September 4th, 2007

STALLIONS continues a series of profiles on horses beginning stud duties this spring.

Among them is Hotel Grand.

A dual Group I winner, Hotel Grand was lightly raced and he is now letting down in preparation for his first season at the Kevin Dixon headed Racetree Stud at Innisplain. 

Hotel Grand had his racing restricted to nine appearances, eight of them in stakes events, with four of his outings against elite company. 

The wins included the Group I AJC Champion Stakes and Randwick Guineas, the later, saw him record his career high ANZ Classification of 108. That win drew the comment from Tony Brassel in the Sydney Sun-Herald “he wasn’t even fully cranked up to lead this lot a merry dance, AJC Derby here he comes!”

Back in the spring, Hotel Grand should have had a treble of stakes wins in just over two weeks, winning the Group 3 Newcastle Spring Stakes (1600m) and the Group I Champion Stakes and going down by a half-head to the favourite Dream Ballad (by Singspiel) in the Listed Dulcify Stakes (1800m).

In the Dulcify, Hotel Grand, conceding 3-1/2 kilos to the winner, missed the start and raced without cover throughout. It was a better story in the Champion Stakes which he won by two lengths from the favourite, the boom Elnadim (USA) colt Pendragon.

In announcing that they had secured Hotel Grand in a multi-million dollar deal, Kevin Dixon said, “We are very excited to welcome Hotel Grand to Racetree. It is not every day you can add a multiple group one winner of Australian classic races to your roster.”

Hotel Grand is a half-brother to year-older Outback Prince, winner at two of the Group I QTC T.J. Smith Stakes and at three of the Group 2 AJC Hobartville Stakes, both of them being out of Terrestial, a daughter of the Bletchingly Golden Slipper winner Star Watch.

The grandam, Zabriskie Zest is by Persepolis, a son of Kalamoun, sire of Kenmare and grandsire of Jeune, and from Zabriskie Point, a stakes winner by American Horse of the Year Sword Dancer. A little further back in the female line is Irish Exchange who is from Lynchris, a winner of three group one events the Yorkshire Oaks, Irish Oaks and St Leger.

Hotel Grand is by Grand Lodge, the son of one of Danzig’s greatest sons, Chief’s Crown the winner of seven races at group one level. Grand Lodge resided at Woodlands Stud when he travelled to the southern hemisphere and he was humanely euthanased in 2003 after failing to recover from a knee injury he suffered in a paddock accident. 

Grand Lodge proved a remarkable success in both hemispheres producing 11 other group one winners like Grandera, victor of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, Irish Champion Stakes and Singapore International Cup; Sinndar, winner of the English and Irish Derby’s and Arc de Triomphe; Indian Lodge, Prix du Moulin and Prix de la Foret; Freemason, Tancred Stakes, QTC Derby; Shogun Lodge, Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Epsom Handicap; Ambulance, winner of the QTC Sires’ Produce and the VRC Oaks winner, Lovelorn.

Grand Lodge was Champion European Sire in 2000 and he has left a wonderful legacy with 60 stakes winners and 49 stakes placegetters among his 730 winners of more than $72.2 million in prizemoney around the world.

The acquisition of Hotel Grand by Racetree was a major coup for Queensland breeders’ with quality support from syndicate stakeholders including his original owners Hotel Grand’s future looks secure. His debut fee has been set at $16,500 (inc gst).