A Sad Day

Part owner and breeder of Khamsin Warrior, Eddie Cassar, reports some tragic news. Coquette, the 14 yo broodmare who foaled KW in 2005 has passed away.
Eddie says, "Just when KW is ready to have his 1^st start his 14yo dam COQUETTE, recently served by “Not A Single Doubt” had to be put down today after a failed repeat operation for strangulated bowel. Hopefully KW will leave a legacy to his lovely mum!! "

Europe's Number One tops $4 million

Invincible Spirit is in line to be declared Europe's leading third season of 2008.
As at 28/10/08 his European progeny have achieved 70 wins from 172 runners (a staggering 40% winners/runners) and have amassed earnings of A$ 4,071,481 .

Leading money earner is Baileys Cacao (IRE) (pictured) with $571,711

Invincible Spirit tops the third season sire lists in Ireland and Italy, rates number two in Great Britain, 14th in France, 17th in Germany, 7th in NZ, 9th in HK and 15th in Australia.

Trial looming

A trial for KW on the 11th Nov at Rosehill is on the cards. Gerald is pleased with his progress and told Mick the other day that "KW is going well. Bit of a cheeky bugger but good on the track. Will trial in 3 weeks".

Great Omen

KW's little (3/4) brother was unlucky not to win first-up today. He raced a little greenly when held up for a run in the straight but finished strongly along the rails for second to the more experienced winner who was having its second start.
A win is close for Riding to Win.

3/4 brother's first start Saturday

KW's 3/4 brother, Riding to Win, will have his first race start this Saturday at Rosehill Gardens. At his only public outing he finished second to Coco Kerringle in a trial over 740m at Randwick on 10/10/08
He is owned by the same interests as Racing to Win, Reigning to Win and Running to Win. The latter two will also start at the same meeting.
Riding to Win is by Invincible Spirit out of the Zabeel mare, Calm as a Lady.

Invincible Spirit gelding wins UK Gr3

Invincible Spirit (Green Desert-Rafha, by Kris) added a group success when Irish-bred 4YO gelding Conquest (Invincible Spirit-Aguinaga, by Machiavellian) scored a 0.75-length victory in the £65,000 (A$137,000) Gr3 Bengough Stakes (6 furlongs) at Ascot.
Conquest (ridden by Jimmy Fortune for trainer William Haggas) defeated 6YO gelding Zidane (Danzero-Juliet Bravo, by Glow) & US-bred 3YO colt Sir Gerry (Carson City-Incredulous, by Indian Ridge). Previously this season, Conquest also won March's Listed Hever Sprint Stakes (5 furlongs on all-weather) at Lingfield Park and last year he finished 3rd in the Listed Scarbrough Stakes (5 furlongs) at Doncaster. As a juvenile in 2006, he won the 2006 Gr2 Gimcrack Stakes (6 furlongs) at York & finished runner-up in Listed Windsor Castle Stakes (5 furlongs) at Royal Ascot. Overall Conquest now has 5 wins & 3 placings from 25 starts for £227,100 (A$476,000) earnings.

Third Time Lucky?

Just got this from Gerald via Graham-

14/10/08

KHAMSIN WARRIOR

Has come back well, looks good two weeks off a jump out,
three weeks from trialling.

Regards
Gerald Ryan

Always Winning

Greg and Natalie Willis from Chatswood Stud (birthplace of KW) report-
The AW brand has been seen crossing the line first in New Zealand recently with sensational 3YO Kildonan winning his only 2 starts.
By Invincible Spirit from the Lord Seymour mare Game Lady, Kildonan is the latest addition to the Stakes Winners born and raised at Chatswood. After winning a trial impressively, Kildonan won his first start by an amazing 8 ½ lengths after circling the field. He then stepped up to Stakes company and won the Listed Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m) and is now scheduled to run in the Group 1 NZ1Million NZ Guineas (1600m) for which he has been installed as $6 favourite.
Related story: http://khamsinwarrior.blogspot.com/2008/06/invincible-spirit-2yo-wins-in-nz.html

Kingship Spirit lands £250,000 thriller

KINGSHIP Spirit (Invincible Spirit x Jupiter Inlet) secured the £250,000 Tattersalls October Auction Stakes in gutsy style at Newmarket this afternoon.
The Saeed Sulhail-owned gelding was given a strong ride by Johnny Murtagh who tracked the leaders before switching right and driving him to collar the leader inside the final furlong.
He wasn’t stopping at the line as he prevailed by half a length, having been sent off a well-backed 8/1 shot following his four places in maiden company - including twice at Newmarket.
Trainer Jeremy Noseda said: “He’s been a little unlucky this year and should have won at Beverly last time. “He has been gelded and without that operation I can honestly say we wouldn’t be standing here today.“He hasn’t helped himself in the past but the fast pace and this type of race suited him well- everything fell in to place.
Posted on http://www.jeremynoseda.com 02 Oct 2008 by Jackie Jarvis

Sire Stats Update

Invincible Spirit's Australian statistics continue to be amongst the best figures of any stallion with progeny racing in Australia.
His last 100 runners are showing an amazing 20% winning strike rate and 45% the place.
Recent creditable efforts include-

7/09/2008 Sale Invinciblekindness 1 of 13
15/09/2008 Moe Spiritstar 3 of 8
16/09/2008 Kilmore Stanza Spirit 3 of 8
17/09/2008 Doomben Conquering Spirit 1 of 8
22/09/2008 Donald Annabelle's Spirit 2 of 14
23/09/2008 Warrnambool Invinciblekindness 1 of 8
27/09/2008 Seymour Spiritstar 1 of 12
5/10/2008 Benalla Invinciblekindness 1 of 10

One out of three ain't bad. Not at 30/1

Our Joan of Arc's ecstatic owners

KW's paternal half-sister, Fleeting Spirit was the centre of controversy when she was left in the stalls when her gate refused to open at yesterday's Longchamps meeting. The race was re-run some five hours later and at this time I have no idea if she was one of the three non-starters in the re-run. She knocked her head several times in her attempt to take part in the first race. In any event she failed to fill a place. However if you backed her the NSW TAB refunded bets on the original race so don't throw away your tickets.

If you backed the other runner at Longchamp with which KW has a connection, then I'm sorry, German Derby winner, Kamsin, also failed to fill a place in the Arc. If you backed him then, like me, you did your dough.

However our luck came good with the other runner this weekend with which you can claim, if only a tenuous, connection. Our Joan of Arc, the filly my friend bought a share in because I extolled her virtues after being invited to a Darby Racing Open Day by Graham, won the Gimcrack Stakes at the juicy odds of nearly 30/1 (winning dividend was $29.90). She'll never start at those odds again.

[We could be onto a system here. If a horse related to Khamsin Warrior and another with a similar name to KW, are due to start at the same overseas race meeting AND we personally know someone here with a horse whose name derives from that same overseas country and with a part of its name the same as one of the races that one of the aforementioned horses is competing in, then put the house on the local starter. eg Fleeting Spirit (by Invincible Spirit, KW's sire) leads us to Longchamps, France where Kamsin is running in the Arc de Triomphe which leads us to Our Joan of Arc at Randwick because Joan of Arc was a French heroine and Geoff advised his friend to by a share and Geoff has a share in KW. Simple really.]

Anyway you find them, a winner is a winner and they are few and far between, especially at long odds, so I hope like me you finished the weekend in the black.

Put it in under the bed and save it for KW's first start (in December?).

The Big Fella back at Gerald's

Khamsin Warrior has returned to Gerald's stables bigger and hopefully stronger following his spell and pre-training. This means we are looking at a start sometime close to Christmas.

Eddie, for one, is confident that this preparation will see him show his stuff.

I'll try and get to the stables one morning soon and take a pic.

You Little Beauty

Our Joan of Arc overcame the outside barrier, a wet track and being the 'cheapie' of the field to win the Listed Gimcrack Stakes at Randwick today.
Hope you took the tip and had something on her.

Speaking of Arcs

Unrelated to KW or his extended family is a young 2yo filly called Our Joan of Arc. She goes around in the Gimcrack Stakes this Saturday having easily won two jumpouts plus a trial and, despite drawing the outside barrier, I expect her to finish in the first few in her first outing.

My interest? Well, I attended a Scott Darby Racing Open Day at Clarrie Connors stables at Graham's invitation some months ago and she took my eye. I mentioned her to my friend (actually I sent her a longwinded email extolling the filly's virtues) and a week later she snapped one of the two remaining shares. If only I had taken my own advice and bought the last share.

That's racing I guess.

I think I've said that once or twice before.

Invincible Spirit filly an Arc De Triomphe support act

Fleeting Spirit (Invincible Spirit x Millennium Tale) faces her toughest task since her gallant third to Equiano in the King's Stand stakes in the northern Spring, on Sunday when she takes on the big boys again in the Group 1 Prix de l'Abbaye over 1000m at Longchamps, France.

The race, a support to the Prix De L' Arc De Triomphe , promises to bring together a crack field of speedsters including Marchand D'Or, Overdose, Fleeting Spirit, National Colour, African Rose, Borderlescott, Equiano, Kingsgate Native, Corrybrough and US Ranger.

Pre-post betting has Fleeting Spirit at 7/1 or the far less colourful $8.00 as we say it here now.

Related story: Close relative rated World's 10th top two-year old...