Not strictly Bloodstock related, but its been revealed that Juddmonte's FLINTSHIRE is to resume his career in the USA: FLINTSHIRE HEADS STATESIDE It has been revealed that Juddmonte stalwart Flintshire (Dansili) is due to leave Andre Fabre’s yard to join Chad Brown in the States. The six-year-old horse has won three Gr.1 races on three different continents, including the Gr.1 Sword Dancer Stakes in Saratoga last August, as well as being placed an impressive eight times at the same level. The end of 2015 saw Flintshire take second place in the Gr.1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, for the second year running, before finishing runner-up to Highland Reel in the Gr.1 Hong Kong Vase, a race he won in 2014. Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to Khalid Abdullah, explained: “Flintshire will go to Chad Brown in America where the ground conditions and faster pace of the races should suit him; we already know that he handles American tracks. There should be some good options out there for him and we will work back from the Breeders’ Cup.”
News on some of the top Juddmonte mares: Kind returns to Kingman after slipping foal BY MARTIN STEVENS 3:00PM 4 MAR 2016 JUDDMONTE super producer Kind will visit Kingman this year in his second season at Banstead Manor Stud, having slipped to the brilliant miler last year. Kind has made a phenomenal start at stud, her first three foals turning out to be Bullet Train, Frankel and Noble Mission. Her fourth foal, Morpheus, won three races and her fifth, Joyeuse, scored in a Listed race at two. Both are by Kingman's close relation Oasis Dream. However Kind, a 15-year-old daughter of Danehill, has now slipped a foal for the last three years, with the same fate befalling covers by Frankel's sire Galileo in 2013 and 2014. Kind's last foal, a three-year-old colt by Galileo called Proconsul, is in training with Andre Fabre. Joyeuse, Kind's only female offspring to date, produced a bay filly by Shamardal described as "a strong and impressive first foal", in January. Kind is among 15 of Juddmonte's own high-profile mares to visit Kingman this year, as his first foals are arriving. Juddmonte has welcomed a number of arrivals by the son of Invincible Spirit, including a "well-balanced" colt out of All Time, a winning sister to Passage Of Time (herself due to Kingman); an "attractive, quality" filly out of Exemplify, a Dansili half-sister to dual Classic winner Special Duty; and a "strong" filly out of Prix Marcel Boussac winner Proportional. Banstead Manor Stud manager Simon Mockridge said: "We are thrilled by the Kingman foals we have seen so far and have received encouraging reports from breeders. "To date, all foals we are aware of are bay - it may be that Kingman turns out like his close relation Oasis Dream, who is only able to sire bay or grey offspring." Kingman's dam, Poule d'Essai des Pouliches winner Zenda, foaled a Frankel colt last month. Joyeuse is not the only one of Juddmonte's maiden mares to have foaled, with Group 3 Park Express Stakes winner Vote Often and Hasili's final offspring Responsible both having produced Frankel fillies, and dual Group 3 scorer Big Break having delivered a colt by Dawn Approach. Triple Group/Grade 1 heroine Banks Hill - the dam of Prix Jean Romanet winner Romantica - has a newborn Lope De Vega colt on the ground, while six-time Group/Grade 1 winner Midday produced a filly by Frankel last month - her third offspring by the sire.
TELESCOPE has had his first handful of mares scanned in foal, with more expected in the coming days. TAGHROODA produced her first foal on 25th February, a filly by KINGMAN. She will visit DUBAWI this year.
MUHAARAR has his first mares in foal. Statement: FIRST MARES SCANNED IN FOAL TO MUHAARAR 2015 Champion Sprinter Muhaarar (Oasis Dream) has had his first mares scanned in foal. The first group of ten mares to be scanned in foal consisted of Twilight Mistress (Mrs C R D Wilson), dam of 2015 Gr.1-winning sprinter Twilight Son and Shadwell Estate Company Ltd’s own mare Rifqah, dam of first season sire and Gr.2-winning sprinter Mustajeeb. Other notable mares scanned in foal early are Listed winner Whatdoiwantthatfor (Peter & Ross Doyle Bloodstock Ltd); two year-old Listed winner Brevity (Cliveden Stud) and Gr.3-winning French miler Kalsa (Mr James Oldham). Muhaarar has been well supported by Shadwell Estate Company Ltd mares, including Classic winner Ghanaati, USA Gr.1 winner Lear’s Princess and South African Champion Two-YearOld and Gr.1 winner Majmu. In addition, Gr.3 winner Thawaany and several other Stakes winners will visit the son of Oasis Dream from the stud’s private broodmare band. In addition to the support Shadwell has given their new stallion, Muhaarar has attracted high profile mares from a wide range of breeders. Sultanina (Normandie Stud Ltd), winner of the Gr.1 Nassau Stakes and dual Gr.1 winner Izzi Top (Meon Valley Stud) among others, are both due to visit the stallion in 2016. Shadwell’s Stud Director, Richard Lancaster commented: “We were diligent from the outset about selecting Muhaarar’s first book of mares. We wanted to give him a group of mares that had variety and potential. We have waited a long time to have our own Champion sprinter retire to stud and want to give him the best possible chance in his first crop. “We are very grateful for the support we have had from breeders and look forward to Muhaarar’s first foals in 2017.”
First two year old maiden of the year on Sunday at The Curragh Freshman sires with entries include CASAMENTO, HARBOUR WATCH, SIR PRANCEALOT and SO YOU THINK. The first 2yo race of the year in Britain (a 2yo Conditions) will take place on Good Friday at Wolverhampton, in the card that has moved from Musselburgh
Do you have any idea of just what kind of mares are going to So You Think Princess? Well we get to see a few precocious types, or are breeders for the most part looking to put a little bit of speed into staying stock? Nice to see that Exceed And Excel has a runner in that race as well.
According to Horses in Training, Coolmore having brought SYT over here (and standing him at stud) have no 2yo produce by him with O'Brien. Stoute has one colt called Missed who is out of a staying mare who produced Bold Sniper. Gosden has only one too, a filly out of a Thunder Gulch mare.
I'd have to look at the Return of Mares to get a full idea. From memory he's not been covering big books by Coolmore's usual standards.
Entries for the first British 2yo race of the year are out. the race, a Conditions event over 5f at Wolverhampton on Friday (the Good Friday card transferred from Musselburgh) has entries for first-season sires: BATED BREATH, DRAGON PULSE, HARBOUR WATCH, REQUINTO and SIR PRANCEALOT. Card here
I've just read some interesting stuff about Frankel's stock. Being a bay from a bay, it's surprising people that a quarter of those he sired to date in the UK have been born chestnut. Has there been any chat about why this is happening? Even here in Australia, he was mated to champion mare More Joyous, a bay, from a black father and a bay mother, and they threw a chestnut.
The Urban Sea effect?. She's Frankel's grandmother and was a chestnut with chestnut parents, and 3/4 of her grandparents chestnut. I know the negative always works with greys: that you have to have one grey parent to be grey. But I've never heard it said about chestnuts. There are too many bays these days anyway.
