Seven Days: Sorrow

This past week the racing has come a distant second in the minds of many when set against the tragedy that has befallen the family of racing commentator John Hunt.

Such an appalling act of cruelty is impossible to contemplate, especially when it concerns someone who is so popular and respected. In any workplace there are divisions and squabbles. What unites the racing press room in Britain is the unquestionable fact that John is not only a talented professional but a thoroughly decent man; a friend to so many. 

He and his daughter Amy will need all those friends as they attempt to come to terms with their immense loss and to rebuild their lives. One friend, John's fellow broadcaster Matt Chapman, has started a campaign to raise funds to help them in this process. If you wish to make a donation, you can do so via this link.

At racecourses across the country, a minute's silence was observed as a mark of respect to John's wife Carol and their daughters, Hannah and Louise, who died on Tuesday. Jockeys wore black armbands throughout the week and at York a book of condolence placed outside the weighing-room swiftly filled with messages.

On Sky Sports Racing on Saturday Matt relayed a message from John which was both inspiring and extraordinary in its strength and stoicism.

It read, “Notwithstanding the horrid evil that swept through our lives, wreaking devastation on an unimaginable scale, the counter to that has been the breathtaking messages of support, some of which are still to be read. Amy, my eldest daughter, has been magnificently inspirational with her control and support for me which I am trying, trying so hard, to replicate.

“Every message has felt so important – the same as a reassuring hug.

“We know people are worried about us. We will get through this.”

This week we remember also the former jockey and breeze-up rider Valdi de Souza, who died in an accident at Grove Stud, where he was a valued and longstanding member of Brendan Holland's team. 

“He absolutely adored horses and, when he was on a horse's back, that was his home,” said Brendan in a moving tribute in TDN on Friday. 

It has been a week of terrible sadness, and to the Hunt and de Souza families all of us at TDN offer our heartfelt condolences.

Greenhills Far and Away

Katie Walsh took only two horses to the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale this year under her Greenhills Farm consignment – a colt by New Bay (GB) and a filly by Havana Grey (GB). Both were bought for Anthony Stroud, at 525,000gns apiece, and while those are hefty price tags, one is already a Group 2 winner and the other is unbeaten in two starts and looks a Group winner in waiting.

Arabian Dusk (GB) was bought by Stroud for Shaikh Duaij Al Khalifa of Bahrain and is trained by Simon and Ed Crisford. Having run placed in both a maiden and the Listed Maureen Brittain Empress Fillies' Stakes, she returned to the July Course on Friday for a storming victory in the G2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes. The win was also notable as a first Group success for Harry Davies, one of the rising stars of the weighing-room.

The previous week, Anno Domini, the New Bay colt bought for Godolphin, landed his second win in a Sandown novice contest for Charlie Appleby. The half-brother to this season's Poule d'Essai des Pouliches runner-up Kathmandu (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) looks destined for Pattern company next.

It is easy to think of Stroud simply as 'Godolphin's man' but he has long had a wide range of clients to look after, and his good week got even better when Mill Stream (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), whom be bought for former trainer and breeder Peter Harris as a yearling, became the latest Group 1 winner for his talented trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam in the July Cup. Stroud also bought the third home in that race, last year's dual Group 1 winner Vandeek (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), who had topped the Craven Sale of 2023.

Gleneagles a Versatile Option 

Gleneagles has been at stud for nine seasons now, so it is not as if he has burst onto the scene, but it always better to burn slowly for longer, and that is exactly what the 12-year-old son of Galileo (Ire) is doing. 

Within seven days, he has been responsible for last Sunday's Deutsches Derby winner Palladium (Ger) followed by the July Cup victory of Mill Stream. Few stallions are capable of such high-class versatility. 

It calls to mind a memorable 2006 for Mark Of Esteem (Ire), the year in which he was represented by both the Derby winner Sir Percy (GB) and the Nunthorpe and Haydock Sprint Cup winner Reverence (GB). (Let's not forget what a mighty horse Reverence was for his owner-breeders Gary and Lesley Middlebrook and trainer Eric Alston: in 42 starts he won 10 times, adding the G2 Temple Stakes and G3 Flying Five to his two Group 1 wins. Splendid.)

Credit must also be given to Mill Stream's dam, Swirral Edge (GB) (Hellvelyn {GB}), the pride of the Murphy family's Redpender Stud. With her first foal she produced the G2 Richmond Stakes winner Asymmetric (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}), who now resides at Starfield Stud in Ireland. Mill Stream has now taken the family to the next level.

Gleneagles also has several more of the top three-year-olds in Europe in the Aga Khan's Calandagan (Ire), who blitzed his rivals in the G2 King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot, and Ambiente Friendly (Ire), who was second in the Derby and third in the Irish Derby.

Mill Stream's July Cup win means that two members of Steve Parkin's Branton Court Stud broodmare band have benefited from a Group 1 sprint update in during the past year after they were both bought relatively inexpensively on the same day in 2022. On Parkin's behalf, Joe Foley bought Swirral Edge's dam Pizzarra (GB) (Shamardal) for 30,000gns as well as Approaching Autumn (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) for 35,000gns. The latter is now better known as the dam of last year's G1 Nunthorpe Stakes winner Live In The Dream (Ire) (Prince Of Lir {Ire}).

Having already enjoyed a homebred Classic winner this year in Fallen Angel (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), Branton Court Stud could also bask in further glory at York on Saturday as the breeder of Fitri Hay's Listed City Walls Stakes winner Starlust (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}). His half-sister and fellow Listed winner Queen Of Desire (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) was sold in foal to Dullingham Park's first-season stallion Shaquille (GB) last week at Tattersalls for 42,000gns.

Stallions in the News

It has also been a notable week for Kingman (GB), Lope De Vega (Ire) and Caravaggio. The latter, who now resides at the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders Association stallion stud, had a transatlantic Group/Grade 1 double when Porta Fortuna (Ire) continued her merry romp through the season by winning the Falmouth Stakes, followed a day later by Juddmonte's Whitebeam landing back-to-back triumphs in the Diana Stakes at Saratoga.

Lope De Vega was also represented on the Saratoga card by Carl Spackler (Ire), winner of the GIII Kelso Stakes. The four-year-old, bred by Fifth Avenue Bloodstock, clearly has a liking for the Spa as he won two graded stakes at Saratoga in 2023. 

A handicap it may be, but the John Smith's Cup, which was run at York on Saturday, is one of the most coveted and competitive races of the season, and Lope De Vega duly provided the one-two in that race when Shadwell's Enfjaar (Ire) led home Sheikh Mohammed Obaid's Botanical (Ire), both of whom are trained by Roger Varian.

One tends to think of the offspring of Kingman as being best at up to around 1m2f but the doughty Alsakib (GB) showed true grit when winning the 1m6f G3 John Smith's Silver Cup for PJ McDonald and Andrew Balding. It has been a terrific week for the Balding team, with 10 winners including two Group 3s at York – Flora Of Bermuda (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) won the Summer Stakes – and a Listed win at Chester for Al Shabab Storm (GB) (Advertise {Ire}). 

On Saturday, Kingman's son Quddwah (GB) remained unbeaten when continuing a good week for the Crisfords by winning the G2 Summer Mile under Callum Shepherd, who gained some compensation for the disappointing news earlier that day that his G2 Hardwicke Stakes winner Isle Of Jura (Ire) had been ruled out of the remainder of the season through injury. 

Quddwah, now four, is only lightly raced, having run twice last year and twice this, but the colt out of the G1 Dubai Duty Free winner Sajjhaa (GB) (King's Best) has clearly inherited plenty of ability from both sides of his pedigree. Kingman has now passed the marker of 50 Group winners.

Whistlejacket Rides Again

The 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, whose various achievements included being Lord of the Bedchamber to George II and twice being elected prime minister of Britain, was also the owner of the original Whistlejacket, a grandson of the Godolphin Arabian. Foaled in 1749, the chestnut stallion is the subject of one of the most arresting paintings by George Stubbs which now hangs in the National Gallery in London. The huge portrait was originally commissioned by the Marquess of Rockingham for his stately home in Yorkshire, Wentworth Woodhouse, which has its own 'Whistlejacket Room'.

Along with his political duties, Rockingham, also known as Charles Watson-Wentworth, was a noted art collector and racehorse owner, which means he would have had plenty in common, had their paths crossed, with Peter Brant, the owner of the horse who most recently has been bestowed with the name Whistlejacket. Appropriately, he too is a chestnut, and the Irish-bred son of No Nay Never is, fortunately, also a good 'un. 

The original Whistlejacket was famed for winning over four miles at York and being retired to stud at the age of 10. His namesake, trained by Aidan O'Brien, is just two but has so far won the Listed First Flier Stakes and G2 July Stakes, so the brother to Little Big Bear is at least proving worthy of carrying such an historic name. 

Long may he run, though perhaps not over four miles, or for the next eight years.

Classic Family to the Fore Once More

Sosie (Ire) became not only the 14th winner of the Grand Prix de Paris for his trainer Andre Fabre but the Wertheimer-bred son of Sea The Stars (Ire) is also the latest Group 1 winner for a tremendous family which boasts at least four German Classic winners since the turn of this century.

Samum (Ger), Schiaparelli (Ger) and Salve Regina (Ger), three full-siblings all by Monsun (Ger), collectively won the Deutsches Derby twice and Preis der Diana once.  (The filly Salve Regina was also second in the Deutsches Derby). Their dam Sacarina (GB) (Old Vic {GB}) was mated with Monsun at least six times and two further full-siblings to the afore-named have also made their mark at broodmares. The unraced Sanwa (Ger) is the dam of wide-margin Deutsches Derby winner Sea The Moon (Ger) who in turn is the sire of last year's Deutsches Derby and Preis der Diana winners, Fantastic Moon (Ger) and Muskoka (Ger). Sea The Moon shares his sire with Sosie, whose dam Sosia (Ger) is out of Sahel (Ger), yet another daughter of Monsun and Sacarina. 

Mamma Mia!

Extraordinarily, there was no Flat racing in Britain or Ireland on Sunday, but at Chantilly the G2 Prix Robert Papin felt more British than French. Six of the seven runners had been sent across the Channel from English stables, with the other, Korisa (Ire), trained in Italy by Melania Cascione.

The juvenile contest was won by Arabie (GB), trained by Karl Burke, who makes easy work of mopping up French group races, but the entries beg the question: where on earth are the French two-year-olds?

Arabie delivered a posthumous hurrah for his sire Dandy Man (Ire), and he is the son of a tremendous broodmare in Robert Cornelius's Mamma Morton (Ire) (Elnadim), who has produced 12 winners from 13 runners, including last year's G3 Nell Gwyn Stakes winner Mammas Girl (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}).

Arabie was bought for 92,000gns by Federico Barberini on behalf of Mohamed Saeed Al Shahi, who also owned his Listed-winning half-brother Master Of War (GB) (Compton Place {GB}).