Paul Nicholls won the Adonis Hurdle in 2011 with a French import making his debut over hurdles and on Saturday the ten-time champion trainer repeated the feat when Zubayr (Authorized), who had been placed on both his starts on the flat for Alain de Royer-Dupre, claimed an impressive three-and-three-quarter length victory under Nick Scholfield in the Kempton Park Grade Two for owner Paul Vogt, to emulate Nicholls’ consequent four-time Grade One-winning hurdler Zarkandar (Azamour).
Bred, like so many successful juvenile hurdlers down the years, by His Highness The Aga Khan, Zubayr is out of the twice-placed mare Zaziyra (Dalakhani), a half-sister to the 2002 Listed Airlie Stud Silver Stakes third Zafaraniya (Doyoun), and is himself a half-brother to the seven-time winner in Italy, Zaiman (Oratorio). A €380,000 purchase by Tom Malone at the 2015 Arqana Deauville Summer Mixed Sale, Zubayr is bred along the same lines as Willie Mullins’ six-time Grade One-winning hurdler Nichols Canyon (Authorized) being by Authorized out of a Dalakhani mare, and hails from the further family of the 1996 Adonis Hurdle winner Zabadi as well as the 2010 Grade Two Doncaster Mares’ Hurdle winner Zarinava and four-time South African Grade One Flat winner Igugu.
The other Grade Two hurdle on the Kempton card, the Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle, saw J P McManus’ five-year-old gelding Winter Escape (Robin Des Pres) stretch his unbeaten record to three with a length-and-a-quarter victory in the hands of Barry Geraghty for trainer Alan King.
A graduate of Tattersalls Ireland and Goffs, it was at the latter’s 2014 Landrover National Hunt Sale that McManus’ racing manager Frank Berry picked up the then three-year-old gelding for €52,000. One of two winners produced by the two-time Irish bumper winner Saddleeruppat (Saddlers’ Hall), a half-sister to the 2006 Grade One Sefton Novices’ Hurdle winner Black Jack Ketchum (Oscar) and Apache Jack (Oscar), a three-time winner under National Hunt rules who was third in the 2014 Grade One Spa Novices’ Hurdle, Winter Escape hails from the family of the Grade One-winning hurdler Castlekellyleader and the Grade Two-winning chaser Fota Island.
In the Grade Two Pendil Novices’ Chase, Richard Johnson made all the running on the Charlie Longsdon-trained Killala Quay (Karinga Bay) to record a three-and-a-quarter length victory, the nine-year-old gelding’s second success at that level having taken the Winter Novices’ Hurdle at Sandown Park in 2013.
Owned by Richard and Susan Perkins, Killala Quay is the first foal and only runner to date produced by Madam Bijou (Atraf), an unraced half-sister to the four-time Flat winner and 2006 Listed Prix Hampton runner-up Treasure Cay (Bahamian Bounty), from the further family of the 1996 St James’s Palace Stakes winner Bijou d’Inde and 1994 Grade One Long Walk Hurdle and Grade Two Long Distance Hurdle winner Hebridean.
Sunday’s Grade Two National Spirit Hurdle at Fontwell saw Neil King’s popular gelding Lil Rockerfeller (Hard Spun) run out a nine length winner in the hands of Trevor Whelan for owners John Davies, Andrew Smith, Paul Govier and Geoffrey Brown., the five-year-old’s biggest success to date having been successful two months earlier in the Listed December Handicap Hurdle at Sandown Park.
A two-time winner on the Flat for Richard Hannon, having originally been purchased by Tally-Ho Stud for $60,000 at the 2012 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Lil Rockerfeller’s acquisition by current owners Davies, Smith, Govier and Brown came about following the purchase of the then three-year-old for £31,000 by Anthony Stroud at the 2014 Doncaster September Yearling Sale.
One of seven winners produced by the once-placed U.S. mare Layounne (Mt Livermore), a half-sister to the U.S. Grade Two winner Della Francesca (Danzig) and the Grade Three-winning dam of the 2002 Grade One Hopeful Stakes winner Sky Mesa (Pulpit), Lil Rockerfeller is himself a half-brother to the U.S. seven-time winner and Grade Three second Dark Cheetah (Storm Cat) as well as the U.S. four-time winner and Restricted race runner-up Mogador (Danzig).
Over in Ireland, Acapella Bourgeois (Network) continued the Hughes-family tradition of success in the Grade Two Michael Purcell Memorial Novice Hurdle at Thurles when running out a five-length winner in the hands of Ruby Walsh to become a second consecutive winner of the race for Sandra Hughes, her late father Dessie having claimed the three previous runnings before that from 2012-2014.
Owned by the Slaneyville Syndicate, Acapella Bourgeois is one of three winners produced by the once-placed French mare Jasmine (Valanjou) from the family of the 2006 Listed Prix Hopper Chase winner Orgeres and is the second Grade Two winner in recent weeks to be sired by Haras d’Enki resident Network, the nineteen-year-old stallion having also been represented by the previous weekend’s Grade Two Paddy Power Shops Better Value Hurdle winner Ball d’Arc (Network) as well winners at the highest level that include Rubi Ball, Rubi Light, Saint Are and Sprinter Sacre.
In sales news, Ascot played host to the first Tattersalls Ireland sale of the year at the Berkshire racecourse with their February Sale posting improved figures on the 2015 renewal with the aggregate of £266,600 an increase of 32% on the previous year and average price of £4,519 an improvement of 41%, though the median price did drop 10% to £1,800.
Top lot was the five-year-old gelding Late Date (Oscar), a winner of a Tinahely point-to-point the weekend before the sale, who was bought by trainer Micky Hammond for £23,000, whilst lots from Godolphin’s draft were in the usual high demand with their two-time Flat winner Lilac Tree (Dubawi) their priciest offering when purchased by trainer Richard Rowe for the second highest sales price of £20,000.
Finally, Lanwades Stud have announced that their thirteen-year-old stallion Aussie Rules, who they stood in conjunction with Denford Stud, has sadly been put down on veterinary advice after suffering a short illness caused by a tumour. The winner of four races for Aidan O’Brien including the 2006 Poule d’Essai des Poulains (French 2,000 Guineas), since his retirement to stud in 2007 the grey stallion had been responsible for eighteen individual black-type winners headed by Willie McCreery’s 2014 Group One Matron Stakes winner Fiesolana (Aussie Rules).