Can’t keep Churchill Down

Irish Champions’ Weekend was a triumph for the Coolmore team, as it generally is. One can presume that the partners were able to recover from the shock of seeing the trophy for the feature race head elsewhere after GOLDEN HORN, a son of the Darley sire CAPE CROSS, managed to avoid being demoted in favour of Coolmore’s honest GALILEO filly FOUND. After all, the other four Irish Group One races over the weekend were all taken by horses bearing the colours of one or other of the Coolmore partners. Down Under the division of honours was different, with both Group One winners (EXOSPHERE in Sydney and the doughty veteran FAWKNER in Melbourne) being by Darley stallions (the SIR TRISTRAM-line siresLONHRO and RESET respectively). Coolmore still made its mark there, though. There were three Group Two races on Flemington’s card. One fell to a son of Darley’s EXCEED AND EXCEL (KINGLIKE), one fell to a daughter of Coolmore’s Fastnet Rock (AMICUS) while one fell to CHURCHILL DANCER, a son of Mrs. John Magnier’s former colour-bearerCHURCHILL DOWNS, writes John Berry.

It has been a pillar of Coolmore’s strength that whenever the organisation has unearthed a massively influential stallion, it has ensured that it has retained an involvement in the ownership of a high proportion of the stallion’s sons. Thus many of the colts from SADLER'S WELLS’ later crops raced for Coolmore, and the next generation of Coolmore stallions was thus secured. A similar situation now applies to the sons of Sadler’s Wells’ greatest son Galileo. This was also the case withDANEHILL, and Coolmore have this policy to thank for the benefits which it has received from standing the champion siresDANEHILL DANCER and FASTNET ROCK, to name but two. One of the last Danehill colts to come into the Coolmore fold was Churchill Downs. Born two years after Fastnet Rock, Churchill Downs was a member of Danehill’s last Australian crop, so it was no surprise that he should have been snapped up by Coolmore as a yearling to carry the dark blue livery of Mrs. John Magnier.

Danehill died as the result of a paddock accident at Coolmore Stud in Ireland in May 2003, which meant that the great stallion was already dead by the time that Churchill Downs was born in Australia later that year. At that time, Fastnet Rock had just turned two and had just joined Paul Perry’s stable, from which he would carry the dark blue silks to victory in the Lightning Stakes at Flemington and the Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield as a three-year-old. He was (and is) a magnificent horse, typical of the very best of Danehill’s stock. Churchill Downs, bred by Strawberry Hills Stud, was an almost-similarly imposing young colt, and so it was no surprise firstly that Strawberry Hills proprietor John Singleton should send him to the Magic Millions Yearling Sale at the Gold Coast (Singleton is part-owner of the company) at the Gold Coast in January 2005, and then that the colt should top the sale (at $950,000) to a bid of Coolmore agent Demi O’Byrne. A deal was done which saw Singleton retaining an involvement with the colt, who was sent down to South Australia to join David Hayes’ team.

Hayes had a particularly strong team of juveniles in the 2005/’06 season. I GOT CHILLS was the first star to emerge, taking the VRC Maribyrnong Trial at Flemington at the start of October before following up by seven lengths in the MVRC St Albans Stakes at Moonee Valley three weeks later on Cox Plate Day. However, her time at the top was limited: NADEEM soon deposed her in pole position among the stable’s juvenile rankings, winning the VRC Maribyrnong Plate over the Carnival at Flemington. Churchill Downs, though, was waiting in the wings, as was Arrowfield Stud’s magnificent filly MISS FINLAND.

Miss Finland (who had been bought from her breeder Gainsborough Stud for $450,000 at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale) and Churchill Downs both burst to prominence in the New Year. Having broken her maiden over 1000m, Miss Finland then landed the first of her 10 stakes victories when taking the VRC Talindert Stakes over 1100m at Flemington at the end of January. By this time, though, Churchill Downs had already established as a high-class juvenile. He had made a winning debut under Craig Williams when taking the MRC Let’s Get Physical Plate at Sandown a couple of weeks before Christmas. The $1 million GCTC Conrads’ Jupiter Magic Millions Two-Year-Old Classic on the second Saturday of January at the Gold Coast loomed, so Hayes sent the colt north, calling in at Sydney en route where Churchill Downs opened his black-type account when strolling home in a weak renewal of the AJC Widden Stakes over 1100m at Randwick. Continuing on northwards, Churchill Downs couldn’t quite land the Magic Millions, finishing second, but he still proved his class in the process. Furthermore, his defeat was not a bad result for his breeder and part-owner John Singleton: ‘Singo’ owned the winner MIRROR MIRROR, whom he had bought as a yearling 12 months previously for $120,000 from Rosari Farm.

The rest of the season continued to run like a dream for Hayes’ team. Nadeem and Miss Finland provided the stable (and their boom young sire, the massive Danehill horse REDOUTE'S CHOICE) with the quinella in Melbourne’s principal juvenile race, the MRC Blue Diamond at Caulfield. The decision was taken not to set Nadeem for the STC Golden Slipper, but the other three were sent up to Sydney.

Going into the Slipper, all three were still engaged in the race, but I Got Chills was not pleasing her trainer. In their final pre-race gallops, Miss Finland went very satisfactorily, but the pairing of Churchill Downs and I Got Chills produced mixed results: Churchill Downs hammered the filly, prompting Hayes to scratch her and send her off for a spell. He observed, “She was as flat as a pancake this morning. But on the positive side, Churchill Downs was exceptional, and Miss Finland did everything we wanted of her.” With Craig Williams on Miss Finland and Sydney’s reigning champion jockey Darren Beadman booked for Churchill Downs, the trainer was hopeful that he could provide the quinella in the Slipper, just as he had done in the Blue Diamond.

As it turned out, Hayes couldn’t quite manage the quinella, but he came very close. Miss Finland dominated the race with a 4.5-length victory, while Churchill Downs failed by only a head to finish second, passing the post inches behind the Ron Maund-trained runner-up PURE ENERGY. The remaining two legs of the Two-Year-Olds’ Triple Crown, though, did not go so well for the trainer. Miss Finland and Churchill Downs were both engaged in the Sires’ Produce Stakes over 1400m a week later, but the former was scratched and the latter was a very disappointing unplaced joint-favourite behind Excites. Churchill Downs understandably missed the final leg, the Champagne Stakes over 1600m, in which Miss Finland started hot favourite but was beaten three quarters of a length by MENTALITY.

Subsequent events proved that season’s Golden Slipper had contained its usual quota of stars. Miss Finland was clearly the brightest and she continued to excel, her majestic three-year-old season in 2006/’07 seeing her victorious in the MRC Thousand Guineas, VRC Oaks, VRC Australian Guineas and STC Storm Queen Stakes. She subsequently landed a sixth Group One triumph by taking the MRC Memsie Stakes as a four-year-old. The several other stars to emerge from the 2006 Golden Slipper, though, came from among the also-rans: in the 2006/’07 season, fifth-placed EMPIRE'S CHOICE won the QTC Derby, 10th-placed GOLD EDITION proved herself an outstanding sprinting filly, and last-placed WONDERFUL WORLD landed the MRC Caulfield Guineas. Furthermore, CASINO PRINCE (who finished only 14th in the Slipper) developed into a terrific weight-for-age galloper, most notably beating John Singleton’s excellent racemare TUESDAY JOY in the Group One AJC Chipping Norton Stakes as an autumn four-year-old.

Churchill Downs was not one of those able to go on subsequently to top-level glory. However, the one win which he recorded from his nine starts as a three-year-old came in a prestigious race: the Group Two MVRC Bill Stutt Stakes over 1600m at Moonee Valley in the spring. It was not, though, a vintage edition, Craig Williams getting him home narrowly ahead of MAGIC JET and ANKH MORPORK. It was still a Group Two victory, though, and Churchill Downs also registered some good minor placings that spring, including when third to HARADASUN in the MRC Vain Stakes over 1100m at Caulfield, fourth to Wonderful World in the MRC Caulfield Guineas and third to Gold Edition in the Group One VRC Ascot Vale Stakes over 1200m at Flemington on VRC Derby Day. He also finished third to Haradasun first-up in the autumn in the MRC Zeditave Stakes over 1200m at Caulfield, and sixth behind five top-liners (Miss Finland, Casino Prince, JOKERS WILD, Haradasun and EFFICIENT) in the VRC Australian Guineas.

At the end of the season, though, Churchill Downs did not really seem to be making any further progress, and had not really done enough to warrant a place on Coolmore’s roster. Bearing in mind that Danehill’s sons there at the time included the Group One winners Fastnet Rock, Danehill Dancer, HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR, ROCK OF GIBRALTAR, ORATORIO andAUSSIE RULES, he would not have been able to add much to the stud’s overall portfolio – particularly as (which is surprising for a sale-topping yearling) he did not come from a particularly good family. His American-bred dam SILKEN WHISPER (a daughter of DIESIS, which means that he is bred on the same cross as the champion middle-distance galloper DYLAN THOMAS) was a daughter of a stakes winner (the Listed-winning Green Dancer mare YAGUDA) but basically the several North American stakes winners in the family had done their winning in the less exalted stakes.

Consequently a deal was done which saw Churchill Downs take up stud duties at Blue Gum Farm in Victoria, which made him one of two Danehill horses on the four-strong roster. Danehill’s other son there was the outstanding international galloperELVSTROEM (a half-brother to the aforementioned Haradasun) who had been a considerably better racehorse than Churchill Downs and was a considerably better-bred one too. Elvstroem had retired there two years previously at a fee of $35,000 + GST, so a fee of $12,000 + GST for Churchill Downs seemed fair.

Churchill Downs had his chances at Blue Gum Farm, but once he had started to have runners in the 2010/’11 season it was clear that he was getting neither the quantity nor quality of winners required to remain in favour with breeders. Consequently he was sold in 2012 for export to Libya. Happily, he has eventually left behind a few decent horses in Australia, even if he did not register his stakes winners until a couple of years after his emigration. In the second half of the 2013/’14 season, his second-crop sons SUPER LIFELINE and KILLUA CASTLE won at Listed level in Hong Kong and Grade Three level in South Africa respectively. Finally in the spring of the 2014/’15 season he registered his first Australian stakes winner when his second-crop daughter GIRL GUIDE broke through in the Group Three MRC How Now Stakes over 1200m at Caulfield. Now he has had his first Group Two winner, his third-crop son Churchill Dancer (trained, aptly, by David Hayes, as was Girl Guide as well as the doughty nine-time winner WHISPER DOWNS, who has been placed at Group Three level) having landed the VRC Bobbie Lewis up the straight 1200m at Flemington.

By the time that Churchill Downs retired to stud, Australia’s sires’ ranks were already saturated with Danehill blood. It is not really surprising that he failed to break through when competing against so many of his superior paternal half-brothers – but that does not alter the fact that he was an impressive horse. It is pleasing to see some of his sons and daughters still doing well.

Former Australian stallion, Golden Slipper placegetter Churchill Downs, is among 12 horses stolen from Libya’s biggest stud, Al Shaab.

Raced by John Singleton and trained by David Hayes, Churchill Downs ran second in the 2007 Magic Millions Classic and third in the Golden Slipper.

He stood at stud in Victoria before being bought and transported to Libya in 2012.

Al Shaab’s general manager and equine veterinarian, Dr. Amad Eshaab, said on Twitter the farm had been attacked by armed militia at the weekend and six in-foal mares and six stallions taken.

“I am so sad and my heart is broken. … It is my life’s work, for my country and countrymen, I preserve the national heritage, and now this terrible assault. It is too cruel,” Eshaab said.

The stud, near Tripoli, was overtaken by armed militia from the city of Tarhuna, and, according to Eshaab, the intruders looted everything from veterinary devices and equipment to furniture, generators, jars, and water pumps.

“Six o’clock yesterday an armed group came from the Tarhuna city, militia loyal to Haftar. They stole six in-foal (mares) that are about to give birth this January or February,” Eshaab told BloodHorse.com.

“Then they entered the stallion (barn) and stole six stallions.

“They shot two horses (who) were wounded in the legs … no one could provide the ambulance to help the horse with euthanasia.

“We appeal to all humanitarian organisations and all horse organisations to save the horses of Libya.”

Al Shaab Stud is one of the largest stables in North Africa and was established in April 2000.

Eavesdropper, a Kentucky-bred, stakes-winning son of Kingmambo who is a half brother to A.P. Indy and Summer Squall, were among the stallions stolen.

The others were New Zealand-bred Brut Force, the top sire in Libya, the former Gai Waterhouse-trained Backdraft, as well as Irish-bred Raise a Grand and American Metternich.

Eshaab was unable to work for nine months because of violence in the area but said he was proud of the progress and national heritage the farm represented.

“It has contributed greatly to the advancement of the horse industry in Libya,” he said

“(it has) contributed to the establishment of the Libyan Stud Book and contributed to the establishment of the Libyan Horse Racing Authority.”