International Diary

INTERNATIONAL

DIARY

JUNE 20, 2006

by Kellie Reilly

In this edition, I'll assess the action at Epsom a few weeks ago

and then turn to this week's top events at Royal Ascot, highlighting the runners

that I'll be keeping an eye on in hopes that they could surface in the United

States.

This year's Derby (Eng-G1) result was unsatisfying on many

levels. First and foremost, I was sickened by the tragic demise of HORATIO

NELSON (Danehill), who shattered a front leg so catastrophically in the

stretch that no option remained but euthanasia. Horatio Nelson was a magnificent

individual who had so much left to give, and we'll never really know just how

good he could have been. His breakdown was all the more cruel because jockey

Kieren Fallon felt something was not quite right as he went to post, which led

him to consult with Aidan O'Brien and the racecourse veterinarian. I'm sure that

all involved acted in good faith at the time, but none of those allowances can

really soften the blow of his death.

To return to the race result, the fact that the camera had to

separate the top four finishers suggests that this wasn't the strongest of

modern classics. It shocked my sensibilities to see DRAGON DANCER

(Sadler's Wells), still a maiden (granted, a Group 3-placed maiden), with his

head in front approaching the line. But then a gallant SIR PERCY (Mark of

Esteem [Ire]), England's champion two-year-old colt last year, exploded along

the rail late to restore order and garner the victory by a short head over

Dragon Dancer, who had a head to spare over longtime leader DYLAN THOMAS

(Danehill). As eye-catching as the winner's acceleration was, Sir Percy

benefited from the inexperience of fourth-place finisher HALA BEK (Halling),

who roared up on the outside and seemed on the verge of thundering home, only to

swerve suddenly to his right and cost himself precious momentum and ground. Once

straightened, Hala Bek wound up three heads shy of glory. Favored VISINDAR

(Sinndar) checked in fifth with no apparent excuse, perhaps not enjoying Epsom's

peculiarities as he bore inward to his left through the stretch, but he

just wasn't up to the task. It was deflating that he could not run up to his

reputation on this occasion, but I still think there are Group 1 events out

there with his name on them.

In terms of upcoming engagements for the Derby's top five: Sir Percy has come out of his heroics jarred

up and will be rested for a fall campaign. While Dragon Dancer is contemplating a tilt at

Friday's King Edward VII S. (Eng-G2) at Royal Ascot, Dylan Thomas and Hala Bek

could reappear

in the July 2 Irish Derby (Ire-G1). Visindar is possible for that Curragh

classic, but his owner, the Aga Khan, has made it clear that the colt will not

run again until his persistent skin blemishes have cleared up. The Aga Khan's

Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) (Fr-G1) winner DARSI (Polish

Precedent) may be a more likely runner.

That Epsom Derby quintet will have to improve by leaps and bounds if

they have any pretensions of challenging the mighty SHIROCCO (Ger) (Monsun),

who exuded class when striding out a decisive winner of the Coronation Cup

(Eng-G1) in a veritable summit of past Breeders' Cup performers. The reigning Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) king summarily brushed aside a

strong bid by former Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) queen OUIJA BOARD

(GB) (Cape Cross [Ire]), while Breeders' Cup Turf runner-up ACE (Ire) (Danehill)

faded to fourth. Trainer Andre Fabre actually intimated that

Shirocco could prove to be as good as (or better than) his stablemate, European

Horse of the Year HURRICANE RUN (Montjeu [Ire]). The two Fabre titans

could clash as early as Sunday's Grand Prix de Saint Cloud (Fr-G1), although

Shirocco is questionable for that prize, especially if the ground is too firm.

I can't leave Epsom without mentioning the scintillating

ALEXANDROVA (Sadler's Wells), a six-length winner of the Oaks (Eng-G1).

Coolmore impresario John Magnier said afterward that they would be "careful with

her from now on," so a Breeders' Cup venture may not be in the cards. Moreover,

the runner-up, RISING CROSS (Cape Cross [Ire]), didn't exactly boost the form with her unplaced effort in Sunday's Oaks d'Italia (Ity-G1), her

first in the colors of new owner Gary Tanaka. While rumors had been afloat about

Rising Cross possibly coming over for the July 2 American Invitational Oaks

(G1), her trainer felt that she wouldn't have been suited by very firm ground,

and she was not on Hollywood Park's list of invitees.

The refurbished Royal Ascot is the center of attention this week, and this

historic meeting usually provides a few key Breeders' Cup clues. Here are the

major races that could have an impact on the American racing scene, and the

horses I'll be watching most closely:

Tuesday -- The Queen Anne S. (Eng-G1) for the older set and the

St. James's Palace S. (Eng-G1) for three-year-olds may have a significant

bearing on the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) picture. In the Queen Anne, Group

1 winner PROCLAMATION (King's Best) will make his eagerly anticipated

seasonal reappearance and his debut sporting Godolphin's royal blue silks. The

gray colt was nothing short of brilliant last season when displaying a

high-class turn of foot to capture the Sussex S. (Eng-G1) and Jersey S.

(Eng-G3), and if he's anywhere near his best, this mile race should be at his

mercy. His fitness is the proverbial rub, however, as the Godolphin team had

been under a cloud about a month or so back, with several horses running far

below form. After taking a short break to regroup, the operation seems to have

righted its ship. The other main contenders include multiple Group 1 heroine

PEERESS (Pivotal), who is coming off a victory against a few respectable

males in the Lockinge S. (Eng-G1), and the Aidan O'Brien-trained AD VALOREM

(Danzig), a juvenile Group 1 winner in 2004 who figures to improve considerably

now that he's finally getting the fast ground he relishes. Ad Valorem is much

better than his subpar efforts in last year's Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) and

Breeders' Cup Mile would imply; in fact, he was a solid runner-up to Shamardal

in last year's St. James's Palace and a game third to Proclamation in the

Sussex. The St. James's Palace won't feature O'Brien's impressive Two

Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) winner GEORGE WASHINGTON (Danehill), as he is

suffering from pulled muscles incurred while struggling on the heavy ground when

second in the Irish Two Thousand Guineas (Ire-G1). His conqueror that day,

ARAAFA (Mull of Kintyre), will instead square off against George's

stablemate IVAN DENISOVICH (Ire) (Danehill), a Group 2 winner last year

at two who came over for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) and wound up 12th in

his dirt debut. Although Ivan showed little in two starts in France this year,

he will love the good-to-firm conditions, and his odds have been dropping once

Kieren Fallon opted to ride. I'm particularly fond of Ivan because he's a

three-quarter brother to 2000 Breeders' Cup Mile hero War Chant (Danzig).

Wednesday -- The Prince of Wales's S. (Eng-G1)

shapes up as the race of the meeting and a fascinating preview of, believe it or

not, the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1) winner

ELECTROCUTIONIST (Red Ransom) will face Dubai Duty Free (UAE-G1) hero

DAVID JUNIOR (Pleasant Tap), both making their first starts since their Nad

al Sheba exploits in March and both reportedly eyeing the Classic as their end

of the year objective. Like Godolphin stablemate Proclamation, Electrocutionist

has the same fitness question marks over his head, in contrast to David Junior,

whose trainer Brian Meehan has raved that he's doing fantastically well and has

improved since his Dubai triumph. They will face OUIJA BOARD, ACE,

the classy French-based pair of CORRE CAMINOS (Montjeu [Ire]) and

MANDURO (Monsun), and Sir Michael Stoute's progressive NOTNOWCATO (Inchinor

[GB]). Manduro, another from the powerhouse Fabre stable, was supplemented to

this 1 1/4-mile race. The one-mile Windsor Forest S. (Eng-G2) for fillies

and mares doesn't generate the same excitement, but it's worth paying attention

to because it features five-time Group 1 heroine SOVIET SONG (Marju) and

2005 Garden City Breeders' Cup S. (G1) queen LUAS LINE (Ire) (Danehill).

Note that Luas Line is among the list of invitees to the July 1 CashCall Mile

(G3) at Hollywood Park.

Thursday --  The 2 1/2-mile Ascot Gold Cup

(Eng-G1) normally wouldn't figure into North American calculations, but

O'Brien's YEATS (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) makes his seasonal reappearance

while trying this marathon distance for the first time. He won last year's

Coronation Cup at 1 1/2 miles and ended the year on a sour note when sixth in

the Canadian International (Can-G1) at that same distance. Although Yeats has

been nominated to other staying events later in the season, I'll be watching how

he handles this considerable step up in trip. If he fails the test, we could

well end up seeing him back at Woodbine again this fall. O'Brien did this before

with Brian Boru, who was fifth in the Ascot Gold Cup in between his thirds in

the 2003-2004 editions of the Canadian International. The other contender with a

top international profile is Dermot Weld's MEDIA PUZZLE (Theatrical

[Ire]), who invaded Australia in 2002 and captured the Melbourne Cup (Aus-G1).

Friday -- The one-mile Coronation S. (Eng-G1)

for three-year-old fillies could have implications for

the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. This is a deep field that I can't do

justice to here, but suffice it to say that five of the expected runners crossed

the wire first in various nations' One Thousand Guineas -- SPECIOSA (Danehill

Dancer) won the English Guineas (Eng-G1), NIGHTIME (Galileo [Ire]) took

the Irish (Ire-G1) in devastating fashion, the Juddmonte homebred PRICE TAG

(Dansili [GB]) finished first in the French version (Fr-G1) only to be

disqualified to third, LOLITA (Lavirco) landed the German equivalent

(Ger-G2), and VAGUE (Elusive Quality) captured the UAE One Thousand

Guineas on the dirt in March. Vague is owned by J. Paul Reddam, so she may end

up stateside at some point, especially in view of her ability on the dirt. In the

King Edward VII, Reddam has another talented contender in RED ROCKS

(Galileo [Ire]), a nominee to Arlington Park's Mid-America Triple who romped by four lengths in the Fairway S. last time out. If

DRAGON DANCER runs, the Derby form will get a stiff test.

Saturday -- The 1 1/2-mile Hardwicke S. (Eng-G2)

is most notable for the possible return to action of last year's brilliant Irish Oaks

(Ire-G1) and Prix Vermeille (Fr-G1) winner SHAWANDA (Sinndar). She has

since been acquired by Godolphin, and although her new connections have great hopes for

her 2006 campaign, they have made clear that she is not certain to start in this

spot. The four-year-old filly would be taking on males, but

if she's ready and on her game, she ought to handle these. 

If there were a Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, I'd include

Tuesday's Kings

Stand S. (Eng-G2) and Saturday's Golden Jubilee S. (Eng-G1), but neither

looks likely to yield any guidelines for future American racing. The primary

interest is provided by the Australian shippers, spearheaded by multiple Group 1

winners TAKEOVER TARGET (Celtic Swing) and GLAMOUR PUSS (Tale of

the Cat), who will try to match the feat of Choisir, the sprinter from Down

Under who famously landed both events at Royal Ascot in 2003.

Far East footnotes: BULLISH LUCK (Royal Academy)

was a decisive winner of the Yasuda Kinen (Jpn-G1), thereby earning a $1 million

bonus for landing two legs of the Asian Mile Challenge (his other victory coming

in the Champions Mile [HK-G1]). DANCE IN THE MOOD (Jpn) (Sunday Silence)

was fifth in the Yasuda, but we'll have more to say about that in next week's

Filly & Mare Turf Diary, as she's been invited to the CashCall Mile. Finally,

the extraordinary DEEP IMPACT (Sunday Silence) headlines Japan's

Takarazuka Kinen (Jpn-G1) late Saturday night/early Sunday morning, U.S. time,

and I look forward to another fireworks display from that superstar.