With spring training now fully underway at Hastings, trainer Craig MacPherson has recently welcomed a blue-blooded addition to his powerful barn in the shape of seven-year-old British-bred gelding, MASEN (GB).
A son of the Champion European miler Kingman (GB) (Invincible Spirit (Ire), Masen was purchased out of a Fasig-Tipton Digital Sale last May for $80,000 by MacPherson’s owner, Nicole Droder, and joins the horse population in Vancouver as part of Droder’s ongoing desire to support racing in the province.
MacPherson said: “We’re excited to have a horse like Masen with us and much credit goes to the owner for demonstrating such a spirit of adventure, as well as showing tremendous support to racing at Hastings. So far, he’s been a straightforward horse to deal with and we’re looking forward to seeing how he adapts to Hastings and, of course, to the dirt.”
Touched-off by a nose in the 2022 Grade 1, Maker’s Mark Mile, where he was beaten by the Roger Attfield trained, Charles Fipke-owned-and-bred globetrotter, Shirl’s Speight, Masen began his career in Ireland, winning a stakes contest at Leopardstown before switching to the U.S., where Chad Brown trained him for his owner-breeder, Prince Khalid bin Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms.
Masen’s transatlantic move, which saw him go on to land the Seek Again Stakes at Belmont, before annexing the Grade 3 Poker Stakes at the same track a month later, is reminiscent of the same journey made by his granddam; the Eclipse Award-Winning Intercontinental (Danehill).
Masen has five wins in 16 races and earnings over $522,000.
Another brilliant graduate of Juddmonte’s breeding program, Intercontinental began her career in France with the legendary André Fabre, where she was among the best of her generation and finished third in the English 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket. However, despite winning at Allowance and Listed level and running well in the highest company, she didn’t quite manage to land a Group contest and was sent west to join the equally legendary Bobby Frankel.
From there, the full-sister to former Canadian Horse of the Year, Champs Elysees and US and European Champion Turf mare Banks Hill, went from strength to strength. Landing an Allowance contest at Santa Anita on her US debut, Intercontinental progressed to win eight more times, with all the victories coming at Graded Stakes level and culminating in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf – uniquely, also a race won by her full-sister, Banks Hill
Intercontiental’s dam, the remarkable HASILI, produced five Grade 1 winners and three Champions. She was English Broodmare of the Year in 2006 and Owner Breeder International Magazine’s Broodmare of the year in 2004 and 2005. HASILI’s granddam SOOKERA (Roberto) was Irish Champion juvenile filly in 1977 and was eventually designated a Reine-de-Course broodmare, producing eight winners from 13 named foals. She was bred in partnership by the British Bloodstock Agency and Robert Sangster and was subsequently sold to Juddmonte before retiring to the paddocks.
Infinite Patience In Foal
Some welcome news reaches us from back east in Kentucky, with confirmation that B.C.’s reigning Horse of the Year INFINITE PATIENCE has been scanned in foal at 14 days to HARD SPUN. Now in the sole ownership of hockey star Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the eight-year-old daughter of SUNGOLD reportedly “caught” on a first cover by the sire. She is now scheduled to remain in Kentucky for a period before, all being well, eventually heading back to B.C. later in the year.
A stalwart of Darley America’s stallion roster, the 21-year-old HARD SPUN has sired 15 G1 winners and remains a potent source of high-quality runners. The sire, who along with WAR FRONT is among the last sons of the legendary DANZIG still at stud, stands at $25,000.
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