With the uproar over Big Brown’s retirement, the confirmation that Curlin will be defending his title and the news that both Henrythenavigator and Duke of Marmalade will be contesting the Breeders’ Cup Classic, one strong [...]]]> Welcome to readers of The Blood-Horse; today’s post is one in a semi-regular series called Horses Americans Should Know.

With the uproar over Big Brown’s retirement, the confirmation that Curlin will be defending his title and the news that both Henrythenavigator and Duke of Marmalade will be contesting the Breeders’ Cup Classic, one strong contender has been overlooked: Raven’s Pass. Indeed, given his finishes behind Henrythenavigator at the mile distance throughout the season, the Classic once seemed a far-fetched idea:

Few would have countenanced the Classic for Raven’s Pass earlier in the season, when he was ridden as a doubtful stayer even over a mile. Certainly his pedigree offers no guarantees for the extra two furlongs, but his sire, Elusive Quality, does offer one for the surface. His progeny seem to handle anything from ricefields to broken glass.

But given his win in the QEII stakes in which he finally got the jump on arch-rival Henrythenavigator, trainer John Gosden felt that things were finally falling into place for Raven’s Pass.

In any event, it will be something of a homecoming for the KY-bred colt, who is out of Ascutney, winner of the Miesque Stakes. It would seem the breeding to Elusive Quality has been considered a success; she is in foal to the stallion again. Trainer Gosden also has an American connection; he conditioned Royal Heroine during her American campaign in which she won the Hollywood Derby and the first Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Raven’s Pass has something else going for him come Classic day: he’ll be ridden by Frankie Dettori, who knows how to win a Breeders’ Cup race (or seven). While the distance will be a question and the surface will be new, Raven’s Pass should not be discounted. In his eleven lifetime starts, he’s been out of the money only once – it’s a record well worth considering.

Other horses covered in this series so far are Montmartre, Yeats, Zarkava, Soviet Song and Makybe Diva.

Despite his win, [...]]]> Given Curlin’s (relatively) disappointing finish in the Man O’ War, many European betting agencies have upped his odds for the Arc; they have also installed a new favorite in the appropriately-named Montmartre. Montmartre won the Grand Prix de Paris yesterday (Bastille Day, as you no doubt noticed) in very impressive style (video).

Despite his win, his Timeform rating places him in sixth, behind horses such as Duke of Marmalade and New Approach (and just slightly ahead of his stablemate, Zarkava). Unlike that of Zarkava, Montmartre’s family is a more recent addition to the Aga Khan’s operation; he was bred by SNC Lagardere Elevage, the commercial breeding operation for Jean-Luc Lagardère, who died in 2003. The Aga Khan purchased the entire business in 2004, including the stallion Linamix, who is the broodmare sire of Montmartre.

A grey 3-year-old, Montmartre made his racing debut in April of this year, finishing second in a 2000 m race at Longchamp. That effort was quickly followed by a win later that month over 2200 m. His first foray in Group company did not go terribly well (see below), but he rebounded in June in the Prix du Lys. He seems to relish the 2400 m distance (about 1 1/2 miles).

Montmartre was largely absent from the Arc picture after a disappointing finish in the Prix du Jockey Club (aka the French Derby — apparently the public address system noise upset him), but is now very much a factor. One wonders if the plan will be to start both Zarkava and Montmartre in the Arc (providing all goes well), and just which one of them Christophe Soumillon will decide (or be appointed) to ride.

Montmartre has certainly demonstrated an affinity for Longchamp; he’s never been out of the money in his four starts there. His lone up-the-track finish, mentioned above, was at Chantilly — and of course the unbeaten Zarkava seems happy enough at either track, although there is some concern that she prefers the ground not to be too soft. In any event, it’s going to be a very interesting Arc indeed with Montmartre added to the mix.

Big Brown isn’t the only unbeaten three-year-old looking for racing glory this year; the French-trained filly Zarkava looks set to be a major story throughout the summer and beyond. Trained by Alain de Royer Dupré, she has won all four of her races effortlessly, despite going up against top-class [...]]]> This post also appears at TheRail.

Big Brown isn’t the only unbeaten three-year-old looking for racing glory this year; the French-trained filly Zarkava looks set to be a major story throughout the summer and beyond. Trained by Alain de Royer Dupré, she has won all four of her races effortlessly, despite going up against top-class competition. Her first race, at two, was an easy mile victory, followed by a supplemental entry one month later to the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac (a mile race for fillies on the Arc de Triomphe undercard) in which she outclassed an accomplished field. With the major European races over for the season, Zarkava had some time off.

Her three-year-old debut came in April, in the Group 3 Prix de la Grotte, in which she handily defeated many of the same fillies who had attempted to challenge her last year. She announced her presence more emphatically in the French 1,000 Guineas on May 11th beating a large field and shaving half a second off the race record.

Zarkava’s success so far is hardly an underdog story; owned and bred by the Aga Khan, Zarkava has a regal pedigree (she shares her sire, Zamindar, with top-class miler Darjina) and trainer Alain de Royer Dupré has won many of the world’s most illustrious races – a short list would note the Breeders’ Cup Turf, the Hong Kong Cup, the St. James’s Palace and just about every major French race including the Arc. She has been ridden in all four starts by Christophe Soumillon whose record is similarly impressive — indeed, perhaps more so given the fact that he is still a few years away from 30.

Zarkava’s next likely goal is the Prix de Diane (the French Oaks) and then perhaps a residence at Royal Ascot; it seems likely that she will be aimed at longer distances. In the meantime, you can check out her impressive turn of foot on YouTube:

Soviet Song was bred and raced by Elite Racing Club; she remains a part of their operation today as a broodmare. The Club’s structure is one that would be most welcome [...]]]> Welcome to the second installment in our occasional series. Today’s featured horse is Irish-bred, British-based mare Soviet Song.

Soviet Song was bred and raced by Elite Racing Club; she remains a part of their operation today as a broodmare. The Club’s structure is one that would be most welcome in American racing; members pay a low annual fee (less than £200) and receive weekly newsletters and the right to visit the stables (even to see the broodmares and foals, which is a rare opportunity indeed by American practices), regular events and, of course, some share of any prize money (but with over 15,000 members, that’s obviously not why most people are joining).

Soviet Song’s dam, Kalinka, was one of the first broodmares acquired by the Club; she won a few races for them and has gone on to become a very successful broodmare — Soviet Song, born in 2000, was her second foal.

Soviet Song started her racing career off with great style; she was unbeaten as a 2-year-old and quickly stepped up in class; her final race for the year, the Fillies’ Mile at Ascot, was her first Group 1 win.

Things might have seemed less successful by American standards in her 3-year-old year; while she did not win, she was fiercely competitive in races including the 1000 Guineas — finishing just behind the likes of Six Perfections and Intercontinental — all while never missing a share of the prize money.

As a 4 year-old, Soviet Song was in top form — she garnered four wins, including the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes and one over the boys in the Sussex Stakes.

Her 5-year-old season was hampered by illness; although she won the Falmouth for a second time and came second in the Sussex, she picked up ‘a chill‘ that forced her to sit out much of the rest of that year.

She returned at six for a final crack at a Royal Ascot win — her fourth such attempt — and was victorious in the Windsor Forest (a raced created in 2004 to ‘keep more leading fillies in training beyond the age of three’).

Soviet Song’s awards include the 2004 Cartier Award for Top Older Horse and she was the highest-rated older filly in the world in 2004 and 2005. She was retired to Kirtlington Stud in Oxfordshire in late 2006, but experienced some initial breeding problems, failing to get in foal to both Montjeu and Galileo.

Happily, those issues are now resolved and she is currently in foal to Oasis Dream, with her first foal expected in 2009.

Like Big Brown, Soviet Song has had foot problems that have necessitated glue-on shoes — but she still managed 24 starts and 9 wins. IEAH could learn a lot from Elite Racing Club.

Although [...]]]> We are taking a slight break from the Triple Crown trail today (although I’ll be talking about Saturday’s Peter Pan and its Belmont implications tomorrow) to deliver the first installment in what will be an occasional series – Funny Foreign Horses Americans Should Know More About. First up: Makybe Diva.

Although bred in the UK and legendary in Australia, Makybe Diva has plenty of North American blood in her as well; her dam, Tugela, is Kentucky-bred and there is Northern Dancer all over her pedigree. Her sire, Desert King, currently stands in Ireland for €5800.

As a foal, Makybe Diva failed to meet her reserve at auction and was shipped by her flamboyant owner, Tony Santic, to Australia with her dam. She was famously named after five women in Santic’s office (Maureen, Kylie, Belinda, Dianne and Vanessa). She did not mark herself out as a future star in her first (and only) start for that year, finishing fourth in a maiden race at age 3. As a 4-year-old, though, she started to hit her stride – going from breaking her maiden to Group 2 winner in a few starts.

As a 5-year-old, Makybe Diva raced in a number of Group 2 and 3 races before making her name with her first Melbourne Cup victory. Later that year she also won the Sydney Cup, becoming the first mare to achieve a Melbourne Cup/Sydney Cup double in the same season (and the fourth overall).

At age 6, she transferred to trainer Lee Freedman, whose goal was to get her to a second Melbourne Cup victory; The Diva managed that one in a rainstorm and that, among other wins that year, landed her Horse of the Year, Champion Stayer and Champion Filly and Mare in Australia for 2004/2005.

Back again at 7, Makybe Diva won the Turnbull Stakes (two weeks after a losing by a nose in the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes), the Cox Plate and made history with her third consecutive Melbourne Cup victory. (She also took time out that week to go to the beach). She carried by far the highest winning weight (58 kg, or about 128 lbs, for those fans of imperial weights and measures out there) since 1975. After her victory, Makybe Diva was immediately retired and inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame. It was also announced that a statue would be dedicated to her at Flemington Racecourse, site of her historic victories (and home to a statue of Phar Lap).

Amidst these honors, Makybe Diva was moving into her new career as a broodmare; she delivered her first foal, a colt by Galileo at Coolmore Stud in August of 2007. The equine influenza outbreak meant that plans for her second breeding were scrambled at the last minute; rather than Encosta De Lago, she had to make do with Fusaichi Pegasus — here’s hoping that foal takes after its mother.

A versatile runner, Makybe Diva won over distances from 1400 (about 7 furlongs) to 3200 meters (approximately 2 miles) with an overall record of 15 wins from 36 starts, with another 7 finishes in the money.

Her family looks set to continue its winning ways; her yearling 3/4 sister recently sold for AUS$1.8 million and her 3/4 brother, Musket, has three wins in a row (and he’s just getting properly going at 5, although he won his first start at 2). It would seem that American racing could take a few pages out of Australia‘s book, where the sport is beloved and thriving. I’d be happy to go on a fact-finding mission if required…