ENGLISH TEXTS
GODOLPHIN REMAINS IN THE LEAD
In an interview with ITV Racing during the broadcast of the Newmarket races on October 11
The extraordinary raid by AMO Racing and various Qatari entities did not prevent Sheikh Mohammed from remaining king of the show at Tattersalls , through his Godolphin stable . When the last of the 351 yearlings was sold in Book 1 of the sale , which has four catalogues , the blue silks of the ruler of Dubai had filled 18 slips for a total of £ 22.02m , while his challenger peaked at £ 19.575m with 17 lots purchased . However , if we add the 7 purchases of Al Shaqab associated with AMO Racing , we get a total of £ 22.14m , a difference of £ 120,000 . That ’ s the price of an Aston Martin Vantage , the entry-level model from the winged emblem firm .
th, “ Kia ,“ who has been making headlines in British racing since the inception of his silks in 2003 under the Karmaa Racing banner , detailed the reasons for this buying spree ...
� PAGE 10“ We knew that we had to overpay this week . We are competing against people who have been established for many , many years . And a lot of the horses we bought , like our Wootton Bassetts and stuff , they were out of foal sharing . We were facing people who were bidding at 50 cents to the dollar . And we knew that we had to go for it because the only way for us to compete is to get those high pedigree horses . And we just don ’ t have that level at the moment (...)“
OWNER
“ It ’ s great for racing , and I hope we ’ ve managed to trigger something that will allow us to compete with the big guys . I think it ’ s great for other people in racing . They will go , wow , we can do that too and come in and expand . Because I think it ’ s a shame just to have two or three people always at the top for the industry , for the sport , much more than for us . I hope that we have managed to lift it . For the vendors , we ’ ve spent a lot of hard time . You know , those vendors really struggled sometimes to get there . And I ’ m glad that we managed to boost it for the whole market .”
Kia Joorabchian ’ s intervention is a strong signal for the racing world . His willingness to invest heavily and compete with established giants could reshuffle the deck . It will be interesting to follow the evolution of his strategy and its impact on the horse racing industry in the months and years to come .
BACK TO THE ARTICLE �ENGLISH TEXTS
Saint des Saints was born in 1998 in the Allier region of France , bred by Nicolas de Lageneste . He was the result of an original idea by his breeder , who was looking to create a stallion that had proven itself over jumps . At the time , this was not common , and sometimes fortuitous . When Saint des Saints entered stud in 2003 , only the extraordinary Cyborg , who had raced over jumps at top level until the age of 6 , and Saint Preuil had raced and won at Auteuil among the top fifteen National Hunt sires in France . In 1997 , there was only one . Today , there are six . Four are even in the top five , including ... Saint des Saints .
Lisa-Jane Graffard , in a different register from Elisabeth Fabre , is undoubtedly a great ally in the stable ’ s success .
� PAGE 14TRAINER
And then , there is this obvious desire to try new paths possibly inherited from his Darley Flying Start curriculum , to sometimes go for races that his colleagues wouldn ’ t have thought of , to explore ? May this desire last and take us far !
To achieve this result , Nicolas de Lageneste started by choosing the right dam : “ I found her in a dispersal sale that took place after a normal session at Deauville ,“ he explains . “ Chamisène had an ideal pedigree to produce a jumps horse , a daughter of Pharly with a dam by Tanerko , who had good performances in the Fustok colours . She had finished 4
Francis-Henri Graffard ’ s rise seems unstoppable . This season , for the first time , his stable has reached and surpassed € 5 million in earnings . The major races of the season are behind us , and he sits in 2
BACK TO THE ARTICLE � th ndposition in the trainers ’ championship behind the maestro Fabre , who appears to be his last and considerable obstacle before ascending to the throne of French Flat racing .
� PAGE 18in the French 1,000 Guineas , which she had contested as a pacemaker , and she had won the Prix de Malleret for her own account . I got her for only 9,000 francs (€ 1,372 ). It must be said that she hadn ’ t produced a foal for four years . I immediately sent her to Cadoudal , who was then leading sire ...“
HORSE
Now at the helm of the Aga Khan ’ s stable , he has achieved some notable feats across the Channel this season , which would allow him , in a European ranking , to surpass his former mentor ( before Alain de Royer Dupré ) thanks to the € 1.77 million gleaned by Goliath and Calandagan last summer in Britain . However , he would still be 2
Chamisène was a real race mare . As Nicolas de Lageneste pointed out , she had set the pace for a certain Mystérieuse Étoile , also in the Fustok colours , who finished second in that infamous 1983 Poule d ’ Essai des Pouliches won by L ’ Attrayante , who became the dam of another winner of the Longchamp Classic , Madeleine ’ s Dream . The 3
ndat the European level , € 4 million behind Aidan O ’ Brien ’ s € 10 million .
The 47-year-old native of Le Creusot still has time on his side . He is eight years younger than the Ballydoyle giant and thirty years younger than the Chantilly Emperor .
rdthat day , Maximova , would become the dam of Macoumba , winner of the Prix Marcel Boussac , and of the stallion Septième Ciel , and is the granddam of the Classic winner and stallion The Grey Gatsby . Chamisène had finished 4
However , Francis-Henri Graffard ’ s situation is not a sinecure . When we studied the reasons for André Fabre ’ s success in our last edition , there are three lessons that the young trainer could draw inspiration from : you have to know how to manage an abundance of owners , you have to listen to Alain when he tells you to watch André , and you can ’ t travel far alone .
thin a dead-heat with Little Meadow .
She won her next three starts within eight weeks of her placing . For her last victory , she beat Alexandrie by two lengths over the 2,000 metres of the Prix de Malleret . And what did Alexandrie produce ? Poliglote ! One of the best National Hunt stallions in France in the early 2000s .
ENGLISH TEXTS
A few weeks ago , we announced the retirement of Saint des Saints from his stallion career after 22 seasons of covering . He is a horse that , beyond his exceptional career as a stallion , has been a true catalyst for us in the discipline of National-Hunt . He was the first stallion we acquired to diversify and launch our NH project . He started his career as a sire at Etreham before standing a few years at La Tuilerie . Over 22 seasons , he met different people , stallion managers and teams , and established himself over time as a leading sire , with around twenty Gr . 1 winners to his name . He is truly shaping his lineage as an excellent broodmare sire , with nearly 10 Gr . 1 performers . We are now seeing his first sons at stud starting to produce well , led by Goliath du Berlais , whom we acquired during his racing career in hopes of one day replacing his father . It has truly been a wonderful adventure . The fact that he continues to leave a positive mark both in the minds of people and in pedigrees means that he is a horse we will follow for many years to come . Just 15 days ago , he was the sire of two Gr . 3 winners at Auteuil , the Prix Magne and the Talhouët-Roy - we ’ re not about to forget him ! He is an extraordinary horse , with a true personality . He enjoys living his life without too much fuss from us , and sometimes we could call him a bit “ grumpy ” due to his attitude . However , his way of managing himself on a daily basis — almost his nonchalance — has allowed him to endure and remain in very good health today to enjoy a well-deserved retirement . So , about a month ago , we made the decision , along with Ludivine Marchand , Franck Champion , and our entire team , to end his stallion career and put him into retirement . This decision was made simply because the horse physically showed us that it was time to stop after 22 seasons ; we preferred to fully respect him and retire him a bit earlier rather than too late . At 27 years old next year , it seemed to us that it was time . He had another great season this year , and it was time to turn the page .
However , even if Chamisène managed to produce a foal , there was no guarantee that the gamble would pay off . “ The foal was born puny , and his dam wasn ’ t giving good milk ,“ recalls Nicolas de Lageneste . “ We had to give him a lot of supplements . He didn ’ t have very good hocks , but that was a common trait of many Cadoudal offspring . So much so that Robert Fougedoire , who had come to see him , didn ’ t want to take him . A year later , Jacques Détré saw him in much better condition and bought him . The rest , as they say , is history ...“
VIDEO / ITW
BACK TO THE ARTICLE � � PAGE 22Entrusted to Guillaume Macaire , who had already trained Saint Preuil , Saint des Saints would become one of the very best horses of his generation , but without being able to win a Gr1 . A winner over steeplechase at the end of his 3-year-old season , then over hurdles , he dominated the following first half of the year over hurdles . He won all the trials for the Prix Alain du Breil but was beaten by Great Love on the day . In the autumn , the window of opportunity had closed because a certain Karly Flight , one of the greatest hurdling mares of our time , had arrived .
BREEDING
These two stallions entered stud a year apart . The stud careers of Wootton Bassett , which is reaching extraordinary heights this season , and Siyouni have some interesting parallels .
The average price of Wootton Bassett yearlings in Europe has multiplied by 4.3 between 2020 and this year , from € 125,000 to € 540,000 . Guess how much his stud fee has increased during this time ?
It was time to face his destiny at stud . The managers were not exactly queuing up to take him , though , due to a lack of top-level performance . “ His owner , Jacques Détré , convinced Haras d ’ Étreham to take him , and we had to negotiate well , recalls Lageneste . I must say that they did a fantastic job because the horse didn ’ t readily cover mares and it took a lot of patience .“
The same : from € 40,000 for his last year at Étreham , which launched him in style , to € 150,000 when this year ’ s yearlings were conceived , and € 200,000 this year at Coolmore , a multiplier of 3.75 and then 5 .
What will happen in the 2025 season ? Who knows ! But with the recent dominance of Wootton Bassett ’ s progeny at the Tattersalls sales , coupled with the impressive success of his 2-year-olds on the track , who have won ten Group races this season , we can expect another adjustment , especially since in Australia , his first
Now , Saint des Saints can rest in the blessed pastures of Bessin , nearby Etreham , with a sense of accomplishment . He can contemplate a destiny that , had he been born a man , would be the stuff of novels .
104ENGLISH TEXTS crop conceived there has reached an average of nearly € 350,000 .
thcovering season . They were both at € 100,000 after ten years , and Wootton Bassett moved ahead a year later . Siyouni has just been raised to € 200,000 for 2025 , like Wootton Bassett this season .
Siyouni ’ s progression was more linear than Wootton Bassett ’ s and his stud fee increased sharply from € 7,000 to € 20,000 in his fifth year at stud , while Wootton Bassett reached this fee at the end of his 7
place is a bit disappointing , because he was going there to win . He ’ s not kidding . But he ’ s not talking nonsense either .
thBorn on February 4
, 2008 , at the Bryce family ’ s Laundry Cottage Stud in Hertfordshire , north of London , Wootton Bassett was bought as a yearling for £ 46,000 at Goffs UK by Bobby O ’ Ryan . He finished 2010 unbeaten in five starts , including the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère , but didn ’ t win anything at 3 years old .
These few lines , which we strongly encourage you to translate using the many translation aids , as graceful as Galorama , which abound today on the internet , testify to a lively and alert mind , and a sense of observation capable of exceeding the two ears pointed in front of him . Ryan Moore is the opposite of an LFI MP : he speaks little but he speaks well . And he ’ s more than often right .
Clearly , each entry into stud is a return to zero , the start of a completely new and always uncertain career .
BACK TO THE ARTICLE �So , it wasn ’ t exactly a stampede , and he started his stud career at Étreham at € 6,000 . Let ’ s compare his stud career , in terms of stud fee , with three other stallions who entered stud around the same time , give or take a few years , and we get the following table with the fees offered for Siyouni , Le Havre and Zarak , who is the youngest of the four since he arrived at stud eight to six years after the others , and at a higher fee , given his pedigree . The son of Dubawi and Zarkava would certainly have fetched more than £ 46,000 at the sales if he had been presented as a yearling ... And even more than £ 460,000 !
� PAGE 24JOCKEY
Thirteen days after the Arc , this putative successor to Lester Piggott , a monster from a time when racing was still a main street feature , won a new Gr1 with Kyprios , at Ascot , in the Long Distance Cup ( Gr1 ). Again , this stainless bronze equine , this Kyprios so prodigal , returned from hell in full light and better than ever . A Greek god .
Two jockeys stood out at the Arc weekend . First Christophe Soumillon , of course , who remains our best in France ( Aidan O ’ Brien says so ). He won the Royallieu ( Gr1 ) at 20 / 1 and the Lagardère ( Gr1 ) with Camille Pissarro at 9 / 1 . Both for Ballydoyle . Then the Qatar Arabian World Cup ( Gr1PA ) with Al Ghadeer , for the rest of the world .
“ It ’ s always the horses ,” explains his jockey in his interview , without false modesty , without flattery , because simply , this is the reflection of his reality : in Tokyo , Melbourne and San Diego , wherever he goes , it is on horseback that he makes his way . Also because he did not become such an icon by nursing his image or dreams of better tomorrows , but only thinking about what he is doing , and which he summarizes as follows : “ to get from here to there as fast as possible .”
Ryan Moore is something else again . He has become so ubiquitous in the four corners of the racing world that you could mistake him for a prophet , the Beatles , or a smartphone brand . A very strange smartphone , whose volume would be stuck at a minimum ( an interesting social innovation to improve public transport , by the way ) but whose camera could detect a bad leader before you ’ re stuck behind it . Ecce the Houdini of equine prisons .
So we start with the first year at stud for these four stallions and what do we notice ? A very similar progression for Wootton Bassett and Siyouni . The former started at € 6,000 but two years later , he had dropped to € 4,000 before bouncing back to € 6,000 in 2016 , then to € 20,000 in 2017 , when his first crop were 4-year-olds , like Almanzor . Le Havre also rose to € 20,000 after seven years but did not exceed € 60,000 , the current fee for Zarak , who had started higher in a more buoyant market than the early 2010s .
BACK TO THE ARTICLE �His record for the Arc weekend is three wins including a Gr1 with Kyprios , the interstellar champion of stayers , and a 3
rdplace in the Arc with Los Angeles at 8.10 .
In a long and fascinating interview with Paul Hayward for TDN Europe , the calm Briton explains that this 3
rd 105