July 6th, 2008
Mount Nelson, a four-year-old son of Rock of Gibraltar, gave trainer Aidan O’Brien his 12th Group One winner for the 2008 season when narrowly taking out the Coral Eclipse Stakes at Sandown overnight.
There was a time, a long time ago, when prizemoney for the Eclipse was twice that of the Epsom Derby, and a time, not that long ago, when it attracted the best horses in training, often providing the stage for the first major clash of the leading three year olds and the older horses.
Mill Reef, Brigadier Gerard, Dancing Brave and Nashwan are among the more famous winners of the Eclipse in memory, but this year’s race, despite the record prizemoney on offer, fell well below that lofty standard.
Nevertheless, the race was a thrilling contest with Mount Nelson, coming from behind to win right on the line by a short head from a game Phoenix Tower, the hope of the Henry Cecil yard. The winner, the only previous Group One winner in the field (he had won the 2006 Criterium International at Saint-Cloud as a two year old over a mile) had been a pleasing first-up fifth to Haradasun at 33/1 in the Group I Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot and showed the benefit of that outing to tough it out in the uphill drive to the line.
If Mount Nelson’s win paid Haradasun a compliment, then the close up finish of the second and third horses, Phoenix Tower and Pipedreamer, franked the form of ruling King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes favourite, Duke of Marmalade, even more so. Mount Nelson’s high profile stablemate had beaten that pair by 4 lengths in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes on June 18.
With a wealth of talent in his stable, O’Brien would not commit to future plans for Mount Nelson but the Juddmonte International at York seems the most likely target for all three placegetters.
Mount Nelson, a 320,000 guinea yearling, was produced by the Sun Chariot
Stakes-G2 winner Independence, a daughter of leading sire Selkirk, and is from the family of the outstanding Reference Point, a half-brother to the winner’s third dam.
Reference Point had been involved in one of more memorable Eclipse finishes of recent times, when putting up a great fight before going under to the older
Mtoto back in 1987.
Henry Cecil, who first major winner was Wolver Hollow in this very same race 39 years ago, trained the runner-up that day too.
May 4th, 2008
Rock of Gibraltar posted his 31st stakes-winner at Randwick on Saturday when
Rockwood defied all challengers to take the Group Three AJC Frank Packer Plate over 2000 metres in a driving finish.
Ridden by Nash Rawiller, Rockwood stalked the pace and then proved too good in the run home to beat fast finishing
Moatize (Danehill Dancer ex Shezabeel Zabeel) by a short neck with another neck back to
Imvula (Rock of Gibraltar ex African Rain by Woodman) giving Coolmore sires the trifecta.
“He’s super tough, I thought he was going to run fifth at the 200 but he kept on finding and finding, he’s going to be even better next time,”
Rawiller told TVN's Bruce Clark.
Second in the Listed AJC Carbine Club Stakes over 1600 metres
last week, Rockwood relished the step up in distance and the quick back up to produce his best performance to date, his overall record now standing at two wins and two seconds from six starts with prizemoney of
more than $120,000.
Rockwood races for a large group of owners who syndicated him from
his trainer Gai Waterhouse who had purchased him at the 2006 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale from the draft of Coolmore Stud for $325,000.
He is the fourth foal of dual Group One winning Centaine mare Foxwood, who comes from the family of outstanding gallopers
Sovereign Red and Gurner’s Lane. Foxwood produced a full brother to
Rockwood last spring and was subsequently covered by Encosta de
Lago.
Rock of Gibraltar is the leading second season sire in Australia by individual stakes-winners this season with an amazing seven stakes-winners to his credit -
Rockwood, joins Book of Kells, Gamble Me, Musidora, Pillar of Hercules, Sliding Cube
and Gibraltar Campion.
April 20th, 2008
Improving three year-old Book of Kells ploughed through the heavy conditions at Rosehill on Saturday to win the
Group Two STC Tulloch Stakes in providing his outstanding young sire Rock of Gibraltar
with his 30th individual stakes-winner worldwide.
Friendless in betting, the Bart Cummings trained Book of Kells travelled comfortably midfield for much of the race before unleashing a big finishing burst to surge past New Zealand Group Two winner
Rios.
Book of Kells has now won two of nine starts and will be given his shot at the
Group One AJC Australian Derby at Royal Randwick next Saturday.
“He’s bred to stay and always shown a bit of quality so he’ll get his chance next week,” said Cummings.
Raced by long time Cummings client Dato Tan Chin Nam and partners, Book of Kells was purchased by
Duncan Ramage from DGR Thoroughbreds for $150,000 from the Glastonbury Farm draft at the 2006 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
He is from the former outstanding racemare Episode (by Scenic), a winner of six races including the Group One SAJC South Australian Oaks and Australasian Oaks.
Book of Kells is the sixth individual Australian stakes-winner this season for Coolmore based
Rock of Gibraltar, who leads all other second season sires for number of individual stakes-winners since August 1.
Rock of Gibraltar has 36 youngsters catalogued for the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling
Sale that kicks of in Sydney at the Inglis Newmarket complex at 3pm (15:00).
April 16th, 2008
Hot on the heels of Encosta de Lago's 11th winner at the elite level, Coolmore based stallions are recording solid victories in the northern hemisphere as well.
The Lady O’Reilly-bred High Rock showed he is colt of the highest class with a dominant performance in Sunday’s Prix la Force
(Gr 3) at Longchamp. A Group winner last season, High Rock was always travelling strongly in this 2000m contest and he simply ran away from his rivals in the straight to score by a widening six-lengths at the line.
High Rock (ex Hint Of Silver by Alysheba) has won three of his four starts and is one of
29 stakes winners for his sire Rock Of Gibraltar, who stands at Coolmore Stud in Co Tipperary and in the Hunter Valley in Australia.
February 3rd, 2008
It was the Group I Coolmore Lightning Stakes at Flemington on Saturday
and leading Flemington trainer David Hayes gave the sponsors of the day
something to smile about when he produced Musidora to collect the Group
3 Vanity Stakes.
Musidora got away well from barrier three as Lady Phoebe (Stravinsky)
got away best and set a very fast speed and Musidora sat off her. As Lady
Phoebe folded Musidora took over and the chestnut daughter of Coolmore's Rock of
Gibraltar kept the pressure on to charge down the home straight to score a top
class stakes win.
Pleasantsundaygirl (Cape Cross - Thunder Nights by Thunder Gulch) ran on well
for second a length and three-quarters away while Zarita (Pentire - Gin Player
by Defensive Play), did her best work late and stormed home for third another
three-quarters-of-a-length away.
Hayes told TVN that the lightly raced Musidora would be
prepared for the Group I Australasian Oaks in South Australia.
Musidora was having her fifth race start on Saturday and the victory
gave her sire his 25th individual stakes winner in the 1400m fillies
event.
Hayes continued to tell Bruce Clark that "Musidora got a terrible dose of the flu just before the spring carnival and it knocked her around so much that
he decided to spell her."
Not offered at public auction after being withdrawn from sale as a yearling, Musidora runs in the navy blue Coolmore colours and has now won three races from five starts earning $152,740.
She is the seventh foal of superbly bred Bering mare Nice Dancing, a half-sister to the dam of Golden Slipper winner and leading sire Flying Spur.
Her dam is American stakes-winner Grand Luxe, a daughter of legendary matriarch Fanfreluche, whose many superior descendants include leading sire Encosta de Lago.
Already the dam of several winners and two stakes-placed performers in the Northern Hemisphere, Nice Dancing (USA) was exported back to the Northern Hemisphere in December of 2004 after producing Musidora.
Rock of Gibraltar has sired half a dozen stakes-winners in Australasia this season alone with Musidora joining Sliding Cube, Pillar of Hercules, Gamble Me, Gibraltar Campion and the New Zealand based filly Lovetrista.
He completed his fifth consecutive season at Coolmore in Australia last spring at a fee of $82,500 and covered his biggest ever book of 193 mares.
Rock of Gibraltar has two yearlings for sale in the Perth Magic Millions
sale (Feb 15-22nd) another eight in the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale in Melbourne
(2nd-6th March) and 34 at the Magic Millions on the Gold Coast.
December 30th, 2007
In New South Wales at Rosehill on Saturday, leading trainer David Payne made it a clean sweep of the only two juvenile races in Sydney this season when
Rock Me Baby scored in the Bacardi Breezer Plate.
Rock Me Baby
(ex Highest Cool by Highest Honor) was making her debut over 1100m in the
Bacardi Breezer Plate against the colts and she gave them a start and a beating
when she claimed love And Kisses (Encosta de Lago - Fair Embrace by Strategic),
giving the Coolmore Stallions the quinella, with Miss Monashee (Monashee
Mountain - Oxford Princess by Magic Ring) a long neck away third.
Rock Me Baby raced greenly before she was balanced up by Jeff Lloyd in the straight and she finished off strongly.
Payne has predicted a bright future for Rock Me Baby who cost $260,000
as a yearling. But he wasn't so sure about her prospects of getting a start in the world's richest race for two-year-olds, the $3.5 million Golden Slipper Stakes.
"She lost it a bit on the corner but once Jeff sorted her out she went very well," Payne said.
"She's a very nice filly but I don't know about the Slipper, the trouble with that is how much money you'll need to qualify.
Lloyd, a six-time South African premiership winner who continued his brilliant form since relocating to Sydney earlier this month, was impressed with the performance from Rock Me Baby.
"Her work has been very nice at home and while she lost it a bit on the bend she showed that she was a very nice filly," Lloyd said.
Bred and offered for sale by Kia Ora Stud, Rock Me Baby
is the fourth foal of the imported stakes-placed Highest Honor mare Highest Cool, who comes from the family of international Group One winners It’s In The Air, Storming Home and Musical Chimes.
Highest Cool has a yearling full brother to Rock Me Baby and produced a filly by Galileo this spring.
November 18th, 2007
At Sandown on Saturday, Gibraltar Campion, took on the older horses in
the Listed MRC Kevin Heffernan Stakes over 1200m and she turned in her best effort this spring
to defeat them under the weight-for-age conditions of the event.
Given a lovely ride by Craig Newitt, the chestnut daughter of Rock of
Gibraltar, sat off the pace set by Spectacular Saint and swept to the lead with a furlong to run and dashed well
clear to score by a widening three-quarters-of-a-length from Cargo Cult
(Spectrum - Cult Figure by Ahoonoora), who came from last to hit the line
strongly.
Cocinero (Encosta de Lago - Cantinela by Zoffany), had been handy all the way
held on well for third another long neck away.
A stakes-winner last season at two, the Lee Freedman trained Gibraltar Campion has now won three of six starts earning
more than $150,000 in prizemoney.
Freedman told TVN that she would head to the paddock for a short break.
“I had this race in the back of my mind as good three year-old fillies can be well suited at this time of year with a light weight under the weight-for-age scale as we saw with Royal Asscher,” explained Freedman.
“We’ll pull up stumps with her now and come back in the autumn, she’s a very valuable filly.”
Purchased for $500,000 by Katsumi Yoshida from the draft of Rich Hill Stud at the 2006 NZB Premier Yearling Sale, Gibraltar Campion is a half-sister to multiple
Group Two winner Only Words being from the very good performer What Can I
Say, winner of the Group Two AJC Warwick Stakes in 1998.
Gibraltar Campion becomes the fourth Australian stakes-winner this season for
Rock of Gibraltar, joining Pillar of Hercules, Gamble Me and
Sliding Cube.
November 13th, 2007
Gibraltar Range began her racing career with a win at Cranbourne on Sunday as
Lee Freedman scored his fourth individual two-year old winner from six runners
this season.
Jumping smartly from barrier, and under Ben Melham, who made the most of Gibraltar Range's natural speed,
dictated the event from the outset. Given an easy lead throughout, the daughter of Rock of Gibraltar
railed smartly into the straight with a lengths advantage. Displaying her greeness, Gibraltar Range swished her tail at Melham's whip, but the contest was never in doubt and she scored by length in a time of
1:min 0.21sec.
Purchased in conjunction with Blue Sky Thoroughbreds at the Easter Yearling Sales for $320,000,
from the draft of Kia Ora Stud, this daughter of Rock of Gibraltar is the first foal of the Franch Stakes winning mare
Hancora (by Septieme Ciel). The filly is raced by Danny Bourke, Damien Flower, Peter Hawks and Paul Wheelan of Luskin Park Stud.
November 8th, 2007
At Flemington on VRC Oaks day, the bonny Rock of Gibraltar filly, Gamble Me topped off a successful spring when she won the third race of her campaign in the Listed Cadbury Eden Stakes
(1200m).
The Listed event was run down the famous straight six course and jumping away
well from barrier 14 in the 16-strong field, her rider Steven Arnold, headed to
the 'grandstand side' of the course and from there on she was never headed and
scored by a head from Beaming (Canadian Silver - Tough Assignment by Covetous).
Trained at Rye by Lee Freedman, Gamble Me has won at every second start since her first-up failure
over 1100m on the same course back in September.
Owned by Gooree Pastoral Company Syndicate, Gamble Me, scored a strong
two-length win in the Group 3 Thoroughbred Club Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield when
she led-all-the-way two starts back at Caulfield on October 13.
Bold Moment (Fasliyev - Flushed by Redding) flew home late to finish a half-length away third.
Freedman said, "It was a great ride, Steve just saved a little bit up his sleeve for the finish and made a late lunge. He understands the filly well."
Arnold has ridden her at her past three starts for two wins including the Thoroughbred Club Stakes.
Freedman said Gamble Me would go to the paddock and be set for sprints in the autumn.
Gamble Me is from one of Gooree Stud’s imported mares Good Gamble (by
Pleasant Tap), whose dam Looking for Gold is a full sister to champion sire
Seeking the Gold and hail from the same family as King Cugat, the sire of 2007 Turnbull Stakes winner
Devil Moon.
By the very hot, Coolmore based, Rock of Gibraltar who is covering his fifth consecutive book of Australian mares at a fee of $82,500 after spending
last years Northern Hemisphere season in Japan he is due back in Ireland for
2008 .
October 21st, 2007
Coolmore's young stallion Rock of Gibraltar continues on his
successful march and on Caulfield Cup day he was at it again when he produced Pillar Of Hercules to
claim the Group Three Norman Robinson Stakes (2000m).
Trained
on the course by Peter Moody, the chestnut was given a gun run by the stable
jockey Luke Nolen when he made the winning move on the turn to race to the lead
as they straightened. With a challenge from Down Under Boy, Pillar of
Hercules fought on well and raced away to score by a neck.
Villain (Carnegie - True Jewels by Brief Truce), got too far out of his
ground in a slowly run race and ran home well for third a short half-head away.
Pillar Of Herclues is building a nice record with two wins and one
placing to his six start career and has a nice pedigree behind him as he is out of the unraced
half-sister to Catbird and Danbird, Coat (by Brocco).
She is also the dam of the stakes placed Coats Choice (by Redoute's
Choice).
Pillar
of Hercules was purchased by Moody at the
2006 William Inglis Easter yearling sale for $475,000. So taken was Moody
with the good-looking chestnut that he went back to the William Inglis Easter
sale earlier this year and gave $310,000 for the brown colt by Lonhro
from the draft of Reavill Farm.
Coat is out of the Marscay mare, Fitting, a winner of four races
including the Listed AJC Gimcrack Stakes and a third placing in the Group
I AJC Fight Stakes. Fitting is the dam of Catbird and Danbird
and she is also a sister to the Marscay stakes winning duo, Maizcay and Milikazi.
She is also a three-quarter-sister-in-blood to the listed winner Doona Dior
(by Marscay) and a half-sister to the listed winner Donna Cara (Sir
Tristram).
Pillar Of Herclues is the 23rd stakes winner by Rock of
Gibraltar, who stands his second season at Coolmore Stud in the
Hunter Valley at a fee of $82,500.00 (inc gst).
Overnight in England, Kitty Matcham improved on her recent six-furlong Naas win with a hard-fought
victory in the Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket. She like, Pillar of Herclues
is by the 2000 Guineas winner Rock Of Gibraltar and out of the Oaks winner Imagine,
looks set to come into her own during her classic season. Trained in
Ireland by Aidan O’Brien, who said " She’s a little bit like her dad, and her mum was like it too, they just come late.
She has some pedigree and she’s really starting to get it together now. She’s going to be some filly next year - she could be anything. Her parents both improved from two to three."
Asked if she was the star juvenile filly at Ballydoyle, O’Brien said: "She’s lovely but we’ve plenty of horses to run still.
"But a filly with the pedigree that she has and the way she’s improving - she’s coming hand over fist and she’s really something to look forward to."
Kitty Matcham was ridden by Johnny Murtagh who celebrated a double after landing the £2.5 Million
Cesarewitch on Leg Spinner.
October 15th, 2007
With smart filly Gamble Me (ex Good Gamble by Pleasant Tap) gave Rock of Gibraltar his
20th
stakeswinner at Caulfield on Saturday, number 21 was not far behind with the Charles Laird trained
Uber Rock
(ex Uberfrau by Sadler's Wells) won the Listed Goldfields Stakes over 1160 metres at Turffontein in South Africa.
Uber Rock had not raced since finishing fifth on a heavy track in a Listed race back on June 2, but was way too good in this assignment settling back off the pace and zooming home to win by two lengths.
Group Three placed last season at two, Uber Rock is a talented type who has the smart overall record of two wins and two placings from five starts.
Purchased by Charles Laird for $825,000 from the Coolmore draft at the 2006 Magic Millions Yearling Sale, Uber Rock is the first foal of the Sadler’s Wells mare Uberfrau, an unraced daughter of
Group One winner Houseproud.
Uberfrau has a yearling colt by Encosta de Lago but unfortunately slipped to Rock of Gibraltar this year.
October 14th, 2007
Coolmore's young son of Danehill, Rock of Gibraltar, is proving every bit as successful at stud as he was on the track in posting his 20th individual stakes-winner worldwide at Caulfield on Saturday when Gamble Me
led all the way in the Group 3 MRC Thoroughbred Club Stakes (1200m).
Trained at Mornington by Lee Freedman for the Gooree Pastoral Company
Syndicate, Gamble Me jumped away quickly from gate 12 and under Steve Arnold she
found the front at a solid gallop. Controlling the gallop, Arnold was able
to kick off the bend and gain a valuable advantage over her rivals at the 300m
she had her ears pricked and travelling strongly and went to the post without
being asked for another effort by Arnold. Gamble Me scored by a widening
two lengths from Vivacious Spirit (Bel Esprit - Bit of Bliss by Snippets).
Belcentra (Bel Esprit - Centra Rainbeam by Centaine), did have to ease on the
corner to get clear before running on fairly for third a short half-head away.
Gamble Me clearly enjoyed the drop back in distance to 1200 metres after disappointing last start when finishing only fifth in a 1400m
event, after leading on the rail when the pattern of racing of the day was
clearly against her so it was easy to forgive that run.
“It was a really good effort as they went along quickly,” said winning jockey Steven Arnold.
“She has a high cruising speed and races well like that, giving a good kick off the turn.”
Group Two placed during the autumn in Sydney as a juvenile, the Gooree Stud bred
filly has now won three races and placed four times from nine starts earning
more than $180,000.
A half-sister to Sydney metropolitan winner Cara Y Cruz, Gamble Me is from one of Gooree Stud’s imported mares being from the Pleasant Tap mare Good Gamble, whose dam Looking for Gold is a full sister to champion sire Seeking the Gold.
It was the second win in the race for Gooree Stud, who also bred and owned the Danehill filly Queen of the Hill, who won
the event in 2005
Coolmore based Rock of Gibraltar is covering his fifth consecutive book of Australian mares at a fee of $82,500 after spending the Northern Hemisphere season in Japan, but is due back in Ireland for the 2008 breeding season.
September 30th, 2007
Blue-blood prevailed in the Listed $55,000 Cambridge Stud Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) at Ellerslie on Saturday, with Lovetrista
(ex Tristalove) decisively winning the second leg of the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series.
Having just her second race-day start the John Sargent trained three-year-old was guided by Jason Waddell to finish one-and-a-half lengths ahead of Seachange's little sister Keepa Cruisin (Keeper
ex Just Cruising) with Boundless (Van Nistelrooy ex Nothing Less) another length back in third.
Racing in the colours of her breeders, and race sponsor, Sir Patrick and Justine Lady Hogan, the regally bred filly is from
Tristalove, the dual Group 1 winning daughter of Sir Tristram. Tristalove is the daughter of
Diamond Lover (Sticks And Stones) and the grand-daughter of dynasty founder
Eight Carat (Pieces of Eight). Now deceased, during her breeding career she produced
Group 1 AJC Spring Champion Stakes winner, and sire at Cambridge Stud, Viking Ruler (Danehill), as well as stakes-winners
Kempinsky (Danehill) and Diamond Like (Danehill) and stakes-placed
Chimeara (Danehill) - the dam of Group 1 STC Rosehill Guineas winner, De Beers (Quest For Fame).
Represented on the day by his daughter Nicola, Hogan was unable to enjoy the win on course having already left to enjoy the Rugby World Cup in Europe. In a fortuitous turn of events he acquired his tickets through a chance meeting with legendary All Black Jock Hobbs where a deal was made: 12 tickets to the Rugby World Cup for a share in his best horse, resulting in Hobbs' first foray into racehorse ownership with a share in Lovetrista.
In addition to Sir Patrick Hogan, Hobbs also races the filly with his business partner Graham Jackson and New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Chairman Guy Sargent.
Meanwhile, trainer John Sargent, a long time friend of Hobbs and rugby team-mate at Christ's College, reported that a likely run in the Listed James and Annie Sarten Memorial on 22 October will be her last before she is set to clash with Diamond Deck (Octagonal x Miss Trump) in the next race of the Series, the
Group 1 New Zealand Bloodstock One Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton on 10 November.
September 16th, 2007
It was a race card full of stars on Saturday with the running of the Group I Manikato
Stakes and to open the day was a competitive 3YO Hcp and in keeping of the
theme of the day only the best survived.
Down Under Boy came across from his wide barrier to lead from Catalan Bay,
who had also drawn wide. Down Under Boy retained the lead but Catalan Bay
with Heart and Pillar of Hercules all went forward to apply pressure. That
is racing at Moonee Valley - pressure and class.
Down Under Boy was the first to weaken, with Catalan Bay taking over and
immediately challenged by Pillar
of Hercules, who was given the 'run of the race' by Luke Nolen. Gran
Sasso (Dehere - Lady Soffel by Rubiton), who travelled cluttered up near the
rail got away from the inside at the top of the straight to put in a run, but it
was Pillar
of Hercules who kept going strongly to hold out Gran Sasso by a
length-and-a-quarter with Crowned Ruler (Fasilyev - Carnegie Queen by Carnegie),
running home strongly out wide, a nose away in third.
In winning his maiden in great style, Pillar
of Hercules, has earned a crack at the Group 2 Bill Stutt Stakes at
the same course on September 28th.
The chestnut son of Rock of Gibraltar is out of the unraced
half-sister to Catbird and Danbird, Coat (by Brocco).
She is also the dam of the stakes placed Coats Choice (by Redoute's
Choice).
Pillar
of Hercules is trained at Caulfield by Peter Moody, who purchased him at the
2006 William Inglis Easter yearling sale for $475,000. So taken is Moody
with the good-looking chestnut that he went back to the William Inglis Easter
sale earlier this year and gave $310,000 for the brown colt by Lonhro
from the draft of Reavill Farm.
Coat is out of the Marscay mare, Fitting, a winner of four races
including the Listed AJC Gimcrack Stakes and a third placing in the Group
I AJC Fight Stakes. Fitting is the dam of Catbird and Danbird
and she is also a sister to the Marscay stakes winning duo, Maizcay and Milikazi.
She is also a three-quarter-sister-in-blood to the listed winner Doona Dior
(by Marscay) and a half-sister to the listed winner Donna Cara (Sir
Tristram).
September 11th, 2007
Fashion Rocks added to the growing reputation of her sire Rock Of Gibraltar when she landed last Thursday’s Dick Poole Fillies’ Stakes
(Listed) at Salisbury.
Fashion Rocks defeated Vive les Rouges (Acclamation ex Bible Box, by Bin Ajwaad) by a neck with Raymi Coya
(Van Nistelrooy – Something Mon, by Maria’s Mon) in third place.
Bred by Swordlestown Stud, Fashion Rocks sold for 200,000 euros at the Goffs Million September yearling sale.
July 18th, 2007
Theann became the 13th stakeswinner for her seven-time Group I winning
sire Rock Of Gibraltar when victorious in the Group 3 Summer Stakes at York last
week.
Theann (ex Cassandra Go by Indian Ridge), was always prominent before taking the lead inside the final furlong to score comfortably by two-and-a-half
lengths from Gloved Hand (Royal Applause). Lady Grace (Orpen) finished third.
Trained by Aidan O’Brien for Mrs E. M. Stockwell, Theann cost 400,000 euros as a yearling at the Goffs Orby Million Sale. Her record now stands at two wins and five placings from 12 starts.
May 28th, 2007
Coolmore stallion, Rock of Gibraltar, produced his first Group I winner over
the weekend in South Africa when Seventh Rock took out the Gold Reef Resorts
Medallion at Scottsville.
The Charles Laird trained colt won by a-quarter-of-a-length, covering the
1200m in 1:07.72. It was Seventh Rock's second win from his third
outing.
His trainer had purchased the colt at the 2006 Magic Millions Yearling Sale
from the draft of Strawberry Hill Stud for $1,025,000. His family was well
known to Laird as his dam Ruby Clipper was the Champion South African Two Year Old Filly of 2000.
The Australian bred daughter of Rubiton won 10 races including the Group One Allan Robertson Fillies Championship at Scottville, before being retired and sold back to Australia to commence a career at stud.
Seventh Rock was the most expensive Rock of Gibraltar yearling colt sold at Australasian sales in 2006, a figure that was eclipsed this year when his colt from L’On Vite made $3million at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Seventh Rock is one of six Southern Hemisphere bred stakes-winners for Rock of Gibraltar, whose overall tally of stakes-winners now stands at nine including a Northern Hemisphere bred Group One winner in Mount Nelson.
Rock of Gibraltar will return to Coolmore Australia this spring at a fee of $82,500.
April 15th, 2007
A three-parts brother yearling to dual Group 1 winner Holy Roman Emperor by
Rock Of Gibraltar topped the benchmark Inglis Easter yearling sale last week when selling for
$3 million. The colt equals the sale-record for a yearling sold in Australia and was knocked down to leading Sydney trainer Gai Waterhouse. Holy Roman Emperor will shuttle to Coolmore’s Australian base and Coolmore, who consigned the
yearling.
March 11th, 2007
At Randwick on Saturday, Rock of Gibraltar's son Murtajill showed his talent
when he produced a dominant all-the-way performance in the Group Three Skyline Stakes
(1200m).
Ridden
by Jim Cassidy, Murtajill (ex Skating by At Talaq) got away cleanly from barrier
three and with the blinkers on he found the front easily. Husson Lightning
(Hussonet - Snip Snip by Snippets) ran his usual honest race for second three
lengths off the winner while Pistols (Dehere - Duelling Girl by Dayjur) did best
of the rest for third a short neck away.
Murtajill won the first stakes race of the season for the juveniles the
Listed Breeders' Plate (1000m) and he is raced
jointly by Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa and the colt's trainer, Tim Martin.
Sheik Mohammed's racing manager, Tim Stakemire, found Murtajill as a
weanling when Segenhoe Stud offered him at the 2005 Magic Millions National sale
six months after his blood brother, Bradbury's Luck, won the $1million Magic
Millions Classic, he sold for $660,000.
Murtajill is one of six winning foals for At Talaq mare Skating, a
triple Group I winner. His sire Rock of Gibraltar also knew
quite a lot about winning group one's as he won seven of them.
March 5th, 2007
A promising filly by Rock of Gibraltar, Gibraltar Campion continued her unbeaten run with a half-head win over another promising
filly, Patasi in the MRC Listed Pol Rogers Stakes over 1200 metres at Caulfield on Saturday.
The Lee Freedman trained filly has now won two from two and looks to have a very exciting
future. Gibraltar Campion is a half sister to multiple Group Two winner Only Words being from
the very well performed race mare, What Can I Say, winner of the Group Two AJC Warwick
Stakes in 1998 beating Might and Power and Tie the Knot.
Rich Hill will offer a magnificent bay Zabeel filly from What Can I Say who is Lot 6 at the 2007 Inglis Sydney Easter Yearling
Sale. Gibraltar Campion was purchased by leading Japanese identity, Katsumi Yoshida for
$500 000 at the 2006 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Premier Sale. Rich Hill have a close
association with Katsumi Yoshida through standing leading sire Pentire and up and coming
young sire Jungle Pocket both of which are part owned by the Yoshida family.
January 27th, 2007
Australia Day was a 'red letter' day for David Hayes and Coolmore Stud as
they claimed all three black type juvenile events on Friday.
In Melbourne, Hayes trained the winners of both the colts and geldings and fillies divisions of the Listed Blue Diamond Previews at Caulfield
and for good measure added the Listed Widden Stakes at Randwick. All
were by Coolmore based stallions, and to cap the day off for the stud Haradasun (Fusaichi Pegasus),
made a good return to the racetrack when overcoming difficulties to land the $100,000 Listed Zeditave Stakes at Caulfield,
giving the stud four stakes winners for the day.
First season sire, Rock Of Gibraltar, made it two winners for two stakes winners when
Superfly (ex Allez France by Hennessy) ran down the race favourite and very
speedy Goldam (Twining - Spurani by Flying Spur) in the Listed Widden Stakes at Randwick.
Having her fourth start Superfly had shown talent with placings behind her well-regarded stablemates Cinq Rouge and Husson Lightning in stakes
events in Melbourne.
A half-sister to Superfly is set to be offered for sale in New Zealand at Karaka on Monday.
Her half-sister is by Fusaichi Pegasus is set to be offered at Lot 32 of New Zealand Bloodstock's National Yearling Sales by Curraghmore Stud. The filly is the third foal from Hennessy mare, Allez France, herself a Listed winner at two.
Allez France descends from the prolific Newhaven Park family that produced the champion Burst and Group 1 winners Victory Prince and Bush Padre.
Superfly was purchased by international bloodstock agent Adrian Nicoll from
the Coolmore Stud consignment at the 2006 Magic Millions Yearling sale for $430,000.
October 30th, 2006
Coolmore's Rock of Gibraltar found his first Group 1 winner (his
fourth stakes winner worldwide overall) in the shape of Mount Nelson, winner of the Criterium International
(Gr 1) at Saint-Cloud in France on Sunday.
Mount Nelson finished a head in front of a son of Anabaa Blue with another Rock of Gibraltar in
Yellowstone finishing third.
It is worth noting that Mount Nelson is yet another stakes winner by Danehill or one of his sons out of a mare sired by Sharpen Up or one of his sons. This 'nick', while often advantaged by the quality of the ancestors involved, is by far one of the most prolific for the sire line and broodmare sire line. Indeed more specifically Mount Nelson joins the Gr 1 winner Simply Perfect, by Danehill, and the Gr 2 winner Vital Equine, by the ill-fated Danetime as stakes winners in 2006 by Danehill and his sons out of Selkirk mares.
October 3rd, 2006
The brilliant win of one of Europe’s top juvenile, Holy Roman Emperor (Danehill (USA)) in Sunday’s Gr. 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (Grand Criterium) at Longchamp significantly boosted the
pedigree of a three-quarter brother that will be offered at next year’s Easter Sale.
Out of the Secretariat (USA) mare L’On Vite (USA), Coolmore Stud will offer
the three-quarter brother to Holy Roman Emperor by Rock of Gibraltar (IRE) at Easter next year where he
is bound to be one of the most admired colts of the sale.
The colt comes from an outstanding stallion pedigree including the likes of Flying Spur and Encosta de Lago which makes it
“incredibly exciting to have a yearling of this quality at the Easter sales. He would be in the top echelon of any international sales around the world, and is sure to command the attention of serious horse buyers internationally and within Australia. The
progeny of Rock of Gibraltars look like they will suit Australian conditions and this colt has everything a trainer or stud master could ask for,” stated William Inglis Director Jonathan D’Arcy after the outstanding win of the Danehill (USA) colt on Sunday.
With Rock of Gibraltar (IRE) surprising a lot of industry participants with his early trial performers, as well as siring the winner of the time honoured
Listed AJC Breeders Plate on Saturday, not to mention his success in the northern hemisphere where he already has the stakes winning Roxan, buyers will again be keen to acquire his progeny.
October 2nd, 2006
First season sire Rock Of Gibraltar took home the honours in the
Listed AJC Breeders' Stakes held at Randwick on Saturday with Murtajill.
Murtajill won clearly after overhauling leaders Husson Lightning (Hussonet
- Snip Snip by Snippets) and Maxisun (Choisir - Venere by Marscay).
Murtajill
took a sit behind the two early leaders after crossing from a wide barrier and
responded noticeably when Jim Cassidy kicked the colt up soon after entering the
home straight. He
