Friday, June 9, 2000

BEST PRICES FOR EPSOM TOMORROW

FOURTH RACE RESULT
4pm THE VODAFONE OAKS

VODAFONE OAKS WINNER - LOVE DIVINE

Lordship Stud
The Lordship Stud, which is located just outside Newmarket, belongs to Trevor Harris, who bought it at the beginning of 1998. In its earlier days the stud had been the property of Lady Macdonald-Buchanan, daughter of the whisky magnate Lord Woolavington, who purchased it in 1937 and acquired its then sister stud, Egerton, on the opposite side of the Newmarket-Cambridge road, five years later. Harris, who has a plastics manufacturing business, bought Lordship with the intention of establishing a broodmare operation and then selling most of their colts and retaining their fillies to race in the stud's name before in due course returning to it. At the moment he has about half a dozen in training at Warren Place, including Love Divine's half sister Lyrical, who is by Shirley Heights.
Before Love Divine came on the scene, he had enjoyed success with another good filly in Silver Rhapsody, who won the Princess Royal Stakes at Ascot as a three-year-old when she was also third in the Lancashire Oaks. Last year she was beaten only a head by Silver Patriarch in the Jockey Club Stakes. He also owns the useful staying handicapper Benatom, who won three times as a three-year-old including at Newmarket and Goodwood, and later won over timber before running well in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham. He has switched to David Elsworth for jumping, having previously, like Love Divine and Silver Rhapsody, been trained by Henry Cecil on the Flat.

First Vodafone Oaks win

Henry Cecil
Born in Aberdeen on January 11, 1943, Henry Cecil has achieved just about everything he could have dreamed of in a training career spanning more than 30 years. If classic success is a measure of achievement on the Flat, the ten-time champion trainer is second to none among current trainers having won every domestic classic at least twice and amassed a total of 23 now in all after this Vodafone Oaks win, and can also include three King George victories.

The Lord Howard de Walden-owned Slip Anchor brought Cecil the first of his four Blue Riband triumphs with an emphatic victory. Ridden by the American Steve Cauthen, the colt led from almost start to finish to win by seven lengths. Reference Point, also ridden by Cauthen, won the 1987 Derby holding off the challenge of Most Welcome while Commander In Chief, Cecil's supposedly second string behind Tenby in the 1993 Vodafone Derby, made it a hat-trick of wins, this time under the Irishman Mick Kinane, while last year Oath - partnered by Cecil's then stable jockey Kieren Fallon - provided a third classic success of the season. Cecil's passion for the turf was nurtured by his stepfather, Sir Cecil Boyd-Rochfort, with whom a young Cecil served as assistant trainer to between 1964 and 1968, before taking out his own licence to train in 1969. It was not long before he staked his claim among the ranks of the leading trainers with a victory by Wolver Hollow in the Eclipse Stakes of that year. On the retirement of Sir Noel Murless, father of his first wife Julie, in 1976, Cecil took over Warren Place Stables in Newmarket where he has remained. He has a string of 169 horses in training for 2000, with Richard Quinn as stable jockey.
Vodafone Oaks Wins: 1985 OH SO SHARP, 1988 DIMINUENDO, 1989 SNOW BRIDE, 1996 LADY CARLA, 1997 REAMS OF VERSE, 1999 RAMRUMA, 2000 LOVE DIVINE

Richard Quinn
Born Stirling, Scotland on December 2, 1961, Richard Quinn served his apprenticeship with Herbert Jones in Malton from 1979 until 1981, when he joined Paul Cole, who provided the aspiring rider with his first success, Bolivar Baby at Kempton on October 21, 1981. Quinn was champion European apprentice in 1983 and champion British apprentice in 1984. His only British classic win so far came in the 1990 St Leger on Snurge - a horse whom, along with Ibn Bey, Ruby Tiger and Bint Pasha, Quinn rates as the best he has ridden. Controversially lost the ride on Generous in the 1991 Derby to Alan Munro when owner Prince Fahd Salman decided to retain the latter jockey despite Quinn's status as stable jockey to trainer Cole. The partnership of Salman, Cole and Quinn was later resumed although the jockey rode as a freelance last season, when he had a best-ever tally of 151 victories, and only Kieren Fallon partnered more winners. Following Fallon's departure from Warren Place, Quinn began as first jockey to Henry Cecil this season.

First Vodafone Oaks win

INITIAL FOURTH RACE QUOTES
VODAFONE OAKS

SEVEN UP FOR CECIL

"I have been very lucky (in the Vodafone Oaks). I have been given some very good fillies to train and luckily I haven't managed to destroy them all.

"Love Divine was very ill about a month ago with that lung thing and we had to treat her and she has done very well to come back. She could have done with another race but we could not give it to her. She is good filly - a very good filly.

"She is a little bit green but she didn't really have a very hard race. Richard said that - I think we all had a harder race than she did.

"We will wait and see with her and just take one day at a time. It's lovely. I have got my brother (twin David who is ill) coming tomorrow."

WINNING FOURTH RACE QUOTES
VODAFONE OAKS
RICHARD QUINN

"She was idling a bit in front, this was only her third race, but I just gave her a couple of slaps at about the furlong mark and she ran on really well.

"It has been a great team effort with all the lads at home who look after and ride her out and I am was fortunate enough just to have to steer her round.

"She did not have a hard race and the whole thing has been excellent. Now we can hope for the same thing tomorrow (with Beat Hollow in the Derby). He is a colt I like a lot and I can't fault him. He won on easy ground when he won his maiden race at Yarmouth last year and then it was pretty firm when he won at Newmarket, so I don't thnk the ground will be a problem."

VODAFONE OAKS PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES
HENRY CECIL

"She was one of the first of my horses to get this bacterial infection, as a result of which they can't breathe properly, they work and then just collapse, and though she was not the worst hit she was certainly pretty badly affected by it.

"I have been lucky enough to be given some very nice fillies to train and fortunately I haven't managed to destroy all of them!

"This filly is by Diesis and I love Diesises. She will improve from this and I hope we will be able to win another Group 1 race with her. I don't know what will be her next race, but she is in the Irish Oaks, so Trevor (Harris) the owner won't have to pay another supplementary entry fee, and she will be entered for the Yorkshire Oaks.

"I don't know about taking on the colts. We shall just feel our way with her and at the moment I think it is best for her to stay taking on her own sex. She will tell us what to do, we won't tell her.

"Because she was sick in the spring, she needed her Goodwood race very badly and she blew for 40 minutes after she had won it.

"The other day she worked with High Walden and just blew her away in the last quarter of a mile. From the way High Walden ran against the grey filly (Kalypso Katie) at York, I was pretty confident that Love Divine would beat Kalypso Katie, but having said that the grey filly ran a very good race.

"Trevor has always been very supportive and it was not difficult to persuade him to part with the 15,000 for the supplementary fee after she had won at Goodwood. He just had to work a bit harder!

"I trained La Sky, Love Divine's dam, and I wasn't all that keen on Trevor buying her as a broodmare when he said he was interested in doing that. But luckily he took no notice of me!" In fact the deal, which was handled on Harris's behalf by agent Luke Lillingston, was just about signed and sealed before Cecil could voice his reservations.

FOURTH RACE WINNING QUOTES
THE VODAFONE OAKS CUP (GROUP 1)

TABOR TAKES DEFEAT WELL

"Hopefully she will go for the race in Ireland now (the Irish Oaks) and no doubt we will have Love Divine to take on again - it won't get any easier."

Jockey Chris McCarron, who partnered Melikah to be third on only her second racecourse outing, said: "She went very well and kept digging. With experience she should get a bit more racy."

Fourth-placed Petrushka did not enjoy the best of runs. Tim Jones, assistant racing manager to the Library syndicate of Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, said: "She was a bit unlucky. Kieren said he had her well-placed tracking the favourite and had every intention of following her. But he made the same move as Quinny (on Love Divine) and got squeezed up by two horses.

"He just had to take a tug and it cost him a bit, even though she ran on really well at the finish. Kieren thought that on better ground, even having been checked, she might have got home.

"It's up to Michael (Stoute) where she goes now - she's got every engagement under the sun - but I think we might go to Ireland and take them on again."

VODAFONE OAKS PRESS CONFERENCE


TREVOR HARRIS (OWNER)

"I said to my wife that we could do this, so we bought 10% of a horse which Henry trained." At which point the trainer inserted: "the horse was useless, but luckily Trevor came back for more."

"We have about 15 mares at our Lordship Stud on the edge of Newmarket, though we shall have to prune a bit.

"We are very fortunate to have La Sky, whom Luke Lillingston bought for us. Henry had his reservations about her, but by the time he made his comments the hammer was just about down.

"We called this filly Love Divine because she was being named at about the time of my father-in-law's funeral and that was his favourite hymn."

Harris, who is in the packaging and building businesses in Suffolk, added that Love Divine would stay in training as a four-year-old. "We enjoy our racing and see no reason why she should stop racing as a three-year-old. Why not have another season, and with Henry training her there is no saying what she might win."

Luke Lillingston recalled buying La Sky for Harris at Keeneland for $290,000 when she was carrying her fourth foal. "John Kluge, who had her in training with Henry, had taken her back to his stud in Virginia, and then for some reason he decided to sell her. I have no idea why he did.

"I am so delighted for the owners, they have put a lot into racing and it is great for them."

KING'S BEST MISSES DERBY

Yesterday the son of Kingmambo was found to be dragging his left-hind toe when trotting after exercise yesterday and is believed to have suffered a recurrence of a slight muscle injury.

Stoute stated:"King's Best is a non-runner for there is no improvement this morning. I am very sorry for his owner, the team at home and those who backed him."

CASEY TO RIDE FOR STANNERS

Casey was sacked by his previous boss, Oliver Sherwood, in April.

His agent, Chris Broad, stated: "I am obviously pleased we have reached this agreement."

SUNDAY FUN AT SALISBURY FOR ALL THE FAMILY

The fixture has been designated Armed Forces Raceday and there will be a number of attractions from army regiments on offer throughout the day. The band of the Hussars and Light Dragoons gets proceedings under way at noon with a marching display on the racecourse. A parade of hounds from the Royal Artillery Hunt at Larkhill will then take place from 12.40pm to 12.50pm. In addition, there will be a number of attractions throughout the afternoon, including a paint ball range, a mini assault course and camouflage face painting. Any potential recruits will be able to get advice from the Salisbury Careers Information Office.

The two feature races of the day are the £10,000-added TOTE PLACEPOT HANDICAP (3pm), over five furlongs and the £9,500-added WWW.THEHORSESMOUTH.CO.UK RATED STAKES (2.30pm), over one mile and six furlongs. Last year's renewal of the latter race was won by Turtle Valley who went on to compete in the Group Three Queen's Vase Stakes at Royal Ascot on his next outing.

The AXMINSTER 100 APPRENTICE HANDICAP (4.30pm), over one mile, is the first of five contests to be run at Salisbury in 2000, in the fourth year of the Axminster Carpets-sponsored apprentices' series, with the other series races on June 29, August 17, August 31, and September 27. A points system will operate for the jockeys during the series, with the winner of each event awarded 10 points, then 6, 4, 3, 2, and 1 for the next five home. The overall leading apprentice will be presented with £600 by Axminster Carpets, while the second will gain £400 and the third £200.

The armed forces have further involvement later in the day with the ROYAL WILTSHIRE YEOMANRY CITY BOWL (3.30pm), the oldest race run at Salisbury, over a mile and a half and for three-year-old plus fillies.

The Salisbury Sunday fixture is the main meeting on June 18 and the leading jockeys will be riding at the course.

Ian Renton, Clerk of the Course and General Manager of Salisbury Racecourse, said: "After the success of the Sunday meeting in May, everyone associated with Salisbury Racecourse is very much looking forward to this next Sunday fixture. The racing will be of its usual high standard, while a family fun-day out can be had by all."

Admission costs £15 for the Members Enclosure, £10 into Tattersalls and £5 for the Course Enclosure. There is FREE admission for accompanied children aged under 16 and FREE Car Parking. The next meeting at Salisbury is a two-day fixture on Wednesday, June 28, and Thursday, June 29, which features the Bibury Cup and the Ruinart Champagne Fillies' Stakes.

AN AFTERNOON OF HIGH-CLASS RACING AT NEWBURY

Newbury welcomes insurance company Aegon UK which backs the £20,000- added AEGON UK RATED HANDICAP (4pm), over seven furlongs, for horses aged three-years-old and above rated 0-105.

The 1999 equivalent of the £12,000-added AEGON UK CONDITIONS STAKES (3pm), over six furlongs, was won by the Ian Balding-trained newcomer, Kingsclere, who runs in this year's Vodafone Derby. Kingsclere-based Balding, who named the horse after the village where he resides, has won three of the last five runnings of this event for two-year-olds, his other winners being Trans Island (1997), who finished second in the Group One Juddmonte Lockinge Stakes at Newbury last month, and More Royal (1995).

Other good two-year-olds will be on show in the £6,000-added AEGON UK MAIDEN STAKES (2.30pm), over six furlongs, which is usually a highly-competitive contest. This race was won by Dayjur in 1989 who went on to become champion sprinter. The following year this Danzig colt, trained by Major Dick Hern, was very unlucky in the $1-million Breeders' Cup Sprint at Belmont Park, attempting to jump the stand's shadow, and going down by a neck to Safely Kept.

The richest race of the afternoon is the £21,000-added BALLYMACOLL STUD LISTED STAKES (3.30pm), over one mile and two furlongs. Lord Weinstock's Ballymacoll Stud in Ireland has sponsored this event since 1986, which is for three-year-old fillies who have not yet won a Group One or Group Two Pattern contest.

Last year a huge roar erupted from the Newbury crowd when the Queen's horse, Fairy Godmother, won this event by one and a quarter lengths. The Roger Charlton-trained Fairy King filly went on to finish runner-up in the Group Three Earl of Sefton Stakes at Newmarket earlier this season.

The £6,000-added GEORGE SMITH MEMORIAL MAIDEN STAKES (4.30pm), over seven furlongs, is held in memory of George Smith, the former Jockey Club Handicapper. The winning owner will receive a Challenge Trophy from his widow, Mrs Jane Smith, which was sculptured by Jean Walwyn.

Bollinger Champagne returns to the Berkshire course to support a qualifier in the series for male amateur riders, the BOLLINGER CHAMPAGNE CHALLENGE SERIES GENTLEMEN'S HANDICAP (2pm), over one mile and two furlongs, while the last race on the programme is the £5,500-added THEHORSESMOUTH.CO.UK HANDICAP, over one mile and four furlongs.

Mark Kershaw, Newbury's Managing Director, said: "Trainers often like to run high-quality juvenile horses at this meeting and, with a Listed event and valuable handicap on offer as well, we look forward to a wonderful day's racing on Thursday, June 15."

The day will also be providing the opportunity for approximately 120 local school children to apply their mathematical skills around Newbury Racecourse, under the BHB Education Initiative. Working out the dimensions of a live horse and crowd capacity are just two of the tasks in which the BHTB pilot scheme links the racing industry to the national curriculum. Martin Lawton, the BHB Education Officer, said: "This offers a great opportunity to make numbers far more interesting."

Admission costs are Members £15, Tattersalls £8, Silver Ring £4 and Picnic Car Park £4. All accompanied children under 17 are admitted FREE and other than the Picnic Car Park all parking is FREE.

For old articles (from 1st March 2000) go to the Newslink Archive

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