DREAMIN’ – The 5yo CALIFORNIA MEMORY won the HongKong Vase last night and he was bred in Kentuckey and is from a famous Canadian family
KENTUCKY HORSEMAN FRED SEITZ BREEDS WINNER OF HONG KONG VASE
from a Canadian-bred family!
CALIFORNIA MEMORY, a great, great grandson of Canadian-bred KONAFA (out of Canadian-bred ROYAL STATUTE) beat a solid field in the HONG KONG VASE earlier this morning on the other side of the world.
Incredible – it was a late flurry by the grey son of Highest Honor to beat some goodies for his first Group 1 and he is KEENELAND SALES GRADUATE, bought for $65,000 from breeder Fred Seitz’s Brookdale Farm.
The 5yo, who races mostly in Hong Kong, is out of KALPITA, by Spinning World out of Kalmaina. The latter is by Mr. Prospector out of Konafa, who was bred by E P Taylor’s Windfields Farm, a Group 1 placed filly and dam of PROSKONA,KORVEYA,& KEOS. Grand Dam of HECTOR PROTECTOR & BOSRA SHAM.
The long line of Canadian-breds on the dam’s side of CALIFORNIA MEMORY all starts with ROYAL STATUTE, a Northern Dancer, Taylor-bred, who was a product of a mating between the ‘Dancer and the British – bred Queen’s Statute.
ROYAL STATUTE produced Grade 1 winner AKUREYRI among others.
If you have been following international racing all season long you may remember that POUR MOI, the winner of the EPSOM DERBY was also a descendent of ROYAL STATUTE:
CALIFORNIA MEMORY (Highest Honor) – dam:
***** SPINNING WORLD
KALPITA
**********MR. PROSPECTOR
*****KAMAINA
*******************DAMASCUS
**********KONAFA
*******************ROYAL STATUTE
-THEN THERE IS EPSOM DERBY WINNER POUR MOI (Montjeu)
Dam:
**********DARSHAAN
GWYNN
*****************CONQUISTADOR CIELO
**********VICTORESS
******************ROYAL STATUTE
SARAH LYNX, the Canadian International winner at Woodbine, bombed for the 2nd time in succession since her Canadian win and was actually pulled up, although the report below on the Hong Kong website says she is okay:
From the stewards….. A veterinary inspection of CAMPANOLOGIST and SARAH LYNX after the race did not show any significant findings. CAMPANOLOGIST, DUNADEN and THUMBS UP were sent for sampling.
California wins HK Cup with Dragon only fourth
By Lewis Porteous in Hong Kong 8:34AM 11 DEC 2011
Report: Hong Kong, Sunday
Sha Tin: Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup (Group 1) 1m2f, 3yo+
CALIFORNIA MEMORY (Tony Cruz/Matt Chadwick) rallied to take the Cup from last year’s second Irian and local star Ambitious Dragon only fourth.
Ambitious Dragon, winner of the QEII Cup and Hong Kong Derby this year, walked out of the gate but quickly caught the field up as Pure Champion reluctantly led under Gerald Mosse.
Mosse was in no rush on the leader, dawdling in front with German challenger Zazou for company.
The pace eventually began to pick up with three furlongs to run with California Memory poised behind the front two.
Rounding the home turn, Douglas Whyte, back on Ambitious Dragon after jockey Maxime Guyon was criticised for his defeat last time, went for glory and the favourite moved powerfully and dominantly up to a challenging position.
But the move backfired for Whyte as he used up his mount potent finishing kick and found Zazou impossible to pass in front.
http://www.racingpost.com/news/horse-racing/california-wins-hk-cup-with-dragon-fourth/960821/
BENJAMIN LEON – BESILU STABLES FEATURE
from Ocala.com
The thoroughbred breeding industry in Marion County has a new, if familiar, member: South Florida businessman Benjamin Leon.
He punctuated his decision in November, when he spent $8.5 million to buy Royal Delta, a top-bred filly he hopes to race and eventually add to the pedigree-heavy broodmare band he is assembling at his 647-acre farm near Orange Lake.
Leon, who is in the health care industry in Miami, also has invested heavily in real estate in Marion County.
The thoroughbred venture is his latest project. He hopes to turn Besilu Stables into a boutique breeding operation, producing high-end thoroughbreds with top pedigrees.
