Category Archives: Bernardini

Two from two for Zenyatta’s half-sister

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Eblouissante (Bernardini – Vertigineux, by Kris S), a half-sister to former US champion Zenyatta (Street Cry – Vertigineux, by Kris S), maintained her unbeaten record with a strong win at Santa Anita.

Zenyatta won 13 Grade 1 races in her 20-start career with her only defeat coming in her final start in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (1-1/4m) at Churchill Downs in 2010.

Eblouissante won a maiden on debut at Hollywood Park on November 16 last year before stepping up to an Allowance race for first appearance of 2013.

The four-year-old settled at the back of the field for jockey Corey Nakatani before sweeping around her rivals to score what turned out to be an easy 1-3/4 length victory.

“She’s a lot like her dam in a lot of ways, slow out of the gate, big strides,” trainer John Shirreffs told The Bloodhorse.

“She sat nicely. She moved up nicely. She stayed right where Corey wanted her, and at the end picked it up a little more. It was very good.”

Shirreffs said he would confer with Eblouissante’s owner before deciding her next outing.

Triple treat for Darley sires to start at Sandown

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Darley stallions made a brilliant start to Saturday’s Sandown Hillside meeting by producing the first three winners on a competitive day’s racing.

Shamardal (Giant’s Causeway – Helsinki, by Machiavellian) filly Bulbula (Shamardal – Taameer, by General Nediym) showed a terrific turn of the speed to become the 45th stakes winner for the European-based stallion in the Listed Merson Cooper Stakes (1000m).

Bulbula surprised even her trainer David Hayes with her pace from the barriers before the two-year-old maintained the effort to score a strong debut win.

“It was really good. It surprised me she could lead so easily,” Hayes said. “She has always showed a bit of speed at home but she got her own way in front.

“It’s a long straight and she kept kicking all the way down the straight.”

Bernardini (A P Indy – Cara Rafaela, by Quiet American) filly Mediung (Bernardini – Amish, by Canny Lad) followed Bulbula’s performance with a big finish to claim the Listed Twilight Glow Stakes (1400m). Bulbula carried the Shadwell Australia colours to victory in the opening event but Meidung’s rider Kerrin McEvoy bore Darley’s maroon and white silks as Meidung recovered from initially appearing to be in trouble halfway up the running to score what turned out to be a comfortable win.

Ibicenco (Shirocco – Iberi, by Rainbow Quest) became the eighth stakes winner for Darley’s Dalham Hall Stud resident Shirocco (Monsun – So Sedulous, by The Minstrel) when the Luca Cumani-trained performer outstayed his opposition to win the Listed Sandown Cup (3200m).

The OTI Racing-owned stayer provided Shirocco with his first Australian stakes winner with his strong effort.

Bernardini up to $US150,000 in 2013

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Bernardini (A P Indy – Cara Rafaela, by Quiet American) will stand for $US150,000 during the 2013 breeding season after Darley’s American operation released its fees for next year.

Performers such as To Honor And Serve (Bernardini – Pilfer, by Deputy Minister) and Alpha (Bernardini – Munnaya, by Nijinsky) propelled Bernardini to a terrific 2012 season in the US to justify his new service fee.

Australian champion sire Lonhro will shuttle again to the US for2013 to stand at the same fee of $US30,000 as last year.

“We were confident that 2012 was going to be a big year for our sires and we feel the same way about 2013,” Darley America’s Head of Sales Charlie Boden said.

“Medaglia d’Oro, Bernardini and Street Cry remain in high demand but they’ve had to make some room for Hard Spun whose achievements thus far are simply incredible.

“Add to that Lonhro’s first US crop arriving in just a few months, we couldn’t be more enthusiastic about the new year.”

Click here to view the full fee schedule for Darley’s US roster.

Zenyatta’s little sister to debut at Hollywood Park

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A half-sister to champion US mare Zenyatta (Street Cry – Vertiginieux, by Kris S) will make her racetrack debut at Hollywood Park on Friday.

Zenyatta suffered only one defeat in her 20-start career, when she finished second to Blame (Arch – Liable, by Seeking The Gold) in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic (1-1/4m) at Santa Anita.

Zenyatta won 13 Grade 1 races while prepared by trainer John Shirreffs.

Eblouissante (Bernardini – Vertiginieux, by Kris S) is a three-year-old filly by Darley stallion Bernardini (A P Indy – Cara Rafaela, by Quiet American).

Zenyatta’s breeder Eric Kronfeld also bred Eblouissante and retains ownership of the filly. Eblouissante will start her career over 1-1/16 miles with jockey Corey Nakatani aboard.

Eblouissante will begin her career without the aid of anti-bleeding drug Lasix.

Double strike for Bernardini

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Winners in New Zealand and the US propelled young Darley stallion Bernardini (A P Indy – Cara Rafaela, by Quiet American) to a dual hemisphere stakes double on Saturday.

Smart two-year-old Ruud Awakening (Bernardini – Dawn Almighty, by Danehill) continued her perfect start to her career when she made it two wins from as many starts with her victory in the Listed Wellesley Stakes (1000m) at Trentham.

The filly won over 800 metres at Avondale on October 1 before having little trouble with rises in class and distance to post an easy 2-1/4 length win over Precious Sophia (Cecconi – Gypsy Jewels, by Jade Robbery).

Meanwhile, Bernardini’s four-year-old son Buffum (Bernardini – Storm Beauty, by Storm Cat) provide too speedy for his opposition in the Grade 3 Bold Ruler Handicap (7f) at Belmont Park.

Buffum jumped smartly enough to assume control of the race from the start, maintaining a solid gallop throughout the event to score by 1-1/4 lengths.

Bernardini’s double strike left him with 19 individual stakes winners.

 

Star US mare in foal to Bernardini

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The 2009 US Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia D’Oro – Lotta Kim, by Roar) will foal a filly by Darley stallion Bernardini (A P Indy – Cara Rafaela, by Quiet American) early next year.

Rachel Alexandra won five Grade 1 races during her 19-start career.

The Stonestreet Farms-owned mare retired in 2010 before champion galloper Curlin (Smart Strike – Sherriff’s Deputy, by Deputy Minister) served Rachel Alexandra in 2011.

Rachel Alexandra foaled a colt from her first mating in January this year before Bernardini served the mare in March.

15th Stakes winner for Bernardini in US G3

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Darley’s young sire Bernardini (A P Indy – Cara Rafaela, by Quiet American) sired his 15th individual Stakes winner after Le Bernardin (Bernardini – La Rosa, by Wild Again) produced a tough effort to claim the Grade 3 Pegasus Stakes (1-1/16m) at Monmouth Park.
Le Bernardin struggled at his previous run in the Grade 2 Peter Pan Stakes but bounced back to post his third win from five starts in Sunday’s $US103,000 feature.

The three-year-old raced three-wide on the pace on the dirt track for almost the entire race before the colt fought hard to score by a long neck. Easter Gift completed a quinella for Darley Stud stallions with his effort to close late for second after racing well off the speed early.

Le Bernardin’s trainer Kiaran McLaughlin paid $US325,000 for the colt at the 2010 Fasig-Tipton New York yearling sale.

“It was a great win and an excellent ride by Mike Luzzi,” McLaughlin told The Bloodhorse. “The horse seemed to be lugging in for much of the race, but Mike did a great job. I’ve never noticed that he’s been a tough horse to ride in the past, but Mike knows him well and did a great job today.”

 

 

 

Zenyatta foals a colt at Lane’s End Farm

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Champion US mare Zenyatta (Street Cry – Vertigineux, by Kris S) has thrown her first foal after delivering a healthy colt to Darley stallion Bernardini (A P Indy – Cara Rafaela, by Quiet American) at Lane’s End Farm.

Zenyatta won 19 of her 20 starts during her outstanding career with her only defeat coming in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic (10f) in November 2010.

The mare’s owners Jerry and Ann Moss announced the news via Zenyatta’s online diary hosted on the star’s dedicated homepage www.zenyatta.com .

Dear, dear, dear friends, I am so proud and elated to share the news with you that I am now a MOM,” the post read.

“I just gave birth to a lovely dark bay COLT, March 8th, at approximately 10:10 p.m. Eastern Time.

“My adorable foal weighed in at 130 pounds, has a white star on his forehead….and some white on his feet.”

Gamilati wins UAE 1000 Guineas

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Godolphin-owned Gamilati (3 f Bernardini – Illustrious Miss, by Kingmambo) produced an ultra-impressive performance to win the Listed UAE 1,000 Guineas (1600m) on the all-weather surface at Meydan on Friday night.

Last year’s Gr 2 Cherry Hinton winner was given a super-cool ride from a confident Dettori, sweeping from last to first in smooth style.¬†She was chased home by free-going stablemate Pimpernel (Invincible Spirit) and Alsindi (Acclamation), who won the Oh So Sharp Stakes for former trainer Clive Brittain last term.

“After that win all options are now open with Gamilati,” said Sheikh Mohammed.¬†”The Newmarket Guineas was mentioned, but we will have to think about the UAE Oaks now and perhaps then Royal Ascot.”

Winning jockey Frankie Dettori said, “I was obviously very hopeful but I did not expect that – I was swinging off her turning for home and she picked up very well indeed off a steady pace. I was pleasantly surprised and that was impressive.”

New Bernardini stakes winner

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Darley shuttle-stallion Bernardini (A P Indy) is now the sire of 11 stakes winners following the win of Algorithims in Sunday’s $400,000 Gr 3 Holy Bull Stakes over a mile at Gulfstream Park.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, Algorithims (3 c Bernardini – Avaknowsthecode, by Cryptoclearance) relished the sloppy track to run out an emphatic five-length winner over last season’s champion US juvenile Hansen (Tapit).

“This race was going to tell us where we were with him, running against the 2-year-old champion,” Pletcher said. “Now he‚Äôs done everything we‚Äôve asked him to. It‚Äôs too early to say what we might do with him at this point.¬†He is by Bernardini and I don‚Äôt think he‚Äôll have distance limitations. So we just have to sort things out from here.‚Äù

Algorithims is from the second crop of Bernardini who is now the sire of eight Graded winners, four of them at Grade 1 level – A Z Warrior, Biondetti, Stay Thirsty and To Honor And Serve.

Bernardini’s oldest Australian crop are two-year-olds of 2011/12.