Turtle Bowl emerges

By Elaine Belval

One of the last G1 races on the European racing calendar was Sunday, October 30: the Criterium International for two-year-olds at one mile on the turf. It was won by French Fifteen, owned by Raymond Tooth, bred by Gilles and Aliette Forien, and trained by Nicolas Clement. He is the first SW for his freshman sire Turtle Bowl. Earlier this year, French Fifteen won the listed Criterium de l’Ouest at the French regional track of Craon. Previous winners of this last G1 include Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winners Dalakhani and Bago. It’s too early to say how good French Fifteen is, but he has five wins in seven starts having come out at Chantilly on May 2.

French Fifteen is by the stallion Turtle Bowl. Turtle Bowl won seven of 21 starts in four seasons of racing. He won the G1 Prix Jean Prat and placed in the G1 Prix d’Ispahan and Prix Fresnay to Manduro. He also finished third in the G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot. He showed himself to be a consistently top class horse at the mile distances in France and England.

Turtle Bowl’s sire is Dyhim Diamond. Dyhim Diamond raced in Germany and France with victories in G3 company in both countries. He had limited success as a stallion (with just four black type earners) and is now at stud in Spain. Dyhim Diamond is by the Northern Dancer stallion Night Shift. Night Shift was one of the last sons of Northern Dancer at stud. This long-time Coolmore Stud resident sired over 80 SWs including G1 winners In the Groove, Creaking Board, Nicolette, and Listening. While the Night Shift branch is not as well-known as the Danzig or the Sadler’s Wells branch of Northern Dancer, this line has had success and representatives include the current Irish stallion Azamour (11 SWs in three crops of racing age).

While Turtle Bowl’s sireline is a bit obscure, his female family is one of Europe’s best. His fourth dam is the SW Cherry, bred by the Prince Aly Khan in France. His third dam is the stakes-placed Shahinaaz, bred by the current H. H. the Aga Khan. This family includes G1 winners Kartajana, Khariyda, and Caerlina, and multiple GSWs. His second dam is the winner Kamiya, also bred by the Aga Khan. Kamiya was a “disappointing” producer for the Aga Khan and was sold. Turtle Bowl’s dam, Clara Bow, was bred by Marystead Farm. But, she proved a valued addition to the Cherry family. She has eight winners, four black type performers and three Graded stakes winners (all three Group/Grade 1 capable).

Turtle Bowl, with his excellent race record, female family and acclaimed good looks, was given a chance at stud despite being a son of Dyhim Diamond. He has stood at Haras de la Reboursiere et de Montaigu in France for €5,000. With French Fifteen in his first crop, certainly more can be expected from this sire. And another branch of the immortal Northern Dancer lives on for another generation.

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Lonhro’s Invasion

By Elaine Belval

Darley at Jonabell announced in early October that leading Australian sire Lonhro would be standing the 2012 season at Darley in one of the first reverse-shuttles from Australia.

Lonhro represents a truly Australian sireline. His sire is the great Australian racehorse Octagonal. For those who have never seen him run, Octagonal was a true freak of nature. He won 14 of 28 starts, including 10 G1 races. A truly brilliant and versatile runner, Octagonal won races from 5.5 furlongs to 12 furlongs (1100 to 2400 meters). His dam was the legendary producer Eight Carat (dam of five G1 winners), but Octagonal was clearly her best performer.

Octagonal was by Zabeel, the legendary sire of Australasia. Zabeel has stood his entire career at Cambridge Stud in New Zealand. He has 41 Group (Grade) 1 winners in his remarkable career that includes well over 100 SWs. Zabeel himself is by the transplant Sir Tristram, a modest racehorse in Europe but a stallion who transformed Australasian breeding.

Lonhro is from Octagonal’s first crop. It might be argued he was a better racehorse than his sire. A winner of 26 of 35 starts, Lonhro won 11 Group 1 races at distances from seven to 10 furlongs (1400 to 2000 meters). He won the prestigious Caulfield S. twice (leading European middle distance performer So You Think won the race in 2010 before leaving for Ireland). Lonhro was a G3 SW at two at 5.5 furlongs, a winner of the 8-furlong, G1 Caulfield Guineas at three and a multiple G1 winner at four and five.

Lonhro retired to stud in 2004, with his first runners in 2007. From that first crop, he already has 11 SWs, led by G1 winner Beaded (winner of the prestigious six-furlong sprint, the Doomben 10,000). Lonhro was the leading sire in Australia for the racing season that ended in July 2011. Left in his wake were perennial leading Australian sires Redoute’s Choice and Encosta de Lago, along with High Chaparral (the sire of So You Think) and More Than Ready.

Lonhro has over 30 SWs, with three G1 winners (at six, seven and eight furlongs).  Lonhro shows signs of siring slightly more speedy offspring that his sire or grandsire. The majority of his SWs are winning at six and seven furlongs and just one winner at 10 furlongs (the SW Sainthood – who also won a stakes at seven furlongs). This proclivity should serve him well in the United States.

Lonhro well be a welcome addition to the stallion ranks in the US and breeders should take a close look at this stallion.  Darley should be commended for taking this bold step.

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