The Cox Plate
Whilst Tellytrack has come in for its share of criticism over the years, I must congratulate the powers that be for showing the Cox Plate on Saturday morning. It was a real treat to see Australian champion So You Think winning his second consecutive Cox Plate. The coverage of the race, whilst understandably brief, was excellent, and it is to be hoped that there is more coverage provided for the major Australian races.
Coincidentally, So You Think, an exceptionally handsome individual, became just the tenth horse to win the Cox Plate (Kingstown Town being the only horse to win the prestigious race on three occasions). He also gave another boost to his sire, High Chaparral, who is currently leading the Australian general sires list. He is currently more than $3 million clear of More Than Ready on the general sires list. High Chaparral was responsible for both So You Think and Cox Plate fourth place finisher, Shoot Out. He is drawing comparisons to the likes of multiple champion sire Zabeel as a major classic sire in Australasia. High Chaparral, who began his Southern Hemisphere stud career for a fee of 17,500, currently stands for $88,000.
High Chaparral’s first Southern Hemisphere crop (produced in New Zealand) has produced four individual Group One winners to date. His oldest crop are now four, and High Chaparral has been repatriated from New Zealand to Australia, where he is currently covering some of Australia’s finest broodmares.
By comparison, his stable mate, Galileo, currently the most dominant sire in Europe, sired just two Group One winner during his shuttling days. He no longer shuttles, in part because of his increasing value in Europe.
In the Northern Hemisphere, Galileo is considered a vastly superior stallion to High Chaparral, yet the positions are reversed in Australia. Galileo, to date, is the sire of 16 individual Group/Grade One winners, including superstar Frankel. High Chaparral, on the other hand, is regarded as a respectable sire in the Northern Hemisphere, but not a dominant one. His sole Group One winner is Redwood, winner of the Gr1 Northern Dancer Turf Stakes in Canada.
How two stallions, that on paper have so much in common, have such differing careers at stud remains a mystery. Both are dual Derby winning sons of Sadler’s Wells, and number amongst his best progeny. Both look destined for championship honours at stud, just on different continents.
Of the two, High Chaparral was a more successful two-year-old, ending his campaign with a win in the Gp1 Racing post Trophy, whilst Galileo won his only start by 14 lengths. At stud, it has been Galileo that has proven a highly successful sire of juvenile talent, siring the likes of champion juveniles New Approach, Teofilio, Frankel as well as South African champion 2yo filly Mahbooba.
1-3 for SAF breds in Hong Kong
The SA bred pair of Cerise Cherry and Sweet Sanette ran 1-3 in Sunday’s Gr3 The Premier Bowl over 1200 meters at Sha Tin. Cerise Cherry, a son of Goldkeeper, was winning his third race in Hong Kong. It was a first graded victory for the now 5yo , who was heavily backed from 10’s into 3-1 for the race. Bred by Geoff Armitage, Cerise Cherry, who was something of a bridesmaid in South Africa, has now won 5 races including Grade 3 wins in both South Africa (Graham Beck Hcp) and Hong Kong .
Sweet Sanette, who ran out of room in the race, was sent off favourite after running second to world champion sprinter, Sacred Kingdom, at her penultimate start. She could only manage third, however, beaten 1.8 lengths by the winner.
Colt’s Gp1 success another boost for prestigious race
Casamento, winner of Saturday’s Gp1 Racing Post Trophy, is the latest Group one winner to have landed the Gp2 Beresford Stakes, prior to going onto bigger and better things. Since 2000, seven of the Beresford Stakes winners have gone onto Group One victories. This number includes Sea The Stars, arguably one of the greatest racehorses of the past 50 years, King George winner and promising sire Azamour, Irish Derby winner Alamshar, Irish St Leger winner Septimus and the former Mike de Kock trained Eagle Mountain (winner of the Hong Kong Cup).
Earlier winners of the race include El Prado, a subsequently hugely influential sire in North America, champion racehorse and sire Nijinsky II, Irish 2000 Guineas winner Flash of Steel and Sadler’s Wells, not only a 14 times champion sire in the UK, but one of the most important sire of sires of the last 30 years. Local sire, Albert Hall, whose first crop are now 2, is himself a former winner of the race.
The Beresford is clearly a race long overdue Group One Status, and it will be interesting to see if Casamento (Shamardal) can follow in his predecessors footsteps and become a classic winner and champion at three.
Unbeaten champ’s links to Pierre Jourdan
Singapore Champion Better Than Ever, who ran his unbeaten streak to 12 in Sunday’s Singapore Gp1 Visit Indonesia Raffles Cup , has ties to local hero Pierre Jourdan. Pierre Jourdan’s sire, Parade Leader, is a son of the wonderful broodmare Battle Creek Girl. The latter is the fourth dam of Better Than Ever.
A son of French Deputy, Better Than Ever is likely now to be aimed at the Singapore Gold Cup.
Whilst he is yet to face top-class international opposition, Better Than Ever has do no wrong in his career thus far. His vanquished opponents on Sunday included the smart South African performer Thundering Jet, whose best run saw him finish a good fourth to Big City Life in the Vodacom Durban July of 2009.
