Van Beethoven

We've been waiting so long for the proper Flat to start that it seems almost criminal to veer straight off to the other side of the world, but there was plenty of interest for breeders from this side at Rosehill in Sydney on Saturday morning.  One person who managed to stay awake past 2am to watch the highly impressive last-to-first romp of Post Impressionist (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) in the G3 N E Manion Cup was his breeder Henrietta Egan, who is based at Corduff Stud with her husband David.  Now...

A 1/50th share in prominent jumps stallion Masked Marvel (GB) (lot 18) made €50,000 as a private sale to Trotting Bloodstock during Auctav's February Sale on Wednesday. The stallion has sired G1 Grand Steeple Chase de Paris winner Sel Jem (Fr), as well as numerous other black-type winners across Europe. Trotting Bloodstock's Florent Fonteyne said, "I bought Masked Marvel's share for a client who is an established breeder who owns young NH broodmares." Fonteyne also snapped up lot 13, 10 shares in young stallion Van Beethoven for €22,000. The Scat...

G2 Railway S. winner Van Beethoven (Scat Daddy-My Sister Sandy, by Montbrook) has been retired from racing and will stand at Haras de Grandcamp in 2021. Van Beethoven ran eight times at two for trainer Aidan O'Brien in the Michael Tabor silks, winning twice including the Railway. He was second, beaten a length, in the GI Secretariat S. at Arlington Park the following summer and hasn't run since the 2019 GI Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland. Van Beethoven is out of a full-sister to the dam of triple Grade I-winning...

Arlington's GI Secretariat S., contested at a mile and a quarter since 1985, has been turned back in distance to a one-mile event this year, and drew a competitive nine-horse field for Saturday's running at the Chicago area oval. True to form, Chad Brown has a pair of imposing runners in Peter Brant's Fog of War (War Front) and e Five Racing Thoroughbreds and Mike Ryan's Valid Point (Scat Daddy). Fog of War, who followed up a debut victory with a popular score in the GI Summer S. at Woodbine,...