Samum remains in the notebook after Leopardstown success

A decade ago, German breeders were revelling in the emergence of Samum as one of Europe’s leading lights at Gestut Karlshof. A flurry of early Group 1 performers had brought the dual Group 1 winner to attention beyond Germany as breeders sought to make use of a potentially important son of Monsun, and had helped propel his fee to a career high of €25,000 as a result.

Unfortunately, Samum’s stud career did not develop as anticipated. Breeding racehorses has always been an unpredictable business and for one reason or another, Samum did not capitalise on the better mares that came his way and was back down to a fee of €4,500 by the time of his death in 2018.

Samum should be remembered for those results from his early years at stud, which included a Deutsches Derby winner in Kamsin alongside other Group 1 winners Baila Me, Be Fabulous and Durban Thunder, rather than those quieter later seasons.

However, it seems that as far as the jumps world is concerned, he could be on the cusp of exerting a greater influence, not just through his own progeny but also that of his son Kamsin, now a popular member of Haras d’Etreham’s jumps wing at Haras de la Tuilerie.

Alongside that, there is also the growing importance of his own family to consider, notably his close relation Sea The Moon, currently in the spotlight as the sire of Classic hope Alpine Star in addition to JCB Triumph Hurdle co-favourite Allmankind, and brother Schiaparelli, whose early crops include the talented novice chaser Ronald Pump.

Samum himself was to the fore over the Christmas period as the sire of Notebook, who contributed to an excellent Leopardstown meeting for the Gigginstown House Stud, Henry de Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore team when defeating Fakir D’Oudairies in the Grade 1 Racing Post Novice Chase.

A smart hurdler last term, the seven-year-old has found his niche over the larger obstacles this winter, something that was again in evidence at Leopardstown as he turned in another enthusiastic round of jumping to maintain his unbeaten record over fences.

Notebook’s win provided a second Grade 1 success for Samum as a jumps sire following Whiteout’s win for Willie Mullins in the Mares Champion Hurdle at Punchestown in 2016.

Representation in Britain and Ireland has understandably been sparse but a glance at the various recent jumps sales is enough to glean the steadily increasing popularity of his stock in this sphere; the best example is Notebook himself, a former pointer who joined Gigginstown when knocked down to Mags O’Toole for £70,000 out of John Nallen’s draft at the 2018 Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham May Premier Sale.

Even if Samum had gone on to justify those lofty hopes and €25,000 fee on the Flat, his profile is such that he would have most likely trodden a path within the jumps world anyway. The easy winner of the 2000 Deutsches Derby, his background combines two of the most potent forces within jumps breeding in Monsun and Old Vic, the sire of his dam Sacarina.

Smart hurdler Allmankind has been leading the way for Samum's close relation Sea The MoonCredit: Edward Whitaker

At the time of Samum’s retirement to stud at his birthplace Gestut Karlshof, the idea that Monsun could become so influential over jumps had yet to manifest itself. Today, he is very much part of the jumps fabric; in addition to Notebook, he also featured last week as the grandsire of the Grade 1 Savills Chase winner Delta Work, by Network.

A key element to Samum, however, is his family. He was the first foal out of Gestut Karlshof’s blue hen Sacarina, an unraced daughter of Old Vic purchased by the stud for less than the equivalent of €4,000 at the 1994 BBAG Autumn Mixed Sale.

Efforts to get Sacarina, then a two-year-old, to the track proved fruitless but in her favour was a classy German back pedigree that contained a Classic winner in granddam Bravour II, winner of the 1966 Schwarzgold-Rennen (German 1,000 Guineas).

Sacarina went on to carve her own legacy for Bruno and Michaela Faust’s Gestut Karlshof. “My father was sure that this Old Vic mare would match perfectly with the old German sire-lines,” Holger Faust told the Racing Post in November 2017. “So he sent her to Monsun and repeated the mating a few times and the rest, as they say, is history!”

Samum was the first of three Group 1 winners foaled by the mare alongside champion Salve Regina and Schiaparelli, another Deutsches Derby winner who went on to become an excellent stayer for Godolphin. Another foal by Monsun, Sanwa, also did her bit as the dam of the runaway 2014 Deutsches Derby winner Sea The Moon. He heads a list of Group 1-winning grandchildren for Sacarina that also includes Seismos and Sortilege.

Like Samum, Sea The Moon wasn’t far from the Christmas action, in his case as the sire of Allmankind, who ran his rivals ragged to win the Grade 1 Coral Finale Juvenile Hurdle for Dan Skelton at Chepstow a day after Notebook’s Grade 1 breakthrough at Leopardstown. From the first crop of his Lanwades Stud-based sire, a group that also includes Flat Group winners Hamariyna, Noble Moon and Quest The Moon, Allmankind is now as short as 6-1 for the Triumph Hurdle.

A second crop of newly turned three-year-olds for Sea The Moon also includes Group 2 Debutante Stakes winner Alpine Star, a half-sister to Alpha Centauri, and German champion two-year-old Wonderful Moon, allowing for the strong possibility of a Classic or Group 1 winner coming his way on the Flat this year.

Not to be forgotten during this fruitful period for Sacarina’s clan was Schiaparelli, whose son Dorking Boy struck in a competitive handicap hurdle for Tom Lacey at Newbury on Saturday. The Overbury Stud stallion also has this season’s Grade 1-placed novice chaser Ronald Pump, who ran second to Treacysenniscorthy on a switch back to hurdles in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle Qualifier at Leopardstown on Saturday, to hopefully represent him at some of the upcoming festivals.

The Sacarina family has become ever more powerful over the past decade - 23 black-type performers now descend from the mare, who died only in 2011 - and we can expect more Group or Grade 1 races to come its way in 2020, both on the Flat and over jumps, probably via its male representatives but also perhaps through the many female descendants of Sacarina now in production.

And while Samum is no longer with us, sons Kamsin, Durban Thunder and Sordino also currently offer the opportunity for jumps breeders to tap into his line. Kamsin, in particular, is an interesting option given his early crops sired at Gestut Karlshof include the 2018 Grade 1 Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris winner On The Go.

BREEDERS' DIGEST

Davidoff loss underlined

The loss of Davidoff to the French jumps breeding scene was underlined further at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting by the Grade 1 breakthrough of Abacadabras. The gelding took another step up the ladder for Gordon Elliott when justifying favouritism in the Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle, in which he became a second winner of the race for Davidoff after the 2016 victor Saturnas.

Although the pair are the sole Grade 1 winners for Davidoff, the Group 3-winning son of Montjeu has only 103 foals aged four or above on the ground sired from his time at Haras de la Kammerholz in France. He switched to Haras de Saint Arnoult in 2017 but died aged 14 the following March.

Kingman’s reach extends to Hong Kong

Quick to become one of the hottest names in Europe, Kingman has now been quick to make his presence felt in Hong Kong, where his first two runners have won - from a collection of just four representatives listed as in training. The first to strike, Private Secretary, won the Cocked Hat Stakes at Goodwood in May, and has evidently acclimatised well for trainer Tony Cruz given the manner in which he captured his Hong Kong debut, a Class 2 mile handicap on Happy Valley’s Boxing Day card.

"He’s been my Derby horse from day one – this is my best chance," said Cruz following the race. "I’ve been excited about him from the start." Several days later, it was the turn of another three-year-old, Rich And Lucky, to shine when breaking his maiden at Sha Tin. For the record, the other Kingmans listed in training in Hong Kong are Packing Joy, a winner at Goodwood in May for Andrew Balding (when named Wedding Blue), and the unraced Solar Power (out of Janicellaine).

Unbridled’s Song mares hit winning tune

Unbridled’s Song is well regarded as a potent force as a damsire, yet even by his own standards the past month has been exceptional. First, an increasingly successful partnership with Sunday Silence blood has gained further ground, notably through the exploits of Japan Cup winner Suave Richard (by Heart’s Cry and out of Pirramimma) and unbeaten juvenile Contrail (by Deep Impact and out of Rhodochrosite), the easy winner of Saturday’s Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes at Nakayama in Japan.

Contrail’s victory came on the same day that Unbridled’s Song also featured in Japan as the damsire of Listed Betelgeuse Stakes winner Wild Card (by Street Sense) and in the US of Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes winner Gift Box (by Twirling Candy).

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