By Emma Berry
It's hard to remember a more pleasurable Guineas weekend than the one we've just enjoyed in Newmarket. Not only did the sun beat down throughout, in stark contrast to the soggy scenes beamed across the Atlantic from Churchill Downs, but both British Classics provided very satisfying results in different ways.
That the GI Kentucky Derby winner will go on to attempt the Triple Crown is usually a foregone conclusion, but the same can rarely be said of a G1 2000 Guineas winner these days. The victory of the strapping Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) delivers the tantalising prospect of a Triple Crown challenge in England by the operation that has done most to help maintain the prestige and competitiveness of the Derby in recent years and routinely supports the good old St Leger while so many eschew it as an unfashionable option. After the narrow defeat of Camelot (GB) in 2012, let's hope we will witness the first Triple Crown winner in this part of the world for almost half a century.
As evens-favourite for the Investec Derby on June 2, Saxon Warrior–from the family of fellow Epsom Classic winners Dancing Rain (Ire) and Dr Devious (Ire)–is no betting proposition but he is a thrilling prospect, particularly as he still looks as though he has plenty of physical improvement to come.
A New Champ For Champs…
In rather different circumstances, Billesdon Brook (GB) enhanced the golden glow at the Rowley Mile on Sunday with her 66-1 romp in the G1 1000 Guineas.
Racing partnerships are very much in vogue, but the Pall Mall Partners and Partners, which own the filly, bears little resemblance to the link-ups between several powerful operations involved in both the GI Kentucky Oaks and Derby winners.
The 20-strong group of friends of breeder Jeanette McCreery and her husband Bob, who died just as Billesdon Brook and fellow Guineas runner and Stowell Hill graduate Anna Nerium (GB) were about to turn two, also had the excitement of watching her year-older half-sister Billesdon Bess (GB) race earlier on the card in the G2 Dahlia S., in which she finished sixth. The pair had each won their first stakes race last year within 10 days of each other.
“It's nothing to do with me, it's all my husband,” said McCreery as she was engulfed by well-wishers in the winner's enclosure. “It's amazing to come here today with three homebred fillies–two half-sisters and an aunt. We've had a lot of fun and we're all friends–no-one is fighting! There are 20 of us in the group, they haven't had to put much in but they've had a lot out of it. We meet up and watch the horses work and it's been terrific. Until Anna Nerium ran so well at the Craven meeting, I thought this was the winner but I was told the other one was stronger. I was so busy watching Anna Nerium that I didn't even really notice what Billesdon Brook was doing.”
The winner of the G3 Nell Gwyn S. three weeks ago, Anna Nerium races in McCreery's own silks and finished seventh of the 15 runners. While Anna Nerium is by Dubawi (Ire), the sire by which the Billesdons' dam Coplow (GB) (Manduro {Ger}) was covered earlier this season, Bob McCreery was never afraid to use less fashionable stallions, as is indicated by the Guineas heroine being by Champs Elysees (GB) and her half-sister by Dick Turpin (Ire).
With the recent pensioning of Dansili (GB), who follows his brother Cacique (GB) into retirement at Banstead Manor Stud, it is rather a shame that their other brother left the Juddmonte ranks for Coolmore's National Hunt division at Castle Hyde Stud in 2017. There was some muttering on Sunday about a 'jumps stallion' siring the 1000 Guineas winner, but Champs Elysees is still the same horse he was when he sired the listed-winning juvenile Avenue Gabriel (GB) in his first crop, not to mention the Group 1 winner Trip To Paris (Ire).
Where a horse stands makes no difference to his genetic composition, and while Champs Elysees will doubtless get some good jumpers in time, he hasn't made a bad fist of things so far this year on the level, as Andrew Caulfield illustrates in his detailed look at Billesdon Brook's family in today's Pedigree Insights. Let's hope that some Flat breeders have kept faith with him among the many who sent mares to him since his move to Ireland.
More International Glory For Pococks…
On a weekend heavily supported by his owners, Havana Gold (Ire) was well represented by his first crop at Newmarket with Raid (GB) and Headway (GB) in the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas, Worship (GB) in the fillies' version, and Havana Grey (GB) making a reappearance in the G3 Longholes Palace House S. Though none of that quartet ended up in the placings, the Simon Callaghan-trained Treasuring (GB), who runs in the Qatar Racing silks, added the GIII Senorita S. at Santa Anita to her list of victories following success in the G3 Curragh S. last year for Ger Lyons.
The American stakes win is another international strike for Somerset breeders Robert and Nick Pocock, who bred and raised the G1 Melbourne Cup winner Rekindling (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}) at their Stringston Farm.
The Pococks also bred Treasuring's dam You Look So Good (GB) (Excellent Art {GB}) and, after selling her to Roger Varian as a yearling for 125,000gns, bought her back at the end of her 3-year-old season for 18,000gns after she had won a seven-furlong maiden. That looks to have been a shrewd move as Treasuring, bought by David Redvers for 32,000gns, is her first foal.
May Day Master…
May Day transpired to be a red-letter day for Haras du Logis resident Masterstroke (Monsun {Ger}), who sired his first two winners in France within 70 minutes of each other.
The G2 Grand Prix de Deauville winner out of Urban Sea's daughter Melikah (Ire) (Lammtarra), and thus a half-brother to last week's Great Metropolitan H. winner Royal Line (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), is not only therefore related to Galileo (Ire) and Sea The Stars (Ire), but also to 2000 Guineas third Masar (GB) (New Approach {GB}), who is out of Melikah's granddaughter Khawlah (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}).
On his retirement to Darley's French wing in 2014, Masterstroke aroused the interest of jumps breeders in France and beyond, largely thanks to the increasing success of his sire Monsun in this field, but his dual-purpose appeal is exemplified by the fact that his two first-crop winners came under each code–Donna Leon (Fr) on the Flat at Wissembourg over 2100m and Gin Tonik (Fr) in a two-mile hurdle race at Tours.
Roux Has A Taste For Racing…
Jockey Club Racecourses have raised the stakes when it comes to on-course catering. Newmarket's Champions Gallery became temporarily known during Guineas weekend as 'Chez Roux' and enjoyed the presence, not to mention the culinary skills, of Albert Roux, his son Michel Jr. and granddaughter Emily.
Albert, founder of the treble Michelin-starred Le Gavroche, is no stranger to racing circles. His first job as an 18-year-old was for the Astors at Cliveden before he became the private chef for eight years to former jockey and royal trainer Peter Cazalet, whose most famous charge was the Queen Mother's steeplechaser Devon Loch.
Chez Roux also featured at the Cheltenham Festival and moves next to Epsom for the Investec Derby meeting.
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