Tuesday

The email bloodstock wakes up to

There were no European-bred winners of the Hong Kong International Races at Sha Tin on Sunday but the place-getters in those contests and some of the action on the undercard brought more cause for cheer.

Most notably, the William Muir and Chris Grassick-trained Pyledriver was a brave second to Glory Vase in the Hong Kong Vase. 

The four-year-old – who with this placed effort earned more than double what he received for winning the Coronation Cup in June – was bred in Britain by owners Knox & Wells Limited and Robert Devlin by sending their winning Le Havre mare La Pyle to the late Tweenhills stallion Harbour Watch.

Connections have a lot to look forward to in 2022; not just with Pyledriver, but also with his two-year-old half-brother and stablemate Stockpyle, who was bought in as a yearling for 120,000gns and looks as though he can reward his owners’ loyalty in time after finishing a respectable third at Wolverhampton yesterday.

The Aga Khan’s US-bred Distorted Humor filly Ebaiyra kept on well to take third behind Glory Vase and Pyledriver in Hong Kong – a fine effort for what might be her legendary trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre’s final runner.

She is a half-sister to Listed winner Edisa, who ran a cracker when fifth in the Hong Kong Cup two years ago, out of Ebiyza, a Group 2-winning daughter of Rock Of Gibraltar from the family of Group 1-winning siblings Edabiya, Edabiyla, Enzeli and Estimate.

Ebaiyra hails from a truly wonderful family. No wonder Badgers Bloodstock and Dean Hawthorne stretched to €410,000 to purchase Ebiyanza, her unraced half-sister by More Than Ready, at the Arqana December Breeding-Stock Sale this month.

More Than This, who ran on to finish an ineffectual second to the emphatic Hong Kong Mile winner Golden Sixty on Sunday, was bred in Britain by Cheveley Park Stud from home stallion Dutch Art (pictured below).

The five-year-old, who has also finished placed behind Golden Sixty in the Hong Kong Classic Cup, Hong Kong Derby, Hong Kong Classic Mile and Champions Mile, is a full-brother to Deauville Listed winner Preening out of Striving, a placed Danehill Dancer three-parts sister to Cheveley Park Stakes winner Wannabe Grand.

A 40,000gns Tattersalls October Book 2 yearling purchase by Robin O’Ryan and Richard Fahey, More Than This won his first three starts at two, including a hot nursery at Glorious Goodwood, before his sale to Hong Kong.

Cheveley Park Stud has retained his sister Preening, who was covered by Kingman this year, but it parted company with his dam Striving at the Tattersalls December Mares’ Sale of 2016. She was another canny northern-hemisphere purchase by Anthony Mithen, principal of Rosemont Stud in Victoria, for just 35,000gns.
 
Incidentally, Mithen also bred Saturday’s smart Newcastle novice stakes winner Trois Vallees from another of his bargain broodmare buys in Europe. The daughter of New Bay is out of Bellwether – a daughter of Three Valleys and Heat Haze, and thus a half-sister to top-level scorer Mirage Dancer – who cost 50,000gns at Tattersalls in 2018.

Japanese challenger Salios, a son of Heart’s Cry who was a Grade 1 winner at two and multiple Classic-placed in his native country, gave German breeding something of a tangential boost by running third to Golden Sixty and More Than This.

Silk Racing Co Ltd’s four-year-old was bred by Northern Farm out of Gestüt Bona’s Preis der Diana winner Salomina, a daughter of Lomitas who also clicked with Deep Impact to produce Grade 2 winner and Arima Kinen runner-up Salacia.

The best European breeders could do in the Hong Kong Cup, won by Japan’s wondermare Loves Only You, was supplying the third home, the Irish-bred Galileo gelding Russian Emperor. Even then, Australia can lay claim to a fair chunk of the four-year-old’s talent.

Russian Emperor, who was bouncing back to form after finishing a head second in the Hong Kong Derby in March, was bred by Coolmore, Laurie Macri and partners out of the fabulous Fastnet Rock mare Atlantic Jewel, who won ten of her 11 starts including four Group 1 contests.

The valuable handicaps that played a supporting role to the Hong Kong International Races yielded two Irish-bred winners – Fast Most Furious, an eight-year-old son of Lope De Vega bred by Worldwide Partners, in the Maurice Handicap over a mile; and California Spangle, a three-year-old son of Starspangledbanner bred by Michael Enright, in the Lord Kanaloa Handicap over six furlongs.

It might be said, though, that the biggest winners on the European breeding scene after Sunday’s action at Sha Tin are those studs standing sons of Deep Impact, whose sire-power was showcased so effectively by the outstanding pair Glory Vase and Loves Only You.

The team behind Lanwades Stud-based Prix du Jockey Club hero Study Of Man have all the more reason to be pleased as Loves Only You, who also defeated Europe and America’s best in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Del Mar last month, is bred along very similar lines to their charge.

Study Of Man and Loves Only You are not only both by Deep Impact, but also he is out of Second Happiness, a daughter of Storm Cat and the mighty Miesque, while she is out of Loves Only Me, who is by Storm Cat out of Miesque’s daughter Monevassia.

I had the pleasure of viewing Study Of Man at Lanwades Stud’s open day recently. It was the first time I had seen him since 2019, when he had just retired from racing, and I thought he had let down beautifully.

The Weatherbys Return of Mares, which recently landed on my desk, also informs me that he has received strong support from Lanwades owner Kirsten Rausing and his far-sighted owner-breeders the Niarchos family, who used Deep Impact from the very first year he retired to the Shadai Stallion Station.

Rausing this year welcomed Study Of Man foals out of her top-class racemares Cubanita, Lady Jane Digby, Madame Chiang and Starlit Sands, and several high-achieving members of her renowned ‘Al’ family, as well as a half-brother by the sire to this year’s dual Group-winning two-year-old Sandrine.

She looks set to be greeted by another bumper crop of well-bred newborns by Study Of Man in 2022, including half-siblings to Australian superstar Zaaki and Hong Kong Group 1-winning brothers Glorious Forever and Time Warp, assuming their dams are still safely in foal.

The Niarchos family also have several nicely bred foals by the sire in their ownership, and can look forward to the births of more next year.

Perhaps Study Of Man, who ticks the boxes of looks, race record, pedigree and home support, can sire his own winner at the Hong Kong International Races meeting in years to come.