Highland Reel Goes Out a Winner in the Vase

Highland Reel | HKJC photo

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Making the final start of a truly illustrious career, Derrick Smith, Michael Tabor and Mrs John Magnier's Highland Reel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) launched a second successful raid on Hong Kong in the last three Decembers with a typically determined victory over Talismanic (GB) (Medaglia d'Oro) in a battle of the last two winners of the GI Breeders' Cup Turf in Sunday's G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase at Sha Tin Racecourse. The son of Hveger (Aus) (Danehill), who defeated Flintshire (GB) (Dansili {GB}) in 2015 before just going down to defeat in his title defence 12 months ago, retires to stud at Coolmore with 10 wins from 27 starts and earnings of approximately US$10.5 million.

“He's the sort of horse once he gets into a fight, he's almost always going to prevail,” said winning jockey Ryan Moore, winning for the fifth time at the international meeting. “I was always happy and always confident. He dug in over the last furlong and I thought he was comfortable and going away at the finish.”

Drawn out in gate eight, Highland Reel was away without incident and while he has the speed to lead as connections choose, they were happy to take the sit and allow Helene Charisma (Fr) (Air Chief Marshal {Ire}), one-time winner of the G1 Grand Prix de Paris, to head them off while blinkered for the first time. Talismanic, looking to be the first to complete the Breeders' Cup Turf/Vase double, landed in a prominent position in fourth, while of the others in the market, G1 Kikuka Sho hero Kiseki (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}) was one of the slowest out and raced well behind the early pacesetters. Helene Charisma led them into the backstretch, but Moore pulled Highland Reel out into the two path with about 1400m to travel and raced at his saddle towel into the second half of the race, with Talismanic tracking that duo through. Unhappy with how things were evolving, Mirco Demuro gave Kiseki a bit of rein and the duo would make some ground into about midfield as they hit the third corner. Moore went for Highland Reel in earnest with 2 1/2 furlongs to race, but Talismanic was traveling sweetly behind and looked as if he was going to easily overhaul the race favourite soon after. Highland Reel was feeling a right-handed stick at the furlong marker and Talismanic was within a head at one point, but Highland Reel would have none of it, swatting away the bid and was going away at the wire. Tosen Basil (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}} sat a midfield trip and was in contention into the final eighth of a mile, but peaked on his run and finished third.

A Warrior Heads Off To Stud…

Highland Reel won his maiden by 12 lengths at second asking ahead of a next-out victory in the 2014 G2 Vintage S. Runner-up in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club, he annexed the G3 Gordon S. two starts later and made the most of his first trip outside of Europe with a front-running tour-de-force in the GI Secretariat S. at Arlington Park. He would go on to finish third to Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) in the 2015 G1 Cox Plate and followed up seven weeks later with his first Vase, a breakthrough win in Hong Kong for trainer Aidan O'Brien.

He made starts in six countries in his nine appearances at four in 2016, turning in a terrific pillar-to-post success in the G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S. at Ascot, and was given an enterprising ride by Seamie Heffernan to take out the GI Breeders' Cup Turf, getting the better of the heavily favoured Flintshire. He was also part of the O'Brien-trained Galileo 1-2-3 in that year's G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, finishing 1 3/4 lengths behind Found (Ire) and 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Order of St George (Ire).

It was another productive season in 2017 for Highland Reel, who won Epsom's G1 Coronation Cup (2400m) and the G1 Prince of Wales's S. (2000m) at Royal Ascot in rapid succession in June ahead of a fourth to Enable (Ire) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in the G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S. Connections opted to take a pass on the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe–in which he was second in 2016–and caught soft ground when third behind Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the G1 QIPCO Champion S. He was exiting a game third to Talismanic in the Breeders' Cup Turf at Del Mar Nov. 4.

O'Brien reflected on just what Highland Reel has meant to Ballydoyle over the course of four seasons at the races.

“He's a very special horse–he's irreplaceable, really,” O'Brien said. “It's very rare that you get a horse that can travel like him. He's been doing it since he was a 2-year-old–he won the [Vintage S.] at Goodwood as a 2-year-old and he's travelled the world in the meantime, so an incredible horse, really.

“He's irreplaceable for us at home, but we were lucky to hold onto him as a 5-year-old, we were lucky to get another year out of him,” O'Brien added, stressing again that, “a horse like him is irreplaceable.”

Pedigree Notes:
Highland Reel's dam was second in the G2 South Australian Oaks and third in the G2 Schweppes Oaks prior to her second career, which is proving a resounding success. Her first foal was Valdemoro, who finished runner-up in the G1 Crown VRC Oaks and G1 Vinery Stud Storm Queen S., while a year after Highland Reel, she threw his stablemate Idaho, who could still be anything. The second dam is the G1 Australian Oaks heroine Circles of Gold, whose Elvstroem (Aus), also by Danehill, won five times at the highest level including in the Caulfield Cup and Victoria Derby and whose Haradasun (Aus) wassuccessful three times in Group 1 company including the G1 Queen Anne S. here. Descendants of the third dam Olympic Aim include the champion sprinter of both hemispheres Starspangledbanner (Aus) and also the G1 Schweppes Thousand Guineas heroine Amicus (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). Hveger has a 2-year-old filly and a yearling colt also by Galileo, with the former named Via Condotti (Ire).

Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

Sunday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong
LONGINES HONG KONG VASE-G1, HK$18,000,000 (£1,723,088/€1,959,366/A$3,069,560/US$2,306,512), Sha Tin, 12-10, 3yo/up, 2400mT, 2:26.23, gd.
1–HIGHLAND REEL (IRE), 126, h, 5, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Hveger (Aus) (GSP-Aus), by Danehill
2nd Dam: Circles of Gold (Aus), by Marscay (Aus)
3rd Dam: Olympic Aim, by Zamazaan (Fr)
O-Derrick Smith, Mrs John Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Hveger Syndicate; T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore; HK$10,260,000. Lifetime Record: Hwt. Older Horse-Ire at 11-14f, MGISW-US, MG1SW-Eng, MG1SP-Fr, G1SP-Aus, 27-10-6-3, HK$84,318,110. *1/2 to Valdemoro (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}), MG1SP-Aus, $337,066; full to Idaho (Ire), MGSW & MG1SP-Eng, G1SP-Ire, $1,406,711. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”irt-shell”]2–Talismanic (GB), 126, c, 4, Medaglia d'Oro–Magic Mission (GB), by Machiavellian. O-Godolphin; B-Darley; T-Andre Fabre; HK$3,960,000.
3–Tosen Basil (Jpn), 126, h, 5, Harbinger (GB)–Careless Whisper (Jpn), by Fuji Kiseki (Jpn). (¥141,500,000 fl '12 JRHAJUL). O-Takaya Shimakaya; B-Northern Farm; T-H Fujiwara; HK$1,800,000.[bullet ad=”irt-shell”]Margins: 1 3/4, 3/4, NK. Odds: 21-10, 43-10, 84-10.
Also Ran: Chemical Charge (Ire), Gold Mount (GB), Max Dynamite (Fr), Smart Call (SAf), Eagle Way (Aus), Kiseki (Jpn), Danehill Kodiac (Ire).
Click for the HKJC.com chart, PPs and sectional timing.  VIDEO.

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