By Emma Berry
Five years ago, a colt by Choisir (Aus) emulated his trailblazing sire with victory at Royal Ascot. When Rajasinghe (Ire) lined up for the G2 Coventry S. he was about to make only the second start of his career following his debut victory at Newcastle a month earlier. At the Royal Meeting, the colt owned by Phil Cunningham's Rebel Racing stepped forward again to deliver his trainer Richard Spencer an important breakthrough success in only his first full season with a licence.
“We've been quite lucky, obviously it's still quite early in Richard's career but he's won the Coventry and the Molecomb,” said Cunningham, who took the decision to stand Rajasinghe at the National Stud following his racing career.
It is a route he has trodden before with his dual Guineas winner Cockney Rebel (Ire) (Val Royal {Fr}), who started his stud career in Newmarket before spending several years in France and then returning to the UK to stand at Batsford Stud. And Cunningham has not held back in supporting Rajasinghe. He has sent him all 12 of his own mares as well as buying some of his young stock at the sales.
Now, with Rajasinghe poised to have his first runner, Talamanca (GB)–who was bred by Mickley Stud about bought as a foal for 50,000gns–at Lingfield on Saturday, there is great anticipation among the Rebel Racing camp. Cunningham, who owns Sefton Lodge where Richard Spencer is based in Newmarket, has 16 of his first-crop juveniles with the trainer.
“We're really pleased with them and excited for the rest of the season. We're fortunate that with his median price his offspring qualify for the restricted maidens, and fingers crossed we'll have a few winners in the next couple of months,” he said at Newmarket on Wednesday.
Rajasinghe does not have the numerical firepower of some of his freshman rivals–in his three full stud seasons to date he has covered 33, 25 and 36 mares–but history relates that even stallions with scant representation can make an impression in their early years. And a handful of other trainers also have members of his first crop in their yards, including Julie Camacho, Mark Walford and Robert Cowell.
“He's had limited numbers and limited support so I think we've got to do it the hard way, which is to do it ourselves,” Cunningham added. “We've got a nice little crop this year, some more next year and a few more the following year. Hopefully he will become more popular with everyone else by then and he'll have a few more runners. My 12 mares have all gone to him, so I'm all in!”
Choisir died last December at the age of 22, but he is represented by three of his sons at stud in Europe including the highly respected Starspangledbanner (Aus), himself a Royal Ascot winner in the G1 Golden Jubilee S. and the sire of another Coventry S. winner, The Wow Signal (Ire), among his three Group 1 winners.
Another of Choisir's sons, Olympic Glory (Ire), was runner-up to Dawn Approach (Ire) in the Coventry before going on to win four Group 1 races, and has so far sired two Group 1-winning fillies.
“That Choisir line really has been successful, at Ascot in particular where a lot of people dream of going,” Cunningham said.
“I really enjoy seeing the foals and then watching them go into training. It's one thing going to the sales and buying a horse and watching them run 12 months or 18 months later, but this has been a long project so we are very excited to see them all getting to the track. It's a whole other level of satisfaction when you breed them yourself.”
The owner/breeder's dozen mares are spread between the National Stud and Batsford Stud in Gloucestershire, while Spencer is charged with overseeing all of his horses in training.
The trainer is now enjoying bringing on the progeny of his first stable star. He said, “It's great to have so many of Rajasinghe's offspring. I'm privileged to say that we have them rather than other people because I know it was only a small band of mares that went to him, but they are showing us some positive signs and I'm really looking forward to running them through the season. It's very special.”
Cunningham knows just what it is like to dine at racing's top table, having campaigned the Geoff Huffer-trained Cockney Rebel, winner of the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket followed by the Irish 2000 Guineas in 2007, who died just over a year ago at the age of 17.
“That was magnificent, and it was a very sad day when we lost him last year,” Cunningham recalled. “It was funny even coming back to Newmarket today and standing in the head-on stand, and a few guys were asking me where I watched the 2000 Guineas from. We have magnificent memories of that day and it changed my life in racing really. We dream of having another one like him.”
That dream would doubtless be even sweeter if the next star for the Rebel Racing team happens to be a son or daughter of Rajasinghe.
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