3 minute read

California Chrome; War Front; The Last Lion; Shalaa; Goken; Fastnet Rock; Frankel.

• CHINA Horse Club has bought a share in US Horse of the Year and seven-time G1 winner California Chrome.

Taylor Made Farm, the Kentucky stud that purchased standing rights in California Chrome last year, confirmed the deal.

California Chrome, the leading all-time US money earner, will stand at Taylor Made on his retirement. The farm has retained 11 shares in the stallion with up to 20 other shareholders coming on board including China Horse Club.

Taylor Made Frank Taylor said: "We're just adding one partner at a time. Our criteria is we want good partners who have good mares who will really support the horse."

California Chrome, by Lucky Pulpit, won two legs of the US Triple Crown in 2014 - the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes - and is unbeaten in six races this year.

He is preparing for next month's G1 Breeders' Cup Classic that may possible be his final career start.

His record stands at 24-15-3-1 and earnings of $13,432,650.

• CLAIBORNE Farm has increased the 2017 service fee for its champion Danzig stallion War Front to $US250,000.

War Front’s progeny are headed by the G1 winners Air Force Blue and The Factor. He stood last season for $US200,000.

• THE Last Lion, the G1 winning son of Australian sire Choisir, has been purchased by Darley to stand at Kildangan Stud in Ireland.

The Mark Johnston-trained juvenile was never out of the first three in any of his 10 career starts, winning four races including the G1 Middle Park Stakes.

The Last Lion (Choisir x Mala Mala by Brief Truce) was an €82,000 Goffs Orby yearling purchase by Johnston. His dam was a dual G1 placegetter and is a half sister to champion 2YO filly and G1 Irish 1000 Guineas winner Tarascon and G2 winner Mister Monet.

The Last Lion placed equal with Churchill and Caravaggio on the official ratings and is rated higher than the last Middle Park Stakes winner to retire at the end of his 2YO career, the now successful sire Dark Angel.

• INVINCIBLE Spirit’s dual G1 winning sprinter Shalaa has been retired and will take up stallion duties at owner Al Shaqab Racing's Haras de Bouquetot stud in France in 2017.

Trained by John Gosden, Shalaa established himself as one of the top 2YOs last season winning five races including the G1 Prix Morny and G1 Middle Park Stakes.

A pelvis injury meant Shalaa missed the majority of his three-year-old season before he won the G3 Bengough Stakes at Ascot on his return this month.

He was retired after running tenth in the G1 British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot last weekend.

• GOKEN, a dual G3 winner by Kendargent, has been retired and will take up stud duties at Haras de la Huderie in France in 2017.

He will be the first son of boom sire Kendargent (Kendor) to stand at stud.

Goken won four races including the G3 Prix du Bois as a two-year-old and the G3 Prix Texanita at three and was G1 placed in the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot in June.

He is one of five Group winners by Kendargent.

• CRIMSON Rock, the $US1 million Keeneland yearling by champion Australian sire Fastnet Rock, made a winning debut at Newbury on Saturday.

Trained by Ralph Beckett for Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani, Crimson Rock was making her debut in the same maiden the trainer won four years ago with his future G1 star Secret Gesture.

Crimson Rock, out of the Sadler’s Wells mare Maryinsky, is half-sister to the G1 Irish Oaks, G1 Yorkshire Oaks, G1 Nassau Stakes and G1 Pretty Polly Stakes winner Peeping Fawn (Danehill) and the G1 Criterium International winner and sire Thewayyouare (Kingmambo).

• CHAMPION Frankel sired his 18th individual first crop winner on Friday when the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Mirage Dancer made a successful debut at Doncaster to become an early favourite for next season’s classics.

The two-year-old colt, bred by Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms, is out of the dual G1-winning mare Heat Haze (Green Desert).

Heat Haze won the GI Beverly D. Stakes and GI Matriarch Stakes and is the dam of G3 placed Forge (Dubawi).

Mirage Dancer's second dam is the remarkable Hasili (Kahyasi), one of the finest broodmares in recent history.

Stoute has trained several of the family, most notably the G1 Pretty Polly Stakes winner Promising Lead (Danehill) and G1 placed Visit (Oasis Dream).