Dashing Willoughby and Telecaster playing their part for Meon Valley old boys

Just as Red Bull won four straight F1 constructors’ championships with a Renault engine, there is so often familiar branding humming along under the bonnet of horses in another livery.

Had Dashing Willoughby or Telecaster been fillies, they would have most likely been instantly recognisable members of Meon Valley Stud’s dynasty, racing in the black and white polka dots made famous by many since Milligram and Bella Colora.

As Mark Weinfeld’s Hampshire nursery tends to sell its colts, the likes of Dashing Willoughby were up for auction and owners Mick and Janice Mariscotti secured a Nathaniel steeped in Group 1 tradition for 70,000gns at Tattersalls Book 1.

Last year’s Queen’s Vase winner is making a steady fresh ascent of the staying ladder, earning a possible Melbourne Cup tilt after a determined victory in the Henry II Stakes at Sandown earlier this month.

"Dashing Willoughby was a lovely yearling, very correct, well made, with a very good walk and easy to deal with," Weinfeld recalls. "Had he been by a top sire he would have commanded far more interest."

Yet his distaff side is one which should never fall out of fashion even if four-time winning dam Miss Dashwood is not one of Meon Valley’s front-row names.

"Miss Dashwood is the first foal of our Listed winner Dash To The Front, and she is by Dylan Thomas, making her a half-sister to [Prix de l’Opera and Jean Romanet winner] Speedy Boarding," says Weinfeld.

"She was officially a bay filly, in reality nearly black, and was a bit of a grumpy madam in training. She would lay her ears back at anyone approaching her, but thankfully she has cheered up now she is back on the stud."

Dashing Willoughby landed the Henry II Stakes at SandownCredit: Mark Cranham (raicngpost.com/photos)

It has not exactly been plain sailing since Miss Dashwood returned to the paddocks. Her only earlier foal showed little ability and was sold on.

Weinfeld adds: "She was barren in 2017 before giving us a lovely Lope De Vega filly now named Loving Dash, who is in training with James Fanshawe. We have a yearling colt by Mukhadram going to Book 1 this autumn."

Telecaster had been another with a date at Tattersalls as a New Approach son of Meon Valley’s Oaks runner-up Shirocco Star, but he failed find a buyer.

Weinfeld repackaged him in a syndicate and saw the late developer claim the Dante Stakes in the black and orange colours of Castle Down Racing. After a series of disappointments, including trailing home last in the Derby, he re-emerged this summer and landed a Group 3 at Longchamp in effortless style.

"Winning the Dante was another very exciting day last year for the stud," says the owner. "We knew Telecaster was very good but didn't know how good. The hype on the day was all about Too Darn Hot and we shouted ourselves hoarse that day!

"After Telecaster's poor showing in the Derby and the Eclipse, we found the horse was jarred up, so we turned him away on the stud for the rest of the summer. He flourished, and returned to Hughie Morrison a different horse."

He continues: "The plan had been to start an early campaign. Covid 19 put paid to that, but we were pleased with his Brigadier Gerard run, first time out in approximately 330 days to finish a length and a quarter behind Lord North, the subsequent Prince of Wales's winner.

"He then ran a superb race in France, settling nicely in third place before really picking up and winning effortlessly. Hughie and I think Telecaster is still a potential Group 1 performer, we are looking at all possible options over a mile and a quarter to a mile and a half."

Telecaster’s eclipse in the Derby hardly tarnished the sunniest of times in the stud’s 40-year history as Anapurna had already landed the Oaks - a first homebred domestic Classic winner in its colours since her fourth dam One In A Million took the 1,000 Guineas in 1979.

"The year hadn't started well, we had thought that Zee Zee Top's beautiful Invincible Spirit filly was going to be the stud’s flagbearer, but unfortunately she died in a tragic accident in her stable," recalls Weinfeld.

"Anapurna had spent most of her two-year-old old career in pre-training, having been a bit tricky. She finally ran for the first time on the December 27, 2018 at Wolverhampton - and it was hardly an auspicious start, as she finished ninth out of 13 and some 17 lengths behind the winner.

"We were delighted when next time out she won a Lingfield maiden by five lengths, and she then went on to win the Lingfield Oaks Trial very easily."

Weinfeld leaves the praise to her last-gasp defeat of Pink Dogwood on the Downs for jockey Frankie Dettori.

"On the big day we were just hoping she would run well with a good passage and hopefully get a place," he admits.

"Mehdaayih was the favourite at 11-4 with a good draw, Anapurna was 8-1 with a seemingly poor draw compared with her stablemate. However, we did have the Frankie factor!

"As they came down the hill, the excitement was terrific, but it looked like Pink Dogwood would win, but then Frankie just slipped through - an unbelievable ride! The rest of the day went by in a blur, we couldn't believe it and had to keep watching the re-runs just to be sure. We also had Telecaster’s run in the Derby the following day to look forward to.

"It will be remembered as one of the best days for the stud to date in what was a fabulous year on the track. It's a great shame my father [Egon], who founded the stud, didn't get to see it."

Weinfeld reports that Anapurna, who added the Prix de Royallieu to her tally before retirement, is happily in foal to Lope De Vega. There could be better news too of her dam, Dash To The Top, from another strand of the Meon academy which has enjoyed near-perpetual success.

"She had various issues stopping her getting in foal since she had foaled Anapurna in 2016," he says.

"Fortunately after treatment by our vet we managed to get her in foal to Frankel again this year. We are keeping our fingers and toes crossed she can go full term as she is now 18."

Three more colts to shine for Meon Valley Stud

Opera House

Owned by Sheikh Mohammed, the son of Sadler's Wells and Colorspin made a successful juvenile debut before missing the majority of his Classic season. He was to make amends as an older horse, getting the better of great finishes with Environment Friend and Misil in the Coronation Cup and Eclipse before making it a Group 1 hat-trick in the King George. Opera House went on to have a fine spell as a stallion in Japan.

Cezanne

Few will have more eventful lives than Cezanne, who began his career as a mid-level handicapper for Sheikh Mohammed and Hilal Ibrahim. After improving in Dubai during 1994, he was to progress for Sir Michael Stoute into a top middle-distance horse who claimed his finest hour under Mick Kinane in the 1994 Irish Champion Stakes. After proving infertile at stud, he was reborn as a jumper and managed to win a novice hurdle at Huntingdon in 1999.

Kayf Tara

Opera House's brother was bought for 210,000gns for Sheikh Mohammed as a yearling at the Tattersalls Houghton Sale and was to emerge one of the finest stayers of modern times, coming out best in two titanic battles for the Gold Cup and also claiming a brace of Irish St Legers. He has proved a talisman for British National Hunt breeding at Overbury Stud, siring the likes of Thistlecrack and Special Tiara.

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