Horses in Training

Two Year Olds

"Infamous Angel" (2006 Exceed and Excell filly out of Evangeline (Sadler's Wells)).

"My Dixie Darling(USA)" (2006 Bernstein filly out of Dixie Eyes Blazing (Gone West))

the two fillies above are going to run in partnership with Peter Marshall and are with Richard Hannon.

unnamed Dr. Fong filly out of Lyna (Slip Anchor) and Richard will train this filly for us as well.

"Am I Blue" (2006 Dubai Destination filly out of Seal Indigo (Glenstal) We've sent her to Harry Dunlop..

Three Year Olds

"English Rose" (2005 Kafwain filly out of Roses in the Snow (Be My Guest) half sister to MSW Snowdrops. Withdrawn from Book 2 of the Keeneland September sale with an abscess in the foot we put her into training with Christophe Clement. Last Summer she was in Saratoga from where Christophe sent us an email that read
"English Rose had an easy work two days ago. She is very forward mentally but probably will need time physically. I think that we should go on with her for the month of May and then reassess.
Kindest regards
Christophe
I wasn't sure what this might be code for so I sent an email to Christophe that went.
Dear Christophe,
Thank you for the faxed report on English Rose. Jill Stephens had previously remarked on her mental strength and we're pleased to see that she has maintained that in the change of environment. To me she looked like a rangy filly that would require time to fill out and strengthen but having not seen her since last September your assessment of her physical development is something that I'm very interested to hear more about. What are you suggesting when you say that you will "reassess" at the end of May? Are you maybe hinting that based on what you see of her she already looks too slow to be worth training? If this reads like owner paranoia and what in fact you are saying in your email is that she is going to be a late maturing type that's fine.
He replied about a week later with this.

Dear Geoff,

Reassess: to go on or to give her time. As of now she has done everything right but physically she is rather backward Long, rangy, needs to get stronger behind the saddle, rather correct limbs).

I hope you'll sleep better tonight.

Kindest regards,

Christophe
So there.
Since that exchange of emails she has had time off at Miacomet Farm in Kentucky and then went down to Christophe's winter training quarters at Payson Park in Florida.
She had her first run on January 19th run over six and a half furlongs on dirt at Tampa Bay Downs. She missed the break, ran green and did not finish well ('out of breath' said the jockey apparently). Disappointing, after posting some good works before the race.
Subsequently working on the turf at Payson Park (last work was 49.0 secs for 4f) she ran again at Tampa on March 2nd but over one mile and a sixteenth on turf. She ran much better, finishing second by two and a half lengths after weakening in the stretch. I told Christophe my reading of the race. The jockey let her get hooked up in a duel with the horse that went to to the lead in the first bend putting her into the race too early. Plainly a mistake as she was stepping up in trip from her first start. They covered the first quarter in 22.82 secs. He then went for home at the top of the far turn rather than holding onto her for a stretch run and finally he hit her twice after she was beaten. Christophe didn't disagree. He is talking about her breaking her maiden next time on the turf. With someone other than Jose Velez Jr in the saddle I hope.

"Bon Ton Roulet" (2005 Hawk Wing filly out of Evangeline (Sadler's Wells)) second foal out of the mare, the two year old was placed on his only start. Richard Hannon has trained a good colt half brother to Evangeline and a two year winner this season out of one of her half-sisters so she went to him. She was late into training and has been running over the winter on all weather tracks. She has show enough to give us hope that she will win a race and is now in handicaps off an Official Rating of 64.

"Coloratura" (2005 Cape Cross filly out of Elayuan (Muhtarram)) the dam is a half sister to Oratorio. She is with Ed Dunlop and is ready to start running in handicaps as as a three year old after three unplaced efforts as a two year old.

Snowdrops' racing career 2002 to 2006
10 wins from 23 starts. 3 Gr.3 and $594,000

"Snowdrops" (2000 grey mare by Gulch out of Roses In The Snow (Be My Guest)).
Snowdrops is now retired. She ran to her third Gr.3 victory on January 14th in the $250,000 Bayou Handicap and finishes with a lifetime record that reads MGrSW, MSW, GrSP, 23-10-3-2, $594,767.
We tried to sell Snowdrops twice. At Saratoga and at the Keeneland 2yo In Training Sale, and she didn't make her reserve both times. It was $50,000. So she went into training with Christophe Clement and is now, age five, a multiple Graded Stakes winner, with nine wins from twenty two starts and earnings of over $400,000.
Unraced at two she won in January 2003 on her first lifetime start; a maiden special weight over 1 1/8th miles on turf at Gulfstream Park. Ridden by Mark Guidry she was settled well off the pace and made steady progress from the top turn around the outside to win going away. It was something of a surprise.
She first earned black type at Aqueduct finishing second in the Trampoli Stakes and closed out her three year old year on December 20th at Fair Grounds fulfilling the promise shown in her previous Stakes starts by winning the Pago Hop Stakes.
She returned to Christophe in early March 2004 after a winter break and came back running, putting together a three run winning streak in allowances at Keeneland on April 27th and Belmont on May 21 finishing with her second Stakes success in the Politely Stakes at Monmouth Park on June 20th. After that she competed exclusively in Stakes, a troubled second in the De La Rose at Saratoga, a rallying fourth in the October 31st Gr.III Athenia at Belmont , a fast closing second in the Gr.III My Charmer at Calder on December 4th and in her first start at five she was managed third after a rough trip in the January 9th Marshua's River at Gulfstream.
Her running style was to come from off the pace, she's was a "closer", and it meant that she needed the breaks. It all came together in the Suwannee River Handicap at Gulfstream on February 12th. Edgar Prado had her settled just off the leaders while saving ground early, angled her outside for running room in the stretch and caught the pacesetter to win by three quarters of a length at the wire.
Snowdrops ran twice unplaced in her next starts, in the Gr.3 Hillsborough Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs the rain came and the ground turned against her meaning she couldn't quicken with her customary late surge and was beaten two lengths into fourth spot giving 6lbs to the fillies in front. On April 2nd she was fifth in the Gr.2 Orchid Handicap at Gulfstream over 12 furlongs. Christophe hoped that she would stay the extended trip( three furlongs further than she has run before) but in the event she didn't. We know now never to run her on softened ground and to stick with her proven trip.
She spent the New York season in Saratoga (pictured above right) and got back into the Winners Circle on June 12th with a win at Monmouth Park, for the second year running, in the Politely Stakes. After that success she missed some Stakes opportunities due to rain-softened ground in the North East and in her next start in the Ballston Spa Handicap Gr.3 at Saratoga on August 29th she ran below par and for the first time in her career failed to spark. Christophe wasn't happy with the way she moved in the stretch and the wide draw, which meant that new jockey Jerry Bailey had her three wide at the rear, didn't help.
We saw Christophe at Keeneland in September when her Holy Bull half sister was selling and at that time he was being cautious about Snowdrops' future plans. Still concerned that she had moved poorly in the Ballston Spa he said that he would tell us honestly if he felt that it was time to stop with her - "she has been too good to me to carry on if she is not 100%" he said. After that she worked three times at Saratoga each time showing good form so she ran in the Navaho Princess Stakes at Meadowlands on September 30th. As Christophe put it when we spoke the next morning "the bad news is we got beat but the good news is she ran very well and is back to her old self, we can carry on with her through to January/February and try to win some more Stakes". She was third beaten not far by fillies that she was conceding weight to. Joe Bravo told him that she was very strong and as the race panned out he couldn't get her covered up. Christophe believes that Bravo made his move too early and that we would have won if he had waited.
She moved down to Florida in November and won her second Graded Stakes at Calder on December 3rd in the My Charmer Handicap (Gr. 3) a race in which she was second the previous year. She came with a late surge for jockey Brice Blanc - "Once we got clear running room she took off. The closer we got to the leader, the faster she was running". She made it back to back Graded Stakes wins when winning the $250,000 Gr. 3 Bayou Breeders Cup Handicap at the Fairgrounds meet at Louisiana Downs on January 14.
That was her last race and Snowdrops retired with a lifetime record that reads MGrSW, MSW, GrSP, 23-10-3-2, $594,767.
She is now back at Templeton Stud in the UK in foal to Dansili and she produced a grey colt by Red Ransom last year.
We love her.

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