Raiders from the Southern Hemisphere | Trainer Magazine | European Trainer Article Index

Apr 8

Apr 8 Raiders from the Southern Hemisphere

HALL of Fame trainer Horatio Luro relocated to California from his native Argentina in 1937. Most of his early stable stars were South American horses: in 1939 Kayak II (Arg) was Champion Older Male Handicap Horse; in 1948 Talon (Arg) won the Grade I Santa Anita Handicap, and in 1953 Iceberg II (Chi), was voted Champion Grass Horse. Charlie Whittingham, a Hall of Famer and Luro’s former assistant, trained Cougar II (Chi), the first South American import to win $1 million while racing in the United States. He was the 1972 Eclipse Award grass champion and a 2006 Hall of Fame inductee. “As long as they can run, it doesn’t matter what kind of horse they are,” Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally said. Nearly three decades ago, the now 76-year-old began purchasing South American horses to race in the United States. “They were running good horses down there for a lot cheaper purses so it helped their owners to sell them for a good price,” McAnally said. “Back when I started, we were giving $100,000 or $200,000 for them, but now we can’t match dollars with the sheikhs.” From the 25 or 30 horses he transported to California, Bayakoa (Arg) was Champion Older Female in 1988 and 1989, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998; Paseana (Arg), a 2001 Hall of Fame inductee, was Champion Older Female in 1992 and 1993; Candy Ride (Arg) won the 2003 Grade I Pacific Classic in track record time; Different (Arg) was a multiple Grade I winner; and several other horses were graded stakes winners. There is one South American horse McAnally inspected that wound up in someone else’s barn. “We almost bought Invasor,” McAnally said. “At the last minute the Craigs decided they wanted to try for a Derby horse, so we stopped the vet examination.” Ken McPeek, who bought two-time Horse of the Year Curlin as a yearling for $57,000, has successfully imported horses from the Southern Hemisphere and generally seeks younger horses that possess a nice hip, balance, a good eye, decent-sized shoulder and a certain presence. Grade I winner and Group I placed Hard Buck (Arg) and Grade I victor Einstein (Brz) fit his criteria. “Good horses can come from anywhere, whether it’s Brazil, Argentina or Keeneland’s September sale,” the classicwinning trainer said. “The Thoroughbred, in general, is a hybrid and you just don’t know which one is going to have that injection of quality. It’s the ones that make you stop and say, ‘Wow, this horse can run anywhere.’ That’s how it was with Hard Buck when I saw him in his stall in the Brazilian mountains. “Einstein was technically only three when he beat older horses in the Grade I Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap in 2006,” he continued. “That just shows you how special he is and I don’t know of anyone else ever buying a horse as a yearling from South America that has done that.” In McPeek’s experience, it takes about six months for most Southern Hemisphere horses to adjust but he feels the transition might be easier on colts than fillies because their hormones don’t cycle around the seasons. “With fillies, you have to be very careful,” McPeek cautioned. “They will go through a period where they look great and then their coats might change direction. That’s because they are coming from a place where the days are longer and have more sunlight or vice versa. The colts handle it better because they don’t have to contend with breeding cycles but with both sexes, the more time you give them the better.” Like McAnally, McPeek feels the market has recently grown exponentially, making it a bit tougher to acquire South American horses. “It used to be really easy to get what we wanted for what we wanted to spend,” McPeek explained. “Now it’s very difficult to buy older horses, so I’m buying yearlings. But I am gearing down on the Southern American market because I would like more Classic winners, like Curlin.” If a horse has demonstrated class, he’s welcome to reside in Kiaran McLaughlin’s barn. “The world is a much smaller place now than it was years ago,” McLaughlin, who trained 2006 Horse of the Year Invasor, said with a laugh. “It’s much easier for a trainer to receive proven horses and I always have an empty stall for a Group I winner from anywhere. We run dirt and turf, so we are always happy to have either kind of horse.” Since Southern Hemisphere horses are often eight months younger than their Northern Hemisphere counterparts, they often have to race against older horses as three-year-olds. “Invasor came on December 8, 2005,” McLaughlin said. “He acclimated so quickly and did everything right from day one. But we pointed for the UAE Derby, because in America he would have had to run against older horses. In Dubai, it includes horses ISSUE 12 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 71 Argentinian import Invasor went on to win the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Classic and the Horse of the Year title American horses to race in the United States. “They were running good horses down there for a lot cheaper purses so it helped their owners to sell them for a good price,” McAnally said. “Back when I started, we were giving $100,000 or $200,000 for them, but now we can’t match dollars with the sheikhs.” From the 25 or 30 horses he transported to California, Bayakoa (Arg) was Champion Older Female in 1988 and 1989, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998; Paseana (Arg), a 2001 Hall of Fame inductee, was Champion Older Female in 1992 and 1993; Candy Ride (Arg) won the 2003 Grade I Pacific Classic in track record time; Different (Arg) was a multiple Grade I winner; and several other horses were graded stakes winners. There is one South American horse McAnally inspected that wound up in someone else’s barn. “We almost bought Invasor,” McAnally said. “At the last minute the Craigs decided they wanted to try for a Derby horse, so we stopped the vet examination.” Ken McPeek, who bought two-time Horse of the Year Curlin as a yearling for $57,000, has successfully imported horses from the Southern Hemisphere and generally seeks younger horses that possess a nice hip, balance, a good eye, decent-sized shoulder and a certain presence. Grade I winner and Group I placed Hard Buck (Arg) and Grade I victor Einstein (Brz) fit his criteria. “Good horses can come from anywhere, whether it’s Brazil, Argentina or Keeneland’s September sale,” the classicwinning trainer said. “The Thoroughbred, in general, is a hybrid and you just don’t know which one is going to have that injection of quality. It’s the ones that make you stop and say, ‘Wow, this horse can run anywhere.’ That’s how it was with Hard Buck when I saw him in his stall in the Brazilian mountains. “Einstein was technically only three when he beat older horses in the Grade I Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap in 2006,” he continued. “That just shows you how special he is and I don’t know of anyone else ever buying a horse as a yearling from South America that has done that.” In McPeek’s experience, it takes about six months for most Southern Hemisphere horses to adjust but he feels the transition “It’s the ones that make you stop and say, ‘Wow, this horse can run anywhere.’ That’s how it was with Hard Buck when I saw him in his stall in the Brazilian mountains” Ken McPeek NORTHERN RAIDERS.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd 7/4/09 01:31 Page 2 Cidade Jardim racetrack in Sao Paulo and his grandfather, Trajano, won 13 training titles in Brazil. Lobo admits his heritage provides him with an inside track and after a South American horse performs at high level, the phone begins to ring. “Since I’m from Brazil, I do have a lot of connections,” Lobo said. “My father is there and I follow all the races by computer. We are always looking for good horses but I don’t think it’s more difficult to purchase a South American horse now than before. Any good horse has its price and always has. But I do know one thing, when a nice horse wins a big race, within 30 minutes, you hear an offer.” Discovering quality horses is not the tough part. It’s settling them in. “Nothing is the same for them,” Lobo said. “Every trainer uses their own blend of feed. The entire process usually takes four or five months, but it can require much more time and a lot of patience. But the longer you give them, the better they will be.” West Point Thoroughbreds president Terry Finley agrees with Lobo’s emphasis on soundness. He syndicates horses for racing and selected the organization’s first upper-echelon horse, multiple graded stakes victor Seattle Fitz (Arg), because of his strong bone. “They seem to breed a sounder horse in the Southern Hemisphere,” Finley said. “We prepare our horses to sell them instead of preparing them to be racehorses.” South African conditioner Mike de Kock thinks it can take up to eighteen months for a Southern Hemisphere horse to fully acclimate to the Northern Hemisphere, but any horse with certain characteristics can win shortly after the plane lands. “I’ve had horses winning within six weeks of arriving,” de Kock said. “Bringing them up to the Northern Hemisphere doesn’t really affect their racing performance. But the horses must be in good health, not sore, travel well and adapt to training conditions.” The list of de Kock’s charges include: 1999 South African Horse of the Year and Grade III winner Horse Chestnut (SAF); 2007 UAE Triple Crown victor and 2008 Grade I Dubai World Cup runner up Asiatic Boy (Arg); Dubai’s 2003 and 2004 Horses of the Year Ipi Tombe (SAF) and Victory Moon (SAF); last year’s UAE 2,000 Guineas (Grade III) winner Honour Devil (Arg) and runner-up Royal Vintage (SAF); Lucky Find (SAF) last year’s winner of the second round of the Grade III Maktoum Challenge; 2008 Dubai Sheema Classic (GI) victress and 2007 South African champion Sun Classique (Aus); and 2007 Grade I Dubai Sheema Classic runner-up Oracle West (SAF). Dubai is the only place in the world horses bred in both hemispheres can compete against each other in the same age from both hemispheres so Southern Hemisphere horses have the advantage. We came back from Dubai in March and then in May, he won the Pimlico Special. That just shows you he was an outstanding horse and very special.” John Sadler likes a horse that has faced top competition and prefers them on the older side. “I look for a horse with Group form, that’s a bit older, so the calendar doesn’t go against them,” Sadler, who trained 2007 Grade I Del Mile Handicap winner Crossing the Line (NZ) and Grade I John C. Mabee and Grade II Beverly Hills Handicap winner Black Mamba (NZ), said. “If they can run on anything other than turf, it’s a plus.” In Sadler’s opinion, the main obstacle for a Southern Hemisphere horse is transitioning to a wholly new environment. “It doesn’t take too long for them to acclimate,” Sadler said. Black Mamba and Crossing the Line “arrived around February or March and ran in the summer [of 2007]. In New Zealand, everybody trains at their own place, so it’s their first time training at a racetrack. You just have to make sure you don’t go too fast with them, too quickly, because it screws their heads up.” Crossing the Line won the Grade II Del RACING 72 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 12 Mar Mile Handicap, which as of last year, was one of the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” races. If a horse wins one of 57 selected stakes races, he is automatically guaranteed a spot in the starting gate for the corresponding Breeders’ Cup race. But that only applies if the horse is nominated. While Southern Hemisphere horses have regularly proved their quality, almost all of them are not Breeders’ Cup nominated and to be eligible, must be supplemented for a hefty fee. Sadler said, “These horses not being nominated to the Breeders’ Cup is a problem. They have to have an outstanding year to even consider supplementing them for that amount of money.” Nonetheless, he said, “My owners were very happy with how our horses performed, so they bought several more.” P AULO Lobo, trainer of Grade I winner Pico Central (Brz) and Grade II winner Molengao (Brz), has two simple requirements. “When I bring horses here to race, I’m looking for a fast, sound horse,” the 40-year-old explained. Horses are the Lobo family business. Lobo’s father, Selmar, was the leading trainer for seven consecutive years at group but Southern Hemisphere horses, which can be up to ten months older, must carry four kilograms or roughly nine pounds more than their Northern Hemisphere contemporaries. Through 2008, Southern Hemisphere-bred three-year-olds have captured four of the last six UAE Derbys. “There seems to be quite a debate about this,” de Kock said. “People say the Southern Hemisphere horses have a great advantage and the extra weight is not enough but I will tell you the difference, I’m bringing the best horses I can possibly lay my hands on. If you have a horse that can win the Guineas in England for 10 or 15 million pounds you wouldn’t bring them to Dubai because their Guineas is on dirt and worth a fraction of that purse. Americans have a very comprehensive program with very good money. They race week in and week out. Their big goal is the Kentucky Derby so I’m sure they wouldn’t want to be traveling their horse back and forth when they have their eye on the big prize, i.e. the Kentucky Derby or the Triple Crown. “For all us people in the Southern Hemisphere,” he continued, “it makes sense for us to bring our best horses here. The money is excellent, much better than at home and we can sell our horses for more money. The value is not proportionate.” Racing in Dubai also lets the world know Southern Hemisphere horses are a force to be reckoned with. “Dubai is fantastic because it shows our horses can compete with the best in the world,” de Kock explained. “It gives us a chance to flex our muscles amongst all the other countries and see where we are. I don’t think the world takes South African racing seriously. I remember when I took Horse Chestnut to America and the track handicapper told me he had no idea how to weight him. I said, ‘That’s fine, just handicap the race accordingly.’ Horse Chestnut ran very well and won. The world needs to realize a good horse can come from anywhere.” Northern Hemisphere horses do travel to the Southern Hemisphere to race but it is not common. One such horse is Kentuckybred and one-time Triple Crown hopeful Tomcito, who was a Peruvian champion at two. Since he was born on February 13, 2005, he raced against three-year-olds and won two of Peru’s classic races by open lengths in 2007. The son of Street Cry was a $7,500 yearling purchase for owner Stud Jet Set and finished third in last year’s Grade 1 Florida Derby. “I know there are not many horses that have gone down to South America, came back and done very well,” Zanelli said last spring. “But Tomcito proved what he could do.” A native of Peru, Zanelli hails from a SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE HORSES ISSUE 12 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 73 family of experienced horsemen. His father Dante Zanelli Sr. is a trainer in the United States and was instrumental in top jockey Rafael Bejarano’s immigration. Zanelli’s uncle Juan Suarez has been a top trainer in Peru for nearly three decades. It was Suarez who conditioned Tomcito during his South American racing career. Zanelli went out on his own in 2000 and has been transporting horses between the hemispheres for about eight years. He thinks how the horses adapt depends on the individual but it does help out if you ship them in November or early December. “Each horse is different, but good horses generally take traveling well,” Zanelli said. “You just keep an eye on them and they will let you know when they feel right. But I think the weather pattern is more favorable in the fall months because you are transitioning between opposite seasons.” WHEN Zanelli looks for an American horse to send to Peru, he likes big, strong, racy horses with a long stride. “The tracks are much heavier down there than in America,” Zanelli said. “Their main track is a mile and an eighth and it is uneven. It actually rises upward after the 5/8ths pole so you can’t even compare the times. The times would be much slower than here.” There is a strong market for North American horses in Peru. “Peru used to be in the Northern Hemisphere until seven or eight years ago,” Zanelli said last year. “The owners are used to sending their horses to America to race. Actually in the last couple years, I have picked up new, younger Peruvian owners that want to compete and want to purchase American horses because Peruvian breeders cannot keep up with the demand.” After making his first three starts in Peru, 2009 Triple Crown nominee Al Khali was re-imported to the U.S. in November. The Medaglia d’Oro colt, bought by Zanelli for $15,000 in September at Keeneland, won an allowance at Gulfstream impressively in March for Todd Pletcher and new owner WinStar Farm. David Bernsen, CEO of Let It Ride.com, a network representing all facets of the racing industry throughout the world, and an owner/breeder for a number of years, puts together international syndication packages for racing and breeding. One of Bernsen’s top horses was 1999 Champion Sprinter Artax and he is a partner in North American Grade I winner Honor in War, who in 2008 won an Australian graded stakes race at the age of nine. “Australians haven’t been too inclined to ship their quality horses to America and even fewer American horses ship to Australia,” Bernsen said. “They don’t look too kindly upon dirt horses in general and they think all American horses run on medication. But I think opportunities exist.” Phar Lap quite possibly was the first Southern Hemisphere horse to compete in North America, but representatives from “Down Under” are scarce on American cards. If Australian Oaks victress Anamato had won last year’s American Oaks instead of finishing third, she would have been the first Australasian horse in many years to capture a North American graded stakes.

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Kimberly French (08 April 2009 - Issue Number: 12)

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