South America Gaining Respect

Over the years, Thoroughbred owners have begun to look South when shopping for a runner that wouldn’t break the bank and might prove to be high caliber when competing in the U.S.

History is replete with success stories: Bayakoa (Arg), Hall of Fame inductee; Riboletta (Brz) Champion Older Mare; Siphon (Brz) multiple G1 winner of over $3 million; Sandpit (Brz) multiple G1 winner of $3.7 million; Pasaena (Arg) Hall of Fame inductee; Einstein (Brz) multiple G1 winner of $2.6 million (to date).

And then came Invasor (Arg).

Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum purchased the son of Candy Stripes after the horse was named Horse of the Year in Uruguay.  The purchase price of approximately $1.3 million was not considered a bargain, especially for a South American bred runner.  However, Invasor settled into the Northern Hemisphere and reeled off six G1 wins including the Breeders’ Cup Classic and Dubai World Cup.  The Shadwell color bearer retired with 11 wins in 12 starts and earnings of $7.8 million.

Since that success, more interest has been focused on South America and the importation of the next Invasor.

Kenny McPeek has been traveling to Brazil for the past five years, quietly bringing horses up to compete in the U.S.  His successes include Einstein and Hard Buck, both sons of Kentucky Derby winner Spend A Buck.  However, McPeek hasn’t been actively pursuing proven runners from down South – he’s been attending the sales in Brazil and buying yearlings.  Content to wait for the animal to acclimate and mature, the Kentucky-based trainer recently brought up ten Southern Hemisphere yearlings (2-year-olds here in the Northern Hemisphere).  One of those imports is a half brother to Einstein named Indianapolis.  In training at McPeek’s Kentucky farm , the son of Nedawi (GB) may start at the Keeneland fall meet.

Jenny Craig, along with her late husband, Sid, has patronized Argentina in replenishing their racing stock.  Champion Pasaena (Arg) was imported and campaigned in the U.S. by the Craigs.  One of their latest acquisitions was Candy Ride (Arg), champion miler in his native country.  The son of Ride the Rails retired undefeated and set a new track record in winning the 1 ¼ mile Pacific Classic (G1) in 1:59.11.

Strongly supported his first year at stud, Candy Ride is currently ranked 5^th on the U.S. Second Crop Sire List.  His graded stakes winning runners include Evita Argentina, Capt. Candyman Can and Chocolate Candy.

Dubai racing has become an international event with horses arriving from all over the world to compete and South American runners have excelled in this venue.  Many have been able to translate success in Dubai to solid efforts in North America.

Asiatic Boy (Arg) won the UAE Derby as a 3-year-old and has a pair of seconds since embarking on a North American campaign.  The 6-year-old was runner up in both the Stephen Foster (G1) and the Suburban Handicap (G2).  Gloria de Campeao (Brz) was second in the Dubai World Cup (G1) and then traveled to Singapore for a win in the Group 1 Singapore Airlines International Cup.  The son of Not For Sale didn’t care for the heavy going and finished 7^th in this year’s running of the Arlington Million (G1).

Buyers from the UAE have recently been on a buying spree in South America, gearing up for the upcoming 2009 – 2010 racing festival.  They have purchased Arranca El Sol, Champion 2-year-old Colt in Chile; Enak, a 2-year-old son of Orpen and G1 winner in Argentina; Storm Ultralight, an Argentine-bred son of Bernstein who set a new track record in Uruguay; and two Argentine Group 1 winning fillies, Ishitaki and Peristaltica.

Other runners making their mark in the U.S. include Global Hunter (Arg), recent winner of the Eddie Read (G1);  Bubbly Jane (Brz) who won the Donor Stakes in her North American debut and Jazzy (Arg) winner of the Caress Stakes.

A few racing stables have also found it lucrative to race in South America.  Barry Irwin’s Team Valor recently celebrated their first win as an owner in Uruguay.  The racing partnership purchased Red Dust (Uru) as a yearling.  The now 2-year-old colt rewarded his new owners with a win in his first start.

Stonestreet Stables and Jess Jackson had a lot to celebrate after Rachel Alexandra ran off with the Haskell Invitational (G1).  But, there’s another 3-year-old filly carrying those yellow and red silks in Argentina.  Krysia, an Argentine-bred daughter of Matty G won an allowance race at San Isidro the day before the Haskell.  The bay filly is not Stonestreet’s first venture into South America -  Jackson has been purchasing fillies and mares to add to his Kentucky-based broodmare band for a few years now.

Speaking of importing mares for breeding in North America – the sale topper at the Fasig-Tipton July Yearling sale this year was a filly by Medgalia d’Oro and out of Argentinean group 2 winner Ting A Folie.  The half sister to stakes placed Bastakiya was purchased by Darley on a final bid of $425,000.

For decades now, farms have been sending some of their more durable, if less than marketable, stallions to stand in South America during the Southern Hemisphere breeding season (Aug. – Dec.).

However, the face of breeding in South America may be changing as Coolmore and Darley venture into the mix.

This year marks the second season #1 ranked sire Giant’s Causeway will venture down to Argentina.  Joining him from Coolmore are returning shuttlers Johannesburg, Footstepsinthesand, Catcher In The Rye, Van Nistelrooy and Majestic Warrior.  Coolmore (Ashford) will also send Thunder Gulch and Scat Daddy to Chile.

Darley, although only sending one stallion, has stepped up to the plate and will shuttle the #1 sire of 2004, Elusive Quality, to Stud TNT in Brazil.

Other stallions shuttling for the first time to South America include champion sprinter Artax, Kentucky Derby winner Real Quiet, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Steviewonderboy and leading sire Northern Afleet.  Two Japanese-bred sons of Sunday Silence, Silent Name and Hat Trick, have been tapped to offer South American breeders another source of proven bloodlines.

Not to be outdone, Walmac has announced that they will stand Songandaprayer and Successful Appeal on Southern Hemisphere time in Kentucky.  Adena Springs quickly announced that stallions residing at their Kentucky and Florida farms would also be available on Southern Hemisphere time.  And a late addition to this bandwagon is Darley’s Medaglia d’Oro.

In the recent past, such announcements as these would never be published in the U.S. Thoroughbred media.  As racing becomes more global in nature, perhaps the U.S. has begun to recognize that, by not exploring opportunities in South America, they are leaving money, and horses, on the table.

-originally published in Hold Your Horses Magazine