A few slim years for the 3 owner-breeders I follow. In Mark Dixon’s case there has been a continuing feel of jam tomorrow. I can’t see 2022 being immeasurably different. In 2021 Dixon had only 2 wins. One was by the retained 4yo filly Punting and the other by the now-sold, 3yo, Pretty Fair (140,000gns). In 2022 Dixon has two 2yos in training, both jointly owned with Ashbrittle. On paper both appear to have wonderful pedigrees. They are a colt called Sailing On, who is a full-brother to Oaks winner, Talent, and a filly called Sea Sparkle (by Sea the Stars), who is out of a full-sister to Talent. Sailing On is listed as being in training and that is with Eve Johnson-Houghton, while Beckett has the filly (he trained the mare as well as Talent to win races). Hopefully things go well with these two, but I wouldn’t expect to see them until the Autumn. At least a recent photograph of Sailing On shows he has a classic stride and action. Dixon also has two 4yos. One Captain Lara is an unraced gelding by Maxios out of a half-sister to Thomas Hobson, who will be aimed at NH bumpers. The other is a 4yo filly, Luisa Casati (by Vadamos) who managed to win a 10f maiden as a 3yo and is reported to have improved physically over the winter. Next year is unlikely to be greatly different for Dixon as his partnerships see him with only 4 yearlings, the most interesting of them being a Waldgeist filly who’s a half-sister to Thomas Hobson. More interesting are the 5 mares in foal to Masar, Earthlight, Zarak, Cityscape and Without Parole and the one colt foal already born by Too Darn Hot out of Talent. Dixon’s partnerships have already put out their 11 planned matings for 2022. Hopefully all the foals will be born healthy, and the mares will then go on to get in foal to their new sires. Meanwhile, the one that got away (for Dixon but still owned by Rowsell of Ashbrittle), Ambition, is to be covered by Frankel. Cliveden Stud has had a similar couple of years and has no horses in training this year. At least they have 6 yearlings this year, the most interesting of which are a Dubawi colt out of Group winner Horseplay (whose Kingman colt sold for 350,000gns at last year’s sales and is reported to be with Appleby) and a Too Darn Hot filly out of Brevity. So hopefully next year there’ll be at least one 2yo. Unfortunately Cliveden lost two mares last year so have only 4 mares in foal now. They are in foal to Advertise, Mohather, Territories and Too Darn Hot (this one is Horseplay). Finally Lady Howard de Walden had no winners last year, although the now 3yo, Gaius, appeared capable of picking up a race (placed 5 times). Her other 3yo this year is the filly Gargle (not the prettiest names for a filly) whose future looks to be in handicaps. Both are trained by Hannon. There’s a chance De Walden may have two 2yos this year in the shape of Graham (a colt by Time Test and h. brother to Gargle) and Ghibelline (a filly by Faarh, h. sister to Gaius). These two will hopefully have their mares producing foals by Expert Eye and Ulysses. All these horses trace back to Gravitation who’s closely related to Fame and Glory. These 3 owners badly need a boost. Will this year see one or more of them realising that boost? I hope so but it may be from horses sold to others.
Derby entries out for this year and the Dixon/Ashbrittle partnership have some interest with the entry by Gosden of Aerospace. A once-raced son of Sea the Stars, he has the pedigree to win a Derby with his dam being Oaks winner Talent. Perhaps surprisingly enough, being by a Derby winner out of an Oaks winner is not a great help when it comes to winning the Derby. I know when Lammtarra won he was either the first to win it or the first for a very long time (and even then his dam got the Oaks after a disqualification). Gosden knows this family as he trained siblings of Talent to win races for this partnership.
Though Dixon may have his first flat runner this season on Friday, his eyes will be on Aerospace's debut at Windsor Monday evening. He was 4th FTO, was favourite, hemmed in at a key stage of the race and beaten by stable second string Emily Upjohn (?). Trained by Gosden for Godolphin he's currently second in the betting to his owner's other horse (wearing the 2nd colours). A victory for Aerospace would be very welcome for a smallish breeding concern like this. To finance the fees for worthwhile sires he needs outfits like Godolphin buying the colts (and sometimes fillies) that go to the yearling sales. Aerospaces' dam, the Oaks winner Talent, has a yearling colt by Lope de Vega and colt foal by Too Darn Hot which are almost certain to be sent to the sales. The Ashbrittle Site reports that she is already in foal to St Mark's Basilica. The Ashbrittle partnership also have an Oasis Dream yearling out of Forte, who's a full sister to Talent. There's no foal but the mare is in foal to New Bay. Dixon does have 3 other yearlings (in partnership with Mount Coote) and there is a colt by New Bay, who's likely to be sold. The only retention may be a filly yearling by Waldgeist out of the dam of Thomas Hobson. So far this year's foalings have gone well. Dixon currently has four foals and the exciting thing is they so far have three fillies. One is by Masar out of a mare who's a half-sister to La Spezia's dam. This is an interesting mating as Talent was by New Approach, and Masar is by New Approach. There is a Zarak filly out of a half-sister to La Spezia (Thomas Hobson's dam). This mare's first two foals have won, one of them the useful Maud Gonne Spirit. The other filly foal is by Without Parole out of Punting, a mare I believe Dixon owns outright. This mare is to be sent to Bated Breath. Still to be born is another interesting mating. This is Earthlight's covering of La Superba (a daughter of La Spezia), interesting in that this speedy son of Shamardal is out of a New Approach mare. This will further test whether there is something in the New Approach/Bireme family. So far new Approach has only produced foals to the Ashbrittle mares. If all goes well there are to be 11 matings of Dixon part owned/owned mares. That's a figure that hasn't been seen since the days of his uncle Dick Hollingsworth.
Aerospace did nothing for Dixon's shop window. He was backed down to favourite and looked right in the mix 2f out. Then proceded to fade so badly he was 7 lengths adrift of the 2nd in the end. This is despite very favourable gallops reports. La Superba produced a chesnut filly to Earthlight this week.
Aerospace may have failed but Dreamloper is strongly carrying the torch for Dixon’s Felucca family. Dreamloper won a Group 3 last year and then finished 3rd in the G1 Sun Chariot. Yesterday she won a G2 at Newmarket and as a 5yo appears better than ever. She’s by Lope de Vega out of Livia’s Dream by, the often forgotten, Teofilo out of a mare called Brindisi. Teofilo has been a good sire and until Frankel came along was Galileo’s most successful sire-son, and now dam-sire son. As well as being the damsire of Dreamloper, he was damsire of both Guineas winners: an amazing feat. Brindisi (Dr Fong) is a half-sister to Thomas Hobson’s dam La Spezia (Danehill Dancer), while Livia’s Dream is a half-sister to Dixon’s mare La Marchesa. Livia’s Dream is so called because her owner’s name is Olivia. She must have been so pleased with Livia’s Dream that she later purchased a yearling filly by Intello out of Bari, named Maud Gonne Spirit. She’s now a 5yo and has won 4 races. Bari is a Cape Cross half-sister to Brindisi. After Dreamloper Livia’s Dream had a couple of barren years but this year has a 2yo filly called Dreamrocker (by Fastnet Rock and in training with Ed Walker). There’s a yearling filly by Golden Horn and hopefully she’ll produce a foal by Masar. Dreamloper is to be aimed at the Nassau.
Dreamloper goes one better and bags a Group 1 in Paris. Wins the Pri d'Isphahan fairly comfortably. Good news for the Felucca family.
A long time since I've written anything on this thread. But tonight Gaius gave Lady Howard de Walden her first win of 2022. Gaius has run 10 times and been in the frame 9 times. He seemed to have perennial seconditis, but at last kept his head in front in a handicap at Windsor. A first foal, he is joined in Hannon's stable by a Farrh filly called Ghibelline, whom I note is already part-owned by the Denford Stud. Lady H de W has been unlucky not to have a further winner with Gargle, who hopefully will get her head in front one day. No sightings of Dixon horses just yet. Apparently Sailing On is surprising her trainer Eve Johnson-Houghton and could run soon. As a full-brother to Talent his debut is eagerly awaited. Dixon's chief hope this year must be Sea Sparkle, who's a Sea the Stars filly out of a full-sister to Talent. She's trained by Beckett. On the bloodstock front Dixon has two yearlings accepted into Book 1 of the Tattersalls Sale in October. Both are colts, the first (joint owned with Ashbrittle) is by Lope de Vega out of Talent, while the second ( joint owned with Mount Coote Stud) is a New Bay colt out of the unraced mare La Marchesa (who happens to be a half-sister to Dreamloper's dam).
I was incorrect about the La Marchesa yearling going to Book 1 as he's going to Book 2. As regards a third yearling colt, Oasis Dream out of Forte (a full-sister to Talent), he goes to Book 3. Obviously a good performance from Sea Sparkle would bump up the price of this colt. A yearling colt that is going to the Book 1 sale is Olivia Hoare's yearling by Golden Horn out Livia's Dream. This one's a half-brother to Dreamloper. For completeness, Gaius is entered for the Tattersall's August sale.
The above means Dixon will only have one 2yo in training next year. In partnership with Mount Coote Stud he has a Waldgeist filly out of La Spezia (by Danehill Dancer). La Spezia is a half-sister to Dreamloper's dam, and herself also the dam of winners Thomas Hobson and La Superba.
Lord Howard de Walden was a hugely successful owner-breeder for 20 years from the end of the ‘70s. Towards the end of his life he cut back his commitment slightly. On his death his wife, Lady Gillian HdW reduced the mares to just two families. Today there are only 2 mares from just one family. This year she has had several placings with her two 3yos, and has seen Gaius win for her (he is down to be sold at Newmarket next week). She also has two 2yos in training, both with Hannon (as are the 3yos). This week she looks to have her first 2yo runner at Salisbury, with Pat Dobbs already booked to ride her. She is a fascinatingly bred filly, though it is also of some interest that for the first time de Walden has entered into a partnership with this filly; the partner being the very successful Denford Stud (there must be something about this filly to make them take a share, surely). So what of the breeding of Ghibelline? Well she’s by Farrh out of a Holy Roman Emperor mare called Gemina( who only raced twice, both as a 2yo, and won a listed race over 8f). The first thing you notice is that she is inbred 4 x 4 to star German stallion Acatenango, but just as interesting is that she is inbred to a German bred mare Grimpola (by Windwurf). Grimpola was purchased by De Walden’s stud manager Leslie Harrison. He had already had a big success with another German purchase, Sayonara, whom when sent to Shirley Heights gave De Walden his Derby winner Slip Anchor. So it was no surprise that Grimpola was also sent to Shirley Heights. The result was a filly called Gryada, who got some black type but more important was the dam of Fame Glory. She was also the dam of Guaranda, who was surprisingly the result of Grimpola being sent back to Germany to be covered by Acatenango. She is the 3rd dam of Ghibelline. So while only brought into the stud in the late ‘80s, the family is well established. It doesn’t end there, because one of Grimpola’s first foals for the De Waldens was a Slip Anchor filly called Gonfalon. Trained by Cecil (like Gryada) she never raced and was sold to a German stud as a 3yo. They sent her to a son of Acatenango and the result was a Group 1 filly called Gonbarda. Godolphin liked her and she found her way into their stud and the result was Farrh. So Grimpola is the 4th dam of Faarh and the 5th dam of Gemina. So this family is the family of Fame and Glory, Legatissimo and indeed Farrh. Let’s hope Ghibelline adds to its honours. Lady Howard de Walden’s other 2yo, Graham, entered training with Hannon this week. A late foal, he’s by Time Test out of Gravitation (Galileo) so is a half-brother to Ghibelline’s dam Gemina. He is another example of the popular and successful Dubawi/Galileo cross. The De Walden’s had great success with their imported S family, but their imported G family brought more rewards to others (Gravitation the dam of Graham and granddam of Ghibelline is probably their biggest success). With luck one of these 2yos may give Lady G her just rewards.
No, he came about because De Walden liked the looks and performances of a filly called Mixed Applause that Cecil trained for Peter Burrell. She was by Nijinsky out of a Princely Gift mare. She won like a champion first time out then was 2nd in the Cherry Hinton. She only seemed to stay 6-7f. She must have taken after Princely Gift who was a fast sprinter. During her 3yo career LHdW bought her. As well as producing Shavian, she produced a Bustino colt called Paean who was a stayer and won him the Ascot Gold Cup. The family didn't seem to last it through to the mid '90s.
A pleasing result for Cliveden. They have no horses (or I thought so) but have a lot running that they've sold. Last Autumn a Kingman colt out of Freedman's excellent racefilly, Horseplay, went through the ring and was knocked down to Godolphin for a tidy 350,000gns. Today that yearling won a 7f maiden at Ascot,: named City of Kings. Still look green but will be a better 3yo. Good news for Cliveden as I'm sure they'll be sending their Dubawi half-brother to this Autumn's Sales. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to have a foal, although she was sent to Too Darn Hot in 2021. But that's not all. 3rd in the same race was Saxon King who (Cliveden either retained a part or bought back into) is owned by a partnership and finished 3rd. By Zoustar out of Street Cry mare, Brevity, he ran well and much better than on his debut. Brevity was a useful filly, and Saxon King went for 40,000gns last year. She has a yearling filly by Too Darn Hot and a filly-foal by Advertise. Fingers crossed they retain the yearling for racing.
The sad Moulin race was at the same time an impressive performance by Dreamloper. She has now won 2 Group 1s. This will help create interest in this family at the Sales not only for Olivia Hoare and her Golden Horn half-brother to the filly, but also Mark Dixon's close relatives. Gaius fetched 72,000gns.
Cliveden Stud have some success with the sale of their Dubawi yearling for 800,000gns. Unsurprisingly he goes to Godolphin. Unfortunately there is no foal this year. Hopefully Horseplay got into foal this Spring. Mark Dixon is having no luck, as his Lope de Vega colt was withdrawn from the Book 1 sale. Olivia Hoare's Golden Horn colt out of Livia's Dream (so a half-brother to Dreamloper) went for a healthy 290,000gns to Haggas.
A winner at last for Cliveden Stud, but over the jumps. Alan King's Tuddenham Green won on his debut over hurdles at Chepstow. He's by Nathaniel out of a half-sister to Horseplay. A maiden on the flat he seemed more switched on with hurdles in front of him. However, unless he learns to jump he's going to soon make all connected with him (including backers) lose interest.
A winner (or at least part winner) for Cliveden Stud as Saxon King wins his maiden at the 4th attempt. Heavy ground at Haydock and Saxon King stuck to the job, having been strongly challenged twice in the last quarter mile. You can't say he's not brave. A Zoustar colt out of a Street Cry mare called Brevity, he's a half-brother to Tuddenham Green. His yearling half-sister, by Too Darn Hot, went for a cheap looking 40,000gns at the Sales this week.
As I have said Mark Dixon is not having much luck. His two 2yos, Sea Sparkle and Sailing On, both suffered injuries in June: not career ending but they won't run this year. At the same time he only received 30,000gns for his La Marchesa yearling colt. Seems a poor return as La Marchesa is a half-sister to Dreamloper's dam. In the end Dixon didn't sell another yearling at Newmarket as his third yearling colt, an Oasis Dream half-brother to Sailing On, was withdrawn from the Sale. He sends a colt foal by Too Darn Hot out of Oaks winner Talent to the end of November Sales. Lady de Walden's Ghibelline has been declared twice and withdrawn on the day of the race both times. She is entered again on Friday at Newbury, as is her relation Graham (a colt by Time Test). In fact they are both in the same 2yo maiden.
Both Graham and Ghibelline ran at Newbury on Friday and Saturday respectively. Both showed well on their debuts. Some hope for next year.
