Al Shaqab Stars Making Waves In New Careers

While even a cursory period in the modern theatre of European racing can seem stretched out beyond its timeframe, the names Toronado (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire})–Wana Doo, by Grand Slam) and Olympic Glory (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}–Acidanthera {GB}, by Alzao) still rest in the forefront of the collective cortex of the sport's movers, shakers, fans and bettors. Their advanced athletic technique was complimented by the elan of Richard Hughes in the saddle and the positive results of that symbiosis were felt on several occasions in the early part of the decade. Just two moments easy to recall involve Toronado assailing Dawn Approach (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) in one of the better editions of Goodwood's G1 Sussex S. in the recent era and Olympic Glory rampaging up Ascot's rain-afflicted straight to G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. victory.

While the electric current they generated on the premier tracks of Europe still survives to an extent, it is now at the glorious Haras de Bouquetot that both have to generate a different kind of voltage. Thanks to some serious home support and a spot of moonlighting in the Southern Hemisphere, with Toronado catching the imagination at Swettenham Stud and Olympic Glory well-received at Arrowfield Stud, that is more than possible.

On Sunday at the neighbouring provincial venues of Mont-de-Marsan and Dax in Southwestern France, juveniles by Olympic Glory pulled off an afternoon double to take his tally to 14 winners and keep him in the top five in the list of first-crop sires.

Not to be outdone, Toronado recorded a triple on Thursday, with winners at Pontefract and Kempton bringing him up to 15 winners. His best runner so far is the colt Watan (GB), who was runner-up in York's G3 Acomb S. in August. He is trained by, guess who? Of course it's Richard Hannon, junior that is, which is particularly pertinent given that the campaigning of both Olympic Glory and Toronado straddled the winding up of Hannon Senior's impressive career and the rudimental stage of his son's. The most indicative vane of Olympic Glory's eminence at stud is the Listed Tipperary S. runner-up Mintd (Ire), now with Chad Brown and considered Grade I material. That freshman moment of carpe diem is imminent for the pair of Al Shaqab frontiersman.

Al Shaqab's Sebastien Desmontils is keen to express satisfaction with the current state of play as the European season enters its frantic crescendo with many of the key juvenile heats clustered together in little more than a month.

“We are seeing them winning everywhere and that is a great achievement,” he said. “Olympic Glory was fairly precocious in terms of his form, but we are seeing his 2-year-olds winning right now so maybe they are not as precocious as him. There are a lot fewer 2-year-old maidens in France and there are a lot of them in training there, but they are winning and can go in again after. He has 35% winners-to-runners, which is good and so far we are very happy with him.”

“Toronado has almost the same strike-rate, but with three black-type horses already and we have been supporting him at the sales and also in the covering shed with good mares,” Desmontils continued. “He has Watan and also [the Listed Criterium du Bequet third] Baylagan (Fr), so it shows there is support from us in order to commercialise him during the season. At the sales, they are still making a good bit of money and their averages are holding, so with more black-type they'll go again next year.”

Physically, both were standouts during their racing and that is translating in their second career. “Toronado is stamping them a lot–they are copies of him and when you see them you are sure they are his,” Desmontils said. “Toronado was a bull and you can see this in his progeny. They move very well and they are athletes. Olympic Glory doesn't stamp them as much, but you can always see the shape of him and you can recognise them also.”

“What trainers say about the Olympic Glory's is that they have good minds, are hard workers and are easy to train. Toronado's can be a bit more electric, without being tricky. You need the big one, obviously, to keep them going commercially but with all those winners coming through the ranks I'm sure one will show the ability to perform at the highest level.”

Asked to pick out a potential gem among the homebreds, Desmontils mentions the as-yet unraced colt Muraikh (Fr), a Toronado out of the Wertheimer mare Plumba (GB) (Anabaa). The dam was a €600,000 Arqana December acquisition by virtue of the fact that she is a full-sister to the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud heroine and significant producer Plumania (GB). Also a half to the G2 Prix de Royallieu winner Balladeuse (Fr) (Singspiel {Ire}), herself the dam of the 2016 G1 Prix Vermeille scorer Left Hand (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), her March-foaled son is in training with Henri-Francois Devin.

“He looks quite decent and Henri has a couple he likes, so we're waiting for them,” he said. “We still have some in the boxes we bred and who we bought last year for a bit of money, so we should have a few more bullets to fire in the Al Shaqab silks by our stallions before the end of the year.”

With nine European Group 1 races for juveniles around the corner and the Australian 2-year-old season about to launch with the A$8-million Inglis Race Series a key part of that, the Al Shaqab duo have a crucial time ahead.

“We are just seeing the Olympic Glory's picking up now and he's having a few first-time winners, but maybe they'll have some more distance in their legs than he did himself. Maybe the way we train in France might give them more stamina. Maybe they will be more mile to 10-furlong horses than just speed horses. Toronado puts a lot of strength into his horses, which they like in the Southern Hemisphere. While he wasn't as popular at the sales there as Olympic Glory was, that was possibly because he was not seen as being as precocious as Olympic Glory, but he has appeal for Australia being by High Chaparral.”

“We are all hopeful,” Desmontils added. “They are away, but they need the horses to be right on the good days.”