be placed with a trainer; a yearling colt by Lawman and she is set to foal to Gibeon’s sire Cape Cross. Let’s hope they break out of the Danzig line at some stage and use another sire line (Makfi for example?)!

    There do not appear to be any other runners for Lady Howard de Walden. The last foal of Nirvana (Well Being family) has not been sighted and La Persiana (who is my favourite mare) was rested after losing her previous foal. She has a yearling by Champs Elysses called Parisian, and is in foal to Pour Moi. The maiden mare Nirva is in foal to Bated Breath.

    All hopes for this year rest on the Gravitation team. It would also be nice to get 3 healthy foals.


    Cliveden Stud

    2015 was a quiet year on the racetrack but in the breeding sheds a hard year with downs and ups. The chief flagbearer in 2015 was the already sold More Mischief (by Azamour). She was very progressive and on good and soft ground won 3 races. She stays in training with Jedd O’Keeffe and can pick up more wins in Class 3 handicaps, but whether she can sneak some black type remains to be seen. Cliveden have sold the mare but have an unraced 3yo filly called Social Media (by New Approach with Dunlop) and a 2yo filly with Balding called Horseplay (by Cape Cross). Social Media will hopefully run and win this year, while Horseplay is liable to be more of a 3yo.

    A really sad loss for Cliveden in 2015 was their young mare Singersongwriter. She leaves only a yearling filly by Ifraaj who will hopefully blossom to be a good racemare and broodmare. Fortunately they still have her dam, the admirable Independence, but now no daughter. This mare has an already sold, unraced, 3yo colt called Istiqlaal (by Oasis Dream and with C Appleby) and an already sold 2yo filly (by Dubawi) with bin Suroor. She also has a yearling colt by Dubawi and should have a foal by Oasis Dream. This is the family of Cliveden’s Derby winner Reference Point and it would be really positive to get a daughter of Independence in the stud. It is a great shame the stud needed to part with the Dubawi filly but that is a reflection of the cost of this game.

    Cliveden also lost their Queens Vase wining mare Endorsement in 2015. She was an interesting member of her family (the Milly Moss, Mils Bomb, Indian Haven family) in that she came from a different branch to her relations Super Sleuth, Cut Short and Brevity. Admittedly she had not been a great broodmare and her current 2yo filly was sold cheaply and is in training with Johnston. If this line is to remain in the stud it depends on a Champs Elysees yearling. Meanwhile the stud does have Super Sleuth’s daughter Blue Geranium (by Dansili), a 3yo filly, with Gosden. She ran with some promise on her only start when 5th to her stablemate at Newbury. She should pick up a maiden at 8-10f and progress from there. Balding has her close relation Brief Visit (the first foal of the Street Cry mare Brevity and by Fastnet Rock) and as said elsewhere this sire’s produce appear to need time in the Northern Hemisphere and she was unraced as a 2yo: she was always going to be a 3yo and hopefully she can win a maiden and progress from there. Brevity’s 2nd foal was sold for 330,000gns at the October Sales to the Maktoums and this 2yo is called Saheq (by Invincible Spirit). She has a yearling filly by Oasis Dream. Brevity’s dam Cut Short has a Dansili 2yo with Dunlop called Condensed. Again likely to be fairly backward but we may see her late summer.

    The Cliveden team for 2016 is 6 runners in their colours and is made up to that number with the Becket trained, 3yo filly Sparring Queen, who is from the family of the (recently deceased) sire Exchange Rate (who was bred by Philip Freedman of Cliveden). She had two unsatisfactory runs as a 2yo and has a bit to prove this year and is probably best watched first-time out.

    So, on the racetrack it’s all about 6 fillies this year with 4 of them being 3yos. I’d be disappointed if they don’t win a handful of races. At the stud it’s about decisions of the families that are supported and retained. An interesting year where it is hoped Cliveden has more luck.

    Mark Dixon and his partnerships

    These horses are the legacy of the wonderful Arches Hall Stud in Hertfordshire that disappeared with the death of Dick Hollingsworth. His nephew carries on the show and with the previous post I listed the exciting set of sires used in 2014 and 2015. It is already reported that Much Promise, an Invincible Spirit half-sister to his Oaks winner Talent, has produced a Dansili colt and that Lakatoi, Dixon’s last daughter of Oaks winner Bireme, has produced a Zebedee colt. The big guns Prowess and her daughter Talent are yet to foal.

    Last year Dixon had a frustrating time. Much expectation was heaped on Forte who was reckoned by Becket to be superior to her full-sister Talent. It was not to be and this strong-pulling filly did not add to her 2yo all-weather win. Though reported that she’d go to Dubai, she is now to be sent to the stable of David O’Meara near Helmsley. He will have to teach her to be less headstrong or it will just be a wasted year.
    Much was also expected of the unraced La Marchesa last year, but after an injury she was always unsound and she goes straight to the paddocks. This is always a dangerous tactic as unsoundness can propagate unsoundness and I hope she proves to be a good broodmare. Bari looked as if she would be surprisingly good after winning her maiden but never quite progressed further.

    The one bright spark was La Superba, who after appearing as if she too was going to be frustrating won 3 races over 8f on the trot. She stays in training with Elsworth and if improving again can pick up some black type, even if just placed. As a half-sister to Thomas Hobson she has broodmare potential in some sphere. She has a 3yo brother called Lazio and a 2yo brother called Palermo both by Intikhab in training this year.
    There are 2 other 2yos that Dixon will have in training this year and both colts. The first is Fishing Boate (ex Lakatoi) who will need time and the more interesting Cinque Port (by Compton Place) who is in training with Richard Hughes: there are already whispers about this one but it’s a long time since this family had a really good 2yo. I'm reliably informed this colt is pronounced properly as Sink Port.

    So La Superba is very much flying the flag for Mark Dixon this year though it sounds as if Cinque Port may provide some fun. But the serious business here is the delivery of healthy foals this spring and getting all those mares in foal. I hope to be writing about them in 4 years time!

    More later…….
     
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  3. PNkt

    PNkt Well-Known Member

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    Don't know if you saw the article that Ballymacoll Stud is on the market. Peter Reynolds is retiring as manager after more than 40 years in the role and they hope someone will buy the farm and stock as one package. It would be a shame to see the families dispersed far and wide.
     
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  4. Bustino74

    Bustino74 Thouroughbred Breed Enthusiast

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    No hadn't seen that. Dreadful.
     
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  5. Janabelle13

    Janabelle13 Well-Known Member

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    That is very sad
     
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  6. PNkt

    PNkt Well-Known Member

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    Full article:

    Ballymacoll Stud to be sold in next two years
    BY MARTIN STEVENS11:47AM 1 MAR 2016

    PETER REYNOLDS has moved to quash rumours surrounding the future of Ballymacoll Stud, one of Ireland's most successful privately owned nurseries, saying no deal had been struck but the intention is to sell the stud privately within the next two years.

    The main reason for the sale is that Reynolds, who has managed the prestigious operation for the past 44 years, is approaching retirement.

    He said: "It would be wonderful if somebody would buy Ballymacoll and continue to breed horses under the Ballymacoll label, which has been successfully breeding champions since it was purchased by Dorothy Paget in 1946."

    The present owners, the Weinstock family, bought the stud and all its bloodstock in 1960. Since the purchase they have bred 29 individual Group 1 winners who have scored in 54 Group 1s, including seven Classic winners and the winners of four races at the Breeders' Cup.

    Their pale blue silks have been carried by Derby heroes Troy and North Light among a galaxy of stars that also includes Conduit, Golan, Islington, Pilsudski, Spectrum and Sun Princess.

    Ballymacoll broke new ground in 2013 when Fiorente, a former homebred runner for the stud who was sold privately to race in Australia, landed the Melbourne Cup.

    The eventual buyer of Ballymacoll will gain a stud ingrained in Irish turf legend - it was there Arkle was born - as well as a finely nurtured broodmare band.

    "The farm comprises 300 acres and 60 stables," Reynolds said. "The broodmare band amounts to 16 mares - 15 of whom are descended from Paget mares. There are 23 Ballymacoll-owned horses in training.

    "The first-class staff at Ballymacoll are fully aware of the current situation."
     
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  7. Ron

    Ron Well-Known Member
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    To think that 15 of the 16 broodmare band are descended from Dorothy Paget mares. I really hope it carries on.
     
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  8. Bustino74

    Bustino74 Thouroughbred Breed Enthusiast

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    Oaks winner Talent has had her first foal. She's a Dubawi filly who arrived on the evening of Friday18th. Talent now visits Dansili.

    Some important foals still to come: especially the Frankel/Prowess produce.
     
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  9. Bustino74

    Bustino74 Thouroughbred Breed Enthusiast

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    Another chestnut foal for Frankel as Prowess produces a filly with similar white markings to her half-sister Talent.

    She now visits Dubawi
     
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  10. Bustino74

    Bustino74 Thouroughbred Breed Enthusiast

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    Cliveden commence an important season for them with Blue Geranium in the first at Newmarket. This Dansili filly is the 2nd live foal of Super Sleuth who had to be one of the best maidens to have run on the flat. She was 3rd in the 2009 1000G and ran other good races in Listed/Group events. She was suited to soft ground and with her stable in form has a lot going for her. Hopefully she will win today.
    Tomorrow Beckett runs Lady Howard de Walden's Girling in a hot maiden at Newbury. A half-sister to Gibeon out of a Galileo mare from the Legatissimo family this filly ran well on her only start. Again the stable is in form, especially with their fillies, and I'd expect a prominent display.
     
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  11. Sir Barney Chuckles

    Sir Barney Chuckles Who Dares Wins

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    That Blue Geranium is wonderfully named. The dam being Super Sleuth and The Blue Geranium being an Agatha Christie short story.
     
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  12. Bustino74

    Bustino74 Thouroughbred Breed Enthusiast

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    Yes wonderfully named and a good name for a filly SBC. I noted this last year in 'few more breeders 2015' but initially got it wrong and had to correct myself. I got my sleuths and blues confused and had BG down as a Raymond Chandler connection, when of course Chandler wrote the screenplay for the film Blue Dahlia. Cliveden have a wealth of Philip Marlowe characters and titles to choose from with offspring of this mare: The Big Sleep is probably not one of them.
    Blue Geranium ran OK and hopefully will come on for this. One just hopes she'll not be like Mum and never get her head in front.
     
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  13. Bustino74

    Bustino74 Thouroughbred Breed Enthusiast

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    Mark Dixon's racing year opens with the seasonal debut of La Superba. She looked likely to be the eternal bridesmaid for most of last year but suddenly things clicked and she reeled of 3 wins in a row over August/September. A half-sister to Thomas Hobson she appears to go on any going and seems thoroughly genuine.
    But she is a filly and a 4yo filly can often be a risk. She also has gone up 10lbs from her last winning mark. Having said that she ran reasonably off her mark on her last start and Marquand gets on with her well and takes 3lb off today. An each-way chance I'd imagine.

    Otherwise it's pretty quiet with these 3 owner breeders. Girling looks as if she'll run this week. Becket has her still entered for the Oaks.
     
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    Last edited: Apr 26, 2016
  14. Bustino74

    Bustino74 Thouroughbred Breed Enthusiast

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    Totally missed More Mischief, who came out and won with top-weight a C4 contest at Doncaster. That's 4 wins now: good for the owners, good for the mare and good for Cliveden. They have 2 daughters, Social Media (3yo by New Approach) and Horseplay (2yo by Cape Cross) to run for them this year and they must be worth a bit more now. More Mischief is entered at Goodwood on Saturday in a listed 12f contest. A placing would be a great achievement.

    Girling looks as if she will run in a maiden at Chepstow tomorrow: she must have a chance. La Superba slightly disappointed on her seasonal debut but needs to be given another chance.
     
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    Last edited: Apr 28, 2016
  15. Bustino74

    Bustino74 Thouroughbred Breed Enthusiast

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    More Mischief ran well on her listed debut at Goodwood and only missed a place by a neck. It looks as if Black Type will come some time for this tough filly if the right sort of race over 10-12f on soft going can be found.
    More important for Cliveden Blue Geranium has her second start of the season tomorrow (Friday) and with luck she can improve on her 3rd in a Newmarket maiden. She runs over 6f in a Lingfield maiden. Dettori misses the 3rd day at Chester to ride a couple for Gosden at Lingfield (he later goes on to Ascot). Unless there's a special newcomer in the race BG should win.
    Later in the day Brief Visit makes her debut in a Nottingham maiden. For this type of race the field is very impressive with some big stables and some eyecatching pedigrees. Brief Visit is the first foal of a nice filly called Brevity and a prominent showing would be a big boost. I'm sure whatever happens this filly will improve for the run.

    Girling failed by a short head on her seasonal debut and she should pick up a maiden event next time out.

    Mark Dixon's two other mares produced fillies. The Camelot out of La Spezia (dam of Superba and Thomas Hobson) is reported to show a lot of quality. He now has an exciting sextet of foals and decisions will have to be made on what goes to the sales. Cinque Port is yet to appear (later this month?) but Palermo goes into training with John Oxx.
     
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    Last edited: May 5, 2016
  16. Bustino74

    Bustino74 Thouroughbred Breed Enthusiast

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    Girling should get off the mark today at Bath.

    Forte was to run in the listed event at Ayr but O'Meara withdrew her and decided to wait a few more weeks. Hopefully she has settled dow. More Mischief goes in the Ayr race. Cliveden have had a 2yo entered which is rare this early. Condensed, a Dansili sister to Brevity, may run soon.

    Not much other action. La Superba showed her well-being when 2nd in a good handicap on Friday. It appears she now stays 10f so more opportunities for her.
     
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  17. Bustino74

    Bustino74 Thouroughbred Breed Enthusiast

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    Forte makes her debut for her new yard this afternoon at Nottingham. Not much is expected of her as she's the outsider of the field at 28-1. The problem is that Forte is a tearaway and has refused to be restrained in her races. She looked good as a 2yo and like her full-sister, Talent, won on her 2nd start but her 3yo career was a disaster and I'm surprised the owners (Dixon and Rowsell) continued with her.
    But continue they have and she has been with David O'Meara for about 3 months. The word is that they've tried to get her to settle down and run independently of her galloping companions. It will be interesting to see what Makin does in the race.
    This headstrong attitude has been a fault with many of the descendants of Yawl (the granddam). Talent had it but it did not consume her performances. The problem seems to be they are headstrong and have ability or they are not headstrong and are not as capable. I wish Forte the best for this afternoon.
    La Superba slightly disappointed on her 3rd start and could only manage a 3rd on Saturday at Beverley. She has gone up 20lb in the ratings since her first victory last August. That may be part of the problem. The other thing is that she much prefers soft ground. So she may still score another victory.
    The supposedly talented Cinque Port has not appeared and this delay is said to be due to a sudden growing spurt.

    Cliveden are not having the happiest of times. Just yesterday a colt they sold, Istiqlaal, was withdrawn when expected to make a prominent debut. He is a full-brother to Monitor Closely and half-brother to Mount Nelson. Last week Blue Geranium ran a 2nd disappointing race and looks to be one to sell. Nothing much else is happening but More Mischief's (who has gone up 29lbs in the ratings from her first victory) half-sister Social Media (by New Approach) is entered to run on Saturday. Let's hope she does well.

    Girling duly won her maiden and looks useful. She still has an entry for the Irish Oaks but the Ribblesdale or even Lancashire Oaks is a more likely target. No sign of her half-brother, the talented Gibeon, who had run a few times by this stage of the season last year.
     
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  18. Bustino74

    Bustino74 Thouroughbred Breed Enthusiast

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    Really delighted for Cliveden after the victory of Easy Victory yesterday. No longer owned by Cliveden this is still a great fillip for the stud. Though having the speed to win impressively over 6f she should get 10f in time. Her next outing is eagerly awaited. Cliveden have a yearling full-brother to this filly and another colt foal by Oasis Dream. A filly next spring to the mare Independence would be nice.
    The stud has been having a slightly better time lately as Sparring Queen ran 2nd at Lingfield and Brief Visit looked much improved at Pontefract on Tuesday. Both should break their maiden soon and Sparring Queen runs at Wolverhampton on Monday. This filly has a yearling colt by 2yo sire of the moment Scat Daddy who will probably find himself at the Sales. Amongst the foals this year is a Kingman half-sister to Brevity. They also have an Australia colt foal out of a half-sister to Sparring Queen's dam.

    Lady Howard de Walden's Girling was a bit out of her depth in the Queens Vase and she should perhaps be aimed at 12f handicaps. Other than that it is very quiet for the Avington Stud outfit. No sign of Girling's elder brother Gibeon but they have reported the birth of a Cape Cross half-sister to Girling (full-brother to Gibeon).

    Forte ran a shocking race at Nottingham and has another go at Ascot this afternoon. One cannot feel optimistic as this filly is such a tearaway. Hopefully she will perform better. La Superba is yet to show the form she showed last year but her last run over 12f looked a couple of furlongs too far. On Saturday she runs at Salisbury in a tricky looking 10f handicap and if running well may still have to play 2nd fiddle to the Queen's Pure Fantasy. In Ireland Lazio looks as if he'll get a maiden or a handicap at some stage. No sign of the 2yos yet.
     
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    Last edited: Jul 8, 2016
  19. Bustino74

    Bustino74 Thouroughbred Breed Enthusiast

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    A few good days for Cliveden, whose season has really turned around. With Blue Geranium appearing an expensive filly to follow, when put up in distance to 8f she dispatched her maiden. For such a well-bred filly it must have been a relief. A day later and Brief Visit goes in at Leicester and she too gets off the mark. She made all in a handicap and looks to have the scope to do better. Balding also trains the only 2yo to run and the filly Horseplay was far from disgraced on her debut. Things are looking up.
     
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  20. Bustino74

    Bustino74 Thouroughbred Breed Enthusiast

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    Lady Howard de Walden's 2yo debutant Gemina also won smoothly at Sandown yesterday. A lot thought of her already as she started favourite: she won easily. Gemina is by Holy Roman Emperor and should get a lot further as a daughter of Gravitation and from the same family as Fame and Glory. Looks a different class to Girling and Gibeon.

    Things are a bit darker for Mark Dixon but a win soon would put things right. More on that later.
     
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