Glen Hill Building On European Programme

The Bernick family's Glen Hill Farm has kept an intercontinental revolving-door policy when it comes to its breeding and racing stock. The Ocala, Florida-based nursery has been known to purchase privately high-quality fillies from Europe and race them in America before sometimes sending them back across the pond for their second careers. Last year, Glen Hill went to $1.4-million at Fasig-Tipton November to secure one of the sale's more coveted lots, Alpha Centauri (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire})'s half-sister Galileo Gal (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), and she is now a member of the farm's five-strong broodmare band based at Norelands Stud in Ireland. Glen Hill, which enjoyed a pair of wins at Naas and Cork in the spring with the Fozzy Stack-trained Woody Creek (GB) (Zoffany {Ire}), will explore new avenues in 2020 when keeping a pair of mares in France for the first time.

Glen Hill Farm President and Chief Executive Officer Craig Bernick, who will visit Deauville for the first time next week for the Arqana December sale, said, “We've had mares in Ireland for a couple years. I hadn't really been to France; I'd been to the [Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe] and I'd been to France on vacation with my wife, but I hadn't really done a real horse trip in France until this summer.

“The French premiums and the whole story of French racing, I guess I bought into it after hearing it and seeing it. We went to the new ParisLongchamp for the [G1] Grand Prix de Paris and spent a day in Chantilly and a night at Haras d'Etreham and went and also went and saw Siyouni and Le Havre. We spent about four days around France and it just made some sense to put a couple of our horses there; it looks like they have some good things going on in their business. We took two mares from the States because I didn't want to take horses away from what we'd started doing in Ireland, and our business has become so turf-centric that I thought those two horses made sense.”

Those two horses are Decorating (Galileo {Ire}) and Good Business (Speightstown). The Grade III-placed Decorating was produced when Glen Hill sent its dual Grade I producer Eversmile (Theatrical {Ire})-the dam of GI Haskell Invitational S. and GI Santa Anita Sprint Championship S. winner Coil (Point Given) and GI Hollywood Derby winner Chiropractor (Kitten's Joy)–to Ireland to visit Galileo. Decorating picked up black-type when third in Keeneland's GIII Dowager S. going a mile and a half on Oct. 20, and she will get one more shot to add to that haul when she lines up in the GIII Long Island H. at Aqueduct on Nov. 30 before shipping to Normandy to visit Le Havre (Ire).

“We bred her and we owned Eversmile, who is the dam of a couple Grade I winners in the States,” Bernick said. “She's a very elegant filly, she has a lot of leg to her and moves really well. Having seen Le Havre this summer we thought he was a great physical match for her and the cross makes a lot of sense too. Our plan with her is to breed her to Le Havre and leave her in France.”

Bernick said the career trajectory of Decorating, who took 10 starts to break her maiden, highlights an area in need of attention in the U.S. turf program. While that sector is growing, there remains a lack of opportunity for youngsters over a route of ground.

“One of the real problems we have in the States is that a lot of our turf horses are bred to run a mile and a quarter and further, but we have very few maiden races of that distance,” he noted. “It's really strange because we always thought she was a pretty good filly, but we were never able to run her over her trip. She finally broke through and broke her maiden at Laurel Park [on July 19]. She should have had a better finish in Canada [fifth in the mile-and-a-half Listed Flaming Page S. on Aug. 18] but she moved too early and flattened out; it was her first time running against stakes horses. Her race at Keeneland was good; she was third, so she got some black-type.”

Good Business, who is currently in foal on her first cover to Giant's Causeway son Creative Cause, will visit Almanzor (Fr) for her second mating. Bernick said he had originally intended to sell the mare at Keeneland November, but had a change of heart when considering the potential future upside of the family. The 4-year-old is a granddaughter of G1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner Macoumba (Mr. Prospector), who was bred by Haras d'Etreham and is the second dam of American sire Temple City (Dynaformer). Good Business is herself out of a daughter of Dynaformer.

“I had Good Business in the Keeneland sale and just kind of looking at her–she's a very pretty mare, we bred her, we own her mother, who's been tricky to get in foal,” Bernick said. “We own her sister, who is a stakes-winning War Front filly in foal to Curlin, and I just kind of changed my mind about selling her. Haras d'Etreham bred Macoumba, who is her second dam, so there is a big connection there.”

Good Business failed to win in three tries, but Bernick said that could be put down to unfortunate circumstances.

“We thought she was one of the best on the farm as a foal, as a yearling and as a 2-year-old,” he said. “She had an injury at two and I guess in hindsight we should have retired and bred her as a 3-year-old, but we had such high hopes for her we thought we'd give her a chance. When we raced her she didn't show what we thought we had.”

The aforementioned Galileo Gal leads the Glen Hill quintet in Ireland, and the 5-year-old mare visits Kingman for the second time. In addition to being a half-sister to the four-time Group 1 and Classic winner Alpha Centauri and a descendant of the great Miesque, Galileo Gal enjoyed another pedigree update this summer when her 2-year-old half-sister Alpine Star (Ire) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) won the G2 Debutante S.

“We bred Galileo Gal to Kingman last year and we thought we'd go back again,” Bernick said. “Her pedigree is very, very strong. She's a sister to Alpha Centauri and the 2-year-old filly Alpine Star jumped up this year. The pedigree is super, super active with fillies, which to me is always good because there's lots of different ways it could branch out successfully.

“When we purchased her out of Fasig-Tipton, [Juddmonte's] Shane Horan reached out and asked if we'd breed her to Kingman. We were happy to do that and again evaluating what to do with her we said, 'why don't we go back, because he's had such a good start to his career.' It's nothing too imaginative, he's just such a good stallion and she's the best-bred mare we have.”

Bernick acknowledged that it isn't a coincidence that he has two daughters of Galileo in his European broodmare band.

“Galileo is a great broodmare sire, and it's not always with great sires,” he noted. “In the U.S. he's the broodmare sire of [Grade I winner and young sire] Lea, who is by First Samurai. First Samurai is a nice stallion, but Lea is by far the best horse First Samurai has had. When you look at the results in Europe he's always showing up, either as the sire, sire of the sire or broodmare sire. He's become so important, so it's nice to have those mares.”

Glen Hill also has in Europe two daughters of Speightstown, who Bernick also touts as a sire that works anywhere. In addition to Good Business, Glen Hill has the listed-winning Deer Valley (Speightstown) in Ireland, and she goes to Lope de Vega (Ire). A quick glance down the page reveals why Deer Valley was especially appealing for Europe: she is from the family of last year's G1 St James's Palace S. winner Without Parole (GB), and she is currently in foal to that horse's sire Frankel (GB).

“Deer Valley is a stakes-winning Speightstown mare,” Bernick said. “Close up in her pedigree she's a sister to Crisp (El Corredor), who was a Grade I winner in Santa Anita and who has a 2-year-old American Pharoah colt [Danon Pharoah] that won in Japan recently. And then if you go further back in the pedigree it's one that has done really well in Europe. Without Parole is in the pedigree, that's why we bred her to Frankel. Speightstown is a great stallion and he'd work as a broodmare sire anywhere.

“Lope de Vega is a good stallion, we've bred to him kind of every year. Our mares are at Norelands Stud and he's right next door at Ballylinch so that's very convenient. His record speaks for itself.”

Another Glen Hill mare with obvious European undertones is the Grade III-placed Data Dependent (More Than Ready), who is in foal to Justify and visits No Nay Never for her second cover. That resulting foal will be closely related to last year's champion 2-year-old filly Skitter Scatter (Scat Daddy), Data Dependent's half-sister. Data Dependent was bred by Airlie Stud and Three Chimneys Farm and bought by Klaravich Stables as a yearling for $145,000. Glen Hill purchased her privately from Klaravich last year.

“It's a pretty obvious mating, because her sister, Skitter Scatter, is by Scat Daddy, and we thought it made sense to send the mare over because most of the best horses in the pedigree have raced in Europe,” Bernick said. “I thought her pedigree would have more appeal over there.”

Five-year-old mare Take A Deep Breath (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) was bought privately by Bernick and Scott Heider after she broke her maiden at second asking for trainer Michael O'Callaghan, and she wore the Glen Hill silks next out when finishing second in the G3 Silver Flash S. at Leopardstown. The granddaughter of the G2 Prix du Gros-Chene and G3 Prix du Petit Couvert victress Millyant (GB) (Primo Dominie {GB}) was exported to the U.S. but could muster only two placings in allowance company from six subsequent starts. Bernick acknowledged that, as with Decorating, Take A Deep Breath struggled to find the right distance in America.

“I think when [European horses] come to America sometimes they're not quite sharp enough to win our turf sprints, but then they can't stay a mile either,” he said. “Her form was good in Europe but not great in America. Bated Breath was a freshman sire when we bought her and he's been on a great trajectory. The pedigree is a bit lighter than I'd like but the filly is good-looking, had genuine ability, is by Bated Breath and her dam is by Oasis Dream so she's perfectly free of Galileo.”

Take A Deep Breath is in foal to Saxon Warrior (Jpn) and visits Galileo's dual Guineas-winning son Gleneagles (Ire), who has 24 first-crop winners and a trio of stakes winners, including two group winners.

“Gleneagles has had some nice 2-year-olds and it's only his first crop,” Bernick said. “I think he's such a well-bred horse and was such a good racehorse and his 2-year-olds have done enough that we thought it would make sense to try. This mare is good-looking, she's inbred to Danzig so I thought the Galileo and Storm Cat [Gleneagles's damsire] would be a good match for her, and it's a good physical match.”

Bernick said he doesn't usually use first-season sires, but he is making an exception next year for Darley's dual Royal Ascot-winning sprinter Blue Point (Ire), who will have Glen Hill's Most Beautiful (GB) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}) in his first book. Most Beautiful raced initially for the Coolmore partners and won the G3 Grangecon Stud S. at two and was third in the G2 Debutante S. She was bought by Glen Hill, Heider and Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings and picked up U.S. black-type when third in the GIII Senator Ken Maddy S. at Santa Anita.

“Most Beautiful is in foal to Kodiac,” Bernick said. “We bought her and brought her to the States and she had some physical problems that we tried to get her over. She's a big, strong, pretty mare. Her pedigree is ok but she really has some good form.

“I watched Blue Point run in Dubai and at Royal Ascot. Shamardal is basically a private stallion now. We don't usually breed to a lot of first-year stallions but I thought he made a lot of sense. This mare is good-looking, precocious and she has group form, so she made sense for him.”

Bernick said it is Glen Hill's policy to breed from good-looking mares that made it to the races themselves.

“It's important for us to breed from horses that ran,” he said. “Good-looking fillies that had form that can be bred to horses that hopefully the market likes. That's what we're trying to do.”