EARLY GROUP SUCCESS
To date, Juddmonte Farms Europe have bred two Group winners in
2004 – and the broodmare Hunt The Sun has been responsible for
both. Her first foal, the Polish Precedent horse Polish Summer,
took his career record to 5 wins and 12 placings from 21 starts
when making a successful reappearance in the Gr3
Prix Exbury at Saint-Cloud. The amazingly consistent seven-year-old
was a narrow victor over the French Oaks winner Bright Sky and he
now attempts to improve on last year’s fourth place in the
Gr1 Dubai Sheema Classic on Saturday.
Hunt The Sun‘s Group-race double has been added to by the
efforts of five-year-old Bigstone horse Meteor Storm who bravely
held on to win the Gr2 San Luis Rey Handicap by a
neck at Santa Anita and most recently the San Juan Capistrano
Gr2 by 1 1/2 lengths over an extended distance of
14f, again at Santa Anita. He seems to take after his older brother
in terms of consistency, as he is yet to finish out of the frame in
13 starts. Meteor Storm was originally trained in France by
Criquette Head-Maarek, and was placed three times in Listed company
before being sold for 110,000gns at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses
In Training Sales.
Although Hunt The Sun failed to win on the racecourse she had
great potential as a broodmare – being a daughter of champion
Broodmare sire Rainbow Quest and a half-sister to the
Gr1 winners Raintrap and Sunshack. She could
hardly have made a better start either, with her first four foals
all gaining black type. Apart from the aforementioned Polish Summer
and Meteor Storm, she has also produced the Gr3
Prix d’Aumale third Winter Solstice (in the broodmare band) and the
listed-placed Morning Eclipse (who stays in training this
year). Next in line to try and boost Hunt The Sun’s record is
the Dansili two-year-old filly Winter Silence (in training with
Andre Fabre) whilst the mare also has a Grand Lodge yearling colt
and is due to foal to Rock Of Gibraltar in
May.
Date:
26 March 2004