The three-year-old colt PROCLAMATION staked his claim for the milers crown of Europe with a breathtaking display to land the Group 1 Sussex Stakes on the second day of Glorious Goodwood. The son of Darley stallion KING'S BEST, purchased for 84,000 guineas at Part 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale by John Ferguson, came from last to first on rain softened ground to clinch the all age Group 1 contest from five time Group 1 winner SOVIET SONG with another Group 1 winner AD VALOREM back in third. Consigned to Part 1 of the 2003 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale from Cathal Ryan's Swordlestown Stud, the grey colt from the first crop of KING'S BEST is out of the unraced ZAYYANI mare SHAMARRA. PROCLAMATION joins an illustrious band of three-year-olds sold at Tattersalls as yearlings in October 2003, which includes Derby winner MOTIVATOR (75,000 guineas), French Derby, French 2000 Guineas and St James's Palace Stakes winner SHAMARDAL (50,000 guineas), and 2000 Guineas winner FOOTSTEPSINTHESAND (170,000 guineas). Continuing the dominance of Tattersalls sold two-year-olds in 2005 was the Marcus Tregoning trained SIR PERCY who maintained his unbeaten record when leading home a Tattersalls 1 2 3 in the Group 2 Vintage Stakes over seven furlongs. The son of MARK OF ESTEEM out of the Group 3 winning mare PERCY'S LASS was purchased by Tregoning, assisted by bloodstock agent Angie Sykes, for 16,000 guineas at Part 2 of the 2004 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, and is the second unbeaten Group 2 winner from the sale after FLASHY WINGS. Consigned from Chris Budgett's Kirtlington Stud, SIR PERCY was originally purchased for 20,000 guineas by Will Edmeades at the 2003 Tattersalls December Foal Sale from Old Suffolk Stud. There was another smart two year old performance from a Tattersalls purchase when the John Dunlop trained filly ROSINKA won the Findon Maiden. Purchased by Lavington Stud for 58,000 guineas at Part 1 of the 2004 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, the beautifully bred daughter of SOVIET STAR out of the Listed-placed LAST TYCOON mare LAST DRAMA, consigned from Ballylinch Stud, looks to have a big future after her effortless 7 lengths win in the race won last year by Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes runner-up SUEZ. Completing a Tattersalls October four-timer was the Patrick Chamings trained three-year-old FOXHAVEN in the £85,000 cantorspreadfair.com Stakes over 12 furlongs. Purchased for 40,000 guineas at the same sale as PROCLAMATION by Blandford Bloodstock, the son of UNFUWAIN owned by Ann Jenkins, is the first foal out of the winning MACHIAVELLIAN mare DANCING MIRAGE and was consigned by Highclere Stud who will be consigning his ACT ONE half-brother to the 2005 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Part 1.

(Tattersalls)

Two sires used at the Ingham's Woodlands Stud in the Hunter Valley, Night Shift and Quest for Fame, have blood ties with the Aga Khan bred and raced Azamour, the dominating winner in new track record time in England at the weekend of one of the world's great weight-for-age tests over the equivalent of 2400 metres, the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes. Earlier winner of three other Group1 races, the York Prince of Wales's Stakes, Ascot St James's Palace Stakes and Irish Champion Stakes, second in the Irish Two Thousand Guineas and third in the English Two Thousand Guineas, the winner is by Night Shift, a modest racehorse with an outstanding pedigree, who had four seasons at the Woodlands Stud in the mid1990s. He got Azamour from Asmara, a triple listed winner in Ireland who is a half-sister by the Roberto sire Lear Fan to Astarabad, a Group1 winner and Derby third in France. They trace back on the bottom line of the pedigree to Norna, a half-sister to Agnes, the grandam of Adamastor, the French Two Thousand Guineas winner who was a competent sire at the Widden Stud, and the fourth dam of Quest for Fame, the English Derby winner who does a very good job as a resident of the stallion yards at Woodlands. Foaled at the Aga Khan's stud in Ireland when his sire was 20-years-old, Azamour is the ninth Group1 winner for Night Shift and is among a massive 711 individual winners credited to him. Out of these 145 including AJC Sires Produce Stakes winner and Golden Slipper second Align, a promising young sire at Highview Stud in New Zealand, were got from his use at Woodlands. Considering that he could only score one very minor win his in his seven start career, the American bred Night Shift has been a very successful sire. Another of his sons, Dyhim Diamond, recently had a first crop Group1 winner in France, while a daughter is the dam of Night Tango, runner up this month in the German Derby. Night Shift is bred in the purple including being a brother by Northern Dancer to Canadian Horse of the Year and producer of three champions, Fanfreluche. She was also dam of Grand Luxe, the high class Sir Ivor performer who went to Mr. Prospector to produce Rolls, the unraced dam of Golden Slipper winner and prolific sire Flying Spur and of Shoal Creek, the dam of another spectacular Australian sire in Encosta de Lago.

(This article courtesy of Brian’s Russell’s Racing & Breeding News)

One of England's most historic and prestigious races at the equivalent of 2000 metres, the weight-for-age Eclipse Stakes-Gr.1 was run at their Sandown racecourse on July 1 and resulted in another triumph for Danehill, being taken out by his son Oratorio by a half length from this year's English Derby winner Motivator (Montjeu - Out West, by Gone West). Although it was his first win of the year, the effort confirmed Oratorio as one of the stand out three-year-olds of 2005 up to 2000 metres. He had earlier in the year been second in the Irish Two Thousand Guineas-Gr.1, third in the St James's Palace Stakes-Gr.1 at York and fourth in the English Two Thousand Guineas-Gr.1. On top of this he had been one of the best two-year-olds of 2004, winning four races including the Longchamp Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere-Gr.1 and Curragh Futurity Stakes-Gr.2 and finishing second in the Newmarket Dewhurst Stakes-Gr.1. Bred at the Coolmore Stud in Ireland and raced by the spectacularly successful partnership of Mrs John Magnier and Michael Tabor, Oratorio is from the stoutly bred minor winner Mahrah, a daughter of Vaguely Noble and the Alydar mare Montage. Oratorio's Eclipse win made him the 59th winner in Europe for the year for the deceased Danehill to that time and pushed his earnings in Europe for the year to well over A$4milion, money which made him the second leading sire for the region behind Montjeu. The latter looks a very good prospect to end his sire's record breaking14-year reign as the champion Great Britain-Ireland sire. One of the most versatile sires Europe has seen, Danehill at early July was the region's leading juvenile sire but he was being hard pressed by his son Danehill Dancer (IRE), the Coolmore shuttle sire whose Australian bred son Choisir caused such a stir in England when he made a flying visit in 2003 and won the two big sprints at the Royal Ascot carnival.

(This article courtesy of Brian’s Russell’s Racing & Breeding News)

Not content with providing in his first crop of three-year-olds this year first and second in the English Derby and the runner up in the French Derby, the budding Sadler's Wells super classic sire Montjeu has also followed up with the quinella in the Irish Derby. The latter race, one run at the end of June, was taken out by his French trained Ireland bred son Hurricane Run by a half length from Mrs John Magnier's Scorpion, a Montjeu colt who was four lengths ahead of the Aga Khan's third placed Shalapour. The race had been taken out six years earlier by Montjeu himself after being successful in the French Derby. It was a classic double that many will consider was denied Hurricane Run because the French Derby was reduced in distance this year from the traditional 2400 metres to 2100 metres. It was won by a neck from Hurricane Run by the more brilliantly bred Shamardal, the representative of the first crop of another spectacular new European sire Giant's Causeway booked to start his stud career at Darley in the Hunter Valley this year. Carrying only one inbreeding in his first five generations, a 5x5 of Native Dancer, Hurricane Run has a cosmopolitan pedigree including a German maternal male line. A half-brother to German Group 3 winner and Group 1 second Hibiscus (by the Alleged 1985 Irish Derby winner Law Society), Hurricane Run is from German stakes placed Hold On, a daughter of German Derby winner Literat. Hone, the grandam of Hurricane Run, was by Sharpen Up, a grandson in male line of Native Dancer, and, as mentioned in last month's report, was a relation of the dam of the Brisbane winners Barnacle Bill and Monetary Man. The sire sensation Montjeu, a resident alongside his sire Sadler's Wells at Coolmore in Ireland, gained another Group1 winner when his son Scorpion attoned for his loss in the Irish Derby with an 'imperious' 2.5 lengths win in mid July in the Grand Prix de Paris-Gr.1, a race also reduced this year from 2400 metres to 2100 metres. It was only the his second win and first stakes success but added to the suggestion that the finish Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe-Gr.1 over 2400 metres at Longchamp on October 2 could be swamped by the Montjeu breed. The late Frank Wilson, the Kiwi who had a successful stud in New Zealand for some years and then moved to the Hunter Valley, would have been pleased to note the success of Scorpion as one of the mares he bought overseas for use with his imported sire One Pound Sterling (GB) was Mona Curragh (IRE), the dam of a great stayer by this sire in Castletown. Dam of eight winners all told and grandam of the General Nediym Sydney winner and Brisbane Listed second Doonan, Mona Curragh was from the Relko mare Nilie, a half-sister to Le Melody (Levmoss - Arctic Melody, by Arctic Slave), the third dam of Scorpion. A half-brother to three stakes winners including two by Danehill in Danish Rhapsody and Garuda, Scorpion is from Ardmelody, an unraced mare by Law Society, the sire as previously mentioned of Hurricane Run's half-brother Hibiscus. Desideratum, the runner up to Scorpion in this year's Grand Prix de Paris and earlier a Group 3 winner at Longchamp, is by the Shirley Heights French Derby winner Darshaan and from the Rainbow Quest mare Desired, an unraced half-sister to quality English miler and former Widden Stud shuttle sire Charnwood Forest, a son of Warning. In addition he is a close relation of the Victorian based sires Hobb Alwahtan (IRE) (by Machiavellian) and Bianconi (USA) (by Danzig). Retired this year to the Mornmoot Stud at Whittlesea after winning six races in the United Arab Emirates, Hobb Alwahtan is a three-quarter brother to year 2000 World Horse of the Year Dubai Millennium, both of them being by Mr. Prospector sires and from Colorado Dancer, a daughter of the Northern Dancer sire Shareef Dancer and the wonderful producer Fall Aspen. An American Group1 winner, Fall Aspen had 12 winners including nine successful in stakes races from 14 foals. Three of her sons used out here are Timber Country (USA) (nearly a three-quarter relation to Hobb Alwahtan, being by the Mr. Prospector shuttle sire Woodman (USA), Hamas (USA) (by Danzig) and Bianconi (USA) (by Danzig).

(This article courtesy of Brian’s Russell’s Racing & Breeding News)

Now a resident at the Collingrove Stud at Nagambie in Victoria, Bianconi has had stakes winners in both hemispheres. There are two Collingrove studs, one at Nagambie in Victoria belonging to a partnership of the Sangster family's international Swettenham Stud operation and the Hayes family of Lindsay Park, South Australia and the other at Sandy Hollow in the Hunter Valley which is in the sole ownership of the Sangsters. The Sangsters have made huge contribution to breeding and racing around the world including Australia under the banner of Swettenham Stud, one launched in Great Britain-Ireland some 30 years ago by the late Robert Sangster, the breeder of the two great sires Sadler's Wells and Zabeel and hundreds of major winners. The family is mentioned at this time because the list of quality performers that they have bred in both hemispheres was added to when their Sadler's Wells filly Playful Act took out the prestigious Lancashire Oaks-Gr.2, an event for fillies three and up run over 2400 metres at England's Haydock on July 2. A winner at two of the Ascot Fillies' Mile Stakes-Gr.1, Playful Act is by the phenomenal Northern Dancer sire Sadler's Wells and is from Magnificent Style, an American bred mare by the Roberto sire Silver Hawk and from Mia Karina, a daughter of the Nearctic sire Icecapade. Bought by Robert Sangster for $410,000 as a four-year-old, Magnificent Style has been a wonderful producer for Swettenham with all of her four foals being stakes winners.They include Playful Act and her year older brother Percussionist, winner last year of the Lingfield Derby Trial-Gr.3, runner up in the Yorkshire Cup-Grr.2 and fourth in the English Derby-Gr.1. Playful Act's grandam Mia Karina is a half-sister to two unraced American bred mares used successfully at Patrick Hogan's Cambridge Stud in New Zealand, L'Quiz (by the Buckpasser sire L'Enjoleur) and Czaravina (by the Nijinsky sire Czaravich). L'Quiz produced to Zabeel the outstanding gallopers St Reims (10 wins, Auckland New Zealand Derby-Gr.1, Zabeel Classic-Gr.1) and Champagne (7 wins, VRC L.K.S. Mackinnon Stakes-Gr.1, STC Storm Queen Stakes-Gr.1; second Melbourne Cup-Gr.1) and the three winners from Czaravina included Te Akau Pearl (a Sir Tristram Werribee Cup-LR winner and Adelaide Cup-Gr.1 and New Zealand Oaks-Gr.1 third) and the Danzatore (CAN) Melbourne winner Her Destiny, grandam of another top stayer in Zabeat (won the Wellington Cup-Gr.1 and third in the Auckland Cup-Gr.1).

(This article courtesy of Brian’s Russell’s Racing & Breeding News)

1. Pastoral Pursuits (Bahamian Bounty-Star)

2. Avonbridge (Averti-Alessia)

3. Etlaala (Selkirk-Portelet)

The Group 1 Falmouth Stakes

1. Soviet Song (Marju-Kalinka)

2. Alexander Goldrun (Gold Away-Renashaan)

3. Peeress (Pivotal-Noble One)

1. Turtle Bowl (Dyhim Diamond-Clara Bow)

2. Starpix (Linamix-Star’s Proud Penny)

3. Racamadour (Celtic Swing-Watch Me)

1. Nicaron (Acatenango-Nicol’s Girl)

2. Night Tango (Acatenango-Nenuphar)

3. Arcadio (Monsun-Assia)

New Zealand Bloodstock has announced key changes to its sales calendar for next year. Replacing the National Weanling, Broodmare & Mixed Bloodstock Sale that is currently conducted in early May, and the Spring Bloodstock Sale in August, will be three new sales:

A wonderful season of racing by Silent Witness was formally acknowledged last Saturday night when the five-year-old was named Horse of the Year, at the 2004/2005 Hong Kong Jockey Club Champion Awards for the second consecutive year.

Silent Witness was also named Hong Kong Champion Sprinter and Most Popular Horse, again for the second year in succession.

Silent Witness (AUS) (El Moxie(USA)-Jade Tiara) was bred by TBNSW member Mr I K Smith of Edinburgh Park Stud, and the TBNSW Committee and all TBNSW members send their congratulations to Ian.

This is the third year Silent Witness has been honoured at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Champion Awards. In his first season of racing, he was named Champion Griffin and Most Improved Horse in Hong Kong and as mentioned earlier, last year he was named Horse of Year, Champion Sprinter and Most Popular Horse.

It has been a marvellous year for Silent Witness. He broke both the American and European records for consecutive wins, 17 in total; recorded his second Hong Kong Sprint title; recorded another clean sweep of the Hong Kong Sprint Series as well as being named the world’s Top Ranked Turf Sprinter with an international rating of 123. This ranking is the highest for a Hong Kong horse in history.

Whilst it is hard to single out the highlight for Silent Witness this season, no doubt his second win in the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint at the International Race Day last December would rank highly as would his consecutive wins in the Hong Kong Champion Sprint Series - three Group 1 races, the Bauhinia Sprint Trophy, the Centenary Sprint Cup and the Chairman’s Sprint.

But perhaps his true courage was shown in defeat, when he went down by a short head in the Group 1 Champions Mile, the first leg of the Asian Mile Challenge series, at his first attempt over the distance. Silent Witness never shirked his task at any stage and was only beaten on the post by his stablemate Bullish Luck, who was subsequently named Champion Miler at the 2004/2005 Champion Awards. Silent Witness was also gallant when finishing third in the Group 1 Yasuda Kinen in Japan, the second leg of the Asian Mile Challenge series, only going under by a neck and a head, at his second attempt over the distance.

Silent Witness has now accumulated some AUS$7,079,856 in career prizemoney from his seventeen wins, a second placing and a third placing to date.

The 2004-2005 Hong Kong Champion Awards have been announced and the winners are:-

2005 - 2006 Overseas News Archives

2004 - 2005 Overseas News Archives

2003 - 2004 Overseas News Archives

2002 - 2003 Overseas News Archives

2002 - 2003

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